[AAACE-NLA] Professional wisdom: part one (ofatwopartdiscussion)

Tue Jul 1 09:24:42 EDT 2008

Beatriz,

The link to the EFF standards is: http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/16_standards.htm

There are a number of standards-based topics/resources that you may want to check out from the main website: http://eff.cls.utk.edu/default.htm

Regards,

Aaron

Aaron Kohring

Research Associate

UT Center for Literacy Studies

600 Henley St, Ste 312

Knoxville, TN 37996-4135

Ph: 865-974-4258

Main: 865-974-4109

Fax: 865-974-3857

akohring at utk.edu

________________________________

From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Diaz, Beatriz B.
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 8:21 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Professional wisdom: part one (ofatwopartdiscussion)

Can you give us a link for the Equipped for the Future standards?

Beatriz B. Díaz, Ed. D.

District  Supervisor, Adult  ESOL Program

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Division of Bilingual Education and World Languages

1500 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 324

Miami, FL 33132

Phone:  305  995-2982

Fax:       305  523-0099

E-mail: bdiaz at dadeschools.net

From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of TheWorld
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 8:16 PM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Professional wisdom: part one (of atwopartdiscussion)

Elise,

I wonder if you are familiar with the Equipped for the Future adult education content standards. They were developed in the way you have described, by asking adult learners the kinds of questions you suggest. They are not intended to "standardize" teaching but rather to provide clarity on what teachers might aim for. They are now being used or adapted by many states and many classroom teachers say they find them useful.

David J. Rosen

djrosen at theworld.com

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Elise Leonard <mailto:elise.leonard at gmail.com>  

	To: 'National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE' <mailto:aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>  

	Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 4:34 PM

	Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Professional wisdom: part one (of a twopartdiscussion)

	If we would truly like to do something constructive to help the adult ed programs across our nation, how about asking the people IN the programs (and those who NEED the programs) the following questions:

	What do you need to learn?

	What do you want to learn?

	What are your goals for (and what outcome do you want to achieve by) doing this program?

	How long and how much time are you willing to invest in obtaining those goals?

	For those learners who are already IN a program, we need to ask them:

	What did you feel was a waste of time?

	What did you feel was beneficial?

	As to HOW to teach the learners in adult ed programs:

	We all learn differently. Some of us are visual learners and need to see things. Some of us need to hear things. Some of us need to DO things in order to learn. Many need a combination of techniques. As a former teacher, I found that sometimes I had to teach, present or explain things 5, 6 or 7 different ways in order to get every learner in that particular class to understand the lesson. In the next class, with the same topic but with thirty different students, I had to find additional ways to teach the exact same lesson to include the learning processes of those individually unique students.

	Learning is not "one size fits all." To try to make it as such, or to dictate an instruction method would, most likely, eliminate a huge portion of the learners from learning.

	If you'd like to be productive by being proactive, and if you'd like to try to unify the adult ed programs across the nation, how about coming up with a curriculum of what NEEDS to be taught. But please, please include the learners' responses from the questions I posed at the beginning of this message.

	Your program needs to be useful, relevant, and needs to offer positive results that help the learner achieve his or her goals.  (By "positive results" I mean that the learner can now read, when before, he couldn't.) 

	The fact that many programs are still using materials dating back to the 70s and 80s is inexcusable and ridiculous. (Not to mention boring, irrelevant and a "turn off" for our learners.)

	In my thirty years as a highly successful educator, I've found that education is a lot like business. You have to give the consumer what he wants, what he needs and what he likes... or he won't buy it!

	Elise Leonard

	elise.leonard at gmail.com

	www.eliseleonard.com

________________________________

		From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of John Comings
		Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 1:09 PM
		To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
		Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Professional wisdom: part one (of a two partdiscussion)

		Janet referred to "intuition". I've also heard it referred to as the "art of teaching", as in teaching is both a science and an art. Recently, I've been thinking about it as the relationship between "a teacher and a student." I like this because it brings the student in as an active player in judging what type of instruction is useful and in adapting instruction to their needs and personality.  Another form of professional wisdom might be the results of asking teachers and students to work together to judge the effectiveness of research findings and to adapt them to their needs. 
		______________________
		John P. Comings
		25 Central Street
		Auburndale MA 02466
		1.617.335.9839
		john.comings at gmail.com
		http://john.comings@googlepages.com 

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