swingshift college popular education 2003 signed5

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Swingshift College: Popular Education? by Mike Olszanski

L580 Term Paper April 7, 2003

"A way of teaching is never innocent. Every Pedagogy is implicated in ideology, in a set of tactic assumptions about what is real, what is good, what is possible, and how power ought to be distributed. "

(Linkon, 153 from Berlin, James, "Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class," College English 50, No.5 Sept. 1988, pp. 492, 479.)

Olszanski 1 L580 Term Paper

Thesis

Swingshift College, a program for adult workers initiated 10 years

ago by Dr. Ruth Needleman at Indiana University Northwest, was inspired

by the work of Paulo Freire, Miles Horton, Canadian popular educators and

others. What are its mission and goals, and how well does it meet those

goals? To what extent can the popular education paradigm be adapted for

use in a college-credit program? What kind of conflicts arise from the

competing interests of pop ed and the university? How do these conflicts get

resolved? What about grades? Is Swingshift College a special case, or

can worker education generally successfully implement this kind of

program?

This paper will explore these questions in the light of popular

education theory and my own experience as a student and staff assistant in

Swingshift College for the past 5 years, as well as interviews with present

students and graduates of the program.

The Mission

First and foremost, for Needleman, education for workers needs to be

anything but neutral. She makes it crystal clear that Swingshift College,

like the Labor Studies program she has been involved with for some 30

years, aims to educate workers in order to empower and enable them to build

their own movement. Needleman aims to build a "community" of worker

intellectuals, worker advocates and worker activists. She aims to "get people

into action." (Needleman, 3/25/03)


Co-existent with that goal, according to its mission statement,

Swingshift College strives to "encourage workers to make a commitment

to life-long learning." and to "provide college curriculum that meets the

highest standards of quality" (Appendix A). Swingshift provides the

opportunity to earn Associate and Bachelors degrees in both Labor Studies

and General Studies. In order to make available courses needed by students

to meet the requirements of these degree programs, Swingshift College

offers a wide range math, science and social science classes, in addition to

the Labor Studies classes around which the core of the program was

developed.

Begun by Needleman ofiUN Labor Studies, in conjunction with John

Myers, coordinator of the USWA Bethlehem learning Center in 1993 with a

one credit L290 offering, "Steel at the CrossRoads", Swingshift College

has been directed by Cathy Iovanella since 1996. Aimed initially at

Steelworkers, Swingshift would help them to take advantage of the

education benefit negotiated by the USWA in their 1988 contracts with

USX, Bethlehem, Inland , LTV and National/Midwest. The educational

benefits for steelworkers are administered by a national office, the Institute

for Career Development (ICD) established by the USWA and located in

Merrillville, Indiana. The infusion of dollars to pay tuition and books for

"sponsored" steelworkers went a long way toward making Swingshift a

paying proposition for IUN. Based in the Continuing Studies department,

Swingshift is a "customized college program" employing techniques aimed

at motivating workers to take an active, pro-worker role in their unions and

community. (Needleman, 1995, page 1) In August, 1994 a Gary Post


Tribune editorial lauded Swingshift college as part of a new "vision for

education" (Post, August 24, 1994). It enjoyed great deal of support (now

somewhat waning) from then-Chancellor Richards. But from the beginning,

Needleman acknowledged its reliance on the support of workers and their

organizations and institutions in order for Swingshift to grow and prosper.

"Swingshift College will only succeed, if we succeed in building a full

partnership. The program must belong to the local joint committees, the

lCD, the students, IUN and the faculty and staff." (Needleman, 1995, page

3) Total enrollments went from 89 in Fall of 19194 to a peak of320 in Fall

of 1997. (See Appendix A, Swingshift College Mission Statement)

Theory

Popular education has its roots in the theory of Antonio Gramsci, as

adopted and expanded upon by Paulo Freire, Myles Horton and others. In

the 1920's, writing from Mussolini' s prison Gramsci, leader of the Italian

Communist Party (PC I) elaborated a theory of class hegemony-"the

ideological predominance of bourgeois values and norms over the

subordinate classes"-that built on the ideas ofMarx, Engels, Lenin and

others (See appendix C, also see Olszanski, Mid-Term paper, L580).

Gramsci' s theory emphasized the powerful role played by culture and

education in rationalizing, legitimizing and popularizing the status quo. In

addition to the coercive power of the state, Gramsci insisted that a popular

consensus was an essential element ofhegemony. He describes a process of

"covert indoctrination" through which capitalist institutions maintain this

popular consensus. Gramsci saw this hegemony as so ingrained in a society


that it was accepted by a majority of the population as "common sense" or

"the only way of running a society."

