Situated Cognition across Three ABE Program Types in Minnesota: A Comparative Study

1. Situated Cognition across Three ABE Program Types in Minnesota: A Comparative Study Jamie Kreil, M.Ed., Doctoral Student, Adjunct Faculty, University of Minnesota kreil009@umn.edu

2. Objectives Participants will: • Identify characteristics of low-literate learners • Explore situated cognition theory as it applies to work literacy programming • Discover 4 key arguments for the use of a situated cognition approach in program planningfor low-literate learners • Identify for whom and how the theory applies (or does not apply) in 3 ABE program contexts • Designa program proposal applying situated cognition (or a modified version of it) in a workplace literacy context • Attempt to apply theory to practice

3. Background Knowledge • Are any of you familiar with situated-cognition? • Come up with a working definition of situated-cognition

4. Introduction Overview of NRS levels, Theory and Work Literacy Key Terms Academic Skills Context-Specific Skills Situated Cognition Approach 4 Key Arguments

5. Overview Low-Literate Learners: Non-ESLfrom http://mnabe.themlc.org/Accountability_and_NRS.html

6. Overview Low-Literate Learners: ESL

7. OverviewLow-literate Learners: Sociocultural profiles • What else do you need to know about your learners? • Reasons for attending • Cultural understandings of work and school (Jacobson, 2011) • Compensatory skills (Binder & Lee, 2012) (e.g., excellent decoder, poor comprehension except in workplace context) • Other ideas?

8. OverviewSituated Cognition and Work Literacy • Reading is viewed as an important job skill • Learners read in different ways for different purposes • Highlights the importance of the work environment • Emphasis is on learning to use tools and procedures in a specific context and workplace enculturation • Allows students to connect skills learned in classroom to workplace

9. Definition: Skill Types in Adult Basic Education (Martin, 1999)

10. Definition: A Situated Cognition Approach in Adult Basic Education (Martin, 1999)

11. 4 Arguments for the Use of a Situated-Cognition Approach in the Instruction of Low-Literate Adults(Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Martin, 1999; Resnick, 1987) • Situated cognition provides low-literate learners with a mental model of workplace culture when they may not have models of school culture. • Academic knowledge acquired in the classroom may not translate to workplace communication skills. • Learning is social and collaborative • Action is contextually-based

12. Discussion • Given these arguments and what you now know about situated cognition, do you any of your programs use a situated-cognition approach? • If so, what are some examples? • If not, where do you see it (or not) fitting into your context?

13. Methodology and Method Preliminary investigation of 3 ABE sites in MN Interviews and document analysis conducted

14. 3 sites in MN • An adult community school • An adult school operated through a school district • A non-profit organization working with lower-income adults to gain skills of self-sufficiency through employment training, education, and support services.

15. Methods

16. Interview: Community School Instructor Semi-Structured Questions Focusing on Work-Related Literacy Program Content and Delivery

17. Interview: Key Findings • Many institutional barriers to successful implementation of a work-readiness program • First iteration failed due to lack of understanding of student skill levels • Stopped after government shutdown • Individual instructors, while acknowledging the need to test learners, recognize “gains” in increases in participation and attendance • Tests do not consider the often traumatic lives and resiliency of learners. • At this site, the purposes of literacy instruction are largely social and not necessarily to obtain a job or economic viability.

18. School District Site Course Entry Requirements

19. Non-Profit Courses Information on this non-profit’s website includes the following: • On-the-job training in retail and warehouse work: • Incorporates soft skill training • Self-sustaining • Employment skills classroom training including: • Banking • Clerical • Healthcare • Certified Nursing Assistant • Work Reentry • Work-Readiness for specific cultural communities

20. Results An Integrated Approach May Work for Low-Literate Adults 4 Core Finding Comparison Table

21. An Integrated Approach • An integrated approach to work-related literacy may be more effective for low-literate adult learners due to the simultaneous development of job-specific skills, soft skills and academic skills (i.e., “bridge” classes) • Includes both academic and context-specific skills as well as job acquisition and retention, time management, and communication

22. Findings Findings reflected that: effectiveness and sustainability of the work literacy program depended upon the degree to which the program • Tailored work literacy programming to the English, reading, and math levels of their students in the provision of “bridge” classes • Understood the reasons for which students attend work literacy classes and different modes of participation Indicating that a situated cognition approach may “fit” in more homogeneous classrooms where there is less variability among reading and math skill levels, but may not be appropriate for heterogeneous groups

23. Four Core FindingsUnderstanding the Who and What of Situated Cognition • Understanding who is in your class is key: Classes with a wide range of skills and abilities may benefit more from an integrated class • Partnerships among several agencies are critical • A situated cognition approach (alone) tends to work for learners in employment/skills training programs • An integrated academic and context-specific approaches tend to work for work-readiness courses

25. Implications for Research and Practice

26. Implications for Further Research Research • Additional models or examples of situated-cognition approaches—explicitly stated as such—are needed

27. Implications for Practice Practice • All stakeholders must be aware of learner purposes and goals in regard to their participation in the program • Create “bridge-to-bridge” programs to strengthen English, reading, and math skills for a particular career path • Substitute student portfolios of written work and work experience for test scores • Use situated cognition to assist in job-specific academic skills and work context-specific skills to be practiced at work sites • Attention must be given to capacity building through partnerships and collaboration

28. Discussion • Think about the work-readiness courses you provide in your respective contexts. Do you see situated-cognition as a viable approach for lower-level learners? Why or why not? • What would a viable approach look like?

29. Activity: Program Design (15 minutes) If you were to design a work literacy course using an situated cognition or integrated approach (depending on your answer): • Where would you hold the classes? • What would you need to know about your learners? • What key stakeholders/collaborations would you need to include and what information would you need to know from them? • What job-related content (job skills, expectations, duties, etc.) would you need to know? Time Permitting • What would three key learning objectives be? • Design a simple lesson.

30. Think-Pair-Share (10 minutes) • Share what you’ve done with a partner • Pay attention and provide feedback on what they have listed: • Are there any additional support services that are needed to maximize skill development? • Reiterate how you think your partner’s design reflects either situated cognition or an integrated approach. Be prepared to report out after 10 minutes

31. Conclusion Integrated programs and collaborations are key

32. Conclusion: Stretching Situated Cognition • Integrated programs can use literacy practitioners and occupational and related skills specialists to design short-term learning experiences that teach literacy skills applicable to job-related tasks and the development of broad-based soft skills and academic skills • Collaboration with businesses or agencies willing to train are key to program sustainability and continuous development of basic skills

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