A Skills-Based Approach

An LBS program could help. The following scenario describes two approaches for working with Stanley. While both approaches would work, which approach, in your mind, best reflects the learner-centred, goal-directed, transition-oriented nature of the program?

In a typical skills-based approach, on coming into the program, Stanley might be asked to write a paragraph or a note as part of his initial assessment. His written work would be analyzed to identify his LBS writing level, and once he was placed in a class, Stanley would engage in learning activities to help him improve his writing skills. Instruction might focus on spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure – i.e. the mechanics of writing accompanied by worksheets or writing exercises in a workbook or online for practice. On a regular basis, the instructor would track Stanley’s progress using a variety of assessment tools and methods including spelling tests, short quizzes, end of unit tests and demonstrations based on real-life writing tasks. All things being equal, Stanley would make steady progress moving from level to level until eventually his writing level would indicate Stanley should be able to manage the demands of note- and report-writing required of school bus drivers.

A final goal-related demonstration would probably involve a report-writing task for a scenario involving an incident on a bus. Results would show Stanley’s acquired writing skills were now commensurate with the level of writing required by his goal. Stanley would now be ready to exit the program having shown he had acquired the necessary writing skills for his job.

A Task-Based Approach

In a typical task-based approach, as part of his initial assessment, Stanley would probably be asked to write a note or short report about an incident on a bus. His written work would be analyzed to identify note-writing/report-writing difficulties. In the program, Stanley would work on learning activities to help him develop proficiency first in note-writing and later in report-writing. He might begin by discussing with others, various purposes for notes. He would examine a variety of sample notes and determine differences between effective and ineffective notes for various purposes. Stanley might make a list of purposes related to work as a bus driver for which notes may be required and practice writing notes for those various purposes. He might go back to check his work against the criteria for effective note-writing. If mechanics such as spelling or sentence structure is a problem, Stanley would receive explicit instruction in those areas and spend some time on skill-building learning activities that help him improve those skills. The instructor would regularly add in simple, task-based activities that would help Stanley make the connection between discrete skills and skills in use. The instructor would track Stanley’s progress in note-writing and eventually in report-writing via demonstration tasks that require information processing of increasing complexity until Stanley was able to consistently demonstrate capacity to write notes and create incident reports related to work as a bus driver. Stanley would now be ready to exit the program with evidence of his ability to perform the writing tasks required by his job.