( http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-gram.htm page 4)

Counter-posed to this bourgeois state hegemony, Gramsci envisioned

the creation of a working-class "counter-hegemony" through the

development of mass organizations, working-class culture, and working

class institutions, particularly schools. Adult education was seen as an

important element in a "war of position" against this political, economic,

cultural and especially intellectual hegemony of the capitalist state (Mayo,

2). Overcoming this "popular consensus" in favor of the ruling ideology of

capitalism demanded the education of the working class, and the

development of"organic" intellectuals from and firmly planted on the side

of the working class. The aim was not just raising consciousness, but

transforming it, and building a new socialist consciousness and a new

popular consensus (Mayo, 5). Likewise, beyond merely seeking structural

change, developing the new ideological counter -hegemony was necessary to

win the hearts and minds of the populace. The purpose of counter

hegemonic culture and institutions would be to facilitate resistance to and

:finally encircle and overcome the existing main-stream capitalist institutions

( Altenbaugh, 6).

Thus, Gramsci saw worker education as part of a process of

"growing" "organic" working-class intellectuals, who would form a cadre in

the creation of centers of counter-hegemony, to battle capitalists and their

institutions for the hearts and minds of the general public. Gramsci also

looked to praxis (revolutionary action) as a way to confront and overcome

bourgeois hegemony and simultaneously build the new popular consensus:


" ... ideologies are expressions of the structure and are modified by

modifications of the structure" (Gramsci, 442). Identifying the

epistemological significance of the principle of hegemony was, according to

Gramsci, Lenin's great contribution to Marxism (Gramsci, 365).

Gramsci saw the "philosophy of praxis" as one of the three "unities"

in the constituent elements of Marxist theory ("man & matter") i.e., "the

relationship between human will (superstructure) and economic structure"

(Gramsci, 403). Gramsci acknowledges Marx and Engles as "founders of

the Philosophy ofPraxis" ( 415-416). Indeed, Gramsci's translators clearly

indicate that in the code used to fool the prison censors, by "the Philosophy

of Praxis" and "modem theory" he actually meant Marxist theory ( 404-407).

Paulo Freire, a radical Brazilian educator attempting to bring

empowerment through literacy and consciousness-raising to the lower

classes in his country, adopted and built on some of this theory. Miles

Horton, who established the Highlander Folk School to educate and mobilize

Appalachian people, discovered similar ideas in the process of learning how

to educate poor adults. Before the Russian Revolution, Finnish Wobblies

founded Work People's College in Duluth, Minnesota to teach syndicalism

and industrial democracy. In the 1930's Brookwook Labor College in New

York, Commonwealth in Arkansas and the Bryn Mawr School for Women

Workers also used these kinds of techniques. More recently, popular

educators in the U.S. and Canada have adopted, extended and refined these

ideas, developing a unique pedagogy aimed as much at consciousness

raising and movement-building as it is at helping workers acquire skills. In

Canada, Bev Burke, J ojo Geronimo, D' Arcy Martin, Barb Thomas and

Carol Wall's recently published Education for Changing Unions illustrates


popular education with a "spiral model" of teaching/learning, which begins

with and builds on what workers already know, identifies patterns, analyzes

knowledge in light of working class interests, adds new knowledge and

expertise, and leads to a plan for action (Appendix B). Radical black

feminist Bell Hooks, in her Teaching to Transgress, describes how the very

same theory can be applied in a University setting, as in classes she teaches

at City College in New York.

We are thus the beneficiaries of a hundred years of theory and practice

in popular education. Acknowledging this debt to previous thinkers, as well

as students, Hooks says (62) " ... the production of ... theory is complex .. .it is

an individual process less often than we think and usually emerges from

engagement with collective sources." While Hooks is specifically speaking

of feminist theory here, her remarks are equally applicable to the origins of

popular education theory as well.

The Program

More than simply running classes morning and evening, the program aims to

eliminate red-tape and hassles, easing the transition of workers to college. It

provides tutoring, writing seminars and advice and special counseling. At

the same time, it endeavors to build working class consciousness, worker

solidarity and "counter hegemony" in the classroom, even when supervisors

and management-oriented students are in it. Counseling and registration are

handled by Swingshift staff. A prospective student need merely telephone,

email or visit the Swingshift office, indicate the classes she wants to take,

and the rest is done by the staff. Even textbooks are ordered and brought to


class for the sponsored students (steelworkers whose tuition and books are

paid for by ICD). Swingshi:ft removes most of the obstacles, thus freeing the

working student to apply herself to learning. Classes are videotaped, so that

attendance-so difficult at times for already overburdened shift workers,

who are required by their employers at times to work "double" shifts-is not

so critical. In fact, it is an established principle that attendance not be

considered in grading. Likewise, students are neither graded lower nor

berated for arriving late for class. It is assumed that adults, attending classes

they choose for themselves, are neither late nor absent without good reason.

