I think the biggest take away from this class for me was what I learned from the group project on the Accelerated Learning Program at the Community College of Baltimore County. We've read a lot about the problems that basic writers face and the inefficacy of many developmental writing classes but the research on ALP showed that these problems are widely acknowledged and that there is an active force behind finding solutions for these issues. Peter Dow Adam's proposal at the 1992 Conference of Basic Writing has gained traction and ALP programs are now part of the curriculum in community colleges across the United States, including the newly minted program at Queensborough Community College.
Classroom teachers, despite good intentions, are often rendered ineffective because of institutionally imposed standards and curriculum. What's worse is that we are often aware of our own insufficiency but are unable to see a way out. The Accelerated Learning Program is a way out even if it isn't part of whatever institution that we're teaching in because we can study the techniques used therein and implement them in "traditional" classes. This is great news. Teachers typically get into the field out of somewhat altruistic motives -- we're certainly not getting rich doing it -- our compensation is linked to our students' success. If we have low pass rates or our students are struggling, that negatively affects our performance as teachers and makes us even less effective in the classroom. We all know teachers who seem to have given up. Perhaps, we've all been in classes that were taught by teachers that have given up. It's excruciating.
It's really good to know that there are things happening that will increase teacher compensation by increasing success rates for our students. It's equally beneficial for us to understand that we need to be advocates for the students we serve rather than servants of our institutions. We should remember that change won't happen unless we demand it.
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