California Library Literacy Services are planned, implemented, and evaluated using a learner-centered framework titled Roles and Goals. The framework helps staff and volunteers:
- Identify the goals that learners want to accomplish with their improved literacy skills.
- Deliver learner-centered instruction that is tailored to learners’ goals and aspirations.
- Track, acknowledge, and celebrate progress.
- Evaluate the impact of the library literacy program.
Goal-setting empowers learners. It helps learners reflect on what brought them to the program, define what they want to work on, take ownership of their instruction, stay focused on what’s important to them, stay motivated, and build self-confidence.
The Roles and Goals framework is grounded in the belief that literacy “involves listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate information,”¹ and that literacy is “understanding, evaluating, using and engaging with written text to participate in society, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.”²
Goal-setting within the framework helps learners achieve success in their major life roles as community members, workers, family members, and lifelong learners.
Resources
- Roles & Goals Introduction
- Roles & Goals Frequently Asked Questions
- Roles & Goals Guidelines
- Roles & Goals Form
- Roles & Goals Form Excel Version (thank you to Shasta Public Libraries for this document)
- Roles & Goals Form for Collecting Evidence and Indicators of Achievement
- Roles & Goals Guide to the Learner Portfolio
- Roles & Goals Adult Role Map April 2020
- VIDEO: Roles and Goals Informational Webinar. Recorded February 19, 2020. Presented by Randy Weaver. (60:43)
- Roles & Goals Webinar Slides. February 19, 2020
- Goal Setting Guidepost Template (thank you for sharing, Placentia Public Library)
Curriculum
Learners’ aspirations and involvement drive the direction of tutoring in California Library Literacy Services, and the Roles and Goals Curriculum project reflects many of the common learning goals that adult learners bring to library literacy programs. The curricula materials support tutoring pairs in making goal-based instruction part of their lesson plans. They also correspond to the learning outcomes information that programs collect annually from tutoring pairs and report to the California State Library.
The links below will take you to Roles and Goals lesson guides and in some cases, to instructional videos and other tutoring resources created to support meaningful learning in California Library Literacy Services that correspond to the Roles and Goals evaluation framework.
Lifelong Learner Outcomes:
- Learn the alphabet, letters, and sounds
- Learn math skills
- Read a book
- Read a more difficult book
- Read news or a magazine
- Write a note, message, or text
- Write a letter, poem, story, or essay
- Fill out a form or application
- Use new technology skills
- Use the library
- Get a diploma
Worker Outcomes:
- Search for a job
- Apply for a job
- Interview for a job
- Get a job or a better job
- Perform current job tasks better
- Use work related technology
- Read work-related material
- Write work-related material
- Obtain a license or certificate
Home and Family Member Outcomes:
- Share a book with a family member
- Take a family member to a library program
- Help a family member with homework and studying
- Read a medicine label
- Pay my bills
- Access help with family legal documents
- Communicate effectively with educators
- Communicate effectively with medical professionals
- Communicate effectively with family members
- Navigate systems and services
Community Member and Citizen Outcomes:
- Access community resources
- Get involved in the community (separate worksheet)
- Speak to others about the library literacy program
- Get a driver license
- Become a citizen (separate worksheet)
- Prepare to vote
- Vote
Working together and individually, the talented people listed below created Roadmaps for the new Roles and Goals curricula. Each Roadmap includes Guideposts designed to strengthen and enhance the connection between the adult learner and the curriculum. These Guideposts support ongoing conversations between tutors and learners, strengthening the connection between learners’ learning goals and tutoring activity and learning evaluation and outcomes. The Roles and Goals Curricula direct attention to important aspects of adult teaching and learning – reflection and self-evaluation.
Meet the Curriculum Development Team:
Cheryl Berg Mariposa County Library
Leticia Garcia – Riverside County Library
Casandra Issaka – Sacramento Public Library
Allyson Jeffredo – Riverside County Library
Ellen Loebl – San Jose Public Library
Laura Martinez – Sacramento Public Library
Charmaine Mendez – Moreno Valley Library
Robin Rafael – Napa County Library
Carrie Scott – Carlsbad City Library
Diane Shimota – AK Smiley Public Library
Ana Garcia Villalpando – Long Beach Public Library
Cherall Weiss – Newport Beach Public Library
Amy Prevedel and Randy Weaver, Independent Consultants
During the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, the curriculum writing teams met virtually to share what they had written and workshop their ideas, providing feedback and support to one another. They practiced strategies to respond to writing, and led two statewide writing workshops on using those strategies for their library literacy colleagues. They used their Roles and Goals-based curriculum pieces as the content of the workshops. We are pleased to share the team’s hard work with you!
¹ https://www.nala.ie/literacy
² https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2016/2016040.pdf