Instructors employ various methods to ensure that students who miss classes

are kept up to speed. Generally these amount to a requirement to check out

and view the video, and submit a short paper on what was covered in the

missed session.

According to a description of Swingshift College written by

Needleman,

Swingshift College through its customized format and emphasis on

labor studies has combined different traditions of worker education

from both the extension as well as credit models. The format creates

a collective, on-going cohort of students whose education is

integrated, experienced-based and worker-friendly. With support

systems, Swingshift has enabled workers at different levels of

academic preparation to enter together.

Early on, peer mentors were also employed to "facilitate collective learning

through inter-dependence" (Needleman)


The Praxis of Needleman

Praxis is the application of theory to practice. So what does the

practice of popular education, and counter-hegemony, mean in the

classroom? How does it transform the classroom, the students and the

teacher? Or, as Needleman would put it, "That's talkin' the talk. What about

walkin' the talk?" How and where does the rubber meet the road?

Needleman's own classroom illustrates the most successful attempt

to integrate counter-hegemonic theory and practice with university

undergraduate, and recently, graduate level education here at Indiana

University, and perhaps in the nation. Beginning, in the tradition of Freire,

Horton, and contemporary Canadian popular educators with the knowledge

already possessed by adult students who may be union activists or officers,

Needleman utilizes the "Spiral method" illustrated in appendix B .

Needleman, like Hooks, "employ[s] pedagogical strategies that create

ruptures in the established order, that promote modes of learning which

challenge bourgeois hegemony" (Hooks, 185). Needleman's Labor Studies

classroom is a good place to view the theory of popular education in action

or "praxis". As a student in her classes, I have been able to view her

technique from a unique perspective. While constrained by the demands of

the University in terms of grades, curriculum, time-tables, etc., Needleman

closely approximates popular education in college credit courses, including a

new one at the graduate level. Needleman has won more teaching awards

than anyone on the IUN campus. She takes more pride in her working-class

roots than her Harvard degree.


Her classroom-our classroom-she would call it, is a space created

to enable trade unionists, working class intellectuals and ordinary people of

every race, background and gender to share, compare, explore, and analyze

our experiences in the light of any and all theory we find useful. More often

than not, the classroom is "off campus" at one of the USW A/Company

"Learning Centers" near the !SPAT/Inland, Bethlehem, or Midwest/National

steel mills. The location is "convenient" for workers, but also less

threatening for someone taking a first step into college. It is also less

constraining than the usual campus classroom-more adaptable to "in the

round" seating, for example.

Here, in a "safe house" of brothers and sisters, guided, facilitated but

not dominated by an expert in the use of analysis, we students begin with our

own experiences, and with what we have already learned from that

experience. Here Needleman " ... build( s] on people's own experience; it is

the basis for their [our] learning" (Horton, 13 7). Here we are challenged to

use new tools to understand the social causes of what many of us-isolated

and alienated as we were- had assumed were our personal problems. 1

Quickly we find common interests, and come to understand how

those vital commonalities far outweigh our differences, confronted as we are

by the hegemonic system of capitalism. We discover the basic conflict

between the owning class and the working class. We find ourselves

uncovering the truth of our own identities as members of the largest, and

potentially most politically powerful class in history.

1 Professor of Sociology in the Swingshift Program Chuck Gallmeier uses a theory of C. Wright Mills"The Sociologicallmagination"·-to define this new consciousness.


In this space we are permitted, indeed encouraged to use all the tools we can

fmd from the teaching of Jesus and Shelley, as Myles Horton would have it,

to the class analysis of Marx in our struggle to understand the forces which

oppress, repress and exploit us. Left-wing theory is given respect and weight

rather than dismissed as "dangerous" or "discredited" or "passe." This

enacts a kind of academic freedom often espoused but seldom found in

practice on U.S. campuses. "When you want to build a democratic society,

you have to act democratically in every way" (Horton, 227). Needleman's

method of teaching is perhaps the most democratic one is likely to find in a

university setting.

In the tradition of Horton, the jargon or "big words" of popular

education, terms like "praxis" "hegemony" etc., are defined-then promptly

set aside in favor of less formal, more familiar words. The emphasis is on

understanding. As Horton puts it, "If they don't understand the process, they

may be able to go back and mouth it, but they can't live it" (137). One

seldom leaves Needleman's class without a clear explanation of the concepts

in question.

Counter-hegemony, in our classroom, means a space where we

students empower ourselves through collective analysis to debunk the

powerful myths projected by the institutions of capital. It' s a space where we

realize in the process how collective action, e.g., through a progressive and

militant labor movement, women's movement, peace movement, civil rights

movement, poor people' s movement, can be our vehicle to do something

about our situation: to fight back. Counter-hegemony for us is an organizing

principle that enables us to collectively throw the hard light of scientific

analysis on the myths and contradictions of the system that engulfs us- to


understand the system but also to gather the strength in protected spaces to

begin the process of changing it. The epistemology happening here is the

exact antithesis of that employed by the old "banking system" of

conventional university educators (Hooks, 14).

