Communicating Evidence of Student Learning
Ross, T. J. (2007). Evidence-Based Practice and School Libraries: From Advocacy to Action. In School Reform and the School Library Media Specialist (pp. 57-78). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.
“Central to evidence-based education is the acknowledgement that empirical evidence does not stand alone, outside of the context of practice. Rather, it is melded with professional wisdom…acquire(d) through experience and through view derived from professional consensus (p.61).”
Chapter four of Evidence-Based Practice and School Libraries: From Advocacy to Action focuses on how to, as a school librarian, improve student outcomes. The chapter suggests that it is important to focus on data and best practices to improve the quality of instruction in the media center and throughout the school. In addition, the article overlaps the idea that we must work from experience and knowledge of the population that we serve. Finally, the article ties in the idea of the importance of self-reflection with the focus of measurable outcomes.
A point of interest on page 65 was Todd’s finding that, “professional books are regarded as highly important sources of research for informing practice, they are read far less than informal sources such as listserv conversations and professional and trade magazines.” Many librarians felt that time was the key in prohibiting them from spending time reading this information. As a teacher, I face the time crunch as well. Knowing the importance of this research and that my time will still be limited when I become a school librarian; I will need to combine time management with attainable goals for reading.
Todd moves to the idea of communicating key research and how integration of research has been implemented to improve student learning to stakeholders on page 66. He presents the idea that many librarians struggle with this aspect of their job. I believe that a huge part of the struggle is that as librarians we have an innate love of learning. Therefore, we want to read everything and do everything. Yet, it is more important to try to implement the research than to read everything ever written. Thinking about reading one major piece of research per year and then implementing it and measuring it on a three year cycle might take a lot of overwhelming pressure off the librarian while allowing them to improve their program and communicate the information about their program to the stakeholders.
Critics of this idea will say that implementing one major research based strategy will slow down pace at which librarians can effect change. I argue that allowing librarians to trying research backed strategies on a slower schedule will allow them to delve deeper into the strategy and spend time reflecting on their work in order to perfect their work.
In addition, on page 67 Todd calls for librarians to make the evidence of student learning outcomes the focused result of the work of the librarian. By doing this we will be contributing to our school’s AYP. Moreover, we will increase our job security, as we become an essential part of our students’ achievement.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Week 8 Reading #1
Communicating Evidence of Student Learning
Stripling, B. K.(2007). Teach for Understanding. In School Reform and the School Library Media Specialist (pp. 37-55). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.
“Educators can only teach for understanding by creating learning experiences that require the development of essential knowledge, the use of cognitive and metacognitive skills, and the application and transfer of knowledge” (p.38).
Creating understanding of the deeper meaning of texts in order to understand the author’s purpose or theme is a truly difficult task. As I read the opening antidote on page 37 of this article I felt as if the author was writing about the exact situations I have faced in my classroom. Time after time, I have been fooled into thinking that my students understand a text on a deeper level only to find out that they were unable to derive a deeper meaning of the texts we read and discussed at length. In order to activate the part of the brain that connects with texts on a deeper level, it is essential to allow students time to engage in metacognition.
The article goes on to outline the process of creating understanding. Moving from accessing background knowledge all the way through accessing habits of the mind. Quite frankly, inquiry based learning and building “habits of the mind” is my particular passion. As I read through this article I was totally “geeked” about the fact that I had used the information presented in to help a group of particularly difficult students to access meaning and gain an understanding of how to understanding texts.
In order to help my students gain understanding, I have allowed them to move though all of these phases and in the past in the past my students have found success. One particular year was quite different. The particular group of students has a large number of students performing lower than expected in our school district and, possibly as a result, had serious behavior issues. In order to help empower these students to understand their role as learners, I had to focus on the Habits of the Mind.
When I asked the class what they had to do to understand texts, I was amazed to hear all the right answers. They completely knew how to reread, create connections, create a movie in their heads when reading, etc. They knew all the right answers and seemingly knew how to understand text. Yet, they seemed completely incapable of doing this on their own. This information left me perplexed. How could students who articulate comprehension skills in such depth, be unable to perform? Familiar, with the Habits of the Mind text from my days at Oakland University I started to think about the empathy and metacognition pieces. I quickly came to realize that I needed my students to engage by spending actual time thinking about the text on a meaningful level. I had to change my tactic of falling back on comprehension only when students were lacking understanding.
