St. Patrick’s Day is today, March 17. We have a post written especially for students with a short follow-up exercise at the end.
You probably know that St. Patrick’s Day (also known as St.
Patty’s Day or St. Paddy’s Day) is not traditionally an American holiday. It is
an Irish holiday, but Americans simply love it! St. Patrick’s Day was brought
to the United States by Irish immigrants in the XIX century. It eventually
became so popular in the United States that it evolved into a special day when
many Americans across the country celebrate the Irish-American culture and
heritage.
Many Americans attend special parades on St. Patrick’s Day. St
Patrick’s Day parades in the United States are typically big events with
hundreds, even thousands, of marchers, Irish dance groups, and bagpipers (a
bagpiper is a person playing a bagpipe, a traditional wind instrument with reed
pipes). Most cities and bigger towns organize St. Patrick’s Day parades. But if
you can’t go to a parade, you can always don a green outfit or a T-shirt that
says, “Kiss me! I’m Irish!” And, no, you don’t have to be Irish to wear a
T-shirt like that! Many Americans love to say that everyone is Irish on St.
Patrick’s Day.
Just like with most holidays, food plays an important role in the
celebrations. Many Americans enjoy eating corned beef and cabbage, as well as
soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day. But did you know that corned beef isn’t a
traditional Irish dish? You most certainly wouldn’t eat corned beef on St.
Patrick’s Day in Dublin! Corned beef actually originated in the United States.
Nonetheless, it’s a delicious dish that consists of beef, potatoes, carrots,
and cabbage, all boiled together in one big pot.
There are a number of symbols associated with St Patrick’s Day as well. One of them is the leprechaun, a tiny red-headed, bearded man dressed in green that loves to play tricks and pranks on people. If you ever find that the milk in your fridge has turned green, or the furniture in your living room has been turned upside down, a leprechaun has probably visited your house. So waste no time, and set up some leprechaun traps in your home because you never know what kind of joke that mischievous creature may choose to play on you next time! And if you are lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, he will have to grant you three wishes. A pot of gold is also a symbol associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Leprechauns hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and only the luckiest are able to find them. Yet another St. Patrick’s Day symbol is the shamrock, or a four-leaf clover. It is believed that if you ever find a shamrock, you will have the luck and blessings of the Irish. So start looking for these tiny plants right away. You never know, you may find a pot of gold, too! But if you don’t, a pot of delicious corned beef and cabbage should make you just as happy!
Now let’s try this short comprehension activity. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. Good luck!
1. A leprechaun is _______.
an ingredient soda bread
a type of plant only found in Ireland
a tiny man with red hair and a beard
2. A shamrock is _______.
a green milkshake typically consumed on St. Patrick’s Day
a four-leaf clover
a lucky rock hidden at the end of a rainbow
3. A dish many Americans eat on St. Patrick’s Day is called _______.
corned beef
a pot of gold
green beans
*ANSWER KEY: 1c; 2. b; 3. a
If you answered all three questions correctly, the luck of the Irish may be coming your way! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Joanna Rodzen-Hickey has served as an ESL teacher and consultant for nearly 20 years. She has taught adult learners in various community colleges and universities across New Jersey. Currently, she teaches ESL at Hackettstown High School in Hackettstown, New Jersey. In addition to teaching, Joanna has been involved in ESL program development, ESL curriculum development, ACCESS test administration, as well as teacher mentoring. Additionally, Joanna has been collaborating with Pearson Education for several years. She has served as a reviewer and content developer for a number of titles, including Educational Psychology, Wall Street English, and Focus on Grammar. Joanna earned both her MA in Applied Linguistics and MAT in ESL Education from Montclair State University. She also attended Adam Mickiewicz University in her native Poland, where she majored in English Philology.
Do you know the main benefits of implementing a learning platform in your school? Get to know them in this article.
A true e-Learning platform is one that provides support, offers educational solutions, and makes hybrid and remote instruction easier to implement. It is also an educational portal that offers digital materials and tools as well as analytics and reports all in one place.
All materials that support learning at anytime, anywhere on one platform
Different forms of evaluation for different forms of learning
Accessible on all devices in different learning environments
More engagement and interaction during classes
Easy way to keep in touch with teachers and other students via one platform
Advantages for schools
All materials for all classes in one place
Easy way to post assignments, check progress,
and communicate with students and families
Analytics and performance scores to track
progress and address issues
Advantages for teachers
Materials and guides in digital format for easy
access and download
Flexibility to rearrange content and add your
own content
Ability to reach students and run synchronous
classes from the platform
Tools to encourage engagement and participation
Introducing Pearson Digital Hub
In the current environment of distance learning, many
programs struggle to reach their learners and engage them in a meaningful way.
