I have done similar goal setting in my classes and as a part of what the Coalition of African, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAAELII) call our "Teacher's Toolbox" we developed a lesson which has some forms attached. You're right. It is exciting. I don't think I can do attachments on this list, so if you want to e-mail me, I'd send you the lesson with the attachments.
Maryhogan@hotmail.com
>From: "Bonnie Odiorne" <BODIORNE@C4K.ORG>
>Reply-To: nifl-4eff@nifl.gov
>To: Multiple recipients of list <NIFL-4EFF@LITERACY.NIFL.GOV>
>Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:2555] RE: Toolkit on line
>Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 13:59:10 -0400 (EDT)
>
>I just did a similar activity. One student stated he wanted to do volunteer
>work as a thank-you for the help he has been given. We talked about
>long-term vs. short term goals, and had initially agreed that other
>important goals, such as the (too generic) ones of getting a better job or
>learning English, needed to be reached before he could volunteer. Then we
>talked about helping people, and we realized that he could do that in his
>neighborhood or church before he had met these other more "important" goals.
>I'd be interested in the goal worksheet you used.
>Bonnie
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nifl-4eff@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-4eff@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Diane
>Gardner
>Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 1:38 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list
>Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:2554] RE: Toolkit on line
>
>
>Linda,
>
>Thank you for sharing your experience with this activity. I hope that
>others will respond and provide other examples or connections that might be
>useful to you as you build on this information that your learners shared
>with you.
>
>Diane Gardner
>EFF Professional Development and Certification Coordinator
>EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
>
>At 12:16 PM 9/23/03 -0400, you wrote:
> >Wow. I just had one of those classroom experiences where it seemed the
> >lesson had fallen flat around an activity that didn't seem to generate
> >much interest. After previous discussions of the four purposes, I asked
> >my intermediate-level students to fill out individual goal sheets (see
> >tools: Naming Role-related Goals) to help identify specific changes
> >they'd like to make in 4 areas of their lives: work, family, community,
> >and self. I shared my own goals, gave them time to think about and begin
> >the task at home, and then encouraged them to complete the goal sheet
> >during class. As I circulated, I got an overall sense in the group of
> >confusion, hesitation, or reluctance to write. I braced myself for the
> >usual generic goals: "to get more English", "to improve my English
> >skills", etc.
> >
> >But when I sat down to read them, my mouth dropped open as I saw the
> >depth of thought and feeling evident in their work. Some of the
> >responses:
> >. Understand when I talk with the teacher about my son
> >. Talk speech in front of the whole class
> >. Volunteer at school
> >. Volunteer with my neighbor
> >. Be more brave to speak English
> >. Manage money
> >. Learn about opening a child-care business
> >. Meet new friends
> >. Help my church
> >. Volunteer for my son classes
> >. Read the newspaper
> >. I want a change my life
> >. Fill out application
> >It seems what I took for hesitation was part of the process, the
> >struggle to put their ideas into English. This assignment not only gives
> >me a great jumping off point for joint class goals and connections to
> >the standards; it is an integral part of the needs assessment process.
> >It reveals a lot about students' metacognitive skills, ease of
> >expression, and priorities.
> >
> >I've been dabbling with EFF concepts and materials for a few years, and
> >have found them helpful to reflect on and evaluate my own teaching
> >practices. But until now I've seldom been satisfied with results in the
> >classroom. I happily await more models of instruction and "tried & true"
> >tools from this excellent toolkit!
> >
> >
> >Linda Rytterager
> >Boise State University
> >rytt@mindspring.com
>
>Diane P. Gardner
>EFF Professional Development and Certification Coordinator
>The University of Tennessee
>EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
>Center for Literacy Studies
>600 Henley Street, Suite 312
>Knoxville, TN 37996-4135
>865-974-9949
>dgardner@utk.edu
>
>