CLOUT: Common Skills Focus

Therefore, the primary goal of the CLOUT program was to increase learning by reinforcing commonalties in the speaking, reading, writing processes and to encourage a level of critical thinking and skill acquisition which would surpass that of a student taking each of the three courses independently.

We pushed for more seamless integration of content in CLOUT for two reasons. First, our purpose was different. We started with an interest in content; we wanted to explore the relationships among the courses themselves, not just use the courses together to serve a common student population. Second, because we had some experience with LC behind us, we were more comfortable with changing our usual ways of ordering our instruction. We were more confident that we could accomplish all our course objectives within an integrated format.

We began the semester with a simple three column list identifying the interrelationships between reading, English and communication (Table 6). We planned the syllabus to include daily lesson plans and assignments which were topic driven rather than course driven. As we planned, we listed the key skills and topics from all three courses on small pieces of paper and arranged them in an order that made overall sense in one coherent outline. Consequently, on any given day, time was not equally divided among each of three "courses" but was devoted to the next logical topic whether it related to one, two, or all three of the courses. For example, an entire four-hour session was spent on small group communication, which related primarily to a communication course competency but which was needed to facilitate classroom activities for the program as a whole. Another session was spent on understanding causal thinking, a common course competency for both English and reading. Effort was made throughout the semester to identify and discuss complementary and parallel themes across the three courses.

The CLOUT framework that emerged during the semester was in the form of a Venn diagram because we wanted to represent the overlaps we saw across the three courses. Figure 6 shows that early in the semester, key concepts of language were presented that related to all three courses. By mid-semester, we focused on overlaps which involved two of the courses at a time. Essay interpretation was an overlap between reading and English, public speech writing was emphasized in both communication and English, and small group theory represented an overlap in communication and reading (because of group discussions of reading materials).

Toward the end of the semester, we entered a phase of CLOUT represented by the non-overlapping arms of the Venn diagram. We emphasized skills more particularly associated with each separate course -- evaluating essays in the reading course, writing of argumentative and comparative essays in English, and formal speech presentation in communication. The three course components of CLOUT might have pulled apart at this point were it not for a service learning project which served as a unifying force. The service learning project was related to the CLOUT theme--the power that derives from having strong communication skills. The goal of our service project was to convince children at a local middle school to stay in school to develop their language skills. Our students worked in groups of four to six members to design activities for the children. Students identified a social issue that emerged from their experience and pursued this issue through a number of reading, writing, and speaking assignments as shown in Table 7.

The Venn diagram in Figure 6 helped us to understand an interesting pattern we observed in student learning. Students performed in the outer areas of the diagram (essay critiquing and writing and speech presentation) about as well as students from traditional classes. They excelled, however, in the usually troublesome areas of essay interpretation, small group practice, and public speech writing. The above average sophistication shown in these skills probably resulted because they represent overlaps between two courses. Extra time and effort was, therefore, spent on these skills, and they were reinforced from several perspectives. By constructing Venn diagrams such as the one we used in CLOUT, instructors can proactively build LCs which provide overlaps in those skills which are most vital to their programs and their students.