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S.T.E.P.S.
Student/Teacher Evaluation and Planning Session
We believe that the adult learner should be involved in planning and evaluating his or her own learning
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(reactions appreciated)
Dr. Lennox L. McLendon McLendon Associates, Inc. 12216 Percival St. Chester, VA 23831-4429 804.314.6747 |
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Introduction
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Adult education differs from other forms of education in the intensity with which the learner is involved in planning and evaluating his or her own learning.
Not surprisingly, the actual procedures for involving each learner in planning and evaluating his or her own learning seems to develop differently with each teacher; as it should.
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Student/Teacher Evaluation and Planning Session (STEPS) provides for regular (every nine weeks or so) one-on-one consultation time for each student. The background includes “what we believe” about learner involvement in learning how to plan and evaluate their own learning.
The process involves regularly scheduled consultations to provide information to the student, get information to the student, and revise his/her learning plan.
The discussion involves:
(STAFF DISCUSSION DRAFT)
WHAT WE BELIEVE
ABOUT
TEACHING ADULTS
1. We believe the purpose of adult education is to assist the adult learner in acquiring the skills to progress from being a dependent learner to becoming a more independent learner. Stated another way, the learner should move from teacher-directed to self-directed learning.
2. We believe each adult has unique learning needs.
a. He or she has a PERSONAL LEARNING PLAN.
b. That plan does the following:
*focuses on his or her GOALS or the reason for coming to you for assistance.
*helps the learner see the SEQUENCE OF SKILLS required to reach that goal.
*includes the RESOURCES (materials and activities) the learner will use to acquire those skills.
*includes the NEXT FEW SKILLS the learner will acquiring.
*allows the student to progress at his or her OWN PACE.
c. The instructor HELPS THE LEARNER PERIODICALLY TO EVALUATE the plan, to examine his or her progress, and to revise the plan based on that evaluation of the plan.
4. We believe that an adult can and should BECOME AN ACTIVE DIRECTOR of his or her learning and growth.
a. The learner is INCREASINGLY involved in planning his or her learning.
b. The learner is INCREASINGLY involved in evaluating his or her learning.
c. The learner and instructor plan ACTIVITIES in which newly learned skills are applied to the learner's family, community, and work world.
5. We believe adult learning involves furthering COMMUNICATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS.
a. A part of adult education involves creating opportunities in which the learner can further develop INTERPERSONAL SKILLS.
b. Those opportunities involve the student in the further development of the following:
*problem solving skills
*verbal communication skills
*listening skills
*values appreciation and clarification skills.
(STAFF DISCUSSION DRAFT)
A TRANSLATION FROM BELIEF TO PRACTICE
How do you design an instructional program to incorporate these beliefs? Below we have applied these beliefs to a typical part-time program. Individual programs will vary but this may give you an idea.
6:30 - 7:00
The class will meet two nights a week for three hours a night. The first half hour of class is reserved for the instructor to meet individually with each student to involve that student in evaluating his or her progress and rewriting the student's learning plan. See the Student/Teacher Evaluation and Planning Session (S.T.E.P.S) guidelines.
Each student is scheduled for a (S.T.E.P.S.) session about every ten weeks (that is about every fifty hours to seventy five of instruction).
7:00 - 9:30
Other students arrive. Each has an individual learning plan that identifies the skills he or she is learning and the materials and activities he or she is using. Each begins work and the instructor moves from student to student, responding to questions and requests for assistance, pausing to determine if students understand new concepts, and planning activities that the student might carry out (in class or at home) to apply new skills to his or her world.
As the class winds down, the instructor makes a final round to help each student plan the next class's assignment.
About every fifth class meeting, the class begins with a group activity. This group activity requires little or no reading in order that all may participate. This activity focuses on developing problem solving skills, giving the learners the opportunity to discuss items of interest or controversy in order to further develop verbal communication (speaking) and values appreciation and clarification skills. The topics for these discussions may be derived from topics of concern that the learners have expressed in the STEPS sessions or from concerns or ideas generated in previous group sessions. "Dear Abby" columns are always a good beginning source to stimulate discussion.
(THIS PLAN MAY NOT FIT YOU, BUT IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE APPLICATION OF THE BELIEFS TO ONE SETTING. WE WILL BE GLAD TO HELP YOU DESIGN ONE THAT FITS YOUR SITUATION.)
PRACTICING WHAT WE BELIEVE
OUR MISSION: CLARIFY AND COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS AND PRACTICE WHAT WE BELIEVE INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
A. TEACHING ADULTS IS DIFFERENT FROM TEACHING KIDS.
B. WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE -- LET'S PRACTICE WHAT WE KNOW.
SOME THINGS WE BELIEVE:
1. ADULTS HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY WANT TO LEARN AND THEY CAN EXPRESS IT TO US.
2. IF WE DO NOT TEACH THEM WHAT THEY WANT TO LEARN THEY WILL LEAVE -- ADULTS VOTE WITH THEIR FEET.
3. THEY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO LEARN -- HOW TO ORGANIZE LEARNING, HOW TO APPROACH A PROBLEM, HOW TO APPLY IT TO THE REAL WORLD.
4. HALF OF OUR POPULATION IS LEARNING DISABLED. WE CAN IMPROVE OUR RESPONSIVENESS TO THEM BY INVOLVING THEM IN PLANNING AND EVALUATING THEIR LEARNING WHICH HELPS US DIAGNOSE AND PRESCRIBE.
