PART THREE:

CURRICULUM CONTENT

The Curriculum Roadmap:

Chapter Four: The Relationship Between Concepts

Goal of Level 3 Communications

The primary goal of Level 3 Communications is that through a developmental process, learners will read with understanding, write clearly to successfully express ideas, and listen and speak effectively, all for a variety of purposes.

Bringing It All Together

This chapter outlines each of the core Adult Basic Education Level 3 curriculum concepts and discusses the relationship that exists between them.  As instructors develop their Communications program, each of the concepts will be considered.

Generic Skills lay the foundation for across-curricula skill development that is essential to personal, social and employment success for adult learners.  Instructors are responsible for consciously integrating Generic Skills throughout all courses, making them visible in units of study and individual lessons.

The learning process, as it applies to the Communications curriculum guide, is discussed.  An emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to developing communication skills.  Many of these skills can be developed and demonstrated through other subjects.  Instructors responsible for all subjects in Adult 10, will find this integration of communication skills easily accomplished.  Instructors who share delivery responsibilities will need to structure planning sessions to determine which skills will be developed and demonstrated through which course.

A summary of Learning Outcomes provides a quick glance at the four strands that make up Communications: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Although each of the four strands is described individually, it is not intended that they be delivered as isolated units.  Viewing and representing are not named as individual strands, but are integrated within the four strands and are often used, or can be used, within the specific content skills.  When a viewing or representing activity can be placed within a specific content skill, you will see the following symbols: (V) for viewing, and (R) for representing. 

Learning Outcomes, Content and Generic Skills from all four strands should be integrated when developing courses, theme-based units, and accompanying lesson activities.  It is intended that there be a developmental process used when achieving the Learning Outcomes.  Learners, assisted by their instructors, identify the purpose and create the meaning for each learning outcome.  Strategies and skills are then developed, next they are applied, and finally, the new learnings are integrated.  The learners are then able to transfer the learning to new situations in a relevant and purposeful way.

Specific content skills follow the summary of learning outcomes.  Instructor Tips expand on the Content/Generic Skills and provide ideas and suggestions for implementation.  Balanced approaches are encouraged where discrete elements as well as more general or global processes are developed.  For example, decoding, meaning construction, and motivation are all considered important aspects of the reading process.  In developing writing skills, structural elements such as spelling and mechanics are considered as well as planning, organizing, and translating thoughts into meaningful texts.  Meaningful opportunities for speaking and listening become vehicles to develop specific behaviours and skills.

Assessment Reflections are included for guidance and support for the instructor as s/he implements the curriculum.  They are not intended to be prescriptive.

The accompanying Annotated Bibliography may also be of assistance in course planning.

The Relationship Between Concepts