[Assessment 960] Re: Assessing Creative GED ProgramsWendy Quinones teacherwendyq at gmail.comFri Oct 12 13:04:32 EDT 2007
Hello all, I weigh in on the side of creativity! My class created the virtual visit that David Rosen mentions, and I can tell you that the experience allowed students to enter history in a way I can't imagine anything else would have. It allowed them to see what could have been a dry subject (GED Social Studies materials, for example) as something that affected real humans, that real people participated in. It gave them a new framework for all of the history and social studies we were studying, as well as a real and shared experience to write about. Had it occurred early in the year, I'm sure my students would have objected. But by then I had perfected my answer to the perennial question, "Will it be on the test?" Now I simply say, "Yes." You'd be amazed at how seldom I have been called upon to justify the answer! But it's not hard -- history is a subject, critical thinking is required, and so on. Finally another possible way to reduce at least student pressure for a test-driven curriculum is to give homework out of the Steck-Vaughn skills books. They are cheap (maybe $2 apiece or so) and they keep students happy, along with giving you material for discussing test-taking skills -- which, after all, is a form of critical thinking. Having said all of that, I have also struggled with theme-based learning. The same issues of open enrollment and spotty attendance plague me. I'm trying it again this year, though, with lower-level students (GLE about 3-6) who generally tend to have better attendance than higher levels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Wendy Quinones On 10/11/07, djrosen at comcast.net <djrosen at comcast.net> wrote: > > Assessment Colleagues, > > I have some assessment questions below, but first please look at the > following two examples of creative, theme-based and project-based GED > teaching: > > 1. The Fabric of History curriculum -- designed for young adults who are > not usually excited about learning American History, but who are interested > in clothes and fashion, a whole American history curriculum built on this > theme: > > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Fabric_of_History > > 2. A Virtual Visit to a Lowell, Massachusetts Mill museum -- a Web site > designed by and for young adults in a GED preparation program that features > a visit to a 19th century mill and readings, writings and discussion about > the period. > > http://tech.worlded.org/docs/lowell/home.htm > > My Overall Question: How should we assess learning in creative GED > programs? Consider the examples above, the theme-based CUNY GED program that > Kate Brandt has written about here, and other examples from this disscussion > and elsewhere: > > How should we do summative assessment for a creative GED program? How > should we do formative assessment? > > 1) Summative Assessment > > Are scores on the GED test all we need? Or do we also need to know, for > example: > > a. College as a Goal. How many/what percent of GED program participants > hold the goal of going to college, and how has that changed from the > beginning to the end of the program? > b. College Preparation. For those who hold this goal, how many/what > percent are prepared for college? For example, how many have been admitted > to college, and how many/what percent have been admitted as regular, not > developmental studies, students? How many have high GED scores as one > indication of preparation for college level work? How many, particularly > "first generation" college students, have learned about the culture of > higher education and how to navigate it successfully ? > c. Success in college. How many of the GED program graduates complete the > first year of college? How many complete a two-year degree? A four-year > degree? > d. What else should be assessed at the end of the program or later to > determine impact or effect of the GED program? > > 2) Formative Assessment > > Formative assessment is systematic measuring of learning progress or > learning about how-to-learn strategies for the students themselves and for > their teacher or tutor. > > What formative assessment tools are/could be effective in creative GED > programs, for example in programs that use themes or learning projects: > Dialogue journals? (Online or hold-in-the-hand) portfolios? Videotaped > demonstrations of application of skills, knowledge or understanding? > Assessments of attitude changes? Something else? > > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: djrosen at comcast.net > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:27:13 +0000 > Subject: Assessing Creative GED Programs > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: djrosen at comcast.net > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:16:44 +0000 > Subject: Assessing Creative GED Programs > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: djrosen at comcast.net > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:07:20 +0000 > Subject: Assessing Creative GED Programs > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: djrosen at comcast.net > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:04:50 +0000 > Subject: Assessing Creative GED Programs > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: djrosen at comcast.net > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:02:49 +0000 > Subject: Re: [Assessment 954] Re: Obstacles to GED Creativity and How to > Overcome them > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Kate.Brandt at mail.cuny.edu > To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:28:58 +0000 > Subject: [Assessment 954] Re: Obstacles to GED Creativity and How to > Overcome them > > Hi, colleagues, > > In response to David Rosen's questions, I think I'll respond to number > four. Because I work at an institution where theme-based teaching in GED > classrooms is policy, I think I'm in a good position to speak to this one. > > The City University of New York has taken a theme-based approach to > instruction, particularly GED instruction, for at least a decade now. > There are eleven campuses throughout New York City where GED classes are > offered. The administrators and teachers who work at these sites are > overseen by CUNY's Central Office and so there is a community of sorts > between CUNY adult literacy teachers and administrators