Appendix I_Organizing My Future EYF User Guide.pdf

ORGANIZING MY FUTURE

Empower Your Future (EYF) User Guide

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

We all have a shared interest in supporting student success so it makes sense that professionals from different parts of the system would come together to collectively impact that goal. While this interdisciplinary approach may require more planning initially, research shows that joint problem-solving and shared decision making result in more positive outcomes for students over time. How you develop your collaborative partnerships is up to you to co-create with your partners.

Remember to communicate often and consistently. We suggest discussing roles and referring to the communication plan throughout the year to brainstorm ideas, build connections, and share observations on an ongoing basis.

Advocacy

Career & Education Exploration &

Action Planning

Financial Literacy

Life Skills

Postsecondary & Workplace Skills

The EYF Library is divided into five core competencies centered around building both practical and foundational skills in several capacities:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Within each competency, there are units containing activities, articles, lessons and information covering a wide variety of concepts and ideas. The intention of this framework is to provide enough nuance in a particular subject so that students with limited knowledge and students with a more complete understanding can both gain new awareness.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V-i0jOy9POLfwCzEtHBNpMpCp9fzB8FVyWpFIemNOJM/edit#gid=0 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RUisU92qIUflzDDQXplZgeTbVNg3cYR-/view?ts=610c863b https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K_O6_OX_wYrQEaIfaL5ti0C9I-93CejQ3hZN7Ef77W4/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

THE EYF PLAYLIST

To help you better navigate the library, we’ve created EYF Sample Content reflecting familiar student issues. Feel free to use these already-compiled/grouped activities as a quick way to dive into the material for individual students or groups of students with similar intentions. These are a great way to access the material quickly to get students working toward their goals immediately.

As a first step, appeal to student interests and curiosity by assisting them in defining their personal goals. Start by allowing students to identify strengths, interests, preferences and areas where there are gaps in their understanding using one of the self-assessment tools found in EYF Quick Links. The focus should be on supporting student voice and understanding what is most important and most meaningful for them.

Next, combine what you’ve learned from the student’s self-assessment with recommendations from the team to determine the best set of activities for their personalized ‘playlist’. Caring adults should make suggestions that encourage students to explore possibilities, understand potential obstacles, and gain a better understanding of choices available to them. The student playlist is a living document that can be updated and revised as the team’s relationship with the student grows.

GETTING STARTED: UNDERSTANDING

WHAT STUDENTS WANT TO WORK ON

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ojO-UQJ0XG5Bo9C2H59_QUzIm4Kblmd6gwLxrvqBN6M/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ojO-UQJ0XG5Bo9C2H59_QUzIm4Kblmd6gwLxrvqBN6M/edit

FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

We encourage you to share successes, report issues and give feedback using the EYF Library Feedback Form, or by contacting EYF Senior Program Manager, Hamzah Latif at hlatif@commcorp.org. Your input directly assists students on their journey toward mastering the skills needed for a successful, healthy future.

Look for updates and revisions throughout the year as we continue the launch of this Initiative.

FREEDOM & FLEXIBILITY

There are multiple options for approaching a particular subject. You might choose to adapt an activity in the Bloom’s Taxonomy chart (usually listed as Option 1) or have students read and discuss an article from the list of suggested resources (usually listed as Option 2). Depending on the subject, there may be embedded links to lesson plans, videos or organizations specializing in a particular area.

You are free to decide which approach might best engage your students in learning. You also have the freedom and flexibility to tailor the material to your specific settings.

The pace of learning is also flexible. Rather than having students complete all the activities in a given topic, they are free to explore a few options before moving on to another topic of interest. Students can also work on long term projects while taking steps toward smaller goals (for example, completing the FAFSA while learning new coping strategies for managing stress). That way, the students gain skills while staying motivated toward the “big picture”- a healthy, successful transition to life back in the community- without losing interest. GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY

Google and Google classroom make interacting much more accessible for teachers, staff, and students and allow changes to the curriculum to happen more easily. Using this technology allows for more collaboration as the curriculum continues evolving and changing in response to your input. We will continue to provide updates on ways to leverage

Google.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1J9omeCGAFGPe-00RTZATZdzGyaGopYgNshEFTR6FwZI/edit?ts=610c869a mailto:hlatif@commcorp.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Developing Responsible and Autonomous Learners: A Key to Motivating Students

Competency-Based Learning or Personalized Learning

Looking Backward and Forward from 100 Repetitions

100 Repetitions

5 Resources for Fostering Meaningful, Engaged Learning

The Value of Active Listening

Overcoming the “busywork” dilemma

How 5 teachers are changing their back-to-school routines to calm COVID worries and help students readjust

The Power of Teacher Collaboration

Teachers: Protecting Your Mental Health

Covid 19 Impact on Students: Evolving Information on Education & the Economy

Five Ways to Support Students Affected by Trauma

7 Surprising Classroom Triggers for Kids Who Experienced Trauma (and How to Avoid Them)

4 Mindfulness Practices for Your High Schoolers, Plus a Free Course!

How to Introduce Meditation to the High School Classroom

50 Educational Brain Breaks

Representation matters

Q&A: Meeting the Needs of Students of Color in a Time of Collective Trauma

Six Ways to Stand Behind Your LGBT Students

Creating Windows & Mirrors

Encouraging Student Voice

Teaching During COVID-19

Supporting Student Needs https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/learners https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning https://www.ascd.org/blogs/looking-backward-and-forward-from-100-repetitions https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/100-repetitions https://xqsuperschool.org/rethinktogether/5-resources-for-fostering-meaningful-engaged-learning/ https://www.edutopia.org/article/value-active-listening https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2021/01/overcoming-the-busywork-dilemma/ https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/8/12/22620044/covid-uncertainty-back-to-school-adjust-routine-students https://www.teachingchannel.com/blog/teacher-collaboration https://mhanational.org/teachers-protecting-your-mental-health https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wSMYuARXcSeCp39TWZc1jPsmJva6PIWRIOQisuSslis/edit https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_support_students_affected_by_trauma https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-trauma-triggers/ https://www.weareteachers.com/4-mindfulness-practices/ https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-introduce-meditation-high-school-classroom https://www.weareteachers.com/brain-breaks-for-kids/ https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-representation/ https://www.edweek.org/leadership/q-a-meeting-the-needs-of-students-of-color-in-a-time-of-collective-trauma/2021/03 https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/six-ways-to-stand-behind-your-lgbt-students https://www.weareteachers.com/mirrors-and-windows/