We at Pearson understand these challenges and have developed a learning and
teaching management platform where teachers can provide interactive classes and
monitor performance, and students can have access to the information they need
from any device. This powerful tool is called the Pearson Digital Hub, and it’s
an excellent tool for programs that do not currently use a learning management
system.
Keep students engaged and avoid dropouts
Pearson Digital Hub goes hand in hand with current trends in
virtual education, providing the same academic level of face-to-face classes,
avoiding distractions, and keeping students engaged.
Improve results
By having an intuitive and friendly virtual environment,
Pearson Digital Hub offers great advantages in supporting face-to-face or
distance teaching, modernizing courses, and improving students’ academic
results. In addition, the platform provides analytics and progress tracking, so
teachers can easily identify which students are struggling and need more help
and attention.
Save time
Each week, teachers spend a great deal of time creating the
activities and assignments. With Pearson Digital Hub that time can be reduced
since the platform contains all the materials you need to teach your classes.
Improve communication and collaboration
Our platform includes interactive tools where students can communicate
and share their questions quickly and easily. This creates an environment
conducive to participation and fosters collaboration. In addition, Pearson
Digital Hub allows you to conduct lessons in real time via streaming and a
message delivery system, all within the platform.
Add your own content
Pearson Digital Hub provides the flexibility to adapt your
courses in any way you want. In addition to the Pearson eBooks and digital
practice, you can also add your own content such as videos, images,
downloadable documents, and more. Here, creativity has no limits, and learning
becomes engaging and collaborative.
Learn about the concept of an LMS platform, its general characteristics, and how it can help your institution manage and improve teaching and learning.
The development of technology has facilitated access to many
new tools in different fields, including education.
Learning management platforms (LMS) have become popular in
recent years, and their popularity has only grown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
LMSs not only help keep programs organized, but they also improve the learning
experience for students.
There are a few popular LMS platforms currently available on
the market. You might have heard about Canvas, Blackboard, or D2L. Several educational
publishers also offer their own LMS platforms, such as MyEnglishLab.
In this article, we’ll explain what learning management
platforms are and what functions they perform.
What is an LMS platform?
An LMS or e-Learning platform is a distance learning tool
that allows you to create a virtual classroom to teach using the Internet. That
is, it is a program or software that teachers and students can access from
anywhere in the world to meet their teaching and learning objectives.
But not only that. Great learning management systems not
only provide an adequate learning environment, but they also transform the learning
and teaching process, making it dynamic and accessible. Therefore, LMS
platforms must meet certain characteristics. Here are the main ones:
Flexibility: LMS platforms are customizable and flexible for different study plans. This allows content to be added according to the needs of teachers and students.
Interactivity allows users to have different content with which they can interact to better engage with and understand the topics taught.
Usability refers to the ease with which users manage
to use the platform in order to achieve a goal. That is, an LMS platform should
be easy to navigate with no confusion about its use.
Multiple functionalities: LMS platforms try to
replicate the physical environment of the classrooms in a virtual environment.
For this reason, they offer different tools such as video classes, chats, and
discussion forums.
Accessibility: users can access the full content
anytime, anywhere. This should be possible from any type of device (mobile,
tablet, and computer).
e-Learning platforms have many advantages for schools and institutions. They are an excellent communication channel for the teacher and student community. Many of them also allow access to student performance reports, which in turn, allows teachers to address performance issue and tailor their instruction to individual students.
Benefits of LMS platforms
They simplify the learning processes
These platforms use intuitive systems and content with a logical structure that are very easy to use for anyone, including children. In addition, the possibility of having virtual classes expands the options for collaborative and social learning.
They allow access to multimedia content
Learning through LMS platforms is more engaging because they
not only include written content like in traditional classrooms, but also allow
students to engage and learn with images, videos, infographics, podcasts, and
more.
They are easily manageable
The digital nature of the content allows it to be updated in real time and instantly. In addition, it is very easy to manage the roles of users, such as students, teachers, administrators, and others.
They are available 24/7
Thanks to the LMS platforms, the geographical and temporal distance
is eliminated. Teachers and students can access their materials from anywhere
and at any time of the day.
Without a doubt, LMS platforms are a powerful 360º tool that
all schools should consider for their training and educational activities.
