Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Jo Ann Intili, Heide Wrigley, Ed Kissam & Jim Powrie Aguirre International http://www.aguirreinternational.com Technical Assistance Fireteam Consulting www.FireteamConsulting.com
Section 1 What is English For All? 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 10 11 Learner Needs Target Population Instructors and EFA The Materials Learning Settings Who Created EFA? Included Resources Helping Adults Get the Most Out of EFA Cyberstep Principles
Section 2 Using English For All 12 13 14 EFA Components Technical Requirements Using the CD-ROM
Section 3 Guide for Instructors 17 22 27 36 42 Quick Start Instructor Tips General Strategies Stories, Content and Learning Elements Episode Summary
Learner Needs
In the context of the 21st century information society, literacy encompasses a wide spectrum of information-handling competencies. EFA focuses primarily on English-language proficiency. However, English language proficiency encompasses a myriad of communication requirements, including not only the reception, decoding, and generation of oral and written language, but also its accurate interpretation in the appropriate cultural context. Cyberstep product standards seek to ensure that our educational materials are relevant to the interests and needs of a wide range of adult learners. We recognize that no single dimension of competency or educational disadvantage reliably describes an adult learners circumstances. The needs of adults are complex; they require language and literacy skills to get things done and to navigate systems such as health care or the education and training system. Adults also need language and literacy skills to give voice to their ideas and to advocate for themselves and for others. This range of language and literacy tasks require not only individual competence in reading, writing, speaking and listening, but skills related to problem solving and decision making skills developed through engagement with ideas and interaction with others.
The Materials
The EFA materials engage learners and instructors in applying language and literacy skills to real world issues. They are a launching pad to encourage learners to enhance their language skills while they: formulate, test, and refine hypotheses, use and refine critical thinking skills, practice putting forward ideas about topics and issues of interest, engage in self-reflection and discussion with others, and develop strategies to learn and practice new skills.
EFA episodes focus on English-language and literacy skills development anchored in the social contexts that are likely to be encountered by the immigrants and refugees for whom the materials were designed. All the situations depicted were suggested and field-tested by real learners. The use of diverse social contexts fosters the verbal agility needed to cope with the broad range of communication requirements. As learners skills progress throughout the course, they will be able to extend their skills to increasingly challenging situations.
Learning Settings
Enriching learning experiences can help accelerate learning. EFA takes advantage of developments in technology by offering materials on the Web, in video and CD-ROM. The video and Web-based materials can be used alone or can augment traditional classroom education. The electronic resources (video, Web, CDROM) are also useful for remote learners who cannot attend traditional classes and can benefit from selfdirected learning, ideally with guidance from an instructor or more knowledgeable peer. The next sections of this guide provide tips on how instructors can use the EFA materials in ways that reflect current principles of adult learning, second language acquisition, and literacy development.
About Cyberstep:
The Cyberstep project brought together four literacy service innovators: The Sacramento County Office of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, the Adult Literacy Media Alliance, and Aguirre International. Under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the partners addressed the challenge of using cutting edge technology to create and distribute multimedia learning materials for the hardest-to-serve ABE and ESL adult learners. The low-income adults who have the greatest need for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction typically have little time and few resources to spend on education. Organizations serving these learners also face limited resources and are always seeking creative low-cost ways to facilitate learning. To meet these needs, Cyberstep products are designed to be used any time and any place by independent learners as well as in more traditional classroom or library settings. The Cyberstep product development approach follows an assess, design and build model based on contemporary adult learning theory, projections of technology trends, systems for efficient multimedia product development, and real world user assessment and product testing. This systems approach to product and tool development is integral to the project as a whole. While each product is intended for realworld use by adult learners and educational institutions, each is also a proof of concept and a test bed for learning principles and development procedures that can be applied to other projects. The project proceeded through the following phases: Specification of a theoretical pedagogical approach to identifying and meeting adult learner needs among various subgroups within the low-literacy adult learner population. Identification of standards to be used for product development that are based on the projects adult learning theory and understandings of target learners needs and capacities. Creation of prototypes and final products is based on user testing, feedback and evaluation. Distribution of products, publication of project documentation, provision of access to the projects development tools, and initial developer training. Opinions expressed and content presented do not necessarily represent the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Education. See Cyberstep at www.cyberstep.org.
Included Resources
English for All (EFA) materials include a set of videotapes, a Web site and CD-ROMs designed to provide high quality videos when using the Web site. EFA can easily be augmented by using other Cyberstep products or outside materials. It is loosely anchored to a set of principles that unify the Cyberstep products and provide a conceptual and pedagogical grounding for the materials. This section describes resources available to assist instructors and learning coaches in using EFA and other Cyberstep products.
Learning Management
Each EFA video episode is accompanied by a lesson that includes activities, quizzes with automated scoring, student progress management tools, and an internal notes system. These features provide instructors and learners the opportunity to watch and learn from the video episodes, to track progress, document accomplishments, and communicate with each other about issues raised by the video scenarios or in the learning activities.
1) Quizzes
The EFA video series is made up of 20 fifteen-minute episodes. A 10-item quiz is provided for each episode. There is a translation utility available to assist learners with vocabulary problems. The audio capabilities of the application extend the kinds of self-assessment possible. The quizzes include aural-writing matching (where the speaker selects the written vocabulary alternative that matches an audio-produced oral version), as well as Yes/No and True/False comprehension questions, and grammar questions that require learners to fill in the answers. Some quiz items test specific skills related to the CASAS competencies. These questions focus on functional literacy represented by graphics such as signs, advertisements, or maps. While the quizzes dont test all aspects of English proficiency, they provide instructors and learners with a quick report on what has been learned through interacting with EFA.
4) Student Self-Management
In their MyEFA section, students can see a summary of the work they have done by episode and section. A screen appears showing work attempted and work finished, along with the scores achieved on quizzes. Learners can quickly navigate to lessons or activities they have not completed. The chart below illustrates the kind of information presented on the screen.
Sample: This screen shows how students manage their projects (note: only Activities are scored).
