Big Bend's ResponsesIn June 2001, the EFF Discussion List invited the staff of the Families That Work Program from Big Bend Community College in Washington State to share their EFF experiences. Joan Allen, Sandy Cheek, Terry Kinzel, Elizabeth Nelson, and Nancy Villarreal, who are also practitioner researchers contributing to the EFF/NRS assessment development work, agreed to write about how they each address the EFF Content Standards and use them in their classrooms and program.
Joani Allen - Working with EFF in a Level 1 ESL Class Nancy Villarreal - Working with EFF in an Advanced Level ESL Class Terry Kinzel - Working with EFF on the Program Level Elizabeth Nelson - Working with EFF in a Level 2 ESL Class The Moderator's Reflections on Big Bend
Sandy Cheek - Working with EFF in a Level 3 ESL Class How do you work with EFF? I teach a level 3 ESL class with the majority of students enrolled in the Families that Work program. EFF is helpful at the start of a class as a way of framing the instruction for the quarter. I like going through what I think is the same process the original EFF inventors went through to gather their information and create the wheel, etc....for example, I ask students in very general terms to describe what their lives consist of-we do this by brainstorming all the specific activities they do, and where they do them-out of this comes (usually) a role map, with the same general categories as in the EFF role maps-community members, parents and (future) workers. Once we have gone through this in a variety of ways, we begin to talk about what things they DON'T do because they don't have enough English. I do some prodding about what they do if their kids have problems at school, if they are sick and need to see a doctor, if they have problems with their neighbors or landlords etc. etc. so we begin to uncover the places where they don't feel comfortable and use those as starting points for curriculum projects. I use the standards and try and think about ways of incorporating them in the projects. After we finish projects, we try to reflect on what skills they feel they used. I think EFF helps students understand that there are skills that they are developing beyond the conventional read, write and speak. It helps students to understand that employers are not just looking for those skills (although they are important) but also ability to solve problems, work cooperatively, etc. As far as my teaching is concerned-I have always been student-centered, and I have always tried to teach English contextually. I think EFF has given me a sense of legitimacy to expand what is done in the classroom to include a larger range of activities.
Sandy Cheek
Joani Allen - Working with EFF in a Level I Program How do you work with EFF? I am a Level 1 ESL teacher in a Families That Work Program. I have been involved with EFF for about 2 years, and implementing it in my classroom and in our program has been a gradual process of learning, experimenting and then trying new ideas. It has revolutionized my teaching and I am having more fun in my classroom now than at any time in my teaching career. Teaching to the standards has been like the train station for me- it keeps reminding me where I am going and gives me some tools about how to get there. I try not to get too hung up on legalities and doing it right or wrong or hitting myself over the head if something doesn't work. I just go back to the framework and try again. One of the things that has helped me the most is that I have been involved in the Research Assessment Process now for 2 years, last year as a practitioner and this year as a field assistant for the state of Washington. About a year ago, I came to a startling revelation about my own teaching- that my teaching was what I have chosen to call "sloppy." My students were engaged, active, doing projects etc. and it all looked very good and I felt good about myself as a teacher but really had no idea 1) whether or not my students were really learning anything and 2) if they were learning, what was it exactly that they were learning and with what degree of fluency or independance, and 3) most important of all- did the students know what they had learned and could they communicate that to anyone( for instance on a job resume)? This, to me, was sloppy teaching, and so now I use the standards to keep me on the right track so these questions can be answered. Using performance tasks has changed my whole approach to learning because when you get down to it, assessment is not a separate entity from teaching and learning- they are and should be very linked. So, I look forward to the completion of the assessment process so everyone can benefit from it- but for right now I'm having a great deal of fun in my classroom and in our program and I wish you the same!!!
Joani Allen Nancy Villarreal - Working with EFF in an Advanced Level ESL Class How do you work with EFF? EFF is an integral part of my classroom. All lessons and activities relate to the EFF Standards in some way. I teach an advanced level ESL class, and at the beginning of each quarter the students decide what topics related to life skills they would like to learn about (i.e. understanding medicine labels, writing a complaint letter, talking to their child's teacher, etc.) I ask the students in what situations do they feel they need to be able to understand, speak, read, and write English. From this and daily class discussions, I gather ideas for my lesson plans. Once I have determined a need/interest, I then plan how to integrate the grammar, vocabulary, conversation, etc. with the EFF standard. As I work with advanced ESL students, many of them have college and professional degrees as well as work experience from their native countries. Many of them already have the skills related to the standards, but lack the English language to communicate what they are doing. For example, they know the process of learning through research, but are unfamiliar with the English vocabulary and perhaps some of the cultural protocols. I have had to find a way to present EFF so that the students also feel their expectations for grammar, etc. are being met. A typical lesson/unit will focus on a tasks related to the EFF standards and incorporate practices in grammar, conversation, listening, writing, etc. as well as culture. I have found that EFF works very well in my classroom because the students are learning about things that interest them and pertain to their everyday lives. This allows them to connect their new knowledge to previous knowledge. They are not only learning grammar, but also how to use English in ways that are meaningful to them. Also, I don't find that it takes a lot of extra work on my part. I plan the lesson outline and the students fill in the blanks as we go along. I do, however, find that I have to always be on my feet as this type of teaching can be very spontaneous. I am never quite sure where a discussion may lead us.
