TSTM-SkillBlox

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Research Updates from the TSTM-SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot Team

Recently, SkillBlox was updated to include over 1,000 new activities in four new subject areas, along with a number of new features designed to ease the process of sharing and adapting SkillBlox created by other users. But what led to these updates over others? In Designing in the Open: Building Free Software, Blox by Blox, the TSTM-SkillBlox team describes the invention and building of the free, open education resource (OER) platform. The team shares early insights gleaned as they’ve worked to build a sustainable, equitable open education ecosystem that…
Blog

Improving Adult Skills Education: Early Findings to Inform the Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM)-SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot

The TSTM-SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot is exploring how the TSTM instructional framework, delivered through the SkillBlox online platform, can improve technology-enabled adult skills instruction. We launched the first component of the pilot, an implementation study of TSTM, in Fall of 2021 to explore the needs and experiences of teachers who are aligning their instructional practices with TSTM. We found promising practices and identified obstacles to inform development of SkillBlox that supports TSTM implementation. About the TSTM-SkillBlox…
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Promising Practices and Lessons Learned from Early Implementation of the TSTM Framework

Description This brief highlights key findings from the first component of The Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM)-SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot—an implementation study of the TSTM framework. Findings from this study—including promising practices and lessons learned in supporting TSTM-aligned instruction—are intended to shape TSTM-SkillBlox development but may also inform efforts in the field to support TSTM implementation.
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Subject Area Frameworks for Adult Learners

Description These aggregate frameworks provide a structure to support learning in five subjects relevant to adult learners: Civics Education, Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, Health Literacy, and Workforce Preparation. They include domains, topics, and subtopics in each subject. The frameworks were developed by aggregating existing curricula, assessments, and frameworks used in adult education and compiling insights from organizations and individual instructors. Use them to support Teaching Skills That Matter-aligned instruction, to locate and use resources in SkillBlox, or as a checklist for planning instruction and assessment.
Blog

All New SkillBlox Launch Announced!

Thanks to generous funding from the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, we are excited to announce the launch an all new SkillBlox! As part of a planned, phased release, a Digital Literacy subject area has been added, as well as the ability to add your own content and add notes to all activities within the skillblox you create! In the coming months, you'll also see the addition of five additional subjects—Financial Literacy, Health Literacy, Civics Education, Workforce Preparation, and ESOL— as well as the ability to save and copy skillblox created by others. Learn more…