1 The activity number is displayed in the upper left hand corner on the lesson and activity pages to remind users what episode they are working in. 2 The table shows a virtual table of contents for the activity being worked on. Column 3 on the screen indicates, with a check, whether the activity was completed; and column 4 indicates the score on the quiz associated with that activity. Note, if a learner takes the quiz multiple times, the most recent score is posted.
Instructors have access to all this information as well. All they need to do is click on the appropriate Class Name, then the students name and to see a summary of the students progress. By clicking on an individual episode, they can see a more detailed progress report of work attempted and work completed. The screen below shows the overview of what episodes a learner has completed
Sample: This student has completed only Episode 1. Clicking on Episode 1 will show details of activities completed and quiz scores.
1) ESL Competencies
When instructors select ESL from the Competencies list, they see a chart showing ESL Standards in the middle column and references to the episodes, lessons, and activities on the right that address each competency. The sample screen shows how EFA seeks to meet the California ESL standard understand and use verb tenses in meaningful communication. EFA Reference, the left most column in the table below, is provided for developers working with the system and needing to track individual application elements with a consistent naming convention.
Sample: This matrix indicates verb structures covered with a given lesson and activity.
2) SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Competencies and Foundation Skills
The following sample screen shows the relationship between selected EFA Episodes and SCAN skills.
Sample: This matrix indicates the thinking skills to which the episodes are oriented.
B) www.readtvnews.org
The Sacramento County Office of Education has partnered with News10 in Sacramento to make topical news items available for adult literacy classroom use over the Internet. Read TV News includes some 50 stories that can be read, heard or viewed online via the use of "streaming media" technology. Learning activities and assessments featuring these news stories have been organized into a self-contained online learning resource at www.readtvnews.org.
C) www.TV411.org
Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA) activities can be used to augment EFA materials for work on specific basic skills issues, through the ALMA enhanced Web site: www.tv411.org.
D) Offline Materials
Cyberstep developed the English For All video and CD-ROM series for learners or learning contexts that do not have high-speed access to the Internet.
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Taking advantage of the additional resources like these will help to deepen the learning available through EFA. By creating or selecting additional lessons and by providing access to online news-based learning for students, instructors can offer students additional learning benefits like these: using multiple sources of information to reinforce and accelerate learning learning to interpret charts and graphs to build document literacy and provide opportunities to develop math skills having access to various sites on the Internet to navigate the World Wide Web and foster information processing skills
Cyberstep Principles
Two Cyberstep papers provided the foundation for the project. While there are a variety of papers that have been produced for the project, the two listed below describe the reasoning behind the kinds of resources provided and the organization of the learner experiences. Much of the content of these papers is incorporated as part of Section 3 of this guide. However if the reader wants the full treatment, the source documents can be downloaded from the Cyberstep site: www.cyberstep.org/papers. The references are:
Purpose: To guide the development of companion products Date: February 1999 Format: Adobe Acrobat format Title: Standards for Creating Multimedia Learning Modules for Low Literacy and Limited English Proficient Adult Learners File Size: 192k
Summary
Were excited about these products, and hope they will provide tools for instructors and learners to use as part of an e-community to foster development of language and literacy skills. If you have any feedback, please send it through the Cyberstep site.
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Technical Requirements What Do You Need To Use the Website? You must have a computer with an Internet connection, sound card, video card, and speakers. English For All works best with:
200 MHz or faster computer 64 MB or more RAM Either: 56 Kbps or faster Internet connection and EFA videos on CD/ROM, or a sustained T1 line or faster to view videos online
Windows 98, 200 MHz or faster computer, or Macintosh PowerPC computer, System 8.6 or higher
Additional Software
You will also need a browser and plug-ins, downloadable for free at their home sites: Internet Explorer 5.5 (Windows) or higher, www.microsoft.com/ie or 5.1 (Mac OS) or higher, www.microsoft.com/mac/ie or Netscape Navigator 6.0 or higher, www.netscape.com
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Users who already have the appropriate Web browser and QuickTime5 resident on their computer proceed directly to use EFACD. There are only five steps required for installation. These are: 1. Confirm that you have an active connection to the Internet 2. Put the appropriate CD-ROM in the CD drive.
5. Software launches Internet connection and brings the user immediately to the EFA Logon screen, depicted in Section 3 of this guide.
If the user does not have either a required browser, or QuickTime 5 (and the software will alert the user to this), these will need to be installed first. Follow the directions below. 1. Confirm that you have an active connection to the Internet
2. Put the CD-ROM in the CD drive, and close the drive door. 3. Click on the icon for QuickTime 5 or the browser, and follow the directions. 4. Click on the EFA icon
The user (instructor or learner) is now ready to log in and get to work. Because the use of the CD-ROM with the Web site is so similar to using the EFA Web site alone, we will not repeat the description here. Follow the steps described in some detail in sections three and four of this guide.
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6 Download Macromedias free Flash Player. This is required for audio playback. 7 Download Apples free QuickTime Player. This is required to view the videos. 8 Download Adobes free Acrobat Reader. Instructors need this to view and print written materials. Students do not need to download the Acrobat Reader. 9 If you have questions about this site, you can find answers here.
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If you are an instructor using the EFA Web site for the first time, you will need to register as explained below. If you have already registered, click Sign-in, and youll go straight to the MyEFA page.
Registration for first time users: 1. Click on the Teacher Registration button at the top of the homepage. 2. Fill out the Registration Form. (See a sample registration form on the next page.) a) Provide your own ID. b) Provide your own password. c) Provide a class password to be used by students who will enroll in your class. This action takes you to your My EFA page.
4. You will get a message that will tell you your ID and Password.
WRITE THEM DOWN and keep them in a safe place. You will need them to get back into the EFA Website.
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Sign-in Name:
When you click Done, you are welcomed to your main MyEFA navigation page where you will see news about changes to the site and information about purchasing EFA CD-ROMs.
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5. MyEFA Page: Tools for Instructors A variety of tools for facilitating navigation through the site are provided on the instructors Welcome page.
MyEFA instructor tools allow you to customize your experience on the Website.
