- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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?
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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