Touchstone 1

I use standards to guide every learning opportunity.

A Panamanian student named Kenia, is majoring in tourism at a Panamanian university. She wants to learn English. Kenia was raised in a very poor home on the side of a mountain and had no running water or electricity most of her life. She lives with her family of seven people. They are content and joyous and supportive of each other. For her, learning English is a dream that can change her future and career opportunities.

To work with a student like Kenia, it is important to base every class on standards to provide a basis for each learning opportunity, help assure classes are staying on track, and that she is learning what is most important. The Common Core Standards can provide a basis for Kenia's learning. The TEOFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) expectations are also useful. Even though Kenia is 18, she is a Spanish speaker at the beginning of her quest for proficiency in English. She was exposed to very inferior English classes in her high school, and must build on that foundation.

Since the TOEFL is required for foreign language students before they can be accepted into an English speaking university, the standards are realistic and important for learners to understand. These standards can provide a valuable guide to follow and "…serve to articulate well-constructed expectations of language proficiency for language learners. " Richard J., Tannenbaum, R.J. & Wylie, E.C. (2004).

Basing classroom teaching on standards has drastically changed some schools. Chenoweth (2007, 2009), as related by Goodwin and Hubbell, states that low-performing schools nationwide have dramatically improved their performance by getting their curriculum in order—clearly defining what students should be learning at every grade level and ensuring that it gets taught in every classroom (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013).

The following is an example of a Common Core standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1.E

Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language (Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org). This standard can be unpacked into more usable steps. The TOEFL goals from Richard J., Tannenbaum E., & Wylie, C. (2004) are very helpful for this:

B1 PROFICIENCY IN SPEAKING

Can speak about familiar topics
Can convey an opinion
Sufficient structures/templates to express oneself
Clear and intelligible speech
Coping strategies for filling in gaps in language knowledge when speaking
Can extract/understand the major points from conversations, presentations
Understands speech when it is clear, standard language, well articulated

Without standards, teachers are on their own to determine what is important, and may not focus on what is most important. Without following the guidelines for each and every class, teachers might choose topics unwisely, miss important concepts or skills, spend too much or too little time on some units and may not progress at the expected rate. Learning can suffer, leaving students at a disadvantage, because their teacher chose not to follow set standards.

References

Common core state standards initiative: Preparing America's students for college and career. Retrieved from

http://www.corestandards.org

Goodwin, Bryan, & Hubbell, E. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every

day. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. [Bookshelf Online].

Tannenbaum, Richard J. & Wylie, E. (2004). Setting standards of language proficiency on the test of English as a

foreign language (TOEFL), the Test of spoken English (TSE), the Test of written English (TWE), and the Test of

English for international communication (TOEIC). Caroline. Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.