The courage, both intellectual and physical, of our facilitator (leader,

in the best sense of the term) is contagious. Freed of the oppressive,

limiting, stifling, hegemonic intimidation and thought-controlled milieu of

bourgeois culture, media and the educational system, we explore subversive

ideas which transform us, and empower us to transform society. As the

desirability-no the desperate need-for social change becomes obvious and

logical analysis dispels the mythology which had clouded our thinking, the

means to effect that change begin to present themselves. Here we go beyond

mere "consciousness-raising"-to action. Within this counter-hegemonic

space (the word enclave springs to mind) the early adjournment of a class

session in order to join a picket line is recognized as a practically seamless

transition from theory to practice, from analysis to action. Here, as Hooks

puts it, "no gap exists between theory and practice . .. one enables the other"

(61).

The process of learning engendered by popular education enables,

nurtures, develops us as "organic" intellectuals, in a sense a "cadre" of class

conscious leaders committed to social change, and clearly conscious of

which side we are on. This is a program where "people [leaders] .. . multiply

themselves" (Horton, 57). Bonds of newly discovered brotherhood and

sisterhood that extend beyond the boundaries of the classroom are created

and strengthened. As we pick apart the racist, sexist, anti-working class

ideas which contaminate our larger society, we strengthen those bonds.


Whether we celebrate a happy event, mourn a loss, win a strike, ride the bus

to march on Washington, or just have a beer, a new circle of friends and

allies (dare we say comrades) has been created, based on a collective

understanding of the struggle we share. That, in the classroom of popular

educator Ruth Needleman, is what counter-hegemony in action looks like.

The fact is, the ideas of Freire, Horton, Hooks and popular educators from

all times and places come to life in her classroom. Their (and her) ideas,

clearly subversive in the very best sense of the word, can enable the

oppressed peoples of the world, and specifically of this country, to grow our

own intellectuals and leaders, to organize to resist, fight back, and finally,

prevail.

Grades

The plethora of ideas in the literature (I've only scratched the surface

with an internet search for sources) on methods of evaluating student

performance in college class work include both radical and conservative

approaches. Totally ungraded systems or pass/fail grading which briefly

enjoyed a measure of popularity with radical educators after the 1960's,

seem to have largely faded from the scene. The conventional grade systems

in use at IU and most other universities need little explanation. The

University of Illinois, in its guide for instructors, recognizes the "distributive

gap method, grading on the curve, percent grading, a relative grading

method using group comparisons and an absolute standard grading method"

"Group assessment & personal evaluation" and "peer and self-evaluation"

are in use in England, among other places. Many educators are

uncomfortable with grading systems that feign objectivity, whether

"criterion referenced" or "norm-referenced" (ERIC).


Needleman appears to have adopted a system roughly similar to that

(briefly) described by Hooks (157): "I try to communicate that the grade is

something they [the students] can control by their labor in the classroom."

In her own words, Needleman tends to give mostly "A's B's and

Incompletes." Students are encouraged to refme, re-work and re-submit

required work in order to get the grade we want, encouraging persistent

effort in order to improve the quality of our writing, and analysis. Most

importantly, students seldom work on a project alone. Stressing the building

of community, Group learning is employed wherever possible, encouraging

students to cooperate and work collectively to solve problems.

Many in academia decry the "grade inflation" supposedly rampant in

universities these days (Bush Jr's college grades are suspect). A 1995 study

found "only 10-20% of students receive grades lower than B-" (ERIC).

Professors are under pressure from students and parents who demand good

grades as a quid pro quo for the high dollar costs of a college education.

Needleman's grading system is anything but grade inflation. Her use of

Incompletes is similar to the use of the "R" in graduate courses of the IU

School of Education. Assigned in "thesis and dissertation courses, internship

courses, and .. . other selected courses where work is expected to take longer

than one year to complete," the "R" indicates a deferred grade

(http://www.indiana.edu/-educate/grdpolicy.html ). This use of the "I" (IU does not

allow the use of "R" for undergraduate courses) can remove the time

pressure, the pressure of competition, the fear of failure, as well as allow for

multiple revisions of a paper. By allowing or even encouraging students to

resubmit a paper multiple times until they have achieved the fmal grade they

want, this employment of the "Incomplete" looks a bit like "Mastery


Learning" as advocated by educator Benjamin Bloom (Appendix B). It

empowers students, and encourages a great deal more thought and work than

might take place if time were of the essence in submitting the work. Yet, as

Needleman herself insists, there is an important difference: Ruth' s approach

focuses less on the individual, more on collective or group learning. She

does agree with Bloom, however, in placing responsibility for students'