The top navigation bar, circled in the screen depicted above, provides the following options: Edit Profile to change your personal information, password, school, etc. Teacher Guide to download a PDF of the instructor guide. Manage Classes for managing all aspects of your online classes. Competencies to see how the contents of English For All correlate to specific competencies (ESL, SCANS, CASAS, and LAES). From these grids, instructors can click on specific competency-related activities. This information can be accessed by episode or by competencies. Email List to post questions or observations or share supplemental EFA activities you develop. Print Materials to view or print coursework for EFA in PDF format. Preview Courses to access EFA as a student. Help to look for guidance or assistance.
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Quick Start for Instructors, continued Now youre ready to set up a new class or review those youve set up previously. You can also get a copy of the print materials.
6. Click on the Manage Classes button. See below the variety of things you can do from this page.
named Cyberstep.
In the screen depicted below, one class is listed the one 7. To set up a new class, click Add a Class
8. Click on the underlined class name (e.g. Cyberstep), to change class attributes or to see the class
roster. Clicking on the class name leads you to the basic description of the class and the class roster.
You can go right to the class roster, by clicking on the blue Jump to Class Roster link (depicted with a 1 in the picture to the left) or read and reply to student notes by clicking on Jump to Class Mail. If you make any changes, click the the Save My Changes button (depicted with a 2 to the left). You will be rewarded by a notice in red, on the top part of the screen, that Your changes have been recorded! click on a name in the student roster. If you want to review a students progress,
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9. After you click on a students name in the Class Roster, you will be able see how many episodes the student has completed. If you click on the episode number (as shown below), you will be able to see the activities completed, in progress, and not yet tried, for that episode, with the number of attempts and the score on the quizzes.
An Episode is considered complete when the final test has a passing score. For more information, click on the Episode name. View complete progress chart
10. If you want to run through the exercises as if you were a student, click on Preview Courses.
You will see the note Welcome Visitor at the top of the page. Essentially, you are now playing the role of a visiting student. Clicking on any episode in the screen below will begin your student experience.
Note: When youre ready to leave this page, youll need to sign out. You will need to sign in again as a teacher to resume your work in EFA.
11. To leave the site, click on the Sign Out icon at the top of the page. This officially signs you out of the EFA Website. When you want to come back to the EFA Website, simply click on Sign-In and enter your ID and password in the entry fields on the home page.
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Instructor Tips
Language and literacy development are complex processes that bring together the linguistic, pragmatic, cognitive, social and creative dimensions of learning. Cyberstep EFA materials are founded on the belief that learners have the ability, desire and right to be creative and to play but also a need to set priorities and invest in confronting the problems they face. In an effort to help developers design materials that reflect what we know about adult learning, Cyberstep has developed a set of principles to guide both the development of technology-based curricula and the teaching of adult literacy and ESL in the field. These principles are based on both theory and research in second language acquisition and literacy development. The principles describe what it takes to develop language and literacy skills and identify the opportunities for learning that must be provided if students are to become fully proficient in English and become competent readers and writers. Understanding the theories behind adult learning and finding ways to engage learners minds and souls in the language acquisition process should help instructors to deepen the learning that happens when they introduce students to EFA. The following section introduces learning principles, outlines learning opportunities that heighten learning, and offers tips for using EFA.
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Involve students in inquiry projects that let them explore questions of interest and share the
results with other students. Students may want to explore which jobs pay a living wage and what skills are needed to get these jobs, using a database such as O*Net (www.onet.com). They may want to explore what training opportunities in technology exist in their areas. Helping students to present their research in the form of questions and answers that others can read on the Internet has shown a great deal of promise (see David Rosens inquiry projects online).
Principle 1: Adult Learning is Goal Driven and Oriented toward Solving Daily Problems
Adults come to education with a purpose in mind (to get a better job, to help their children with their homework, to meet people). They want to apply knowledge, skills and strategies in real life. Learning proceeds better when it has a clear focus, and mirrors the students own circumstances. Literacy and language skills grow when there is emotional engagement, and when learners can identify the returns from their effort. Learners need the opportunity to: explore where they are in their learning, where they would like to be and what keeps them from getting there, identify short term and long term goals, self-assess current knowledge and skill, evaluate their progress, be both challenged and supported as they upgrade their skills and acquire new strategies. Tips for using the EFA materials: If you have the opportunity to provide direct instruction, before or after the students view the video, discuss what steps are necessary for the story character to reach his or her goals. In addition to covering grammar, incorporate SCANS and EFF skills such as pattern recognition into supplemental exercises. After testing, be sure students see their scores so that they know how well they are able to apply the skills. Provide opportunities to work with progressively more difficult materials. While we might start with question and answer exercises, we can enrich the learning experience by drawing on what the learner wants to know. Activities like polling other learners or family members about their attitudes provide opportunities for social learning, reflection, and integration of skills in a larger context. Teach students to pick up cues that can help them measure their own performance when communicating. For example, when explaining to a police officer why you were speeding, how can you tell if miscommunication is taking place?
Tips for using the EFA materials: By having students work in pairs or small groups at the computer, you can take advantage of the benefits that come from interaction with others: processing information by talking about ideas, getting meaningful feedback from peers, and observing others tackle similar tasks. Learners who see others process or create texts go through a cognitive apprenticeship. As a result, they can see new patterns; for example, how tone of voice affects persuasiveness in different situations. Make use of diverse activities such as developing an email community or projects related to finding out what others think. Involve students in a group to define successful outcomes in the situations presented in the EFA materials. Help learners understand how to tell their own stories and how to find out what others think. Show the students how they can actively seek input to overcome communication problems.
Principle 3: Hypothesis Testing and Risk Taking are Crucial Elements in Learning
Even at low literacy levels, learners should see language as a system and be encouraged to discover patterns. They can generate their own rules for how language works, and use cues from formatting and background knowledge to decode meaning. Learners are faced with multiple language and literacy requirements in daily life. Theyve developed strategies for handling these demands. How these strategies work will impact how they can make use of skills demonstrated in the video. Learners need to be conscious and deliberate in the learning process. Learners need the opportunity to: see language as a system and discover patterns, generate their own rules of how language works, speak and write spontaneously even at very low levels of proficiency, guess what a text (oral or written) is about based on background knowledge and context, use language and literacy in a supportive environment that encourages experimentation. Tips on using the EFA materials:
If you have the opportunity to provide direct instruction, you can integrate analysis of language patterns into the EFA episodes. Role-play using the analysis, and apply patterns of language and grammar in different contexts. For example, how does writing a letter to a childs instructor compare with writing a note to ones boss? How does documenting activities (for the insurance episode) compare with preparing a work plan for a construction crew?