With a new tactic in mind I went into school with my college homework in hand. I placed articles with annotations on the ELMO and shared with them the somewhat snarky inner dialogue I have with the text while I read. The students were shocked to see that as an adult I still annotated texts. Even though we had practiced annotations in school they began to realize that I wasn’t just making them do pointless extra work. That very Friday day during reading time students started to grab sticky notes, write down what they were thinking and place them in their novels. One student mentioned that doing so was making it a lot easier and faster when it came to the written comprehension piece tied to his reading. As a teacher, I saw that the writing was way more introspective then in the past.
The next tactic was to change the comprehension questions. Instead of a question like: What was Langston Hughes trying to teach Rodger in “Thank You, M'am”? I had to change the questions to metacognitive ones like: If you were Rodger, how would you feel if a stranger dragged you to her house? How do you think Rodger felt when he was treated with dignity? Can you think of an adult who treats you with respect? If so, explain what it feels like to garner that kind of attention from adults. If not, what does it feel like to not have a strong connection to an adult?
These questions helped the students empathize with Rodger but beyond gaining empathy for the character they started to gain an understanding about how to think about characters. On page 43 of the chapter Teaching for Understanding Stripling writes, “…the best way to prepare ourselves to teach for understating is to design instruction and develop teaching methodologies that facilitate inquiry.” By changing the questions to empathy based questions student apathy started to wane. Students who were generally considered underperforming started fiercely defending Rodger. Moreover, they were asking more questions and making inferences based on the text about Rodger’s upbringing as well as the life and upbringing of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
By the time we got to the step of demonstrating understanding the assessment basically wrote itself. The final test question was choose one of the following: Write a letter to Rodger or Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones explaining how you feel about the actions they took in the story Thank You Ma’am. Be sure to share your feeling about at least three specific actions from the text. Or.
Create a journal entry from the viewpoint of Rodger or Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones that explains what they was going through his or her mind on the day they met. Make sure to write about at least three particular actions he or she took and why he or she decided upon these actions.
The final result was spectacular: heartfelt letters to Rodger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones from kids who were just a few days before completely uninterested in putting forth thinking about texts. The other positive result I witnessed was students doing what they knew to do but prior to this activity weren’t doing. They were going back to reread, quoting texts and placing sticky note on the text.
My job moving forward is to bring this type of in depth analytical thinking to all students on a deeper level when I move to the media center. On page 51 Stripling writes, “…the complexities of building understanding cannot be overcome by individual teachers acting alone.” I believe providing teachers the opportunity to delve deeper into inquiry will allow me to become a greater asset to the staff and students of my school. As I use my experiences to help teachers develop inquiry-based lesson, I will truly be able to share my love of learning with all of our school’s students.
Stripling, B. K.(2007). Teach for Understanding. In School Reform and the School Library Media Specialist (pp. 37-55). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.
“Educators can only teach for understanding by creating learning experiences that require the development of essential knowledge, the use of cognitive and metacognitive skills, and the application and transfer of knowledge” (p.38).
Creating understanding of the deeper meaning of texts in order to understand the author’s purpose or theme is a truly difficult task. As I read the opening antidote on page 37 of this article I felt as if the author was writing about the exact situations I have faced in my classroom. Time after time, I have been fooled into thinking that my students understand a text on a deeper level only to find out that they were unable to derive a deeper meaning of the texts we read and discussed at length. In order to activate the part of the brain that connects with texts on a deeper level, it is essential to allow students time to engage in metacognition.
The article goes on to outline the process of creating understanding. Moving from accessing background knowledge all the way through accessing habits of the mind. Quite frankly, inquiry based learning and building “habits of the mind” is my particular passion. As I read through this article I was totally “geeked” about the fact that I had used the information presented in to help a group of particularly difficult students to access meaning and gain an understanding of how to understanding texts.
In order to help my students gain understanding, I have allowed them to move though all of these phases and in the past in the past my students have found success. One particular year was quite different. The particular group of students has a large number of students performing lower than expected in our school district and, possibly as a result, had serious behavior issues. In order to help empower these students to understand their role as learners, I had to focus on the Habits of the Mind.
When I asked the class what they had to do to understand texts, I was amazed to hear all the right answers. They completely knew how to reread, create connections, create a movie in their heads when reading, etc. They knew all the right answers and seemingly knew how to understand text. Yet, they seemed completely incapable of doing this on their own. This information left me perplexed. How could students who articulate comprehension skills in such depth, be unable to perform? Familiar, with the Habits of the Mind text from my days at Oakland University I started to think about the empathy and metacognition pieces. I quickly came to realize that I needed my students to engage by spending actual time thinking about the text on a meaningful level. I had to change my tactic of falling back on comprehension only when students were lacking understanding.