5. THEREFORE, AFTER TESTING, WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO INVOLVE THEM IN PLANNING AND EVALUATING THEIR LEARNING. THE "STEPS" METHOD IS AN OPTION.
6. THEREFORE, WE HAVE CHANGED THE DEFINITION OF INSTRUCTION TO GIVE INSTRUCTORS THE TIME TO INVOLVE EACH STUDENT IN PLANNING AND EVALUATING HIS OR HER LEARNING.
THEREFORE, WE BELIEVE THAT EACH STUDENT SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN PLANNING AND EVALUATING HIS OR HER LEARNING.
SOME OTHER THINGS WE BELIEVE.
1. WE BELIEVE ADULTS COME TO CLASS FOR SOCIAL REASONS.
*WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE SOCIAL MOTIVES.
*TOTALLY INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION DOES NOT ALLOW FOR SOCIAL NEEDS.
2. WE BELIEVE THAT ADULTS NEED TO DEVELOP SKILLS IN THE FOLLOWING:
*PROBLEM SOLVING
*VALUES APPRECIATION AND CLARIFICATION
*VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
*LISTENING SKILLS
*GROUP PROCESS -- WORKING AS A TEAM
THEREFORE, WE BELIEVE ADULT INSTRUCTION SHOULD INCLUDE GROUP SESSIONS ABOUT EVERY FIFTH OR SIXTH CLASS MEETING THAT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
*NON-READING EXERCISES
*PROBLEM BASED EXERCISES
*DEVELOPMENT OF THE SKILLS LISTED ABOVE.
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Virginia Adult Learning some of What We Believe October 5, 1994
* We believe adults have an idea of what they want to learn, and we must learn to help them express it. if we do not help them learn what they want to learn, they will leave -- adult learners vote with their feet.
Therein, we believe that adult learners should be involved in planning and evaluating their own learning. and
* We believe that adults come to us for a number of reasons including: job related learning in order to get a job or keep a job; family related learning including helping children with homework; credential related learning in order to obtain a GED or high school diploma; general learning because they simply want to come back to school; beginning English to learn the essentials of communications advanced English to apply the language to a broader context; and community development learning in order to work as a team member to affect community issues.
Therein, we believe that the adult educator's role and response varies with each type of learner motivation. and
* We also believe that group discussions are important for enhancing: problem solving, values clarification, verbal communication, listening, and critical thinking skills.
Therein, we believe that group discussions should be a part of adult learning experiences.
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STEPS SESSION GUIDELINES
Consultation Questions
Here are some things to think about when you conduct your STEPs interviews with each learner.
What do you want to tell the learner?
What do you want the learner to tell you?
FIRST INTERVIEW:
GOAL IDENTIFICATION
Learners are not proficient in talking in education jargon. So, in your first interview regarding why they came you will get answers like “to get my GED” or improve my reading, spelling, or math. These answers, though honest, do not help you much. So it helps to ask follow up questions:
OR, if their goal response is more general like “improve my math” ask:
The answers to these questions will give you information regarding how the learner thinks she/he will USE what is learned and that direction gives you a context on which to build learning activities
WHAT IS LEARNING?
Always take the opportunity to talk with inefficient learners about learning and how it works—just as a reminder that adult ed is different from day school. This is the chance to talk about learning differences and that your job is to learn how the student best learns—and that you may not get it right the first time so “hang in there” and help me out. That is the reason we have the STEPS sessions so we can talk about what is working and what is not working so I can match you up with your strongest learning style.
It is also the time to talk about the importance of the group sessions to improve problem solving, values clarification and appreciation, and team building skills that will help them at home, at work, and in the community.
Our goal is to help each adult become an independent learner so talking about how to approach and organize learning, how to try out different learning materials and find alternatives when something does not work for you, how to solve problems and work with others are really important topics to help then toward that independence..
SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEWS:
GOAL CONFIRMATION OR ADJUSTMENT
“OK, let’s look at where we are and where we are going. In our last interview we talked about your wanting to be able to ……….(what ever the goal was). To get there, here are the skills we have been working on.
Now, I want to remind you that it is okay to change your goal and we can adjust what we are doing. So, the first question is:
1. Is this still the goal we want to shoot for? Or do you found other things that interest you?
MATERIALS CONFIRMATION
I remind you of out discussion about learning differences. Each person has a preference for how they learn. We selected these materials and this approach to try. If it is not working or if you don’t like it, we can change. There are lots of ways to learn. You are a smart person and can learn. My job is to match your learning preferences with the right materials. Sometimes I get it right immediately; sometimes it takes a while, so hang in there with me.
1. We have been working with these learning materials and these resources (whatever you have been using). Let me ask you some questions about them.
a. First, which of these materials do you like?
b. Do you want to get rid of any of them and find something else? Tell me what it is about it that you don’t like.
SATISFACTION/PROGRESS
OK, let’s talk about how you feel about the progress we are making?
PLAN REVISION
Ok, we will make these changes to the plan (goal, materials, commitment).
SET NEXT STEPS SESSION
OK, our next session is in 9 weeks. That makes it on _________ (date). We will meet here at 6:30.
Of course you can talk to me anytime but that is the time we will have to evaluate where we are and adjust anything your like. So make notes about what is working and what needs fixing between now and then.
Any suggestions for me?
OK. You are doing great so keep up the good work. Remember I am always available. Let’s go to work.