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From: "GEORGE E. DEMETRION" <gdemetrion@juno.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:225] Curriculum Materisla, etc
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Colleagues:
I have recently updated curriculum sourcebook materials on the CREC/ATDN
webpage in pdf format. The general webpage for ATDN
http://www.crec.org.atdn which can also be a accessed by clicking on
Connecticut from Eastern Lincs. Click on Teacher Resources on the left
or type in http://www.crec.org.atdn /teacher_reseources/lvalifeapp.shtml
This, what we are now calling, our "Literacy for Life: Life Application
Curriculum Sourcebook, is a definite work in progress, though it contains
a good amount of instructional material as well as various conceptual
discussions of adult literacy theory, an introduction to the EFF
framework, and qualitative assesment forms, charts, and guidelines.
There are four main instructional units
Unit One consist of instructional materials drawn from Steven Covey's
influential book, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This unit has
drawn the most hits.
Following the EFF Contextual Role Maps there are also three units on:
* Work
* Family
* Culture, Community and Citizenship
The units on work and family consist of teacher developed materials
drawn from a variety of sources, which, although far from comprehensive
in scope, may prove interesting and useful. Both of those units also
contains a section that draws from student-generated texts--books of
writings or oral history narratives.
The final Unit (still in need of development) Culture, Community and
Citizenship, consists of student-generated materials on such topics as
crime, low income housing, adult education policy, gambling, free speech,
and reflections on race.
All of the instructional materials include questions, activities or
exercises to encourage a great deal of experiential learning. The
instructional materials, in fact, serve primarily as prompts ro stmulate
experiential learning and can be utilized in a wide variety of ways.
I draw on the metaphor of a "buffet" to introduce the EFF materials. The
basic EFF framework within a teacher's guide format is laid out, but it
encourage each instructor to determine how, to what extent, and even
whether to draw on this framework or not. While the instructional
materials can definitely be enhanced by drawing on the EFF framework,
they also stand independently. Also, the EFF framework may prove iuseful
whether or not one draws on these instructional materials.
The theoretical overview of the entire project ("read this first")
consists of :
* A one page Forward
* The Literacy for Life article that I've been circulating in various
places
* Five Guiding Principles
* The EFF Chart contrasting the Current System with the proposed 21st
Century System
* Basic Principles of Participatory Literacy Education from Elsa
Auerbach's Making Meaning Making Change (1993)
* Implications and Suggestions for Instruction adapted from Merrifield,
J., Bigman, M.B., Hemphill, D., and Bennett de Marrais, K.P. Life at the
Margins: Literacy, Language, and Technology in Everyday Life (1997)
* An overview of Functional Context Education as developed by Tom Sticht
(1997)
Though I haven't systematically worked it through, the overall conceptual
design that I am *seeking* to develop would incorporate Participatory
Literacy Education, The New Literacy Studies, and Functional Context
Education, which, in dialogue with each other, I believe, represents the
most generative theoeretical work available within the field of adult
literacy education. Though I haven't specifically seen the connection in
print, it seems evident to me that the EFF farmework draws extensively on
the conceptual work of Auerbach, Merrifield et. al., and Sticht at least
at an informal, implicit level.
In sum, while far from perfectly developed, I do believe there is a good
deal of information that can be gleaned by checking out the Literacy for
Life: Life Application Curriculum Sourcebook and supportive documents
developed at Literacy Volunteers of America-Connecticut River East.
________________________________________________________________
For those interested in practitioner research, there is also on the
CREC/ATDN webpage, an essay I wrote while participating in the NCSALL
Teacher Research Project on Learner Motivation, Retention, and
Persistence. The essay is titled "A Yankee Individualist in Dialogue and
Confrontation with the Progressive Literacy Left," a quirky little piece,
perhaps, though some may find it interesting. It includes a section on
the early development of the curriculum materials project, discussed
above.
The location of the practitioner research article (remember it is PDF) is
http://www.crec.org/atdn/teacher_resources/practresearch.pdf
The above article is listed under "professional development" in the ATDN
teacher resources section at
http://www.crec.org/atdn/teacher_resources/index.shtml
Any feedback on any of this will be appreciated. Fee free to e-mail me.
George Demetrion
LVA-Connecticut River East
GDemetrion@juno.com
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