Presenters Indira Bakshi and Diane Daudt Lane Community College, Eugene OR

1. A Triple Play: ElCivics, Oregon Adult Basic Skills Learning Standards and College-Wide Core Learning Outcomes in Thinking Critically. Presenters Indira Bakshi and Diane Daudt Lane Community College, Eugene OR

2. Introduction • Who are we??? • Why are we here???

3. Background • The ElCivics instructors from the previous year chose to implement the competency area “Nutrition # 46” in Spring 2012. • Nutrition # 46: Access resources for nutrition education and information related to the purchase and preparation of healthy foods. • Critical Thinking is a component of the Nutrition’s Language and Learning Objectives.

4. Background • ElCivics2011-2012 professional development focused on training instructors in Oregon ABS Learning Standards. • 2 ElCivics instructors participated in Oregon ABS Learning Standards Institutes. • 2 attended Learning Circles. • Both trainings included outcomes-based learning. • Critical thinking is also a component of Oregon ABS Learning Standards.

5. Background • In the Fall of 2011, two ELCivics instructors attended a workshop on College Core Learning Outcomes. • This is continuing college-wide effort to teach and assess College Core Learning Outcomes in all LCC classes. • The focus for 2011-2012 was Thinking Critically • So we applied and received a grant $$$$ to develop and assess critical thinking skills in our ElCivics classes

6. The “Aha Moment” • We realized we could get a ‘three fer’ from the Nutrition Unit • ElCivics ! • Oregon Learning Standards ! • Lane’s College Core Outcomes- Think Critically!

7. Perfect Storm • What started out as a simple idea became the blob that ate Cleveland or at least the Willamette Valley! • We had so many ideas and so many things we wanted to do with the Nutrition unit and so much fun that…….

8. Return Engagement We’ll do it again!!! • High student need and interest • Enthusiastic community participation • Planned for Winter Term, 2013

9. Some Definitions • ELCivics • Oregon Learning Standards • Lane Core College Outcomes • Critical Thinking Assessment Criteria

10. What is EL Civics? • A federally funded grant that support many ESL programs around the State and across the nation! • “The intention of EL/Civics is to provide integrated English literacy and civics education to immigrants and other limited English proficient populations to promote effective participation in the education, work, and civic opportunities of this country.” • (See handout )

11. What are Oregon Learning Standards? • The Learning Standard is a global statement of what learners at any level should be able to do, related to speaking/listening/reading and writing. • The State of Oregon has adopted these standards for Adult Learners across the state in ESL and ABE programs. • (See handout for more detail.)

12. What are Lane’s Core College Outcomes? • Adopted at LCC to have a common reference points for students in primary areas of competence • THINK critically • ENGAGE diverse values, perspectives and civic awareness • CREATE ideas and solutions • COMMUNICATE effectively • APPLY learning • (See handout for more detail.)

13. Critical Thinking Lane’s Core College Outcomes • In order to demonstrate the ability to think critically a student must: • Identify and define key issues • Demonstrate knowledge of the context and complexity of the issue • Integrate other relevant points of view of the issue • Analyze supporting evidence, data and specific details • Construct appropriate and defensible reasoning to draw conclusions.

14. Who Was Involved? • Evening Program ESL and ElCivics Classes • Level 3 Combined Skills (ElCivics) • Level 4 Combined Skills (ElCivics) • Level 5 Combined Skills (ElCivics) • 2B Reading/Writing (non-ElCivics)

15. Class Levels • LCC Levels: Beginning to Advanced • Best Plus Oral Assessment SPL’s3-7 • CASAS Reading Assessment Scores 180-220 • Federal NRS Levels: High-Beginning to High-Intermediate

16. About Our Classes • All classes met on MW nights • 6:15-8:35 p.m. • Total class time: 5 hours a week

17. Students • More than 50 students in total participated. • They were mostly Spanish speakers from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and other Latin American countries. • But, there were also speakers of other languages such as Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, and Gujarati.

18. What We Did • Classes did activities related to their levels and abilities. • All classes studied vocabulary related to food, grocery shopping and nutrition.

19. Levels 2 and 3 • Learned vocabulary for food items • Read about hidden sugars found in foods, healthy and unhealthy diets • Read and analyzed the labels of common foods • Learned about quantifiers and count and non-count nouns • Wrote and talked about what they eat and why they eat that way.