success on the teacher: "Bad grades mean the teacher failed" (Needleman,

class 3/11/03). Incompletes might also be viewed as a kind of"safety valve,"

allowing for a face-saving, non-embarrassing exit from academic studies

whether merely temporary or permanent-for those who can't, or aren't yet

ready to commit the time and effort necessary to "make the grade" at a

certain point in their lives, without being labeled with the stigma of

"failure." Critics of a "personal best" conception of evaluation can and do

argue that it is not fair to award the same "A" grade to one whose

achievement required extra time, even though tremendous personal growth

and work was involved. One who's previous educational experience or

"ability" enables her to master the course's subject matter more completely,

in less time and with less effort tends to get the better grade in conventional

classes.

Evaluations which weigh more heavily the content of student papers

and verbal presentations, rather than the quality of writing or speaking do

not abound in the thinking of most conventionally oriented academics. Once

again for Ruth, the quality of analysis and thought are always placed ahead

of mechanical writing and/or verbal communication skills. "you don't write

well?" she says, "If it's not a writing course, it shouldn't matter"

(Needleman, Class, 3/11/03). In fairness, Needleman does not teach basic

skills competencies like composition, speech or math, but her copious


feedback on papers and presentations does in fact help students hone these

skills. In assessing student achievement, she urges students to ask

themselves, "Have I learned things I can apply?" and "Have I applied the

things I've learned?" (Class, 3/11 /03)

Needleman's grading system is somewhat unique and different from

that employed by other professors of Labor Studies or those who teach

Sociology, Anthropology, History or other subjects for Swingshift

College. In fact there is no standard grading system used by our teachers.

There is at present no consensus--even between Swingshift Coordinator

Iovanella and Needleman-on precisely how to evaluate student

performance. Iovanella has expressed concerns for maintaining a degree of

rigor, and standards, in order to equip students for future challenges. In

addition, while most Swingshift instructors conform to the ideal of NOT

using attendance as any part of their grading system, in all other criteria they

vary greatly in their approaches to this difficult issue. The democratic, non

hierarchical methods employed in the classroom are clearly in evidence in

Needleman's and Iovanellas's approach to the faculty as well. Therefore,

faculty are in no way compelled to conform to any standard of grading. Thus

a student in the Swingshift College program would, in completing the

requirements needed for a certificate or degree, necessarily be exposed to

instructors whose methods of evaluating her varied quite a lot. Students'

overall GPA then, could hardly be said to reflect merely Needleman's

measure of their achievement. The success rate of Swingshift College

students-in conventional classes as well as Needleman's-suggests that

another factor is at work here. It seems to me that, whether because of high

levels of motivation, an accumulation of knowledge that comes with


expenence, and/or other unseen qualities, Swingshift's adult learners

simply do better than their traditional (generally younger) counterparts.

The disproportionately high percentage of honors graduates and high GP A's

among Swingshift students bears this out. As Needleman puts it, "I

couldn't have gotten away with it [her grading system] if it didn't work"

(Class, 3/11/03).

Conflicts: College Credit V. Movement Building

Is Swingshift' s primary mission to build movements? Or to enable

workers to get College Degrees? Can we do movement-building in a

university setting? Does the administration of the university want us to?

In the face of administrators whose expressed preference is to build

coalitions with business interests, and a University faculty many of whom

assign worker and adult education of any kind a low priority, building

Swingshift College has been at best an up-hill battle. The handful of

professors who teach in Labor Studies and Swingshift College classes are

clearly some of the most visionary teachers I've had the pleasure of

knowing. Several have bee recognized with teaching awards. But there is

anything but unanimity concerning pedagogy. The sacrifices involved,

including working double shifts on class days, submitting to student

participation in the design of lesson plans, student midterm evaluations

which make demands on teachers in terms of rapid feedback, justification of

reading and writing assignments, questioning of testing and grading

methods-all these demand a special kind of teacher, willing to sacrifice


total authority in order to achieve a deeper learning experience. We are

fortunate to have a number of such teachers in the program. What has yet to

be achieved is full consensus on goals and methods. More needs to be done,

in my opinion, to clearly define our mission and priorities, and achieve

better collective understanding of, agreement on and commitment to the

methods needed to accomplish that mission.

Laying claim to a degree of success for her vision, Needleman says,

The networks among students and teachers have created a community that transcends the classroom, so that the learning process extends to union and community events and brings those events into the classroom for reflection and more learning. In fact, organizations separate from Swingshift have benefited directly through the contributions of students, both on the level of analysis as well as activism.