across the campuses. > While theme-based teaching, when it was introduced, encountered some > resistance from teachers, there was also a lot of enthusiasm for it. Having > a community allowed teachers who were trying out this new approach to share > materials and experiences, both at their campus programs and across > programs. > > In addition to supporting each other, teachers were--and are--supported by > a team of staff developers who work with them in a number of ways: > team-teaching, periodic campus meetings, seminars, conferences, online > fora, and more. One of the seminars that is run regularly is a curriculum > development seminar in which teachers are paid to work with staff > developers, first in a group setting, and then one-on-one, to produce > curricula that they can use in their own teaching and which are also > available to other CUNY teachers in "ready to use" form. > > I do think this approach to teaching is challenging and that institutional > support makes a world of difference. In our curriculum development > seminars teachers have the chance to plan instruction carefully, thinking > about the broad concepts they want to get across, the texts and other > materials they will use, the learning goals they have for students, and the > way that the many threads that must be included in GED instruction can be > "braided" together. While it's challenging, I also think planning in this > way forces teachers to think about teaching in a deep and detailed way. > They must really think through each class--what students will learn; which > activities they will engage in; which texts will be used and why. > > As a staff developer, I work with teachers who vary widely in terms of > their approaches to teaching. Some of the teachers I work with would be > considered "traditional," while others favor "student-centered" learning and > still others mix a variety of styles. It can be hard to get teachers who > have never tried an activity like student role play to take the risk. As > part of a group of teachers taking part in a seminar, though, that teacher > is more likely to try it out. > > So I do think theme-based teaching is a challenge, but well worth it. And > my experience has shown me that institutional support makes all the > difference. > > Kate Brandt > > > *djrosen at comcast.net* > Sent by: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov > > 10/10/2007 12:02 PM Please respond to > The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> > > To > The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> cc > Subject > [Assessment 952] Obstacles to GED Creativity and How to Overcome > them > > > > > Assessment Colleagues, > > Several obstacles to GED program creativity have been mentioned, and there > are are others. I would be interested in hearing how creative GED > practitioners have overcome each of these challenges. I hope those who have > solutions will pick one or more of these challenges and address them in this > discussion. How have you pushed back the pressure for GED programs to be > primarily test preparation, not substantive learning? How have you > successfully addressed these constraints? > > 1) Students' determination to pass the test in the shortest time possible > 2) Students' holding the goal "getting the GED" as an unexamined act of > faith that this is what they need that "having the certificate or diploma" > will meet their needs > 3) Students' belief that "real school" looks just like the often failed) > schools they have attended, traditional models of schooling > 4) Teachers' lack of experience (and therefore discomfort) with creative > teaching such as theme-based or project-based learning > 5) Accountability for "GED outcomes" within a short time period from > funders at the national, state and/or local level. > 6) Other obstacles or constraints, especially those that are unique to GED > Preparation programs or, Adult Secondary Education. > > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > > > ----- Message from "Donna Curry" <donnac at gwi.net> on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 > 14:31:53 +0000 ----- *To:* > "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov> *Subject:* > [Assessment 951] GED: What you need to know > Hi. I'd like to add my two-cents to the discussion about the need to help > students get their GED quickly. > > I'm on a local shellfish committee looking for wardens to check out the > clam flats. When I asked what the requirements were for being a warden, I > was told they needed to have a GED or high school diploma. This struck me > so I asked why. I was told that the warden would have to send in periodic > reports based on his/her findings so s/he needed "at least a GED." > > I worry about the disconnect between our teaching just to the test (in > writing, for example, the test requires students to write an "essay") and > what the broader community and business people are expecting our adult > learners to be able to do once they have a GED (such as write short reports, > but rarely an "essay"). > > Are we explicit in the skills that we're teaching so that students can > actually use what they've learned after they pass their GED?? Do we give > them opportunities to transfer their learning from the workbook (or > computer) to real-life situations so they know how to use different skills > in different situations? > > > Donna > > Donna Curry > Center for Literacy Studies > University of Tennessee > ("branch office" - Westport Island, Maine) > ------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Assessment mailing list > Assessment at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment > Email delivered to djrosen at comcast.net > ------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Assessment mailing list > Assessment at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment > Email delivered to kate.brandt at mail.cuny.edu > > > ------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Assessment mailing list > Assessment at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment > Email delivered to djrosen at comcast.net > > ------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Assessment mailing list > Assessment at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment > Email delivered to teacherwendyq at gmail.com > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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