If your program is not currently using an LMS, consider Pearson Digital Hub. Pearson Digital Hub allows you to offer mixed classes (face-to-face and virtual), serve digital content to students, run synchronous instruction directly from the platform, assign homework, and obtain performance reports that show each student’s progress. Learn more here or contact your local rep for a demo to see how you can implement at at your institution.
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed into law on December 27,
2020. It was the second round of Federal Covid Relief, following
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which
was signed into law
on March 27, 2020.
This report aims at unpacking the CARES Act and CRRSAA, highlighting specific elements of the law, and understanding what it means for K-12, adult, and higher education, specifically in relation to English language learning and technology.
We also want to renew our commitment to supporting
educators in navigating the “new normal” of remote teaching and providing the
best solutions that will not only engage students in learning but also ensure
they progress and reach desired outcomes and milestones.
Overview
and Funding Amounts
CARES Act
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The funding includes an Education
Stabilization Fund totaling $30.75 billion. The breakdown in funding is as
follows:
The Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER Fund) received 9.8% of the funding, or $2,953,230,00.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER I Fund) received 43.9% of the funding, or $13,229,265,000.
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) received 46.3% of the funding, or $13,952,505,000.
The GEER funds are distributed to governors
to be spent as seen fit to meet the needs of students and schools (K-12,
colleges/universities, and other education-related entities).
ESSER funds go directly to State
Education Agencies (SEAs) based on Title 1 proportions.
HEERF funds go directly to colleges and
universities (Institutions of Higher Education – IHEs) based on formulas
described in the Higher Education section below.
CRRSAA
On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed into
law. The stimulus package includes an additional $81.88 billion for the Education
Stabilization Fund, with dollars available through September 30, 2022. There is
a set-aside of 1% evenly split between
the outlying areas (such as Guam and the US Virgin Islands) and the Bureau of
Indian Education.
The remaining $81,061,200,000 is again split among three
funds:
GEER receives 5% of the funding, or $4,053,060,000.
ESSER II receives 67% of the funding, or $54,311,004,000.
HEERF II receives 28% of the funding, or $22,697,136,000.
This chart summarizes the funding components:
K-12 (and Adult Ed Programs Run at K-12 Facilities)
The Education Department awards the K-12 grants to State Education
Agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing Local Education Agencies (LEAs) – including
charter schools that are LEAs – with emergency relief funds to address the
impact that Covid-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and
secondary schools across the nation.
ESSER and ESSER II funds were awarded to states based on the
proportion of funding each state received under Part A of Title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended in fiscal year 2020.
There is a maintenance of effort requirement for the
GEER and ESSER funds. To receive funding, a state must provide assurances that
it will maintain support for elementary and secondary education and for higher
education for fiscal 2022 at a level of spending at least proportional to
overall state spending averaged over fiscal years 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Allowable Activities
ESSER and ESSER II provide district leaders with broad
authority over both the targeting of funds to specific schools and the use of
funds more broadly.
LEAs may use their funds for any of the following categories depending on local needs (note: text in bold emphasizes categories that are specifically related to English language learning):
Any activity allowed under the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) Including Title I-A, Title I-C (Migrant Education), Title I-D (Neglected and Delinquent Students), Title II-A, Title III-A (English Language Learners), Title IV-A, Title IV-B 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Title V-B REAP (SRSA and RLIS), Title VI-A (Indian Education), Title VII (Impact Aid)
Any activity allowed under the following federal education acts:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act (Perkins Act)
McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
Native Hawaiian Education Act and the Alaska
Native Educational Equity, Support, and Assistance Act
The ESSER II guidelines added the following allowable
activities:
Addressing learning loss among students, including
low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners,
racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children
and youth in foster care, of the local education agency, including by—
Administering
and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess
students’ academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic
needs, including through differentiating instruction;
Implementing
evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students;
Providing
information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively
support students, including in a distance learning environment; and
Tracking
student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.
The chart below summarizes all allowable activities –
note the relevant activities that are circled:
activities
authorized under the Adult Family and Literacy Act;
activities
to address the unique needs of English learners;
purchasing
education technology for students;
providing
online learning;
Implementing
summer learning and after school programs.