This is demonstrably true. As a participant, graduate and observer of

Swingshift classes over a five year period, I have witnessed tremendous

personal growth, attitudinal change, and increased consciousness in myself

and many students. Yet when interviewed, a number of graduates

emphasized the role of Swingshift College as a vehicle enabling students

to achieve personal academic success and college diplomas, and only

secondarily as "creating community" or "building a movement." One in

particular stated he always knew he was intelligent, but others did not take

him seriously, treating him "like a dumb steelworker'' until he got his

degree. This desire to secure recognition of their intellect and sagacity, in the

form of a college degree, was echoed by a number of student interviewees.

Some spoke of an "interest in learning" for learning sake. Most took classes

to learn or enhance specific skills, like grievance handling, and found them


effective. One took classes "because they sounded interesting" and surprised

herself as her credits began to add up to an Associate' s and later a

Bachelor's degree. One (already a Union rep and activist) said "I got into to

the program ... because I wanted to do other things after I get out of the milL"

This desire to retrain in order to prepare for new careers after retirement (or

in case of job loss) was also a common theme.(Interviews).

On the other hand, a 1999 blind survey of Bethlehem students by

university of Illinois Professor Robert Bruno found that while most reported

"increased job satisfaction" and learning "useful vocational skills," 86.6%

of respondents either agreed or did not disagree that their participation in

ICD classes "increased awareness of [the] union role in bargaining benefits"

Another 79. 7o/o agreed or did not disagree that classes "increased my

involvement in union matters" and 87 .2o/o agreed or did not disagree that

classes "increased my support for the union's efforts and goals." Most also

would make continued contractual support for ICD programs a high priority

in negotiations. It should be noted that only a fraction of the ICD students

surveyed took Swingshift Classes, some taking only non-university skills

classes of various kinds. In spite of this Bruno notes, a strong and positive

overall "union eftect" is in evidence in the survey results (Bruno, 26,27).


Funding and Support

The General Studies division under Bob Lovely had assumed the

major fmancial responsibility for Swingshift College, but budget

constraints there have forced us to return to the Department ofLabor Studies

for money. The constant struggle for funding by Swingshift advocates over

the years reflects both the low priority assigned to worker education by the

University administration here and in Bloomington and the general cut

backs in educational programs being experienced nation-wide. Swingshift

staff routinely bring office and video equipment and supplies from home, or

"borrow" it from other departments. An illustrative anecdote is one I am

personally fond of repeating concerning how we finally got our office printer

replaced, after over a year without one, by appealing to the advisory

committee. For a number of months, any printing that needed to be done for

S wingshift was sent from the second to the first floor to be done on a Labor

Studies printer. This found one of the two of us in the office constantly

running up and down the stairs, only to find, as often as not, that a computer

glitch had prevented the job being transmitted to the printer. I will admit I

weighed twenty pounds less during those months. What I had hoped was to

embarrass someone in the administration into finding the needed $150 out of

a desire to silence my constant whining, if not for the recognition of the

absurdity of the situation. This tactic failed completely. Instead, a

steelworker student and advisory board member finally donated a printer.

We were very grateful.


The so-called "Shared Vision" program initiated by Chancellor

Bergland seems to have no real place in it for Swingshift College, even

though on balance, we have demonstrated that fiscally as well as

educationally, the program contributes more to the campus than it costs.

Since the reason for the low priority we suffer can hardly be financial, I can

only assume that it is politicaL

Red-Baiting

Nearly every semester, word gets back to Needleman that a student or

associate of a student or local union officer or someone has commented

negatively (always behind the backs of the faculty and staff) on the leftward

slant ofLabor Studies classes offered through Swingshift College. Is this

symptomatic of a larger, more insidious bias against the program, fueled by

latent anti-communism? The inevitable involvement of Swingshift

College with Local, District and International leadership of the USWA as

well as management of the steel companies, means that the rabid anti

communism infecting some of these officials in the past has reflected itself

in conflict with much of the mission expressed by Needleman and others in

the program. It should come as no surprise that many of these former cold

warriors find the theories of Myles Horton, Paulo Freire, and certainly those

of Gramsci "socialistic" or "communistic." Pleasantly surprising is how far

a frank discussion of the principles of worker education, the inherent conflict

between labor and management, and the need for solidarity within the labor

movement that Swingshift College attempts to employ can dispel myths

and paranoia among reasonably open-minded students.


Most Labor Studies classes, especially those Ruth teaches, address the

political philosophy of unions, and the importance of the difference between

"business unionism" and "social unionism." A class I took on the history of

the CIO explored the role of Communists and other leftists in building the

movement, as well as some of the deleterious effects of the purges of the

40's and 50's on the labor movement. Specific references to the destructive

effects of anti-communism-like racism, sexism and nationalism--on the

solidarity of the labor movement, along with the general identification of the

two sides as labor v. capital (and by implication our opponents as the

capitalists not the communists) are educational antidotes to the toxin of red

baiting. Several long-time students have testified in class to their changed

ideas concerning the left, anti-communism, re-baiting, and business v. social

unionism. It is possible to see real political growth among some of these

students.

