![]() |
![]() |
[Assessment 700] FCE Works in ABE and ESOLMarie Cora marie.cora at hotspurpartners.comThu Apr 5 09:01:09 EDT 2007
Colleagues, the following post is from Tom Sticht. In it, Tom reviews some of the literature supporting Functional Context Education (FCE) principles, including the study on What Works Study For Adult ESL Literacy Students by Larry Condelli and Heide Wrigley, which will be presented as a Guest Discussion on the Special Topics Discussion List next week (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics; see post from Monday, April 2). The principles provide a framework for assessing a student's strengths and needs, and for subsequently developing appropriate curricula, as informed by the student. What are your thoughts on FCE and its principles? Do you find that you follow these principles 'automatically' in your work, or do you need to be conscious of them in order to incorporate them into your teaching and/or program? Do you feel that the FCE principles are appropriate in all contexts of adult literacy? Why or why not? Thanks for your thoughts, Marie Cora Assessment Discussion List Moderator ********** Celebrating 20 Years of Functional Context Education: 1987-2007 April 3, 2007 Functional Context Education Principles Show "What Works" in ABE and ESOL Instruction Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education The year 2007 is the twentieth anniversary of the formulation of Functional Context Education principles (Sticht, Armstrong, Hickey, & Caylor, 1987). These principles were based on extensive research on how the U. S. military could annually enlist tens of thousands of young adults with literacy skills below the 30th percentile, about the 6th grade, with little or no work experience, and in a matter of just a few weeks transform them into automobile mechanics, medical corpsmen, clerical staff, commercial cooks, and other skilled and semi-skilled workers. The review lead to the formulation of six principles that facilitate learning on entry into a course, learning throughout the course, and transfer into the contexts for which the learning is meant to apply. o1. Make sure students understand the purpose of the program and the usefulness of the knowledge and skills to be learned. o2. Consider the knowledge that students bring with them and build new knowledge on the basis of this old knowledge. o3. Develop and sequence new lessons so they build on prior knowledge gained in previous lessons. o4. Integrate instruction in basic skills (reading, math) into programs as the course poses demands for these skills that potential students may not possess. o5. Derive objectives from careful analysis of the realistic knowledge and skill needed in the work, home, or other community contexts in which the learner lives. o6. Use, to the extent possible, learning contexts, tasks, materials, and procedures taken from the future situation in which the learner will be functioning. Since 1987 some "silver standard," quasi-experimental studies have been found that provide evidence for the usefulness of the six FCE principles in civilian programs of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Research on Integrated Vocational and ESOL Instruction Sticht, McDonald, & Erickson, (1998) compared an Electronics Assembly Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) class which integrated vocational and ESOL together, a Vocational class in Electronics Assembly (no ESOL instruction) and a conventional ESOL class, not vocationally related. In all three courses pre- and post-test data were obtained on a vocational vocabulary test related to electronics training and a general literacy test (the Adult Basic Learning Exam-ABLE). The data showed that the integrated VOCED+VESL program had greater gains on the vocational vocabulary test than either of the comparison groups, as well as a gain rate per 100 hours of instruction some 65 percent higher for general reading (ABLE) than the general ESL program, and over 300 percent greater than the VOCED program. Altogether, the data on the FCE VESL+ VOCED program indicated that it produced greater retention, greater course completion, and higher gains in learning than did the comparison courses of general ESL or a conventional electronics vocational education course. Other data also indicated that placements of students in the VOCED+ESOL program into electronics jobs was high, almost 100 percent, and many were placed by the ninth week of the course. This reflects the importance of FCE principles 5 and 6 in helping students transfer new knowledge and skills from the classroom to the world of work. United Kingdom Research on Embedded Language, Literacy, Numeracy (LLN) in Vocational Courses Casey, et. al (2006) reported research with 1,916 learners in 79 vocational courses with varying amounts of embedded language, literacy or numeracy (LLN) (FCE principle #4). Using a four point scale courses were rated as non-embedded, partly embedded, mostly embedded, and fully embedded. This provides a form of quasi-experimental design with a treatment group (fully embedded) and three comparison groups. The authors reported that, "On the embedded courses retention was 16 per cent higher..The embedded courses also had higher success rates than the non-embedded courses. . For learners on the fully-embedded courses, 93 per cent of those with an identified literacy need achieved a literacy/ESOL qualification, compared to only 50 per cent for those on non-embedded courses. On the fully embedded courses, 43 per cent more learners achieved literacy qualifications. .For learners on the fully-embedded courses, 93 per cent of those with an identified numeracy need achieved a numeracy/maths qualification, compared to 70 per cent for those on non-embedded courses. On the fully embedded courses, 23 per cent more learners achieved numeracy qualifications." (p. 5) The United States' What Works Study For Adult ESL Literacy Students Condelli & Wrigley (2004) discuss research for the U. S. Department of Education to identify effective instructional practices ("what works") for adults needing basic literacy instruction along with ESOL. Among other findings, they reported two major instructional factors related to achievement in literacy and oral language that are consistent with FCE principles. First, in what the authors called"connection to the outside," they found that "students in classes where teachers made connections to the "outside" or real world, had more growth in reading development measured both by general reading and "real world" reading. This is consistent with FCE principles because it makes the purpose of the learning apparent, it supports learning in the functional context of "real world" materials, and it shows how the learning relates to the person's life outside the classroom. A second major finding was that, "students in classes where teachers used students' native language for clarification during instruction (e.g., to explain concepts and provide instructions on class work) had faster growth in reading comprehension and oral communication skills." This is consistent with FCE principles because it helps the teacher explain the purposes of what is being learned and it makes it possible to draw upon the learner's prior knowledge of the native language as a means of learning new knowledge of the English language. In summary, at the present time, the Functional Context Education principles are supported by the largest body of scientific, quasi-experimental research on adult vocational, English language, literacy and numeracy instruction in the field of adult education. They provide a solid foundation for evidence-based instruction in the Adult Education and Literacy System of the United States and other English-speaking industrialized nations. References Casey, H. et. al (2006, November). "You wouldn't expect a maths teacher to teach plastering." online at www.nrdc.org.uk. Condelli, L. & Wrigley, H. (2004) Real World Research: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research for Adult ESL. Paper presented at the National Research and Development Centre (NRDC) Second International Conference for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, Loughborough, England. Downloaded from the internet April 3, 2007 from http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/professionaldevelopment/attachments/200704 01/dea5b0a7/attachment-0002.doc Sticht, T., McDonald, B., & Erickson, P. (1998). Passports to Paradise: The Struggle To Teach and To Learn on the Margins of Adult Education. El Cajon, CA: Applied Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Inc., (available online at www.searchERIC.org ). Sticht, T., Armstrong, W., Hickey, D., & Caylor, J. (1987). Cast-off youth: policies and training methods from the military experience. NY: Praeger. Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht at aznet.net
More information about the Assessment mailing list |