The Life Skills Guidebook (Guidebook) and Guidebook Supplements are designed to help create
life skills teaching curriculum and individual case plans for youth. They are
used with the Ansell-Casey Life Skill Assessment (ACLSA) and Assessment
Supplements. The domains covered in the Guidebook and Guidebook Supplements
match the domains of the ACLSA and Assessment Supplements.
The
Guidebook, Guidebook Supplements, ACLSA, and ACLSA Supplements address one
important aspect of living on one's own - life skills. The ACLSA is used to assess life skills. The Guidebook is
used to teach life skills. It is very
important the learner give input at each step and has final say whenever
possible.
Learning Goals and Expectations provide the framework for life skills
instruction. They help with knowing, understanding, and applying life skills.
The Learning Goals represent overall goals for instruction. Expectations
describe what the person should be able to do after instruction takes place.
Increases in ACLSA scores before and after instruction show the amount of
learning for individuals and groups. The steps for using the Guidebook follow.
Step 1: Assessment
Completing the appropriate ACLSA level or Assessment Supplement is usually the
first step in this process.
Once completed, an immediate score report "pops-up" on the screen and the
report is also emailed to an e-mail address the user specifies.
The individual report provides summary scores by domains and the responses on
each item.
Domain scores indicate areas of strength
and opportunities for improvement.
After talking about assessment results, we recommend the learner, caregiver,
and/or life skill instructor together have a conversation about:
oThe strengths identified in the assessment,
oThe identified areas of challenge,
oThe goals which the learner wants/is willing to pursue,
oIdentifying Mastery Standards that indicate consistent
application of selected skills (see Guidebook, Chapter 4, Mastery Standards).
Then, work with the Guidebook or Guidebook Supplement to choose domains on
which to work and set goals.
Step
2: Developing Life Skills Learning Plans
There are two plan options in the
online Guidebook. One is designing a plan for teaching life skills in a group
format. The other is for individual instruction, case plans, or self-instruction.
You are given a choice online of which plan you want to use.
Whether you are working with an
individual or group format, learner involvement is critical. When interacting
with computers, the one with the keyboard and mouse has the power. We suggest
that you GIVE THE LEARNER, OR GROUP, THE MOUSE! Let the learner develop the plan. We found that groups are very able
to design their own group Learning Plans once they know how to use the web
page. In addition, they become much more motivated to achieve their goals!
Step 2: Click on the Guidebook Supplement you want to use from the list on the
left side of the screen.
Step 3: Select and click on the domain(s) of interest.
Step 4: Review the list of Learning Goals and Activities. Click on the boxes
next to the desired goals and/or activities you want to select based on the
needs and wants of the participants in your group, combined ACLSA results, and
how much time you have in each session or for Individual Plans, based on ACLSA individual results and learner wants and needs.
Step 5: Click on the yellow button "Add to the Learning Plan."
Step 6: To remove Learning Goals or
Activities, go back to the web page where you made that selection and uncheck
the box.
Step 7: When finished selecting your Learning Goals and Activities, click on
the "Preview/Print Learning Plan" button on the bottom left part of
the screen. This will produce a "new" web page.
Step 8: On the "new" web page, click either
Group Life Skills Learning Plan or Individual
Life Skills Learning Plan. The Plan will immediately appear and can be
printed or saved to your computer.
Repeat steps 2 thru 6 for each domain as desired. All chosen Learning Goals (and accompanying
Expectations) and/or Activities appear in the Learning Plan.
SAVING AND EDITING YOUR
PLAN (Microsoft Word, Works, and
WordPerfect)
·To
View Plan:
Click"Preview/Print Learning Plan" button on the bottom left side of
the screen.
·To
copy: Use your mouse to highlight all the
information in the Plan. Go under the file menu and choose "copy." The
information will be copied on your computer clipboard and you can now
"paste" it into a new document on your computer. To paste, go under
the file menu and choose "paste." You may need to format to make it look like
the online Learning Plan. Save the document with your word processing software.
·To
print your Plan, either click on the
"printer" icon at the top of the screen or go under the file menu and choose
"print." There is no cost for printing the Individual Learning Plan.
·To save the Plan without copying and pasting, go to the File menu at
the top of the screen and choose "File Save As," then save the file as an html
file.
·To open the Saved html File, right click on the file and click open
with your word processor software.
·When finished, save the File in the format of your word processor
software.
PLEASE NOTE: When
you leave the caseylifeskills.org Web site, the Plans are permanently deleted,
so either "copy and paste" or "save as" to keep the files on your computer.
Summary:
How to Use the Guidebook Supplements in Case Plans and Contracts with Youth
·Life skills
instruction is an intentional process, driven by individual case plans and
contract agreements developed with the learner.
·The Guidebook
helps formulate goals and tasks/action steps with Learning Goals, Expectations
and Activities.
·Learning
Goals can be copied in a case plan or contract agreement (e.g., Learner knows
and understands the importance of healthy leisure time activities).
·Expectations
(indicators) are the tasks/action steps to achieve the goal (e.g., describe the
difference between healthy and unhealthy leisure time activities).
·Resources/Activities
become the "What" or intervention strategies to achieve the goal.
·Learners
control their learning by providing input or selecting Learning Goals and Activities.
·Evaluation
of level of achievement is based on accomplishment of Expectations, increases
in ACLSA scores and for consistent application, Mastery Standards.