On the other hand, a recent incident reminds one that old habits die

hard. Union elections often bring out the competitive side of those involved,

and red-baiting is a "cheap shot" which is all too easy to take at an opponent.

A top student, one I was convinced had developed a thorough understanding

of everything popular education is trying to build, has been red-baiting a

union brother wh'O is an opponent in the up-coming election. This kind of

thing makes it hard to trust the effectiveness of popular education in

overcoming lon:g held biases and misconceptions--especially of the political

variety


The Future

As Swingshift College struggles for survival, continued funding and

expansion, as well as recognition, the future is in doubt. Now in its tenth

year, Swingshift has long since successfully completed its pilot-project

phase, and is straining to grow. It needs additional staff, faculty and students

to expand. If it does not expand soon, and begin to fulfill its larger potential

at Indiana University, it will either wither and die, or continue to soldier on

for a time at far less than potential effectiveness. Financial support in terms

ofiCD money for books and tuition is waning, and further cuts are possible.

Steelworkers at some area mills are going on new twelve hour per day shifts,

which will require a different kind of class schedule to meet their needs.

With the possible exception of medium level administration

"friends" in Continuing Studies and Labor Studies, University support has

been little and late. But perhaps it is unrealistic to expect the kind of support

needed from the university, which at bottom is an institution of capitalist

hegemony. Accepting the Gramscian concept of "civil society as a site for

struggle" the university is viewed as a "rampart of the state" which popular

educators should recognize as an opponent in a "war of position." The task

then, for proponents of worker education, becomes one of"infiltration,

persuasion, provoking and managing change, subversion even." (Spencer,

166)

It has been suggested that what has been achieved at Swingshift

College might serve as a model for educational programs throughout the

country. Certainly there is much here that advocates of worker education can


learn from and adopt. But without the active support of the working class

itself: through its unions or other collective institutions, it is unlikely that

those few educators seeking to adopt popular education techniques within

the university would be able to secure the necessary funding and other

requirements to duplicate or emulate a Swingshift College program.

And here we come to the crux of the problem. Labor's own

institutions have shown a reluctance, even under newer more "progressive"

leadership, to coalesce with the left in order to build a united front in the

struggle against capital. In addition to ideology, parochialism interferes with

any union collaboration with academia. The AFL' s own George Meany

Center, for example, offers degree programs which tend to compete, rather

than cooperate with, efforts like Swingshift College.

Unlike the left-wing unions of the old CIO, or those still extant in

Europe, Canada and Australia, most AFL-CIO unions are still at best

uncomfortable dealing with ideology. For example, having been burned by

their involvement with "partnerships" with management, U.S. unions like

the USW A now train their representatives- not to avoid partnerships-but

how to survive them hopefully without giving up too much. Some, like

Charlie Richardson, still insist that local unions can outsmart their

management counterparts in a partnership, thus turning it to the advantage of

the union. The fable of the cowboy and the snake seems not to have gotten

through to some union educators as yet.

A refreshing exception is the United Electrical, Radio and Machine

Workers Union (UE) which took a strong stand in opposition to any

cooperation with management in so-called "partnership" agreements at the


outset in the early 1980's. Today UE maintains a class-conscious

opposition to "Management Schemes." Through its website it warns its

members in "What Does Management REALLY Want?" that the basic

conflict between the interests of capital and those of labor is still alive and

well in our so-called "post-industrial" society:

In the case of ''for profit" employers it is always safest

to assume that management wants to increase profits.

[This J ... usually involves having workers work harder

and producing more with fewer people.

So-called "non-profit" employer, on the other hand want "fewer

employees doing more work." "Partnerships, Quality Circles, Team

Concept and Kaizen" try to get workers to "think like a boss" and find

"ideas on how to cut other workers, speed up production and ways to do

more work." These schemes "undermine the union," according to UE.

( http://www.ranknf-..le-ue.org/stwd mgtsch.html)

Unfortunately, most AFL-CIO unions tend to ignore basic class

theory, philosophy or political theory, choosing to focus on skills training

training stewards and union reps to handle grievance, bargain contracts etc.

Even the new concentration on organizing lacks a serious political

component- unless by political you mean U.S.-style electoral politics.

In addition to a natural desire to closely control the education of their own

members, a distrust of and rivalry with left wing educators divides "Labor's

own" program from other worker-education programs like Swingshift.

Remnants ofthe old cold war anti-communist (and usually also anti-left)


element continue to hold considerable sway over most union education

programs.