Provide opportunities for learners to move beyond their comfortable level of language use. Examine different elements of language that affect interpretation of meaning, such as intonation, emphasis, and context. Explore the language patterns students have been using and how they might be changed to be more effective. Help learners play with language productively and then get feedback on their success. Learners need to understand what hypotheses are and how to take risks for the purposes of learning.
Principle 4: An Individuals Levels of Language and Literacy Skills Are Not Consistent
Learners know they need to handle multiple language and literacy levels in daily life. Even learners who seem to fall into similar levels of proficiency can differ greatly in the tasks they are able to handle. Requirements inherent in verbal and written materials vary in different contexts. Each learner is multi-level, depending on the context; and each context brings new challenges. Background knowledge of the topic and experience with how things work influence competence in handling particular challenges.
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Learners need the opportunity to: work with different types of texts (oral and written) created at different levels, deal with challenging material that they find interesting and compelling although it appears to be above their level of proficiency, work with tasks and materials that take advantage of their background knowledge, tackle a wide range of tasks, so that both boredom and frustration are minimized recognize that skills they have mastered in a lesson might still be difficult to apply in daily life. Tips for use of the EFA materials: Find ways to develop recognition of different language requirements in various scenarios. EFA supports supplemental tasks and materials that take advantage of learners background knowledge. Incorporate different kinds of literacy tasks into your use of EFA episodes: reading, listening, speaking, writing, etc. Provide opportunities to gain experience with both functional literacy and more expressive styles. For example, what are different ways to express appreciation; how does one know when appreciation was expressed; and what does one do to acknowledge it? Questions like these could be used in exercises to draw out students own experiences and build their language facilities. Help learners identify benchmarks for success. The use of benchmarks includes judging where they are in reaching their goals for using literacy and language effectively, and what experiences will help them build on their current skills. Recognize that the skills they have mastered in a lesson might still be difficult to apply in daily life.
Principle 5: Language and Literacy Development Require Focus, Engagement and Practice
Language and literacy improve through both serendipitous and explicit learning. Learners need a chance to immerse themselves in varied work that interests them. They also need enough time to gain a new skill, and to reflect on what they are learning. Practice involves using a targeted skill in different contexts. This process includes assessing performance in a comprehensive way, and learning how to make use of feedback about ones progress.
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Principle 7: Learners Need to Apply New Knowledge, Skills and Strategies in Compelling Contexts
Learning language piecemeal makes it difficult for learners to see a system and to remember what they learn. If learners make associations and are able to see connections between discrete concepts, they retain knowledge by attaching it to what they already know. Adults learn best when the subject is related to real life in a comprehensive and familiar way. Learners need the opportunity to: make connections between what is familiar and new ideas, see how skills relate to an overall theme, associate skills and strategies with real life, select from a variety of themes so they can engage with topics they find compelling, use different modes and learning styles. Tips for use of the EFA materials: Integrate into the episodes learners personal objectives and ways of measuring success. As shown in the episodes, learners can discuss how their own situations might be different today if they had made different decisions in the past. In this way, they can identify what helps them use language and literacy skills effectively, and what obstacles they face. Provide opportunities for learners to think about how they learn. Give learners a chance to see how others similar to themselves deal with challenges, and learn how to give and receive feedback. Observing others is one way to do it. Another is to synthesize information garnered from reviewing articles, interviewing others and searching online. Help learners assess their current knowledge and skills, and to evaluate their progress over time. It is difficult to set goals that are both realistic and suitable for measuring progress. At one end of the spectrum, the goal of I want to be a lawyer is too high a mark. At the other end, measuring progress against the learners ability to read a bus schedule is too low a mark. Instructors can help learners establish appropriate benchmarks for success.
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General Strategies
Cyberstep principles promote engagement in the learning process as well as learners retention of acquired skills and understanding. Learners should know how to derive the most benefits from the process and how to figure out which strategies work for them under various circumstances and why. The principles articulated here can be a guide to examining what kinds of learning activities might be useful and how to blend them with an individual learners educational plan. Extending the Video Episodes Watching the EFA episodes offers learners a multitude of opportunities for developing necessary skills, including those they need as family members, community members, workers, and life-long learners. The following tips show how instructors can take advantage of the videos to teach strategies related to interpersonal communication, problem solving, decision-making, team work and navigating systems. The videos give students a chance to develop technology skills while gaining a better understanding of how English works. If used creatively, instructors can address those skills areas that are outlined in many of the national frameworks meant to shape adult literacy so that students are ready to meet the challenges of a changing society. For a full discussion of these concepts and strategies see: Cyberstep Papers at www.cyberstep.org/papers Standards for Creating Multimedia Learning Modules for Low Literacy and Limited English Proficient Adult learners (192K PDF) Feb 99 www.cyberstep.org/pdfs/multimedia_standards.pdf Materials Development Framework For Courses Targeting Low-Literacy and Limited-English Speaking Adults (456K PDF) Jul 99 www.cyberstep.org/pdfs/multimedia_devStandards.pdf
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Plan on watching each episode several times, asking students to focus on different aspects of language, behavior, culture or strategies. Students at lower levels of English proficiency often are more comfortable watching the same videos several times, since they have difficulties taking in several language aspects at once. To avoid frustration for these learners, consider turning off the sound to let students focus on the visual images and get a sense of the themes underlying the episode. They can follow along with the scripts provided. However, its important to be sure students get the sense of the whole story and use the video episodes as a stimulus, not just an oral/aural exercise. The short synopses in section 3 of this guide also may be of assistance. As students watch the video, either with the sound on or off, ask them to guess what they think will happen next, or what the character really wants to see happen. Groups of students can work together to write down their predictions and confirm them as they listen to the episodes. Providing students with grids for capturing what they think a character will do or say will help them deal with various forms of document literacy. As a follow-up they can create other documents such as flow charts that show a sequence of events. The episodes have a lot in them, so its helpful to focus attention on specific aspects for example, the highlighted verb form, non-verbal communication, tone, etc. Before each viewing, let students know which aspects they should pay attention to, and then, directly afterward, discuss what they see and how they interpret it. Make sure you connect what students see in the videos with their own experiences, asking them if something similar has happened to them or to someone they know. If so, ask them about the outcome. Invite students to take a critical stance vis-a-vis the videos. Ask them to discuss what is going on in the episodes and encourage them to express their opinions. Talk about the roles that people with power and those without it play in these episodes and to what extent these roles reflect current society. Encourage them to talk about alternatives, asking questions such as What is going on here? Why are these individuals doing what they are doing? What are the options presented in the videos? Are there other options? If we wanted to changes the possibilities open to poor people, what would we have to do? Note: During national presentations, a number of instructors have expressed concerns that videos included in English for All or Cross-roads Caf present a stereotypical view of language minorities that must be challenged. We encourage instructors to raise this issue as part of the viewing process. View the videos with a critical eye. Discuss different perspectives on the characters, what aspects of the characters behavior makes him or her seem stereotypical or not. Discuss learners different experiences of an episodes theme.
