Empowering Learners' Dictionary Project

From Deficit to Desire, An Invitation to Hope:
Empowering Learners’ Dictionary of Key Terms for Health Literacy

This dictionary is a set of key terms that were collaboratively selected and defined through a deficit and desired based approach by the participants of the Empowering Learners: Health Literacies in Context 2014 course in the Education Department of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. We wanted to first tease out the nuances of these abstract concepts objectively, identify its strengths and weakness, as well as cite examples that would clarify the full spectrum of deficit and desired-based approaches. Each member of the class was assigned to contribute two words to the dictionary. Then, the class worked collaboratively through a google doc to create definitions together. The collaborative process of using google docs allowed students to compliment, challenge, and suggest revisions to each other's definitions. This allowed the dictionary to grow dynamically, collaboratively, and in real time. Students were encouraged to incorporate media like URLs and photos in the dictionary. The dictionary has been edited and formatted for the Serendip Studio website.