20. Level 3 and 4 • Levels 3 and 4 kept daily food journals for 3 to 5 weeks. • Level 4 students answered opened-ended questions about food choices and how they applied new information learned in class to their eating habits.

21. Level 4 • Accessed websites about food labels and nutrition. • Used information on sites to answer questions on handouts. • Read an article about hidden sugar in processed foods; homework assignment was to read food labels and identify kinds of sugar on labels

22. Level 5 • Students looked at their own family medical histories; • Identified diseases in their families; • Researched symptoms of illnesses; • And created posters and made class presentations of their findings and how those findings related to diet.

23. Guest Speaker • Tamberley Powell, LCC Nutrition Instructor came and spoke to all the classes. • She discussed carbohydrates, whole grains and reading food labels. • Her presentation included practice looking at food labels. • Students enjoyed presentation and had positive verbal and written feedback.

24. Label reading and whole grains Choose foods with a whole grain ingredient listed first on the label’s ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (from most to least). Example: From Tamberley Powell’s Presentation

25. Which is the whole grain bread? A B Wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, wheat bran … Whole wheat flour, water, brown sugar … Example: From Tamberley Powell’s Presentation

26. Answer: has WHOLE wheat as the first ingredient! A B Wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, wheat bran … Whole wheat flour, water, brown sugar … B Example: From Tamberley Powell’s Presentation

27. Color and whole grains Color is not an indication of a whole grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients. Read the ingredient list to see if bread is a WHOLE grain. NOT whole grain! Wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, wheat bran … Example: From Tamberley Powell’s Presentation

28. “Nutrition Facts” label and grains Use “Nutrition Facts”label to help choosewhole grain products with a higher % Daily Value (%DV) for fiber. The %DV for fiber is a good clue to the amountof whole grain in the product. Look for >10% DV for fiber. Example: From Tamberley Powell’s Presentation

29. Blood Pressure and Glucose Screening Clinic • LCC Medical Office Assisting students and Nursing students took ESL students’ blood pressure and did glucose testing on students willing to be pricked !! • All four classes participated!

30. Blood Pressure and Glucose Screening Clinic • Student nurses met with students and answered questions about screening results and other health questions.

31. Blood Pressure and Glucose Screening Clinic • Nursing students took contact information to follow up with at risk ESL students.

32. Blood Pressure and Glucose Screening Clinic • Nursing students spent a lot of time with ESL students and were jazzed about coming back next year!!!

33. How We Integrated EL Civics • ElCivics Competency Area #46 Language and Literacy Objectives were met through class activities. • #1. Identify a healthy diet as recommended by USDA. • #2. Identify the relationship between nutrition and good health. • #7. Interpret food-packaging labels. • #10. Listen to a speaker share information about low cost sources of healthy food. Participate in the discussion by asking previously prepared questions; take notes.

34. How We Integrated Learning Standards • We were required to indicate in ElCivics planning documents use of Oregon ABE Learning Standards for each competency area. • And report implementation of Oregon ABE Learning Standards for in End of Year reporting and following years application documents.

35. The Listening Standard • Using the ListenActivelyStandard, students met many of the benchmarks for appropriate levels 2-6. • Adult learners listen actively for a variety of purposes, integrating their knowledge, skills, and strategies in the following process: • Determine the purpose for listening • Focus attention and choose listening strategies appropriate to the purpose • Monitor comprehension, adjusting listening strategies as needed • Integrate new information with prior knowledge to address the listening purpose

36. How We Integrated The Listening Standard • Example 1: KWL activity -Level 4 (see handout) • Students drew on prior knowledge; • And, integrated new information with prior knowledge to address the listening purpose by answering the questions. • Example 2: Preparing to Listen Document- Level 2BRW (see handout) • By preparing to listen, students determined the purpose for listening. • Listening comprehension strategies were explicitly taught.