With a new tactic in mind I went into school with my college homework in hand. I placed articles with annotations on the ELMO and shared with them the somewhat snarky inner dialogue I have with the text while I read. The students were shocked to see that as an adult I still annotated texts. Even though we had practiced annotations in school they began to realize that I wasn’t just making them do pointless extra work. That very Friday day during reading time students started to grab sticky notes, write down what they were thinking and place them in their novels. One student mentioned that doing so was making it a lot easier and faster when it came to the written comprehension piece tied to his reading. As a teacher, I saw that the writing was way more introspective then in the past.
The next tactic was to change the comprehension questions. Instead of a question like: What was Langston Hughes trying to teach Rodger in “Thank You, M'am”? I had to change the questions to metacognitive ones like: If you were Rodger, how would you feel if a stranger dragged you to her house? How do you think Rodger felt when he was treated with dignity? Can you think of an adult who treats you with respect? If so, explain what it feels like to garner that kind of attention from adults. If not, what does it feel like to not have a strong connection to an adult?
These questions helped the students empathize with Rodger but beyond gaining empathy for the character they started to gain an understanding about how to think about characters. On page 43 of the chapter Teaching for Understanding Stripling writes, “…the best way to prepare ourselves to teach for understating is to design instruction and develop teaching methodologies that facilitate inquiry.” By changing the questions to empathy based questions student apathy started to wane. Students who were generally considered underperforming started fiercely defending Rodger. Moreover, they were asking more questions and making inferences based on the text about Rodger’s upbringing as well as the life and upbringing of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
By the time we got to the step of demonstrating understanding the assessment basically wrote itself. The final test question was choose one of the following: Write a letter to Rodger or Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones explaining how you feel about the actions they took in the story Thank You Ma’am. Be sure to share your feeling about at least three specific actions from the text. Or.
Create a journal entry from the viewpoint of Rodger or Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones that explains what they was going through his or her mind on the day they met. Make sure to write about at least three particular actions he or she took and why he or she decided upon these actions.
The final result was spectacular: heartfelt letters to Rodger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones from kids who were just a few days before completely uninterested in putting forth thinking about texts. The other positive result I witnessed was students doing what they knew to do but prior to this activity weren’t doing. They were going back to reread, quoting texts and placing sticky note on the text.
My job moving forward is to bring this type of in depth analytical thinking to all students on a deeper level when I move to the media center. On page 51 Stripling writes, “…the complexities of building understanding cannot be overcome by individual teachers acting alone.” I believe providing teachers the opportunity to delve deeper into inquiry will allow me to become a greater asset to the staff and students of my school. As I use my experiences to help teachers develop inquiry-based lesson, I will truly be able to share my love of learning with all of our school’s students.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Week 7--Bonus
Assessment Principles and Practice in the School Library
Hosp, J. L., and S. P. Ardoin. "Assessment for Instructional Planning." Assessment for Effective Intervention 33.2 (2008): 69-77. Sage Journals Online. Hammill Institute on Disabilities, Mar. 2008. Web. 22 Feb. 2011..
“The skills that are assessed are teachable. A skill is teachable when it is possible to design instruction that will increase a student’s performance of that skill. For example, it is possible to teach a student to read more quickly or with expression. It is not possible to teach a student to be taller” (p.71).
This sentence captured the essence of why I want to become a media specialist. There are so many skills that media specialists can teach students that will give them skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. These skills are very measurable and unlock information to any interest they have.
Imparting library skills on students is easy to create activities for, easy to scaffold and can be remediated as needed. When looking at the three reasons students perform poorly on page 72, my brain continuously fired away thinking of ways to motivate students and instill perquisite skills necessary to do the work. For example, a library scavenger hunt may be very exciting for an elementary school student but would probably get a big eye roll from an 8th grader. By midway through 7th grade students are motivated by learning tricks that help them streamline research projects. As students move to high school they may need more involved library skills, which is a great way to show them the benefits of tools such as interlibrary loan and worldcat.org. At each level instilling these skills will build the necessary scaffolding for the student to master the next level of skill.
