Return-Path: <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j9BFcJG00194; Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:38:19 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:38:19 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <010801c5ce7a$f84858b0$0302a8c0@frodo> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Marie Cora" <marie.cora@hotspurpartners.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:1277] Functional Context Education X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2627 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 8595 Lines: 237 Hello everyone, The following message is from Tom Sticht. Thanks, marie cora September 28, 2005 Introduction to Functional Context Education (FCE) Research-Based Principles and Case Studies Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education Research on "contextualizing," "embedding," or "integrating" basic skills into content subject matter of relevance to adult learner's interests and goals was introduced as Functional Context Education (FCE) in lectures I presented in the United Kingdom in 1992 sponsored by the Basic Skills Agency (then known as the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit-ALBSU). In 1997 and again in 1999 I gave a series of FCE workshops in several provinces of Canada. This month, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) reported that the 1997 report on "Functional Context Education (FCE): Making Learning Relevant", which I prepared to accompany the earlier FCE workshops, was among the most frequently downloaded reports on the NALD web site [http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/context/cover.htm] during August 2005. From January 2005 through August, the FCE notebook has been downloaded 8,394 times. This year support for FCE principles can be found in the United Kingdom in reports of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning), National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) (www.niace.org.uk/projects/LrningfromExperience/EBS/What-is-EBS.htm), National Research and Development Center (NRDC) for Adult Literacy & Numeracy (www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=600). All three of these organizations published reports on "embedded basic skills" which follow principles from FCE as introduced in a 1987 book by colleagues and myself called Cast-off Youth. This book presents a number of quasi-experimental studies in vocational training and adult literacy education which formed the research base from which principles for FCE were induced. What is Functional Context Education (FCE)? Functional Context Education is an approach to education that is based upon a cognitive science theory of cognitive development, learning, and instruction. The theoretical framework and the principles for applying this framework to the task of instructional development are discussed in the 1997 notebook. Literacy is given special attention in FCE because of its importance to all schooling and instruction in our information age. A general thesis is that the idea that literacy is something one must "get" in one program, which is then "applied" in another is misleading. Rather, it is argued that literacy is developed while it is being applied. This means that for the large numbers of youth and adults who read between the fifth and ninth grade levels, literacy and content skills education can be integrated. Therefore there is no need for special "remedial" literacy programs to get students to "prerequisite" levels of literacy before they are permitted to study the "real thing." In overview, education based on functional context theory includes the following conceptual framework: oSociety and culture provide the most important resources for human cognitive development. These resources include symbols and symbol systems, such as the natural language and conceptual (in contrast to perceptual) knowledge, which constitute the primary means for the transmission of cognitive abilities. oThe learner possesses a "human cognitive system" with an internal knowledge base "inside the head" and access to an external knowledge base in the world "outside the head." The learner has a working, or short term memory in which processing skills such as language are used to move information in and out of both the internal and external knowledge bases. oLearning is information processing whereby the learner actively seeks out information used in constructing a meaningful interpretation of the world and a knowledge base comprised of these interpretations. oA developmental perspective of literacy emphasizing the development of oral language from earlier prelinguistic knowledge and literacy as the amalgam of prelinguistic, linguistic and graphic symbolic knowledge. oThe importance of context in learning new information and in transferring information already learned to new and different problems and situations. The application of this theoretical framework to the instructional development process suggests creating courses that facilitate learning on entry into the course, learning throughout the course, and transfer into the contexts for which the learning is meant to apply. To accomplish these objectives, courses should be developed that: oExplain what the students are to learn and why in such a way that they can always understand both the immediate and long term usefulness of the course content (facilitates entry into the course; motivates learning). oConsider the old knowledge that students bring with them to the course, and build new knowledge on the basis of this old knowledge (facilitates entry learning) oSequence each new lesson so that it builds on prior knowledge gained in the previous lessons (facilitates in-course learning). oIntegrate instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, and problem solving into academic or technical training programs as the content of the course poses requirements for information processing using these skills that many potential students may not possess; avoid decontextualized basic skills "remedial" programs (facilitates in-course learning; motivates basic skills learning; reduces instruction time; develops "learning to learn" ability ). oDerive objectives from careful analysis of the explicit and tacit knowledge and skill needed in the home, community, academic, technical training, or employment context for which the learner is preparing (facilitates transfer). oUse, to the extent possible, learning contexts, tasks, materials, and procedures taken from the future situation in which the learner will be functioning (facilitates transfer). Why is FCE important for youth and adult education? Unlike children, who tend to do things to please their parents or teachers, youth and adults will usually want to understand the functional utility of investing time and mental energy in learning something. With respect to out-of-school youth and adults then, FCE focuses on improving (1) Participation in adult education programs by making explicit the relationship between what students want to learn, what is being taught and its application in the contexts that the person will be functioning in after the educational program, this promotes increased motivation; (2) Achievement in learning and transfer by ensuring that instruction relates to the learner's prior knowledge in such a way that the learner can function within the learning situation and improving transfer by deriving instructional contents as much as possible from the future contexts in which the person will apply the learning, and (3) Prevention of learning problems in future generations by designing youth and adult programs that maximize the intergenerational transfer of the adults' new skills and attitudes about education to their children. A New Workshop and Notebook The 1997 FCE notebook elaborates upon the principles summarized above and illustrates the application of these principles in case studies of programs for adults, including family literacy programs with a focus upon women's education that can provide an intergenerational transfer of language and literacy skills to their children. A new workshop is being offered from October 2005 through June 2006. This workshop, "Functional Context Education: Making Learning Relevant for the 21st Century", brings the previous workshop up to date in treating topics such as globalization, sustainable development, internet web sites, health literacy, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). In addition to an extensive historical review of adult literacy that illustrates the use of FCE principles, the new workshop includes three case studies with quasi-experimental designs having both treatment and comparison groups and quantitative data from pre- post-testing. Such research cases are extremely rare in adult basic skills education and the fact that there are three of such evidence-based studies supporting FCE adds to the unique features and use validity of Functional Context Education. Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht@aznet.net
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