The following are relevant examples of allowable activities
relating to Adult Education in K-12 districts, in particular activities
allowable under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act:
Family
literacy activities that include the four required components
High
school equivalency preparation for students ages 17+ who are not currently
enrolled in secondary school
Materials/Supplies
in support of adult education services
Software/Technology
in support of adult education services
Professional
development for adult education instructors
GEER
Funds
According
to the Hunt Institute, some governors are using the GEER funds for K-12
activities that are specifically relevant to English language learning. For
example, thirty-five governors are designating GEERF money for curriculum and
teacher training to deliver remote learning. Oklahoma has established grants to
families for tutoring and online curriculum as well as expanded its virtual AP
offerings. Missouri is developing training for educators that will “address the
technical and instructional expertise” needed for remote teaching. This
training will include the unique needs of students with disabilities, English
language learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students from
racial and ethnic minorities. See details at https://hunt-institute.org/covid-19-resources/geer-fund-utilization/
Application Process
Only State Education Agencies (SEAs) in the 50 States,
Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia apply directly to the Department for
ESSER funds. School districts (LEAs) must apply to the relevant SEA. Every SEA
must use at least 90% of its ESSER Fund grant to make subgrants to LEAs by
formula based on FY 2019 Title I, Part A allocations.
The National Conference of State Legislatures has developed a very
useful Elementary
and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Tracker which
provides (a) links for LEAs to apply for funding (subgrants) in each
state, (b) ESSER I and ESSER II allocations to each state, and (c) plans announced
by each state’s SEA.
ESSER funds are available through September 30, 2022; the
SEA deadline for awarding funds is May 2021.
ESSER II funds are available through September 30, 2023; the SEA deadline for awarding funds is January 2022.
This diagram shows the timeline for using ESSER funds from the CARES Act (ESSER I):
The following chart illustrates the timeline for ESSER II funds:
Associated Documentation for K-12
This chart provides an overview of the CARES Act ESSER funds
allocated to each state:
HEERF grants are allotted directly to Institutions of Higher
Education (IHEs). Institutions are required to provide at least 50% as
emergency aid to students, as was required by the CARES Act. Institutions
with approved applications from the CARES distribution are not required to
submit a new or revised application.
Under the CARES Act, 90% of HEERF grants ($12,557,254,500)
were allocated to institutions based on the proportion of two student
populations compared with those student population totals nationwide before the
onset of the pandemic, weighted as follows:
75% for full-time-equivalent Pell students not
in distance education only
25% for full-time-equivalent non-Pell students
not in distance education only
HEERF II uses a different formula for allocating funds to
public and private nonprofit institutions. The formula below accounts for both
full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment and headcount — a change from the CARES
Act formula, which only factored in full-time enrollment.
37.5% based on FTE enrollment of Pell recipients
who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the
qualifying emergency;
37.5% based on headcount enrollment of Pell
recipients who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses
prior to the qualifying emergency;
11.5% based on FTE enrollment of non-Pell
recipients who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses
prior to the qualifying emergency;
11.5% based on headcount enrollment of non-Pell
recipients who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses
prior to the qualifying emergency;
1% based on FTE enrollment of Pell recipients
who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the
qualifying emergency; and
1% based on headcount of Pell recipients who
were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying
emergency.
IHEs have one calendar year from the date of their award to expend
funds unless the institution receives a no-cost extension.
Allowable Activities
Colleges have more flexibility in how they can use HEERF II
funds than they did under the CARES Act. These expanded allowable activities
apply both to new funds distributed under the omnibus bill and any unspent
CARES Act funds. Institutions are still required to spend at least 50% of any
unspent CARES Act funds on emergency student aid.
Colleges and universities can use the HEERF II funds to:
Defray expenses associated with Covid (including
lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology (hardware
and software) costs associated with a transition to distance education,
faculty and staff trainings, and payroll);
Carry out student support activities authorized
by the HEA that address needs related to Covid; or
Provide financial aid grants to students
(including students exclusively enrolled in distance education), which may be
used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency
costs that arise due to Covid, such as tuition, food, housing, health care
(including mental health care), or child care. Note that this financial aid can
be used for emergency grants to help students meet urgent needs, such as
technology.
In both the CARES Act (HEERF)
and in CRRSAA (HEERF II), 7.5% of the HEERF total funding is reserved for
Historically Black Colleges & Universities and other Minority-Serving
Institutions. (NOTE: Minority-Serving Institutions include institutions that
would be eligible to participate in the following programs: Predominantly Black
Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian
American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Native
American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, Developing Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Program, and Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic
Americans.)
Application Process
The Education Department extended the application deadline
for HEERF I grants under the CARES Act until September 30, 2020. Applications
are no longer being accepted for HEERF I funds.
