INTRODUCTION

Storytelling is part of the rich East African cultural heritage that learners bring to their family literacy and English literacy classes in Cedar Riverside, a community near downtown Minneapolis. One day recently, Desta, a young mother of four, read her life story to the women in her family literacy class. In English, she described the farm where she grew up in Ethiopia, the gardens and animals — cows, camels, goats, and sheep — her family of twenty, her favorite games, and how homesick she feels when she remembers her happy childhood. When Desta finished her story, the teacher distributed a map of Ethiopia and asked Desta to show everyone where her hometown is located, and she then encouraged the other women to ask Desta about her life in Ethiopia and to share their own experiences of growing up. Finally, the teacher passed out a list of questions about Desta's story and asked the class to answer them one by one.

The teacher used Desta's autobiography and the stories of her classmates to strengthen the learners' English speaking and reading skills, and she chose storytelling as an instructional approach because it is a familiar form of communication in the women's home countries. This sensitivity to the culture of the learners typifies the program administrators and instructors who provide education, training, and support services to the residents of the Cedar Riverside community.

Desta's family literacy class is one of the courses offered by the Cedar Riverside Adult Education Collaborative. In addition to family literacy, the partnership sponsors English literacy (EL) and computer literacy programs. The partners include Minneapolis Public Schools Adult Basic Education (MPS ABE), the Riverside Plaza Tenants' Association (RPTA), Pillsbury United Communities' Brian Coyle Community Center, the Family Opportunity for Living Collaboration (FOLC), and Fairview University Medical Center.