Task 5 requires each of you to select one learner; to get to know this person in the way that friends and family know them, outside of the "poor" learner / reader / writer role; and then to prepare an informal report sharing those findings with other professionals.  We'll set our task to learn as much as we can about these learners' concepts (about literacy and about themselves as literate persons), strengths, interests, and capabilities.  For the sake of efficiency we will each try to do this within just a few well-planned meetings with our learners. 

This assignment will serve three purposes:  

This kind of assessment has as its hallmarks three KERA principles that are not the bases for the usual types of assessment.  

1.  That learners are all different in their abilities and needs for literacy.  Therefore, measuring them on standardized instruments cannot possibly provide each one with a place to show their deepest understandings and abilities.

2. That teachers are all different in the ways that they interact with their students and the kinds of experiences they can productively offer these learners.  Unlike standardized assessments, which deny the uniqueness of both the teacher and the learner, this kind of assessment celebrates that diversity. 

3. That literacy is contextual, i.e. how one uses language depends upon the social circumstances and what she or he is trying to do there.  Outside of the context of authentic communication, language usage is unnatural, so measurement in inauthentic circumstances yields less than useful data for instructional decisions.

           How to get Started:

Step 1:  Identify and recruit a learner experiencing problems in learning to be fully literate.  The selection should be based upon some aspect of the learner which YOU have seen / experienced directly and which YOU find interesting.  For your sake as a student in this class, that person should probably NOT be the lowest functioning literate in a class group, but should only be experiencing some difficulty or discomfort and lack of success in literacy. 

Step 2:  Plan carefully to consider the most productive experiences within which to observe their literacy processes and to collect products of literacy.  Then, arrange to meet with that learner.  The core idea here is to showcase strengths and abilities of this individual, focusing especially upon language. We are interested in broad-based learning-centered instruction, so we're particularly interested in finding out strengths to build success upon.  Therefore, most of the time we'll be looking at how bright and inventive and effective the student is in non-school / non-academic activities rather than searching out problems in adult education classes.  Within your interactions, you'll document their use of print and language (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and other expressive media as they present themselves in each situation.  In short, you'll get involved with this learner in experiences and events that will allow you to see how this developing literate IS capable in many ways.  Again, in this experience, seek to find strength to build upon, not weakness to "fix". 

Step 3:  We'll learn as much as we can about the cognitive, social, emotional and psychomotor strengths of these learners.  Then we'll translate those understandings into Summary Statements, Learner Objectives, and Teaching Goals - all found in Rhodes and Dudley-Marling (Readers and Writers with a Difference). Be sure to address: reading (all cue systems), writing (composition AND conventions – e.g. spelling level from your text),  affect (attitudes and interests re: literacy and academics), conversation and listening.

Step 4:  Prepare a brief report of your work, as indicated in the rubric for this assignment.  Also, as they are immensely helpful in communicating findings clearly, authentic work samples from the learner are essential to include in such reports.  

EXPERIENCES TO ARRANGE WITH OUR LEARNERS:

Make and record our careful observations:

·        Talk with learners about social / personal / intellectual / recreational / artistic / etc. issues near and dear to them.  Get to know them. Ask for a brief statement about the kinds of help they would like to get in reading and writing.  This could be done in writing, or orally, depending upon the learner. It’s often valuable to conduct a version of the reading and writing interviews

·        Invite learners to teach you something they know more about than you.

·        Read to learners with full blown emotion laden fluency, and discuss it.  Invite (don't require) them to read along as well. Note how they respond to all of this.

·        AFTER you read aloud fluently, invite learners to read from a text they know already. Discuss what’s neat about that text from their point of view.

·        THEN ask learners to read from a challenging (NOT intimidating) text that is totally new to them.  Do a Running Record on the reading of a new text and prepare the Meaning, Structure and Visual Information chart. Then carry on an in-depth discussion about what the text said and what that meant. Be sure to get beyond retelling to interpretations and applications to the learner's own life.

·        Carry on a written conversation (talk on paper). And note the learner's strengths of composition, convention and context usage. Ask as few yes / no – short answer questions as possible.

·        Write something REAL together (REAL things could include a story for a child or sibling, a letter to a business requesting information, a summary of school reading to support preparation for a test, etc.) Note just what they understand about the genre and about the importance of audience and purpose to their writing.

·        As appropriate, have a conversation to find out what the learner understands to be the most important functions of print in his/her life.

·        Together, find, read and share something in print that is related to an interest you both share.  We're looking for the learner's resourcefulness here.

·        Enthusiastically share something from YOUR pleasure reading and observe their responses.

·        Arrange for someone to write something authentic TO the learner and observe his/her response or watch as they read something that they are personally interested in.

·        WATCH THE LEARNER LEARNING something intriguing (and brand new) from you, i.e. teach them something YOU know that they have indicated interest in knowing more about.  

Documentation:  

The following is the format in which your case study should be written:

Section I.  General Observations of Learner

Section II.  Background Information and Informal Conversation 

Section III.  Reading Interview   /    Writing Interview

Section IV.  Reading Assessment (Running Record) 

Section V.  Learner-Directed Activity

Section VI.  Summary Statements

Section VII.  Learner Objectives

Section VIII.  Teaching Goals 

Section IX.  Literacy Lessons

Section X.  Samples of Learner Work 

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