37. The Reading Standard • Using theRead with Understanding Standard, students met many of the benchmarks for appropriate levels 2-6. • Adult learners read diverse texts for a variety of purposes, integrating their knowledge, skills, and strategies in the following process: • Determine the reading purpose • Select and use reading strategies appropriate to the purpose the content and reflect on the underlying meanings • Analyze the content and reflect on the underlying meanings • Integrate the content with prior knowledge to address the reading purpose

38. How We Integrated The Reading Standard • Example 1: Reading Food labels in class and with guest Speaker • Students analyzed the content and reflected on the underlying meanings –is this really healthy? How much fat? How many calories? • Example 2: Identifying and researching family illnesses ( Level 5) on internet and coming up diet and other lifestyle changes to prevent illnesses. • Students integrated the content with prior knowledge to address the reading purpose.

39. Lane’s Core College Outcomes:Think Critically • In order to demonstrate the ability to think critically a student must: • Identify and define key issues • Demonstrate knowledge of the context and complexity of the issue • Integrate other relevant points of view of the issue • Analyze supporting evidence, data and specific details • Construct appropriate and defensible reasoning to draw conclusions.

40. How We Integrated Critical Thinking • Teachers changed approach and asked more open ended type questions and held more discussions • This helped students identify and define key issues; • And, demonstrate knowledge of the context and complexity of the issue. • Also, students listened to other relevant points of view of the issue in hopes that they could see more than 1 side of an issue.

41. How We Integrated Critical Thinking • In some classes, students wrote in journals about what they ate and why they made those choices. • In other classes, they answered reflective questions on the back of their food diaries, about what they were eating and why and how they were using and applying the information they learned in class to diets. • This allowed students to demonstrate knowledge of the context and complexity of the issue. • And analyze supporting evidence, data and specific details • Finally, these guiding questions gave students the opportunity to construct reasoning to draw conclusions.

42. How We Integrated College Core Learning Outcome: Critical Thinking • Finally, teachers assessed critical thinking skills using the Critical Thinking Rubric developed by the LCC Assessment Team. • See latest version of the rubric in the handout. • See Data in handout! This is what we were required to submit.

43. ELCivics, Learning Standards and Critical Thinking: What are the correlations? • Critical thinking skills must be used and thereby developed in achieving ElCivicsLanguage and Literacy Objectives in Nutrition • Key words appear in LLO’s: identify, interpret. • Oregon ABE Learning Standards specifically indicate the need to use critical thinking skills to achieve benchmarks and sub-benchmarks. • Key words that appear in the standards: identify, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, draw conclusions, critique, make connections etc…. • ElCivics LLO #10 states should prepare to listen to a guest by writing questions. This is a key component of the Oregon Listen Actively Standard

44. How the ELCivics, Learning Standards and Critical Thinking Outcomes Correlate • In the end, we realized that we weren’t really doing three different things, but instead looking at the same class activities through three different lenses. • It was simply a matter of reframing what we did with the different outcomes, objectives and standards.

45. Challenges: Classroom • It was a new topic for teachers—huge amount of materials and many areas of focus; We had trouble staying on track. • It was difficult finding and coordinating speakers and staffing for screening clinic. • In some classes, the topic was covered over a longer span 3-4 weeks and keeping students interested was difficult.

46. Challenges: Classroom • We realized that we needed to do more pre-teaching; not assume students didn’t know as much as we assumed they knew about nutrition. • We tried to do it all and do it right!!!!

47. Challenges: Assessment • Difficulty of assessing critical thinking skills in writing samples of lower level students. • How do you identify elements of critical thinking when the language output is limited by lack of proficiency in English? • Can you really imply from writing that students used and were developing these skills? • Difficulty of assessing critical thinking skills through discussions. • Wished I could record them---too much trouble. • Ended up taking notes on BB and summarizing from memory.

48. Success: Enthusiastic Responses! • ESL students responded positively to Nutrition speaker and BP/Glucose Screening Clinic activities. • Guest Speaker and LCC MOA and Nursing students also responded very positively to coming and working with our students. • They all want to come back Winter 2013 and loved working with our students!

49. Success: High Student Interest • ESL Students said they appreciated information from speakers and the screening clinics; • Asked many questions during both activities; • And, even remembered information from the presentation weeks later!!!

50. Success: Students’ Comments • One student said she didn’t eat unhealthy foods because she didn’t want to write it on the food log!! • Other students reported that it was difficult to eat healthy and work full-time. • One student said he didn’t like having to look at the label because he wanted to eat what he wanted to eat, not what was “healthy”.