A Busy Teacher's Guide to EFF Lesson Planning
Part 2: An EFF Lesson: Let Me Count the Ways
Close your eyes, and remember the feeling you felt when your well thought out lesson had just the right affect on students. They got it, they loved it in so many ways. Light bulbs, hearts, stars, and ever clovers danced around your students' heads. You were beaming. Everyone was happy, and you remembered, once again why you love teaching. 
Now let's test your lesson to see if it will serve your students for real life in the 21st century. What happens when they walk out of your classroom? What do they find awaiting them at home, work, or in their community? In making an intentional effort to integrate the EFF Standards into your classroom, you will need to consider what's below. Simply, if you have used one (or more) Standards as the basis of your lesson, and your activities relate to that standard and how it relates to your students' roles in life and their purpose for learning, you have not only planned an excellent classroom lesson, but you've served your students well in preparing them to meet the challenges of adult life in a rapidly changing world.
First consider the Standard
A Thoughtful Consideration of the Standards*
  • Did your lesson/course explore one or more of the 16 Standards?
  • As students were practicing the components of the Standard, or afterwards, did they have an opportunity to reflect on the skills they were developing, and how these skills can help them in the real world?

Then, consider this Standard
within the context of your student's lives-the EFF Framework.

The Question of Relevancy*
  • Is the lesson relevant to students' lives and their needs? Teachers can affirm relevancy of the topic by doing a student negotiated needs assessment and discussing the topic, among other strategies.
Consideration of the Four Purposes*
  • Are students now able to Access information to orient themselves to the world?
  • Are they able to Voice ideas and opinions so that they are heard?
  • Can they take Independent Action to solve problems and make decisions on their own?
  • Do they see how what they learned is a Bridge to the Future that keeps up with a rapidly changing world? If yes, how can you be sure? How did you assess their skills?
Consideration of Role Maps* 
  • Does your lesson tie into at least one of your student's primary roles as an adult (citizen/community member; parent/family member; worker)? 
  • Do you know what your students' responsibilities are after they leave the class? If yes, were you able to assess students' ability to do activities related to these roles? Did students make connections to their various adult roles?
By considering the Standards within the EFF Framework, and building from there, you can create integrated EFF lessons. Because it takes time and practice to become accustomed to a new way of thinking and planning, it may take time to develop a repertoire of EFF lessons. Try adding something to a lesson each time you present it to make it more meaningful and useful to students. Also, step back from individual (one class) plans, to take a broader view of either a unit or entire course, and ask yourself if you have thoughtfully integrated the Standard and framework into your broad course objectives. 
* see explanation of EFF Terminology (next page)
Part 3    Cover