0.2 Part two: special topics  (Page 13/39)

Observations of instructors in the field should take into consideration:

• Instructor's lectures and interactions with students and the degree to which dictation lessens over time, while students interactand assume leadership positions in the class.
• Quality of instructor's questions to determine the degree to which they are engaging, practical, and realistic. Over time,multiple-choice questions should decline and more open-ended questions assume a central place.
• The degree of use of learning aids to enhance the quality of the learning experience and to vary the means by which information is madeavailable and usable.
• The degree to which the instructor can demonstrate the skills s/he wishes to impart and build. Presentations must include a wide range oftechniques.
• The level of appropriate balance between group exercises and tutoring individual learners.
• The level of democratic engagement of students in class and in community meetings so that local leaders can be acknowledged andenlisted, along with a charge and a sense of independence that can help that leader accomplish objectives and grow professionally.
• Following the item above in terms of community meetings, the degree to which meeting announcements are clear, widely understood, andpublicized; the site prepared; and a forum available by which participants from the community can participate and feel heard.
• The extent to which instructors are making home visits, enlisting the cooperation of students, becoming accessible, motivatingstudents, providing clear feedback.

Evaluation

The objectives of evaluation are to fix areas of ineffectiveness. Evaluation also instills a sense of duty to the originalobjectives of literacy training itself.

Evaluation can be done by direct observation or by theuse of questionnaires and checklists (or a combination of both). Designers of such rubrics must identify specific aspects of the program on whichattention is to be focused, using a check mark or "x", depending upon whether the answer to specific questions are postive or negative. However much thismay seem obvious at first, this fact must be emphasized in trainings of those conducting the questionnaire, as research has shown that inaccuratereporting introduces variables that often invalidate the questionnaire itself.

Checklist for Observation of Literacy Classes