Nancy Villarreal Terry Kinzel - Working with EFF on the Program Level How do you work with EFF? Hi! I am Terry Kinzel from Big Bend Community College in Washington State. Our program committed to implementing EFF two years ago. The journey has not been without its challenges but the results are we have a staff with a clear vision for students and a renewed commitment to the profession. As an administrator, I attempt to practice EFF with the entire program. The program is student driven, and I am committed to instructor driven programming. EFF language has allowed us the vehicle to communicate clearly with each other or goals for the program based on the goals identified by the students. We intentionally ask each other how we are relating all instruction to the skills on the wheel and how projects relate to the standards. We plan according to the three roles and we respond to student progress as it relates to their identified strengths. The result is a program that provides seamless, integrated services that students recognize and are involved in. Attendance is high because students are identifying and receiving instruction that they are able to identify as meaningful. We use the EFF language with our Work First partners and have shared the EFF wheel as we help them understand the program we provide for adult learners. We also use the skills based language with prospective employers and they respond with job opportunities for students who clearly understand the employer's wants and needs in the work place. EFF has changed our program by centering our purpose, our goals, and our effectiveness in providing meaningful instruction for adult learners.
Terry Kinzel
Elizabeth Nelson - Working with EFF in a Level 2 ESL Class How do you work with EFF? I teach ESL level 2 at Big Bend Community College. I use EFF in a variety of ways in my classroom. Primarily I use it as the framework when I am eliciting student ideas for what they want/need to learn. We talk about what English skills they need and I have them fill out a goals worksheet, which is broken down into the areas of worker, family, community and English. Since my students are level 2 and still have to work very hard to express their basic thoughts and opinions in English I try to use pictures on the goal worksheet and we go over it all together. I certainly focus more on the communication skills part of the wheel than the rest but I do try to teach the English they need in order to accomplish the skills in the other areas. One example of an EFF task I did in class was for my students to do a volunteer project. They had done a volunteer project the previous quarter and showed interest in doing another so I suggested that we read to children at a daycare. I had tried to get them to brainstorm ideas but found that it worked better for me to suggest and let them choose as a group. Since nearly all of my students are parents they were excited to work with the kids. I used this project as one of my tasks for the EFF assessment/research project for the speak standard. Using the components of performance really helped me to be more intentional and organized in helping my students prepare to speak to the children. We practiced reading, speaking, asking questions etc. in class a number of times before we went. Overall the project went well, the students did a very good job reading and everyone participated. I also had the class evaluate the experience and their speaking afterwards. I felt using EFF in this manner really helped me as an instructor to isolate and evaluate the individual student's speaking ability. I use EFF to help me organize my teaching and remain focused on how the skills I cover will help the students in their lives outside of class. I don't generally use the language on the wheel with my students, it is mostly too advanced for them and to me it seems more directed to the instructor as a basis for understanding EFF. Since our ESL classes are life-skills based to begin with, EFF fits in well with what we teach. Thanks!
Elizabeth Nelson
The Moderator's Reflections on Big Bend NIFL-4EFF Colleagues: On 6/11, Susan Rowley wrote: "Terry, Your postings and those of your staff have been inspirational, useful, practical, helpful...I can't say enough in appreciation..." This is precisely how I feel about the EFF experiences that Sandy, Joani, Nancy, Terry, and Elizabeth (from Big Bend Community College) have shared with us. Thanks so much! Reading the messages, I got a good sense of what can happen - in two years time - when a program follows through on its commitment to work with EFF holistically. Considered in the larger context of our other discussions here, these messages have reminded me not only that many roads lead to Rome, but also that Rome wasn't built in a day. I appreciate having these solid examples of EFF being used in a program and fully expect to share them whenever people ask me if EFF is doable - and how. Thanks! Ronna
Ronna G. Spacone |
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