Return-Path: <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e78HvNP04158; Tue, 8 Aug 2000 13:57:23 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 13:57:23 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <c6.912eb5d.26c1a399@aol.com> Errors-To: rgspacone@aol.com Reply-To: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Rgspacone@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:1145] Using the Content Standards Book X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 107 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2634 Lines: 45 On August 1, Brenda Bell wrote: "Pages 19-20 in the Content Standards book describes the way the standards are constructed and why. Perhaps there are questions about these pages that could be answered via this list." I would like to add that pages 22-23 describe how to read the standards and how the layout of each standard is organized. I found this information extremely helpful when I first started reading the book. The standards page has been designed to illustrate the relation between the content standard and the other elements of the EFF Content Framework. The left-side of the 2-page layout is composed of: 1. excerpts from documentation by teachers who used that particuar Content Standard and 2. reflections from a range of writers, thinkers, researchers, and teachers to provide alternative perspectives on how we use the skill. In general, I use this section, Chapter 3, the most because it contains the Standards and a discussion of the assessment work, but I also frequent Chapter 2., Building the EFF Framework as well as Appendix A., which contains all the components of the framework. It took me a while to get comfortable using the Standards book. I was initially distracted by the amount of information on the pages. I tried unsuccessfully to read it -- page for page from beginning to end -- anxious to learn as much as I could in a forward fashion. What eventually worked for me was taking the time to first get familiar with the layout of the text. I spent several days scanning and skimming and not in an entirely systematic way. Then I settled down to really read but chose to begin with the last chapter, A Starting for Standards-Based System Reform. I read the other sections in the following order: Chapter 3, 4, 2 and1. I haven't yet found it necessary to read every word on every page but think eventually I will. Once I understood to use the Standards book as a reference (like a dictionary or encyclopedia) it became incredibly valuable. NIFL-4EFF Colleagues, I share Brenda's questions: How are you using the Content Standards book? What Chapters have been most helpful and in what ways? What other information and support do you need? What's your experience with this book been like? Have you any questions from reading the book? Next month, a small group of practitioners (2) and I are going to have a discussion about the EFF standards and framework. We plan to use the questions they find reading Chapters 1-3, to guide our discussion. I'll let you know how it goes. Ronna Ronna Spacone NIFL-4EFF List Moderator rgspacone@aol.com Phone 202.338.2703
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