Reflections from Newfoundland

Karen Burns

When I returned to my college after the Institute and people asked me “How was it?” I replied with a fervour usually reserved for an acolyte first seeing the light - the Institute changed my life! It changed the way I view my practice, and it changed my outlook on the responsibility that I have, not only to my own students, but also to other students and to colleagues. I realize now that my responsibility as a literacy/numeracy instructor encompasses more than just my students acquiring skills to move forward in their lives. I learned that by posing questions and doing research, the benefits of my research can extend to other students and practitioners.

At first I was frustrated at what I, in my ignorance, initially viewed as a conference without a plan. I was also frustrated because I couldn’t seem to find my place. However, once I let go of my preconceived notions from attending traditional scientific conferences, I accepted that my role was the same as all participants. I then began to notice that we were nurturing ideas in many directions to see what came out of them at the end. It was exhilarating, liberating, utterly exhausting and fun. I have never heard such sheer volume of words expressed in such a short amount of time. I was also impressed that there were so many different forums where we were encouraged to express our ideas – from the concurrent courses, to workshops, to inquiry sessions, to affinity groups, to the Institute evaluation.

A summer Institute sounds like it would be breezy and easy - this was anything but. I felt like I was inside a pressure cooking think tank, and wow what an experience. I met many colleagues from across the country, learned about the similarities and differences we have between regions, and the difficulties we all face. I came away with a smile on my face and a lot to think about and work on. Thanks for all the inspiration!

Karen Burns is a literacy/numeracy instructor at Malaspina University-College in Duncan, BC.

Research Funding

Sarah Lucas, Literacy BC Fund Development Coordinator

Where can you go to get research funding? The following sources have some flexibility around who does the research and how it is conducted.

• The Vancouver Foundation offers Education Grants that are designed to enhance the quality and accessibility of lifelong educational opportunities for all learners in British Columbia. The three annual deadlines for receiving completed grant application forms are the first Friday in January, April and September. (Allow at least 4 months for the entire process.) More details at www.vancouverfoundation.com
  
  
• The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) supports university-based research and graduate training in the social sciences and humanities. Of particular note are the relatively new Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) grants for community groups doing research with an institution as a partner. The deadline for a letter of intent is December 8, 2003. Formal applications are by invitation only and their deadline is August 4, 2004. More details at www.sshrc.ca.
  
  
• The Elva Knight Research Grant provides up to US $10,000 for research in reading and literacy. Each year, it is expected that at least one grant will be awarded to a teacher-initiated research project. The studies may be carried out using any research method or approach so long as the focus of the project is on research in reading/writing or literacy. Eligible applicants must be members of the International Reading Association (Individual Membership costs US$36). Deadline for submission: January 15, 2004. More information and an application form are at www.reading.org/awards/grantkni.html

A good source of information on research grant is theUBC ORS database of research granting agencies, at http://137.82.218.101/owa/progquery.query

For more information on literacy funding, visit the Funding Digest on The Hub, Literacy BC’s electronic conferencing system.