January 2010 AR- Blog

What topics/areas are shaping your literature review?
The area I am working on has to do with frequent class interruptions to students’ attendance to classes in a prison setting. My literature review so far has shown that this problem appears to be inbuilt in the Prison System. Education in a prison setting seems to be an appendage to the goal of the prison: to keep inmates there as long as their serving time lasts. For this security reason, inmates may not be available if there is a riot or fear of riot or if custody officers are not adequate to guarantee their coming to class. Arbenz (1994), quoting Knight (1989 p 67), affirms that the role of education has been subordinated to the goal of institutional security. The system further emphasizes submissiveness of inmates over thinking; the prison system is purely coercive and authoritative.
Did you find anything different than you expected during your literature review that addresses your topic?
Two things I found have really surprised me in the literature review. There are different programs in the education system in a prison and whichever program is operational in a particular prison determines how education will be operated. As Hill (2008) points out, there are programs like academic and vocational educational, correctional industries and independent study programs, substance abuse treatment programs, alternative academic as well as Bridging programs. Not all of these programs ‘utilize as much direct teacher instructions as traditional classroom academic programs.’ The direct teacher instruction program is what I have used to. And since the Bridging program I was into was not in the format I was used, I had concerns about the frequent interruptions. The program I happen to be in falls under the non-direct teacher instruction.
Another thing that surprised me is how relegated to the background education in the system is such that it would take reorganizing the system before effective changes could be seen in prison education. And this has made me think of changing my topic and area of research

How are your critical friends helping this process? Are these critical friends FS students, your colleagues, or other professionals related to your topic? Please, explain fully.
My colleagues at work happen to be my critical friends. At break I usually bring out the topic and my findings for discussion and they help to throw more insight to the problem. Besides I have contacted a professor in Correctional education at Cal State San Bernardino who has agreed to criticize my site.
How has this month’s course helped in shaping your ARP? Please explain fully.
This month’s course has been Education Design and Evaluation (EDE). Using a flow chart to envision what one is doing, and defining objectives have added information to me. In the design we worked on ‘Fostering Skills development Outcomes.’ Under that model the universal principles are: knowledge of what is to be done, executing actions step by step, transfer of control from the eyes to other senses, automization of the skill and transference of skill to other areas. These are the steps that make skill acquisition by a learner possible and help to make instruction relevant and applicable. I have incorporated these principles. Romiszowski, the author of the instructional model I referred to, makes another important distinction I appreciate: that is the difference between reproductive and productive skills.
In addition to the principles of skills development, the R2D2 model of reading, reflecting displaying and doing have been key points in my study and doing. R2D2 model helps me communicate better to readers and learners what I have to say as I keep in mind various ways others learn that I should be aware of and apply to my teaching and learning. References
Arbenz, R. (1994). In our lifetime: A reformist view of correctional education Journal of Correctional Education, 45(1), and 30-37, retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Eggleston C & Gehring T (1986) Correctional education Paradigm in the U
S & Canada, Journal Of Correctional Education
Hill, E G (2008) From cellblocks to classrooms: Reforming inmate education to Improve public safety, California Legislative Office Analyst Report www.lao.ca.gov
Romiszowski, A .(2009) Fostering skill development outcomes, Reigeluth, C m & Carr-Chellman, A. A . (2009) Instructional design theories and models: Building a common knowledge base, New York, Routledge