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Teaching Strategies:
Ask learners what it takes to be successful in school, in a training program, or in learning new skills in general. Ask them to list these skills and indicate in which areas they themselves are strong, and where their habits might need some work. Encourage learners to create learning logs that let them capture what they do when they get stuck in their work or when they dont know the answer. The log can include how they use the help that is available to them in the form of peers, the instructor, or family members, or in the form of learning resources such as bilingual dictionaries or on-line help. Ask students to pay attention to what the characters in EFA do when they are not sure what to do or need information and advice. How do they handle the situation? Whom do they ask for help? What do they do when they hit a dead-end? What happens when things get difficult? Students can address these and other questions with charts, logs documenting their work, or reflections on what they can do now that they couldnt do before.
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is more than just speaking and listening. It includes interpreting and clarifying meaning, using non-verbal clues to facilitate or impede communication, using persuasion and dissuasion, and understanding how to manage possible conflicts in information or opinions. Specifically, interpersonal communication includes the following:
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persuading others (e.g. to caution, request, advise, convince, negotiate), participating in general social situations (e.g. to greet, introduce, thank, apologize, compliment, express pleasure or regret, write an invitation or personal note; converse about personal interests; tell a personal story, navigating official contexts (e.g. to respond appropriately to information requests, interpret and write official correspondence; leave a message on a message pad), mediating between those with differing opinions or perspectives (e.g. to express an opinion, recognize a difference in opinion, to acknowledge that difference, to make suggestions). Teaching Strategies When working with beginners, spend a good deal of time teaching and practicing conversational gambits, such as saying hello, and asking questions to show interest (Where are you from? Is your family here with you?). Focus on small talk (weather and traffic always work) until students feel comfortable talking with each other and with those outside of the classroom. Encourage students to listen for the phrases that are used in the episodes and to identify others that they have heard. Discuss differences in tone (when does someone sound bossy or rude) and in register (we feel free to tell our children what to do in very direct terms but are more circumspect with our bosses and with authority figures). Discuss language that is perceived as challenging authority and discuss ways in which people can speak up that does not immediately engender conflict. Trying to talk a policeman out of giving you a ticket often works well as a role-play to highlight differences in language and tone. Make it clear that language differs depending on the urgency of a situation. Rules change as emergencies arise. You are free to yell at your boss if she steps in front of a speeding truck and it makes sense to say This has to stop! when there are noxious fumes in the school or at a work place. Connect functional literacy to social communication. Examine the kind of writing that is done (or not) within the episodes and discuss how people communicate at work. Use students with work experience as examples. Did they read notices, safety warnings or MOs (manufacturing orders that tell a factory worker what to do each day)? Can they interpret paychecks, fill out vacation requests or read insurance forms (none of us can)? Watch the episodes that pertain to employment and work. Discuss with your students how people actually get jobs in the real world and what their experiences have been. Develop a short True/False test and ask students to agree with common assumptions such as you need a resume to get a job or you cant get a job without speaking English and use both the information in the videos and the experience of your students to guide the discussion. Use examples from other sources as well. Use other Web sites to provide opportunities to involve students in framing responses to speakers or writers in different contexts. For example, students can communicate with others by using email capabilities to send messages, ask advice and share information with other students. Consider the possibility of setting up sister programs across town that serve a different language groups and use the Internet to create virtual visits of their program, where they post pictures and stories and exchange messages with students from around the world. Provide plenty of opportunities for students to use English outside of the classroom. Design structured activities, such as asking students to work in teams to talk with strangers (Can you tell me where the post office is?), shop keepers (What time do you close? Do you have Goya products?) or pharmacists (My child has a fever. What should I do?).
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Use class time to do a neighborhood walk so that students can use language as part of a group or in pairs (only one person needs to talk initially). As part of a group, they can provide moral support for each other. Teach communicative functions such as interrupting (Excuse me, can I ask you a question?) and giving explanations (We are part of an ESL class and we are practicing English.). Make it possible for students to create literacy materials. Encourage them to write birthday cards for each other in class; arrange parties and bake sales and produce flyers, posters, and invitations; make up a set of class rules that govern how they want the class to work (When should the native language be used? How many absences are ok? How do we want to help those who are having difficulties in the class?). Ask students to conduct surveys and interviews with others (How did you get your job? Have you even been stopped by the police? What for?). One Question Surveys and Information Grids around topics addressed in EFA are an excellent way to connect listening, speaking, writing, and math as results of inquiries are tallied.
challenges. Ask learners to review an EFA episode, identify issues that they would like to work on and set priorities. Learners might rate issues in terms of the level of challenge for them. EFA episodes identify resources to assist with learning outside the classroom and ways of recognizing and celebrating accomplishments. EFA materials are designed to engage learners in self-reflection and to remind them that they constantly confront choices about how to manage resources.