Red-baiting, although now more often done covertly, continues to

divide and weaken the labor movement and any coalitions it might build

with other social movements. Until the labor movement itself is thoroughly

revitalized, democratized, and rebuilt from below, the prospects for a new

left-labor coalition, and with it the expansion of popular education programs

like Swingshift College, remain an unfulfilled dreaiiL

Bibliography Works Cited

Altenbaugh, Richard J. Education for Struggle, The American Labor Colleges of the 1920's and 1930 's. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.

Arnold, Rick, et al., Educating for a Change. Toronto: Between the Lines, 1991.

Bruno, Robert, A Steelworker Vision of Lifelong Learning: Evaluating Career Development at Burns Harbor: Institute for career Development 1999 Participant Survey.

ERIC: Citations for Grading in Higher Education. http://ericae.net/fags/grading!ERICbib higher.htm

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Seabury Press. 1970.

Glen, John M., Highlander, No Ordinary School, 1932-1962. Lexington, KY: The University Press ofKentucky, 1988.

Gramsci, Antonio. Selections from the Prison Notebooks. New York: International Publishers, 1971.

Hooks, Bell. Teaching to Transgress. New York: Routledge, 1994.

Horton, Aimee Isgrig. The Highlander Folk School, A History of its Major Programs, 1932-1961. Brooklyn: Carlson Publishing, Inc., 1989

Horton, Myles. The Long Haul, an Autobiography. New York: Teacher' s College Press, 1998.

Horton, Myles and Freire, Paulo. We Make the Road by Walking. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.

Iovanella, Cathy, Interview by Mike Olszanski, April2, 2003.

Mayo, Peter. "The Turn to Gramsci in Adult Education: A Review" International Gramsci Newsletter Number 4 (April, 1995): 2-9.

Needleman, Ruth. Class, IA80/L580 Spring, 2003.

Needleman, Ruth. Report to the Advisory Board [Swingshift College] October 12, 1995

Spencer, Bruce, ed. Unions and Learning in a Global Economy. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing, 2002.

Taylor, Jeffery. Union Learning: Canadian Labour Education in the Twentieth Century. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing, 2001.

Interviews ofSwingshift College Alumni by Mike Olszanski: Ray Jackson, Pat Lane, Craig Johnson, John Moberg, Pete Fuller. July 26, 2002

Appendix A

Swingshift College

Mission Statement

• To provide an exciting and challenging educational experience for adult learners

• To provide college programs based on an appreciation for the unique life and wort:? experience of each steelworl:?er or adult Ieamer.

• To offer relevant courses to women at convenient times and locations.

• To provide opportunities for worl:?ers to build confidence in themselves and in their abilities.

• To provide college curriculum that meets the highest standards of quality.

• To provide a support system for participating worl:?ers which will ensure a high level of success and positive learning experience.

• To enable worl:?ers to play leadership roles in their worl:?places, organizations, and communities.

• To encourage womers to mal:?e a commitment to life-long learning.

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Olszanski L580 Term Paper

Appendix C

Mastery learning comes from ideas put forward by John B. Carroll and Bejamin Bloom. In 1963, educator John B Carroll introduced a new learning concept, suggesting that "student aptitudes are reflective of an individuals learning rate". Carroll argued for a focus on the time different students need to learn the same material, rather than the old model, which stressed the ability to learn in a fixed time period. Carroll invented the "learning rate" (LR) to represent the degree of learning. This is indicated in the formula:

LR = f (time spent learning I time needed to learn) The learning rate is therefore a function of the time a learner has to learn

to compared to the time she actually needs to learn a certain unit of information. The new theory assumes that all learners have the ability to learn any instruction given, but require different amounts of time to learn. Using Carroll's theory, students become "fast or slow" rather than "good or bad" learners (Guskey, 1997). Two factors that affect the learning rate of an individual learner, according to Carroll, are: perseverance (of the Student) and opportunity (to learn). The first is controlled by the student, that is, how much time they spend on learning, the second is the time allotted to learn by the classroom, or access to materials, etc.

In 1968 Bloom expanded on the idea now known as Mastery Learning. In the 1960s, he was researching individual differences as applied to learning. Bloom utilized Carroll's ideas, concluding further that it

(1) aptitude could predict a learner's learning rate, then he believed that it should be able to set the degree of learning expected of a student to some level of mastery performance. Then, (2) see to the instructional variables under an instructor 's control, such as the opportunity to learn and the quality of the instruction. Thus, (3) the instructor should be able to ensure that each learner can attain the specified objective.

In other words, Bloom argued that "given sufficient time and quality instruction, nearly all students could learn."

With Mastery Learning, emphasis is placed, rather than on the "ability" of students, on the quality of instruction. Teachers therefore assume the responsibility for finding ways to enable all students to achieve "the same level of learning." (Levine,l985; Bloom, 1981). (http:/ /www.allen. warren.net/ml.htm)

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