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The EFF Teaching/Learning Cycle

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Designing a Teaching/Learning Cycle

In a nutshell: I. Identify a Shared Priority.II. Identify a Focal Standard.III. Write a Class Goal.IV. Identify objectives and materials.V. Plan instructional process.VI. Check for components of the Standard.

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Designing a Teaching/Learning Cycle

Shared Priority

Objectives----------------

Materials

Focal Standard------------------

Components

Class Goal

Instructional & Assessment

Process/Activities

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What Is a Shared Priority?

• A Shared Priority is a life-based topic of interest shared by a group of students. It is different from a discrete skill or set of skills (i.e., a “common skill need”). Other terms for shared priorities include:

Theme PurposeConcern SubjectIssue

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Creating a Class GoalA Class Goal: Is based on a Shared Priority States a real-life purpose or application Culminates in a project, product or performance

task/activity Is “SMART”

• Specific• Measurable• Attainable• Realistic• Time Bound

Emphasizes one of the 16 Skill Standards and enables students to address the components of that Standard

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Sample Class Goals

Over the next five class sessions, we the ESL 1 class will listen actively in order to learn about locations, services and directions in our community.

We will show our learning by producing maps of our community.

(ESL 1)

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Sample Class Goals Over the next five class sessions, students will read with understanding in order to comprehend their child’s school progress report.

Students will show their understanding by explaining to a classmate or small group their child’s progress report and the language used in the report.

(ESL 1/2)

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Sample Class Goals Over five two-hour class sessions, students will guide others so that the whole class can learn how to crochet.

Students will show their learning by making scarves, hats, and other products that they may choose to donate to foster children at holiday time. They will demonstrate their understanding by producing a set of instructions on how to crochet.

(ESL 1/2)

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Sample Class Goals Over five 1 ½ hour sessions, students will read about authentic experiences of immigrants who are also English language learners. They will select those stories with which they identify and like best, and analyze the writing.

Students will show their learning by writing, editing, and sending personal experience stories or letters to Easy English News.

(ESL High Beginner and Low Intermediate)

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Sample Class Goals Over the next four class sessions, students will speak so others can understand in order to complain to a landlord/super about a housing problem.

Students will show their learning by role-playing a call between a tenant and a landlord, writing a dialog, and performing the dialog in a small group.

(ESL 2/3)

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Sample Class Goals Over the next three class sessions, students will read with understanding two magazine or internet articles about ways to reduce, reuse or recycle material, in order to save the planet and reduce costs to the consumer.

After reading the information, students will select one way they would like to change an inefficient practice and “go green. “ They will present their recommendations to the class to see if they can persuade other students to adopt their recommendations.(BE 3)

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Sample Class Goals Over the course of four one-hour sessions, students will read with understanding government brochures and internet articles about housing (especially section 8) in order to provide information to family members and community members who are homeless.

Students will demonstrate their understanding by writing a letter of advocacy for housing for a family member or person in the community.

(BE 3)

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Sample Class Goals Over the course of six one-hour lessons, students will read with understanding at least 2-3 pamphlets, magazine or internet articles about domestic violence in order to better understand what constitutes domestic violence.

In small groups, they will develop a list of the effects of domestic violence on family members and family life. Each group will make a poster depicting these effects. The posters will be displayed in the halls of our learning center.

(BE 4)

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Sample Class Goals Over the next five class sessions, we will Learn through Research about the prevention, detection and treatment of swine flu, in order to better protect ourselves, our families and our communities.

We will demonstrate our understanding by creating a one- to two-page fact sheet that we will present in groups of three to students in five other classes.

(BE 4)

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Class Goal Template

Over the next ___ sessions, students will

(name Focal Standard and (as appropriate) specific materials, audience, setting, etc.)

in order to (name Purpose).

Students will show their understanding/learning by

(name final Product/Project/Task and criteria).

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What Are We Doing When We Are Doing EFF?

Developing Contextualized Curriculum

Built around Instructional Units or Sub-units(Teaching Learning Cycles)

Driven by Class Goals Derived from Shared Priorities

That address essential skills through Applied Learning, Experiential Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Real-World Activities

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Authentic Materials and Activities • Authentic materials are materials that are drawn from

students’ everyday lives and the world outside of adult education classrooms, as well as materials created by the students themselves. Authentic materials can include newspapers, novels, photographs, music, artwork, prescription bottles, menus, maps, school information, brochures, application forms, etc.

• Authentic activities are actual life-based activities, such as writing a letter to the editor or a local politician, going on a field trip to the neighborhood pharmacy or civic institution, completing a job application for an actual job, or meeting with representatives from the local school, etc.

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The Components of the Standards The components of the Standards are descriptions of

what adults do when they are exercising those skills in real life. In general, Class Goals should be broad enough to provide students with the opportunity to use/demonstrate all the components of the Focal Standard over the course of the Teaching-Learning Cycle (i.e., the instructional unit).

The components of the standards are not meant to

serve as daily instructional objectives or to limit instructional activities. In some cases, teachers will choose to “teach” the components of the Focal Standard directly and explicitly. In other cases, teachers can embed opportunities for the students to engage in the components of the Focal Standard into different instructional activities throughout the TLC.