Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id hBAMTFm14400; Wed, 10 Dec 2003 17:29:15 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 17:29:15 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <6AF453EF094F0F449B549E56AABA13950EAF3F@MAIL.fortunesociety.internal> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Eric Appleton" <EAppleton@fortunesociety.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:879] RE: Teaching to the test X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 9547 Lines: 194 Nixon, I am one of those people that is committed to working with students to determine their goals and interests before moving ahead with curriculum. I have taught computer classes in this way for a few years by doing class investigations (credit and debt, the conviction question and employment, start your own business) and writing projects (web sites, newsletters). I will be teaching GED classes this spring and I hope to follow the same philosophy. I understand the difficulties in teaching to student's interests, I feel that we have to turn over some of the power for making decisions. This doesn't mean that we have to teach 12 things at once or change our curriculum because our students change their minds. It means that we open our our planning processes to input from our students. And we make decisions as a group. Learning is a social enterprise, not simply a matter of mastering skills. And in the end, this is a pragmatic decision. It simply works better to facilitate a group to take responsibility for their own learning and direction. We can create thematic, project-based curriculum that is has substance and can be evaluated and still be based on student input. And then we teach that curriculum to all of our students. And we connect the learning we are doing with the specific skills they need on the test. I'm worried that a mechanization of the educational process will not serve anyone, even those who feel that they only need to brush up their skills. Of course, we can offer other options to students if they do not have the time or the desire to be in this type of classroom. And maybe they will be okay, but this only means they had less need for our services in the beginning. There are no shortcuts to an education. Feel free to disagree with me. Maybe you could share the specifics of your curriculum so that I can get a better understanding. Eric Appleton The Fortune Society NYC -----Original Message----- From: Nixon S. Griffis [mailto:ngriffis@bellsouth.net] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 3:59 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:877] RE: Teaching to the test This idea of getting with students to ask them what it really is that they need in their lives to make them better is all well and good but not very pragmatic. Teachers cannot run their labs and form their curriculum on twenty points of view, ever changing at that. Many times, I believe, that when you ask students what they need, they cannot tell you. Their awareness of the possibilities is not there yet. We are the teachers. Our students rely on us to do the work of bring them a curriculum that increases their survival and accomplishment capabilities. I do not know how others can do it, but teachers no longer have the time to individually teach. I have worked hard at creating a rich environment for my students to plug into as much as they are willing and able. I rely on as much technology as possible that will free my co-teachers and myself to teach more (individually, in those rare moments, if possible) and do administrative paper work less. Can you imagine the difficulty in aligning TABE or any other assessment to what students come up with as their shared goals. That would of course need to be changed each time a new student came into the program, which for many Adult Ed. programs is constantly. It is my goal to give my students an alternative curriculum that will teach to the test; that is the GED test. One hundred percent of my students know clearly that they are coming to my class for that piece of paper. Why not, up front, give students their own choice: Fast track or In depth Knowledge. I believe that many students will pick the fast track curriculum. My responsibility of not selling out comes in the form of creating an In Depth Knowledge co-curriculum that I refer my students to everyday in order to fulfill my teacher's responsibility: to enrich the lives of those students who pass through my classroom. Teachers have begun to have to walk a razor's edge. This will take much wisdom. I believe the solution is not to create what is not already there but to slowly make what we have better. -----Original Message----- From: nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of jataylor Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:55 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:873] RE: Teaching to the test Might I add on to your suggestions? Maybe this is a bit revolutionary, but how about contextualizing teaching based on what learners say they want to be able to do in their daily lives? Have them identify a shared interest or goal, like wanting to be able to use math better in dealing with very limited budgets. Involve them in planning what it is they would like to do (the actual learning activities) in order to meet that goal, and make explicit connections between how in learning to deal with limited budgets they can also advance through the TABE levels (assuming advancing thru the TABE is in alignment with their individual goals). Involve them in deciding what kinds of evidence they would like to capture that "proves" they are learning (metacognition while developing the plan for assessment). Then, grounded in context and with a collaboratively-designed plan for assessment, adapt questions that might be found on the TABE that are in alignment with these individual and group-identified goals. I realize this suggestion moves us away from workbooks, but if your goal as a teacher is to help adults transfer what they learn to their lives while studying for the GED, then it should prove beneficial for them to practice it in the classroom. If you wish to learn more about what I am describing above, check out the EFF Teaching and Learning Cycle, which can be found in the EFF Teaching and Learning Toolkit at: http://cls.coe.utk.edu/efftlc/using_the_toolkit.htm Scroll down and click on the link for the EFF Teaching and Learning Cycle - it is very informative! Thanks for starting this line of inquiry. I hope this helps! Best, Jackie Taylor UT Center for Literacy Studies >===== Original Message From nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov ===== >Welcome to the wonderful world of education Mr. Boone. Teaching to the test >is more and more part of the curriculum by necessity for many teachers. > >Suggestion 1. Duplicate each question couching that question in different >forms. Make twenty examples of such a question. Then drill your students >over and over again until each student is capable of answering that >question. Math and language are the easiest to accomplish. Usage, grammar >mechanics, math solutions are logical and can be set out in rule form. >Reading is much more difficult because of the subtle skills needed to be >developed over long terms of time in order to build comprehension and speed. >See suggestion 2. for Reading. Oh yes, because you will have M(6-7grade), >D(8-10)and A(11-12) level students you will need to have three sets of >curriculum. > >Suggestion 2. Go through the TABE test and pick out keywords and words that >are at a level that indicates to you that your students need to see their >definitions. Teach those words to your students. It will amaze you how >easily you can spot these words after working with your students for a bit >of time. > > Reading's largest factor, after being able to call words, is made up of our >ability to give our minds the proper definition of words that are being used >in the text. This is meekly known as vocabulary, these days. TABE can only >choose a small fraction of vocabulary and keywords in its' tests. That, I >believe, is why reading assessment tests are so inept at showing progress. >The odds are infinitely small, given the number of words in our language, >that your students will have looked up the words contained in the test. > > We are still in such a state of development on this subject that I do not >even think anyone has made an official ruling as to if teaching the specific >vocabulary of the TABE is allowed. > > Anyone out there know about this issue? > >-----Original Message----- >From: nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of >Richard T. Boone >Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 9:36 AM >To: Multiple recipients of list >Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:869] Managing Statistics > > > > >I run a small computerized Workplace Literacy lab and have several >questions. >I hope I may receive some feedback on the following topics. > >1) Students are referred to me for a 30-60 day time period to "bring their >scores up", so they may enter some form of training. What would be >considered a normative increase in TABE scores for students averaging 20 >hours a week in the lab? >I do realize that "I am teaching to the TABE", but I see no alternative >given the short time periods. > 2) Every 50 hours I am supposed to retest students giving the >complete TABE battery. Several students will drop out right after retesting; >they know they have done poorly even before the tests are scored. How do you >deal with this problem? > >2) I am highly dependant on state, labor and county officials for referrals. >It appears that their job criteria demand that data management is the >overriding concern. The "goals" of students must be met at close to a 100% >success rate, so data must be managed to accomplish this success rate. How >do others deal with this? > > > > >________________________________________________________________ >Sent via the Vineland WebMail system at vineland.org
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