1. Adult learning requires a clear focus.

Indicators:

  • Objectives and/or potential outcomes are clearly explained
  • There are various paths for students to follow
  • Activities appear as part of skill bundles or are connected to themes
  • Student work culminates in projects or products

Examples:

  • TV 411
  1. Adult learning requires that learners take “ownership” of what is to be learned.

Indicators:

  • Learners can explore their own interests and set goals
  • Learners can design their own learning plans and follow a path that leads them to success
  • Learners can choose from a set of skills, an array of themes and/or various modes of learning (inductive; deductive; controlled; exploratory)
  • Group projects are offered as a possibility

Examples:

  • TESOL
  1. The goal of adult learning is to help adults apply knowledge, skills and strategies in real life contexts.

Indicators:

  • Knowledge, skills and strategies are contextualized and connected to learners’ lives
  • Application activities encourage learners to use skills beyond the course and report back (e.g, planning a trip, making a budget, etc.)
  • Learners see how things work (through photographs; animation or streaming video) without having to get mired in print

Examples:

  • Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
  1. Language and literacy development require fluency and accuracy (but not at the same time).

Indicators:

  • Learners get the opportunity to write what’s on their mind, using their own language
  • Learners have access to resources such as spell checks, dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias
  • Learners get a chance to edit and correct earlier drafts

Examples:

  • America Dreams
  • SCALE Health Action Team Project
  1. Language and literacy development are social processes that depend on interaction with others.

Indicators:

  • Learners get to know each other and are part of a community
  • Learners can communicate with each others via email or through developed projects
  • Learners tell their stories and listen to or read the stories of others
  • Surveys and polls allow learners to see what others think

Examples:

  • Susan Gaer’s Email Projects
  1. Language and literacy development require hypothesis testing and risk taking.

Indicators:

  • Students are invited to discover principles of writing, grammar rules, or spelling conventions by looking for patterns (task-based learning)
  • Students get a chance to move from a zone where they are relatively comfortable to new areas that are a bit scary (posting an email, sending an electronic post card; posting a story; creating a video)

Examples:

  • Blue Mountain Interactive Birthday
  • School House Rock
  1. Language and literacy processes are nonlinear and develop in fits and spurts.

Indicators:

  • Texts are highly engaging and propel students forward
  • Information is recycled and instruction is layered so that knowledge, skills, and strategies are reinforced through various themes

Examples:

  • Decisions, Decisions Online
  • Kids Health: What is AIDS?
  1. Language and literacy are multidimensional.

Indicators:

  • Materials offer various modalities (visual, musical, analytic, naturalistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal)
  • Learners are encouraged to move beyond print in their work

Examples:

  • Sites that combine print, sound and video
  • Favorite Poem Project
  1. Language and literacy grow through both serendipitous learning and explicit learning.

Indicators:

  • Learners get a chance to immerse themselves in interesting work (reading, writing, problem solving)
  • Demonstrations illustrate how things work
  • Learners have access to information on an as-needed basis

Examples:

  • The Evil Landlady (problem solving)
  • Cuisine Magazine recipe
  • Farmworker Youth
  1. Language and literacy learning require both success and challenges.

Indicators:

  • Learners get a chance to what others have done (models) before attempting their own work
  • Learners are invited to use learning strategies with material that becomes progressively more complex
  • Learners see or read how others process or create texts (cognitive apprenticeship)

Examples:

  • TV 411 Writing Gallery
  1. Language and literacy develop more deeply if ideas are situated in a specific context or theme.

Indicators:

  • Skills and strategies are contextualized
  • Learners are invited to explore a theme from various angles
  • Learning materials can be accessed by skill area or by themes

Examples:

  • The Farmworkers Website
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: AIDS Fact Sheet
  1. Language and literacy grow through both emotional engagement and cognitive involvement.

Indicators:

  • Needs assessment seeks to determine themes that matter to learners (parenting; health; money)
  • Some themes address controversial topics that a teacher may not want to address (AIDS; cancer; domestic violence)
  • Learners have opportunities to discuss issues, share information and ask questions

Examples:

  • Safe Horizon Domestic Violence Shelter Tour and Information Site
  • Talking with Kids