Learners can be asked to identify the specific barriers in a communication context and then brainstorm appropriate language strategies with the instructor and other learners. Deliberate learning requires a realistic family of objectives and an understanding of what it takes to overcome
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Understanding How English Works One of the keys to becoming proficient in English is understanding how English works: how sentences are formed, how past tense or future tense is expressed, how an adjective becomes an adverb or how regular plurals differ from irregular ones. But proficiency involves more than just the linguistic aspects, it also requires a good understanding of how language is used by native speakers of the language. If students are to be successful, they will need a good sense of the various aspects of English. Important Elements of the English Language: vocabulary (highly important for beginning learners), syntax (structure of sentences) and morphology (word endings etc), pragmatics (how English is used, along with the socio-linguistic rules that govern such use), and semiotics (what symbols mean, such as the flag; a plus sign; a skull and cross-bone; hands raised in the air; shaking of the head). Remember that students have different levels of readiness when it comes to understanding grammar explanations. Individual learners are only able to absorb a rule when the language acquisition device in their minds is ready to take in that rule (Have you ever tried to teach present perfect to beginning students? How many have been able to use the rule correctly?). Given the idiosyncratic nature of second language acquisition, it is best to introduce a few simple rules that most students are ready for and focus on using the language for a variety of purposes the rest of the time. Students who have a mind for grammar and are ready to take in further rules will have many opportunities online to work on these skills. Teaching Strategies: Highlight the key vocabulary that appears in the episodes. You can list key words before students watch and ask them to listen for them (this works well for beginners who get overwhelmed) or ask students to listen and then tell you some of the key words that they have picked up. Alternate these strategies as you go along. Ask students to identify words that they really like, words they can never remember, or words that give them trouble (recipe, for example or receipt). Encourage them to put these words into Personal Dictionaries and create flashcards so they can study them at home, during work breaks or on the bus. Present grammar in context. Focus on the message of an episode during the first viewing (What do you see here? What is this about? Who are these characters? What are people trying to accomplish?). In subsequent viewings, ask students to listen for certain structures that can help them to communicate and understand what others are saying. Take advantage of the many opportunities for independent learning that the EFA video and online materials present in respect to grammar. Spend class time on some of the other aspects of English: using English inside and outside of the classroom and helping students to understand not just what to say, but how and when to say it (or when to just keep quiet). Help students uncover many of the hidden communication structures that are part of living in the United States. Invite them to discuss the visual and print-based messages that they see in ads and in TV shows, and unpack the symbols that those new to the U.S. may not be familiar with (recycling signs; symbols for hazardous waste). Include cross-cultural comparisons in your discussions: What does it mean when someone slips policeman a five dollar bill along with a drivers license? When an instructor calls a parent in for a meeting? When workers go on strike?
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Encourage students to consider multiple perspectives and consider why people might want to act in a certain way. For example, ask students why the policeman in the episode reacted a certain way, or why the employer made the decisions that he did.
Highlight the language and the communicative functions that are used in these situations, such as I think you should.; Why dont you? and If ..., then constructions. For lower-level students keep the structures simple; e.g. This is my advice: Dont drink and drive; dont talk back to the police, etc. or If you dont pay the rent, they can evict you.
Allow students to challenge some of the decisions they see in the videos in order to make it clear that there is more than one way of handling a situation. Emphasize, however, that in cases where laws or regulations are concerned, violating them has serious consequences. Be aware of red flag issues and avoid projecting the attitude that one decision is as good as another. Lying on ones citizenship application form, for example, can result in deportation. Students have a right to know that certain actions can get them into trouble, although the final decisions are clearly theirs. Dont forget about language development as your students engage in problem-solving and decision-making. 33
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Invite guest speakers to come to the class to discuss how things work and how students can get access to services. Be sure to prepare students sufficiently for these talks by providing background information and studying key vocabulary. Ask students to discuss the questions they have and the topic areas that interest them the most, and ask the guest speakers ahead of time to address those topics in simple English or with bilingual support. To deepen learning, link these talks to both student experiences and to the EFA episodes.
Encourage students to discuss what they know about systems and services in the community and identify those agency individuals who are particularly helpful. Help establish a community within the classrooms where such information is discussed and shared. Work with teams of students within the class or the program to create simple brochures so the information can be shared with others. Finding out about local services and community resources can easily be linked to the EFA episodes.
Provide tutorials for students to help them navigate the EFA system online. Set up groups of students who can help each other and involve them in writing down the key steps for getting on and off the computer, along with negotiating the language learning system. It may take quite a bit of time to get beginning students comfortable with email or other functions of the system. You may need to prime the pump by posing questions for students to answer, creating a dialogue with the class, or by encouraging individual students personally to share their ideas and 34 ask for feedback from other students.
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Have students visit Web sites that provide information about local communities, including agencies or organizations that offer services or act as advocates for refugees and immigrants. Work with guest speakers and learners to help students develop the skills associated with English for Self-Defense. Discuss what they can do when they feel they have been treated unjustly, when they dont get the information they should, or when services using Federal monies dont provide translation or an interpreter when necessary. Provide access to information about rights and responsibilities under a particular system (e.g. informed consent, Miranda rights, search and seizure, evictions, child abuse, etc.). Even short-answer tests and quizzes, mix-and-match exercises, and scenario summaries can support an orientation to systems and how they work. Both the video and the online versions of EFA provide multiple opportunities to discuss how systems work and how one can work with them. Learning English online also provides students with the computer knowledge necessary to deal with other online resources successfully. Finally, having access to the Internet at school, at work, or at home offers students the opportunity find out more about services and systems, including the learning resources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias available online.
These quintessential information manipulation skills are key to functioning effectively in the community. Therefore, tasks should involve learners in trying out their prowess with neighbors, in interactions with shopkeepers and/or at work. This process requires risk-taking and considerable attention to be effective.
