The switch to standards-based education meant focusing on the skills, rather than the specific context in which they are learned. We redesigned our Even Start program to target the development of the 16 EFF skills. Our curriculum spirals around the skills, revisiting them within new contexts in each of the three roles. After an introduction to EFF, we ask our students to identify personal goals in one or more of the skill groups and record these goals in their portfolios. The teachers design project based learning activities that help the students develop the skills they have identified as goals.
Teachers plan by identifying possible learning opportunities for each skill within the project.
They record these ideas on a planning sheet that lists the 16 skills. At the end of the project, students use this form to document their skill development. For example, a recent project entailed setting up a family math night for the elementary school in which the Even Start class is housed. As a group, the students planned the project, then they divided into committees to do the work, choosing their committees based on their learning goals. Octavia had set a math goal so she volunteered to work on the budget committee.