The other exciting aspect of teaching library skills is that students are allowed to show their mastery through doing rather than taking a test or writing an essay (although there are times when writing an essay about using the library might be a great assessment). Library skills also lend themselves to the development of interventions because a library is a place where each search is new. The librarian can always assist the student in modifying his or her search or to expose the student to ways to connect information.
As I continually assess where I am going as a teacher, I become excited when think of the ways I can help students increase their knowledge. Although it is still a goal far in the future, I am always picturing ways to make the library usable for students. As an adult the constant assessment of how I am doing will allow me to better assess what my students are learning.
Hosp, J. L., and S. P. Ardoin. "Assessment for Instructional Planning." Assessment for Effective Intervention 33.2 (2008): 69-77. Sage Journals Online. Hammill Institute on Disabilities, Mar. 2008. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
“The skills that are assessed are teachable. A skill is teachable when it is possible to design instruction that will increase a student’s performance of that skill. For example, it is possible to teach a student to read more quickly or with expression. It is not possible to teach a student to be taller” (p.71).
This sentence captured the essence of why I want to become a media specialist. There are so many skills that media specialists can teach students that will give them skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. These skills are very measurable and unlock information to any interest they have.
Imparting library skills on students is easy to create activities for, easy to scaffold and can be remediated as needed. When looking at the three reasons students perform poorly on page 72, my brain continuously fired away thinking of ways to motivate students and instill perquisite skills necessary to do the work. For example, a library scavenger hunt may be very exciting for an elementary school student but would probably get a big eye roll from an 8th grader. By midway through 7th grade students are motivated by learning tricks that help them streamline research projects. As students move to high school they may need more involved library skills, which is a great way to show them the benefits of tools such as interlibrary loan and worldcat.org. At each level instilling these skills will build the necessary scaffolding for the student to master the next level of skill.
The other exciting aspect of teaching library skills is that students are allowed to show their mastery through doing rather than taking a test or writing an essay (although there are times when writing an essay about using the library might be a great assessment). Library skills also lend themselves to the development of interventions because a library is a place where each search is new. The librarian can always assist the student in modifying his or her search or to expose the student to ways to connect information.
As I continually assess where I am going as a teacher, I become excited when think of the ways I can help students increase their knowledge. Although it is still a goal far in the future, I am always picturing ways to make the library usable for students. As an adult the constant assessment of how I am doing will allow me to better assess what my students are learning.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Week 6
Guided Inquiry & Inquiry Learning Models BONUS!
Reading #2
Curriculum Mapping: Infusing 21st Century Standards and Academic Standards
Everett, J. A. (2003). Curriculum mapping and collection mapping: Otherwise known as “the camel with two humps”. In B. K. Stripling & S. Hughes-Hassell (Eds.), Curriculum connections through the library (pp. 119-137). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.
“Curriculum mapping and collection development go hand in hand” (p.119).
In her article, “Curriculum Mapping and Collection Mapping: Otherwise Known as “The Camel with Two Humps”, Everett breaks mapping down into two distinct categories. First, the mapping itself and second collection mapping for collection development. As Everett takes curriculum mapping to the final level of collection development, it becomes clear that the media specialist is an essential player in what happens to all learners in every classroom of the school.
A fundamental reason why curriculum maps are so important is because they help take curriculum to the level of the “21st century” by allowing for easy integration and collaboration. Moreover they change the role of the media specialist as Everett states, “curriculum mapping played an enormous role in changing my job description from that of a storyteller and book circulator to that of an educator who must be extremely knowledgeable in what is being taught on every level.” Although she does not blatantly say that curriculum mapping is potentially our best way to save our jobs it is an implicit theme with in the article.
As she shares the second category, collection development, it is clear that Everett understands the collection development is both difficult, time consuming and tedious. However a collection of outstanding materials is a powerful tool to generate teacher buy-in and to enhancing the curriculum for the students. From her own experience, it is possible to create a path for our school’s collection development based on the school’s curriculum maps.
Once a solid collection is built she moves on to create unit boxes. This is an awesome and highly useful tool that saves teachers time and helps them understand the breadth of the collection in their own media center. By providing boxes of unit enhancement tools the media specialist gets to have another opportunity to interact with the teachers, allowing the media specialist to continue her collection development and better understand the teachers’ needs.
Everett’s story is important for two reasons. First, she is able to show us how to build the map and that the hours of work is worth the trouble. Second, she shows us how the map is a fundamental way to build an outstanding collection. By explaining these two benefits, it is clear that curriculum maps can potentially be the saving grace to our profession.