For institutions that received HEERF I funds, applications
are not required to receive supplemental awards under HEERF II.
Public and nonprofit Institutions that did not previously
receive CARES Act funding must submit their applications for the CRRSAA student
aid portion and institutional portion of Section 314(a)(1) funds by April 15,
2021. (See detailed information at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/crrsaa.html
)
All HEERF grants must be spent by September 30, 2022.
All HEERF II grants must be spent by September 30, 2023.
Associated Documentation
See this site for state-by-state information on CARES Act funds awarded to LEAs and colleges/universities: https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/
See this file, which shows the CARES Act (HEERF) allocations to colleges and universities. Also see this file, which shows the CRRSAA (HEERF II) allocations to colleges and universities.
Supporting English Language
Learners in the Time of Covid-19
Due to school closures, many English language learners lost
opportunities to learn and practice their new language, and programs have
struggled to create a rich and engaging environment for their students.
Pearson’s commitment to providing the best solutions for English language
learners of all ages is unwavering. From top-notch English language materials
and digital platforms and resources to teacher support and guidance, we are
excited to partner with schools and programs to ensure that learning continues despite
recent disruptions.
We have materials and solutions that delight and engage learners, work well in the online or hybrid setting, and can help you address the needs of your learners and ensure they progress on their path to full proficiency.
Reach out to us for more details and product demos. Locate your specialist here.
There is no question that teaching transferable skills can be powerful. In many ways, it is the cape we don to prepare our diverse adult learners to meet the varied needs and goals that will make them successful in any endeavor they pursue. After all, the skills they are learning are transferable.
We know there is truth to this, despite my hyperbole. According
to The National Research Council in its synthesis of the literature on the
subject of transferable skills, “Business leaders,
educational organizations, and researchers have begun to call for new education
policies that target the development of broad, transferable skills and knowledge”
(2012).
We have responded to that call. First,
we adopted College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (2013) and
purchased quality instructional resources to promote rigorous learning. Then we
combed our textbooks, googled “transferable skills lists,” and read the WIOA
legislation (2014) cover to cover to discover the identity of those
transferable skills that would pack the most punch. We added them to our
curriculum, our daily lessons, our learning goals, our learning tasks, and our
assessments. Finally, our learners have been practicing them in class and even mastering
them on our assessments.
Yet, our lamentation still rings out: “Why don’t my students
apply what they have learned?” This lamentation clearly puts the ownness on the
students, for we know we have done about everything we could do. And,
after all, according to our assessments many of them learned it. But…(long
pause here)…did they learn it?
The lists we consult, the learning goals we outline, the tasks we design focus on the skills in transferable skills. Indeed, this is a crucial element. But, isn’t its modifier equally crucial? The National Research Council (2012) states that learning that is transferable must “include both[emphasis added] knowledge in a domain and[emphasis added] knowledge of how, why, and when to apply this knowledge to answer questions and solve problems.” In other words, transferable skills must transfer.
The idea of transfer
So, what is transfer? We know what it looks like in everyday life: we transfer money from one account to the other, we transfer from one bus to another, one job to another, and one customer service rep to another and another and another. In every instance, we are called upon to use what we know about the first situation, how it is connected to the next, and how to use what we already know when we get there. This transfer is successful, according to the National Reacher Council (2012), when the “ability to recognize familiar elements in novel problems allows them [expert learners] to apply (or transfer) their knowledge to solve such problems.”
If they are not practicing transfer, they are just
learning skills
According to the National Research Council, that transfer
becomes possible “when effective
instructional methods are used.” What are these “effective instructional
methods”? Many of them we are already using. We are already teaching the
knowledge and skills in rigorous ways to engage our learners in productive
struggle. Yet, we can teach our learners transferable skills all day
long, but if they are not practicing transfer, then they are just
learning skills. By the same token, we can teach any skill and make it transferable
when our learners practice transfer!
So, what does it mean to “teach” transfer? Let’s look for guidance from two gurus of the
constructivist theory, the theorist Jerome Bruner and the philosopher John
Dewey (p. 137).
Teaching specific topics or
skills without making clear their context in the broader fundamental structure
of a field of knowledge is uneconomical.
