Aaron, David,

I'm replying to your questions in a somewhat piecemeal way, sorry about 
this.

I think it is very important to educate adults in how to speak--how to 
compose and deliver an argument, how to ask questions, and how to read 
a text and then ask for further information.  There are almost 
"formulas" for these interactions, almost like scripts, and they can be 
learned.  I go over scripts, let's call them, often in my household 
which includes at this moment a Japanese woman who teaches Japanese, 
and a newly graduated college student in a job in a medical foundation. 
  With both women we devise scripts, based  on my experience in both 
teaching and working with difficult people.

Here's a scenario for adult literacy.  A person tries to read a menu, 
succeeds somewhat, and needs to ask a question of a waiter so they can 
get what they want to eat.  What questions would these be?  How can the 
person get the food they want to eat?  This could be a very scripted 
conversation and people should be supported to learn these scripts.

When we talk literacy,  we talk about becoming part of the culture, 
moving from the margins to the mainstream.  Well, the mainstream has 
all these scripts.

Last week I wanted to find out how much a certain library card would 
cost.  I had to negotiate with 4 people to get the card.  I had to know 
the script ahead of time.  This is akin to looking at a map before 
setting out.  So, literacy is embedded, and this is how one sample of 
embededdness (sp?) works.

I'm thinking of literacy as a play, a little vignette.

About EFF Content Standards.  I hope i made it clear (I don't think I 
did) that  I know the difference between what is on paper and what is 
actually being done, as reported by those on the previous EFF list 
serv.  In my Friday post I am only talking about written presentation 
of the program.

Again about content standards--NCLB suffers under them.  I have read 
suggestions in Ed Week about using the NAEP tests as nation-wide 
substitutes for the fragmented situation at present.  Could EFF do 
this?  I don't know.

Andrea




On Mar 31, 2006, at 5:03 PM, Aaron Kohring wrote:


> Yes, David- I agree with your interpretation.  And I'm also glad you

> mentioned other areas where the term Content Standards could apply.  In

> fact, there has recently been some discussion on the Technology list 

> about

> Standards for using Technology.

>

> Andrea, as regards to print, do you think standards for Reading & 

> Writing

> would apply?  And what about certain applications of print- advocating 

> for

> a point of view if seen through an EFF lens could also bring in the

> standard "Advocate and Influence".  What do you think?

>

> Aaron

>

> At 04:28 PM 3/31/2006 -0500, you wrote:

>> Andrea,

>>

>> My interpretation of "Content Standards" is this: this discussion

>> list used to be called "NIFL-4EFF", and used to be about Equipped For

>> the Future curriculum standards.  "Content standards" is a broader

>> name which includes, but is not necessarily limited to,  EFF

>> curriculum standards.  The discussion now includes state-developed

>> curriculum frameworks and standards, and presumably curriculum

>> frameworks and standards used in other countries.  It could also

>> include industry-specific skills standards, as they might be used in

>> developing workplace literacy or workplace basic skills curricula,

>> although I think no one has brought this up yet.

>>

>> Aaron, is this interpretation correct?

>>

>> David J. Rosen

>> newsomeassociates.com

>> djrosen at comcast.net

>>

>> On Mar 31, 2006, at 4:08 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

>>

>>> Well, hello, everyone!

>>>

>>> i am putting together a long written piece on adult literacy, a lot 

>>> of

>>> work, but there are revelations, too.  The printing press was an 

>>> agent

>>> for standardization in chronology and in data, a general unifier of

>>> many manuscripts (by hand!)  that enabled writers to really

>>> communicate

>>> with each other.  With printing:  the idea that progress, poaitive

>>> change, could be made, as technological changes  expanded the known

>>> world.

>>>

>>> I am very interested in content standards, a way of measuring I guess

>>> the attainment of certain skills and knowledge  through print.  In 

>>> the

>>> world of the early printing press that would have been impossible:,

>>> "knowledge" was just being assembled.  The idea of "content 

>>> standards"

>>> seems very narrow, circumscribed.  first one must agree on the

>>> content,

>>> ;  how does that happen?  CASAS?  EFF?  A bit of a puzzle.

>>>

>>> Andrea Wilder

>>>

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>>

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>

> Aaron Kohring

> Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection

> (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)

> Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards 

> Discussion

> List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)

> Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

>

> Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee

> EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance

> Phone:(865) 974-4109 main

>            (865) 974-4258 direct

> Fax:   (865) 974-3857

> e-mail: akohring at utk.edu

>

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>