Instructional Paradigms: Implications for Policy

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For the most part, implications and questions are presented as originally written by participants at the Meeting of Minds Symposium. This means that some items might be fragments of thoughts and therefore hard to understand. If you were a participant and see such a response, please feel free to edit the implication to reflect what you or your table was thinking.

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Instructional Paradigms
Hal Beder, Rutgers University
(Meeting of the Minds Symposium)

Implications for Policy

• Talk more about hour our program works- balances basic skills-more time for teacher/instructor discussion groups.
• Support instructors to learn how to do project based learning
• Provide planning time, supplies, etc.
• Have more explicit definition of value, but unless it’s to deconstruct the legislation, why bother?
• Different kinds of assessments
• Support instructors to learn how to do project based learning-provide planning time
• Support teacher work groups on contextual class development
• Some methods are very difficult to measure
• Policy can reflect the wrong conclusion from good data
• Ability to use authentic assessment & have results carry as much validity as standardized tests
• Assessment of ABE learning for LD that informs instructors & that informs accommodation needs
• ABE will never do a better job given its vast and diverse competency demands until we get a fair share of the adult training dollars to satisfy all growing demands
• Can there be a collective voice to policy makers/vendors?
• Reframing of the goals and meaning of adult education for policy makers
• Reconsideration of NRS given 3 types of adult ed.
• Amplification for professional development of teachers
• Could policy makers leave room for more experimentation beyond what is tested?
• Hope these theories are not where educational policy comes from – a rude awakening
• Too much focus on measurement may not produce the results you seek
• Decision makers will need proof that the functional literacy model will meet the goals for society and government
• Standardized testing must change accountability outcomes
• Different paradigms require different systems of assessment
• Training for adult education: teachers who are full time funding, planning time, certification flexibility to use emancipatory education
• Requirements for funding tied to basic skills – how can we identify assessment methods to measure emancipatory outcomes?
• Equip teachers with skills to teach with a variety of instructional approaches to best suit levels/learning styles (all 3 can co-exist)
• Assessment policy should be consistent with instruction
• Allocate more resources for professional development teacher prep & developing appropriate valid tools for assessment
• How many policy makers know about or care about much less use research to form policy?
• Convince decision maker emancipatory functional literacy approaches work
• Develop assessments that measure more than basic skills
• Need policy changes and consistent support that support all approaches (EL Civics)
• Need assessments that assess basic skills and other types of skills(participation)
• Bring back EL Civics and fund in stable way
• Improve NRS measurements since now just focuses on basic skills
• Focus on productive outcomes
• Introduce professional methodologies after one has been mastered
• Create participation in the form of citizenship and graduation, or acquiring a job
• Policy makes need to be more careful not to dictate a certain approach, either by design or as a result of assessment or data collection requirements (unless, of course the research has proven that a particular approach is always better, not likely to happen)
• Continue to fund and find more richly programs like EL Civics that encourage civic engagement
• How can we use findings to discourage a “one size fits all” approach to assessment and curriculum?
• Encourage & support practitioners to publish their research projects
• It would be difficult to get funding for a curriculum with objectives that support emancipatory literacy. Funders are focused on getting adults into the work force.
• Include need for values instruction in class (essential questions in a backward planning process)
• What about training in all 3 approaches?
• Need to recognize learning achievement not captured by NRS
• Teacher input is valid aspect of policy formulation
• Different assessment approaches
• Rigidity is usually counterproductive, don’t allow just for alternative practice models, but provide examples that coincide with interest of business owners
• Don’t tie funding only to measurable NRS outcome types (2)
• Develop additional assessment tools to assess student literacy
• Policy makers need to recognize the range of approaches that practitioners need to be able to draw on to respond to the full range of adult learner needs. The way the EL Civics program was originally crafted in California is good example of how policy can invite practice that combines several different approaches
• Graduate school service project within community
• CDE mandated career exploration requirement/course, i.e., computer literacy/career literacy
• If each paradigm requires different standards for accountability, funding should not dictate a specific paradigm, but it does
• Sufficient funding is needed in ABE so that we can do a better job given growing demands
• Permit performance assessments to be used to document learner progress for funding purposes