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Contrast and comparison is crucial for appropriate self-expression and communication. Ask learners to point out how episode elements are the same as or different from other learners experiences. The EFA episode on job advancement is a good example of how multiple mathematical operations can be relevant. In addition to the increase in salary, one must consider advancement opportunities and the consequences of stress from increased responsibility as well as the different weights that are likely to be assigned to each of these. Examining bills, official letters, forms and flyers can supplement an episode, bringing mathematics to bear on problems related to money, space or time.
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Grammatical Structure Auxiliary verbs: Use of simple present verb forms: want, need, like, hate + infinitive verb form
Linguistic Functions * Expressing personal tastes and desires * Expressing agreement * Introducing yourself * Asking yes/no questions
Workplace/Life Skills * Job skills * Looking for employment * Reading and understanding want ads * Applying for a job
Episode 2 Job Health and Safety Synopsis: Before leaving his old job, Alejandro warns his boss of some potentially hazardous conditions at work. His boss, nevertheless, ignores and tries to intimidate Alejandro, which may lead to difficulties for everyone. Grammatical Structure *Future tense: Going to, will *Imperative: Lets Linguistic Functions *Expressing future plans *Making promises/predictions *Giving/responding to commands *Disagreeing *Scanning documents such as manuals and signs for specific information Workplace/Life Skills *Being aware of safety precautions and taking responsibility to maintain safe conditions *Reporting unsafe conditions in the workplace
Episode 3 Support Systems for Injured Workers Synopsis: Alejandro suffers an accident at work and learns about Workers Compensation. Since his boss refuses to pay, he must appear before a judge who will decide his case. Alejandro must tell the whole truth before the judge can award him his compensation.
Linguistic Functions *Describing past events *Responding to a request *Answering questions *Convincing others
Workplace/Life Skills *Workers Rights *Workers Compensation *Insurance *Seeking legal/ professional assistance *Appearing in court *Effects of perjury
Episode 4 Supervisors and Teamwork Synopsis: As the new assistant manager, Alejandro must be able to effectively supervise other employees, which is not always easy. He must also learn to ask for advice and recognize the benefits of everyone working as a team. Grammatical Structure Imperatives: lets Linguistic Functions *Making suggestions *Asking for and giving advice *Giving commands *Giving and accepting thanks Workplace/Life Skills *Supervising the work of others *Working as a team *Learning to ask for help *Recognizing a problem and devising and implementing a plan of action
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Episode 6 Using Information Services to Resolve Housing Issues Synopsis: After the Pushkins find the ideal apartment, they must take legal action to force the manager to rent it to them. First, however, they must access resources in the local library, contact government agencies, and meet with helpful officials. Grammatical Structure Can, could, to express ability in the present and past FunctionsWorkplace/ Expressing ability to do something Life Skills *Identifying procedures the consumer can follow if merchandise or service is unsatisfactory *Accessing resources at the local library *Contacting and having confidence in government agencies
Episode 7 Accessing Services (Telephone, electricity, etc.) Synopsis: Now that the Pushkins are renting the new apartment, they must have all the services installed, including the telephone. They set up an appointment time for the service man to install the phone, but are unable or prevented from keeping the appointment. Karina must attempt to make a new appointment, which proves to be extremely frustrating and time-consuming. Grammatical Structure(s) Modal auxiliaries (may, would, can, could) used to make formal and informal requests and offers. Would you like? May I help you? Linguistic Functions *Requesting/offering services *Making phone calls *Listening and responding to telephone menus *Asking for clarification Workplace/Life Skills *Requesting services for utilities *Dealing with automated voice systems *Lodging a complaint *Deciding on a course of action and persevering
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Episode 8 Mens Changing Roles Synopsis: Karina is unhappy that she must do all of the housework, since she works outside of the home as well. Victor, her husband, learns to share the responsibilities around the home. This story is excellent for demonstrating the uses of make versus do in context. Grammatical Structure(s) Action verbs: Make vs. do Linguistic Functions Complaining orally and in writing *Describing daily activities *Writing memos Life Skills *Sharing house chores *Overcoming gender stereotypes * Communicating housing problems to landlord
Episode 10 Dealing with the Law Synopsis: Tshombe needs to have his lemonade stand open longer than his municipal permit allows in order to make more money for the extra taxes that he owes. When he refuses to close down at 5:00 p.m., he gets into a serious argument with a police officer. Grammatical Structure(s) Quantifiers: much, many, some, a few, any, a lot of, a little Linguistic Functions *Expressing quantities *Understanding items and quantities on a shopping list Life Skills *Cooperating with representatives of the law/ police officers *Lesson provides guidelines to follow when dealing with police officers.
Episode 11 Analyzing and Debating Community Issues Synopsis: After Tshombe and Jose meet with the police and a city official, they try to organize their fellow street vendors to defend their rights as street vendors. A shop owner wants them to leave her street and has arranged for a public hearing to be held. Grammatical Structure(s) Singular expressions of quantity: each one, another, others, other Linguistic Functions *Persuading others *Expressing an opinion *Agreeing and disagreeing *Participating in a group discussion, meeting Workplace/Life Skills *Being part of a team *Collaborating with neighbors to solve community issues *Being informed *Challenging existing procedures and policies
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Episode 12 Civic Participation Synopsis: Tshombe appears at a court hearing to defend the street vendors rights to sell their merchandise. He must produce documented evidence to support his case. Grammatical Structure(s) Object pronouns, Indefinite pronouns Linguistic Functions *Expressing an opinion *Interpreting written public documents Workplace/Life Skills *Dealing with court proceedings *Defending your case before a judge *Creating strategies to solve community problems *Providing evidence for an argument
Episode 14 Womens Changing Roles Synopsis: Benjamin, Martas ex-husband, loses his job and faces an eviction from his apartment. He wants to move in with Marta and Viviana and promises to do the cleaning, cooking, shopping, etc., while Marta is at work. Grammatical Structure(s) Adverbs of frequency* Linguistic Functions Expressing frequency of actions/activities *Describing usual and unusual activities *Refusing to accept an offer Life Skills *Ignoring gender roles *Obeying rules and regulations in the workplace *Being a responsible worker
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Episode 15 Womens Work Issues Synopsis: Marta struggles with sexual harassment from her supervisor who will drop charges, which he has falsely placed against her, if she consents to go out on a date with him. Grammatical Structure(s) Adverbs of manner Linguistic Functions *Qualifying Workplace/Life Skills *Recognizing sexual harassment and misconceptions of womens behavior and preferences *Dealing with sexual harassment
Episode 16 Women in Non-traditional Roles Synopsis: After accepting a position at work as the new manager, Marta must face the possibility of firing Dora, her best friend. Dora has not been able to keep up production ever since the new written instructions have been circulated, but refuses to admit that she is illiterate. Grammatical Structure(s) Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives Linguistic Functions *Comparing abilities Workplace/Life Skills *Women becoming leaders *Defining the qualities of good leaders *Overcoming illiteracy *Supporting friends/teamwork
Episode 18 Investing in your Childrens Education Synopsis: Tony becomes interested in a young woman and must decide if it is more important to keep a date with her or talk to his sons instructor about his sons problems. Grammatical Structure(s) Prepositions of time, place and direction Linguistic Functions Scheduling appointments Interpreting maps Life Skills Getting involved in your childrens education
Episode 19 Transferring Professional Degrees and Licenses Synopsis: The sandwich shop is robbed, which obligates Tony to reevaluate what he wants to do in life. In order to be certified as a pharmacist in the U.S., he must take the TOEFL exam, which becomes a difficult challenge for him that he can either accept or turn away from.
