Creative perseverance
by Tannis Atkinson
How quickly things change! A few short years ago the National
Literacy Secretariat consulted the field about the best ways to
support adult literacy research. NLS saw that, as a federal body
that cannot fund direct provision of education, one thing it could
do was to support research. Under the current Office of Learning
and Essential Skills, interest seems to have evaporated. The call
for proposals last fall did not explicitly support research and,
as far as we can tell, no project submitted under that call has
received funding. Is this a case of death by neglect? Well, we’re
still breathing!
One of the most valuable final acts of the National Literacy Secretariat
was funding for a large project to investigate the prevalence of
practitioner research and to discover what conditions supported,
and deterred, this work. I was involved in planning that project.
I did so because I hoped that its findings would clarify the role
that research in practice plays in the field and result in resources
and structures to nourish the work. The outcome of this project
was Focused on Practice: A framework for adult literacy research
in Canada, edited by the national coordinators, Jenny Horsman
and Helen Woodrow.
The book includes detailed reports about the actual conditions
in the field. Not surprisingly, the picture is bleak. One chapter
analyzes how those conditions affect research in practice. The
practitioner-researchers concluded, among other things, that the
most important next step is for this study to be used as a building
block. It is crucial that this latest RiP study not fail to deliver
on its promises, reinforcing the widely-held belief that all research
takes ideas and insights away from practitioners and does not give
anything back in return.
I’m afraid that the incredible wealth of Focused on
Practice has not become the keystone in a structure that
helps practitioner research thrive. But it did reveal much that
had been hidden. That project can still lead to action and help
change literacy practice. By featuring its key findings and some
of the stunning wildcards produced by practitioners, we hope
that this issue leads others to its important and ground-breaking
findings. We also hope that you are inspired by the vision, tenacity
and creativity of the practitioners from coast to coast to coast
who continue to do the rewarding work of adult literacy under
such challenging conditions.