~Bruner (1960)
To grasp the meaning of a thing,
an event, or a situation is to see it in its relations to other things: to see
how it operates or functions, what consequences follow from it, what causes it,
what uses it can be put to. ~Dewey
(1933)
Creating a formula for transfer from their combined wisdom could, then, look like this:
Formula for transfer
In some ways, we already do this. We have tasks to activate
prior knowledge, application tasks, and expansion activities. But are we leveraging
them to focus on transfer? How often have we shortened or skipped one for the
sake of time? Do these tasks transfer the learning to multiple contexts, or
better yet, contexts of the learners’ choosing? We are still largely driven by
the content we need to cover, and our students are still largely assessed on
what they learn within one context.
Leveraging transfer
Leveraging transfer takes a paradigm shift in our thinking about instruction and instructional planning. No longer are we satisfied with a focus on knowledge and skills if it does not include an emphasis on transfer. In this way, we make time for transfer by including learning tasks that allow students to contextualize the content they are learning in multiple ways, make connections between the content and other content, and apply the content to multiple situations.
How do we do this? The good news is there are already many tried-and-true
tasks we can leverage to maximize student practice in transferring knowledge
and skills. Here are some examples:
KWL+
The KWL chart, sometimes with the addition of the plus, is an activity to effectively support and evaluate student learning from the start of a lesson to its finish.
KWL+ Chart
The K can meaningfully extract the
prior knowledge students have, not just about the topic at hand but about other
topics that relate to it or are relevant to them.
What other things do you know that can help you understand
this topic/learn this skill?
What learning have we done that will help you learn
about this topic/learn this skill?
The W can include a question
starter that helps students connect the current learning to other relevant
areas in the lives.
How does this information/skill apply to
__?
How will this information/skill help me
___?
The L can maintain its
context-dependent stance to focus on the objectives of the lesson within the
context to set the stage for greater transfer.
The + column can be expanded to
include how the topic/skill relates to learners’ goals, needs, and interests.
How do I apply this knowledge/skill to
__?
How do I use this knowledge/skill to __?
Activate Prior Knowledge
Often lessons begin with a discussion or prompt to help
students connect the new learning with what they already know. Adding the K
questions from the KWL+ chart above leverages this activity to include other
knowledge and skills (including learning strategies) that students can connect
to as they begin the lesson.
Venn Diagram
The Venn diagram is used to explore connections between things, specifically how they compare and contrast. Strategic placement of a Venn diagram task in the lesson allows learners to explore the connections between and among contexts by identifying the knowledge and skills they have in common and considering how those knowledge and skills would be used in other context(s).
Venn Diagram
Brainstorm
Who hasn’t done a brainstorm? What about one that specifically asks where else learners can use the new knowledge or skill? This activity can be done before the learning to get buy-in and show relevance or after the learning as a way for students to reflect on how the learning can transfer to other areas of their lives.
Brainstorm
Expansion
We plan for expansion activities all the time. Often, they
are the task that gets cut when we run out of time. In addition, they often
don’t expand beyond the context at hand. Instead, learners apply the learning
to a new situation within the same context. Leverage expansion activities to
move students beyond the current context to explore other contexts that are
directly relevant to them. Students can choose the context and discuss how the
new learning would transfer. What knowledge and skills could they use in that
context? How could they use them? What adaptations would they make to what they
learned to fit this new context?
Exit ticket
One common closure activity is the exit ticket. This can take the form of written or oral answers to 1 – 3 summary questions; a think-pair-share where students think of one thing they learned in class, pair to talk about it with a peer, and then share out with the class; or a turn-and-talk partner exchange to summarize the learning of the day. Including a question around where and/or how students are going to transfer the learning from the lesson means that students leave the classroom with transfer at the forefront of their thoughts, just when they need it the most.
The heart of the matter is that without transfer, transferable skills are just skills. They only become magical when we create the opportunity for transfer. When our lessons brim with the lively exploration of concepts, connections, and contexts then, just maybe, the cape fits…and we should wear it. After all, we and our learners are up against a lot. We need all the leverage we can get!
References
Bruner, J. (1960).
The process of education. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Dewey, J. (1933). How
we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative
process. Boston: Henry Holt.
National Research Council. (2012). Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13398.
Lia Olson, Ph.D., has served as an ESOL classroom teacher, professional developer, curriculum design specialist, author, and consultant. She has taught adult learners for more than 20 years at St. Paul Public Schools Adult Education. In addition, she is an adjunct professor for the Teaching English as a Foreign Language program and Adult Basic Education licensure program at Hamline University. As a curriculum design expert, Dr. Olson has developed curricula and teaching materials for ESOL students at all levels that integrate English language acquisition with numeracy, technology, and work-readiness skills.