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Grammatical Structure(s) Use of simple past tense with common regular and irregular verbs to ask questions (use of did) Episode 20 Learning to Learn
Synopsis: Tony must decide whether he should sell the sandwich shop or not. He and his uncle have been intimidated by the gangster who tries to force them out of business. In cooperation with the police, they plan to catch the people who are robbing the shop. Tony, however, must first learn about cameras and technology in order to set up a surveillance system. Grammatical Structure(s) Past tense forms of verbs Linguistic Functions Talking about events completed in the past Scanning a restaurant menu for specific information (prices) Workplace/Life Skills Knowing where/how to access information that you need Overcoming pride
Summary
Story Episode Title and Main Focus
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Job and Career Advancement Job Health and Safety Support Systems for Injured Workers Supervisors and Teamwork Managing Family Life Information Services Accessing Services (Phone, utilities, etc.) Mens Changing Roles Dealing with Taxes Dealing with the Law Analyzing and Debating Community Issues Auxiliary Verbs: Want, need, like, hate Future Tense: Going to vs. will Past Tense: Simple regular and irregular verbs Imperatives: lets Verbs of Necessity: have to vs. must Expressability: Can, could- present and past Modal auxiliaries: formal and informal requests Action Verbs: Make vs. Do Nouns: Count and non-count; plurals Quantifiers: much, many, some, a few, any, a lot of, a little Singular expressions of quantity: each one, another, others, other Object pronouns, indefinite pronouns Adjectives Adverbs of Frequency Adverbs of Manner Comparative and superlative adjectives Asking questions with wh words Prepositions: Time, place and direction Use of did in simple past questions Past tense forms of verbs
Grammar
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Civic Participation Parenting in the U.S. Womens Changing Roles Womens Work Issues Women in Non-traditional Roles Accessing Learning Opportunities Investing in your Childrens Education Transferring Professional Degrees and Licenses Learning to Learn
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2. Fill out the Registration Form a. Type in all the requested information. The class password comes from your teacher. (If you are not in a class, select Visitor from the top of the EFA homepage. You can do all the EFA activities, but your records will not be saved.) Be sure to write down your sign-in name and your password and keep them in a safe place. You will need them to get into MyEFA. 3. Click the Done button at the bottom of the registration.
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Once you click the Done link, you arrive at your MyEFA page.
After you have registered, to begin using MyEFA you need only sign in. Select Sign In from the main menu bar at the top of the EFA homepage:
Enter your sign-in name and password in the form and click the Sign In button:
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The My EFA Page After signing in you will see your own MyEFA page like the one shown below. On this page you will see all the work you have done and the work yet to do in the course. You can use this page to chart your progress through EFA.
In this example, the students name is Juan; and this is Juans EFA home page. The numbers in the illustration refer to the following: 1 There are new e-mail messages waiting for him 2 He is enrolled in the EFA class called EFA Documentation. 3 His teachers name is Erik Schmidt. 4 He can click here to read email from the teacher, to get a personal message explaining his homework, or inquiring how he is doing, or providing ways to expand on his learning. 5 Clicking on the link Email my teacher enables a reply or writing a question to the teacher. 6 In the second block of blue and gray boxes, all the episodes are listed. Juan is new to the class and hasnt done any work on any of them; so none are checked. If he had done work on episode one, the box to the right of the episode number would be checked.
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Click on Episode One. You will see an activity grid that shows all the activities and your scores for each episode. Everything will be blank if you are a new student. Click on any of the items to go to that point in the lesson.
properly, a video window will appear and youre ready to start working:
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Follow the directions to complete the lesson. a. The objectives of the lesson. There are many things you can learn from the lesson. Your teacher will point out some of these things to you. If you decide to continue with the lesson, you click the right arrow. If you decide youd rather do another lesson instead, click the left arrow, and youll return to the screen shown in #6.
b. The vocabulary for the lesson. Click on the speaker to the left of each word to hear it. When you are done, click Next.
c. Activities to help learn. In this example, its a vocabulary activity. Click on the speaker to hear the correct word. When you are done, click Submit.
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After you submit your work, you see your score (as shown with the red circled text in the screen depicted below). This student got less than 80% correct on the activity, and is advised to do the activity again. If he or she wants to do that, he or she could click one of the links at the bottom of the screen or leave the lesson and try another activity, try another episode, or sign out of the Web site.
If you want to check your progress, click on My EFA at the top of the page to go to your own home page. Once there, click on Episode One again. You will see how many activities you have completed as well as your scores on the activities. . If you want to send a note to your teacher, click on Email my teacher.
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Then, fill in the subject and write your message in the form.
If you want to leave your own EFA pages, click Sign Out at the top of the page. You will return to the public EFA homepage.
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