California
Department of Health, WIC Program
Cleveland
Municipal School District
Dana
Farber Cancer Institute
Fielding
Institute
Freedom
from Hunger
Fresno
Children's Dental Programs
Habitat
for Humanity International
Institute
for Career Development (United Steelworkers of America)
Lesley
University
MDC,
Inc. (Expanding the Economy, Developing the Workforce)
National
Women, Infants, Children (WIC) Association
New
Orleans Jobs Initiatives
North
Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts
Parents
for Public Schools
Public
Health Foundation Enterprise
Summer
Peacebuilding Institute at Eastern Mennonite University
Vermont
Department of Education
University
of Wisconsin at Madison
Much
of our work with these organizations has involved teaching the basics of dialogue
education through our first course Learning
to Listen-Learning to Teach. Many of these organizations have gone on to invite
us to offer the Advanced
Learning Design course as well. Often we are asked to customize shorter learning
events for conferences, staff retreats or meetings. In every case we together
have been delighted with the outcome for each organization--we see, and you
see, dialogue education making a difference!
Our largest
and longest client relationship has undoubtedly been with the California
WIC Program. This relationship began with a single person at CA-WIC hearing
about our work. GLP's Senior Associate Valerie
Uccellani was then invited to conduct a Learning Needs and Resources Assessment;
this in turn led to an in-house course for senior staff. Four years later we have
trained over 500 Department of Health staff: nutritionists, supervisors, frontline
staff, paraprofessional teachers, certified dieticians. They have found that adding
dialogue and the Seven Steps of Design to staff and client trainings, meetings,
consultations, and conferences has greatly enhanced their goal to support staff
and clients toward healthier work environments, lives, and families.
In
addition to dialogue education courses at CA-WIC, several of GLP's Senior Associates--including
Valerie (noted above), Peter Perkins,
and Joye Norris--helped to design
and support a program for CA-WIC which focused on the paraprofessional groups
of teachers in the clinics. This course and pilot program was called Finding
the Teacher Within and is geared to those who are called on to teach a course
design that uses a learning-centered approach. These educators want to have insight
into why the course is designed the way it is, and how to teach it effectively.
Darlene Goetzman
designed and implemented an important evaluation project in 2003 and 2004 that
demonstrated the value and challenges within the program.
My
Focus
What did you notice about how GLP has been working in the US? We
see that we have had a large presence in the public health and higher education
sectors. Yes!
In 2005 I have been working to make
contact with many more public health programs across the US. First, focusing on
WIC programs across the United States, and branching out from there. Conversations
about marketing in the GLP office mention our shift from "pull" marketing
(where learners/clients come to us because of a good experience they have had
with reading one of Jane's books, or attending a DE designed event) to "push"
marketing (where we introduce DE to those who know nothing or little about it).
As we begin to market more formally we face the challenge of "promoting"
dialogue education. We welcome your insights and suggestions for us. How do you
promote and share what you know about how adults learn? How do you move from the
practice and modeling of dialogue education, to introducing your colleagues to
the benefits of dialogue education?
Opportunities
for You
We invite your participation in expanding the reach of dialogue
education.
As
always, what are your questions?
You are welcome to contact me at 416-461-4878
or email ckuipers@globalearning.com.
New News for Me!
2 big events are
happing this year in my personal life. I will be married on April 8 to my love,
Papito Moré Wilson AND we are expecting our son to be born around July
31! We are so excited! I will be taking a maternity leave starting mid-July, and
plans for how long that will be are still in the works. Life is good!
