UPP - Date

Deb Wood congratulates Suping, an UPP student, at KL&S Celebration of Learning in June.

Althought tt was disappointing that no programs came forward to do the UPP curriculum, it has given us the opportunity to try a more direct approach to programs. I contacted a couple of early literacy/family literacy practitioners who work directly with LBS programs in their areas. Both had ideas as to which programs might be interested and contacted them with the additional information about the project I'd sent them. I'd hoped to hear back from the programs, one rural and one urban, about doing the UPP curriculum with parents in their program starting in October. I haven't heard back yet and I'm crossing my fingers that it might be due to holidays and so on. If I don't hear back soon, I'll beat the bushes again! ALSO in Ottawa and KL&S in Kingston are both on board and will start programming in the fall, after a recruitment drive for participants.

I'm meeting with Noriyeh (our research consultant) mid-September to talk about the research pilot - how it went, what seemed to work and what didn't and so on. We'll re-jig as necessary and put the plan in place as programs start up with the curriculum. Both Isobel and Deb Wood, instructors for the UPP curriculum last year, suggested that the students do the PDQ after a couple of weeks of computer orientation so that they feel comfortable with the technology.

Late June I met with UPP facilitators, Isobel Bisby (ALSO) and Deb Wood (KL&S). Both agreed that the curriculum package had lots of "meat" to it and said they hadn't had time to complete all the learning ideas and explore the learning resources with their students. To boost the prose and document reading aspect of the curriulum, it was suggested that the UPP instructors for the project be directed to add reading activities that emerge from the curriculum and best suit the particular student or group needs. I will also create a blog or wiki (haven't decided which) so that instructors can share their experiences and their ideas with each other on a weekly basis.

I hope your summer was good. Get ready - September is here!

Deb