Week 6
Curriculum Mapping: Infusing 21st Century Standards and Academic Standards
Vlasis, C. C. (2003). Librarian morphs into curriculum developer. In B. K. Stripling & S. Hughes-Hassell (Eds.), Curriculum connections through the library (pp. 107-117). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.
“The map does not show those specific daily activities or lesson plans. Most importantly, the map does not show the personality of the teacher delivering the lessons or the strategies he or she uses to inspire learning” (p.111).
When I reached the above quote I felt a lot more “buy in” to the idea of curriculum mapping. Until I read this particular chapter, I was rather skeptical about the idea of curriculum mapping. In my first year of teaching, I taught at a charter school. A huge push by the company running the school was to have all teachers on the same page, (down to the exact question/teaching point) at the same time. This literally resulted in the principal observing classes with an air-horn in her hand and pressing the button when the teacher fell behind in her lessons! Aside from being very disruptive the idea of all students being on the same page at the same time is bad for students since they are discouraged from asking questions and the teacher is discouraged from supplementing learning when students need clarification. The idea of keeping pace was more important to the principal (who had a MBA rather than a teaching background) than students’ mastery of a skill. When I first started reading about curriculum maps I feared the maps were pacing guides, now I see they are extremely different.
As a 6th and 7th grade teacher, I teach both levels persuasive writing. The 6th graders are responsible for writing a shorter piece than the 7th graders. The foundation work for teaching the writing piece takes me longer than in 7th grade because 7th graders are more cognitively developed than 6th graders and because the 7th graders received foundation work in the prior year . What is important to my district is that I cover this topic sometime within the third quarter. This flexibility allows me to adjust my lesson plans allowing me to lead each group at the pace they need in order to reach the greatest level of success. Without this flexibility curriculum maps would not have the same impact on the learning and teaching. Currently, we do not use curriculum maps in my district. If I had the ability to view a curriculum map I would be able to easily tie the persuasive piece to what my students are doing in another class. Currently, they are writing persuading their parents or our administration to make a change to a policy that effects them. If I was able to view a curriculum map where I discovered, for example, that in social studies students were learning the policies which involve human rights in China, I would be more likely to make a curricular tie to social studies with this assignment. The result would be enhanced learning in both curricular areas.
The second point in this chapter where I felt much greater buy-in to the concept of curriculum mapping was when Vlasis states, “A curriculum map is a tool for communicating, planning and improving the curriculum.” The idea of having a communicative tool that allows teachers to know what is going on in all classrooms across the buildings in a true middle school model. As a middle school teacher, I often feel that this information is not easily accessible to me. Not knowing what is going on in other classes is a huge detriment to the students. As a language arts teacher I have the most flexibility in my curriculum and have the ability to house books that allow the students to explore the subjects they are learning in all classes in different ways. Allowing media specialists to access this information is even more powerful because of her potential to obtain the needed materials and help teachers understand the cross curricular ties. Her ability to pay acute attention to the information the students are learning school-wide will allow her to impact all students in the school.
A final stroke of confidence for curriculum mapping is that there is an easy to follow format for the process of creating maps. Although the process is tedious, it is not difficult and there is no reinvention involved. In other words, maps grow organically to match the school district, state and national standards. Each step is described on pages 113-114 and beginning steps are laid out on pages 115-116. Even more encouraging is the fact that there is software available to create maps. This is important because it allows all teachers to access the maps both to build on the information that has already been entered into the map and to access the maps via their computers.
Between the personal research I have done on curriculum maps and what I read in this chapter, I see their inherent strengths. When I am ready to move into a media specialist position, I hope that the district I work in uses curriculum mapping so that I will be able to coordinate efforts between the school’s teachers for the success of the students.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Week 5
Guided Inquiry & Inquiry Learning Models BONUS!
Todd, R. J., Kuhlthau, C. C., & Heinstrou, J. E. (2005). School library impact measure (SLIM): a toolkit and handbook for tracking and assessing student learning outcomes of guided inquiry through the school library [draft]. [New Jersey]: CISSL.
“This guidance and support helps student learn to think though topic content rather than simply trying to find the right answer or repackage specific facts.” (Todd et. al. p.9)
This handbook caught my attention because my classmate and I are currently working on a guided-inquiry unit. The School Library Impact Measure (SLIM) explains the important effect that inquiry based learning has on students and explains step-by-step each piece of the guided-inquiry process. In addition, there is a checklist for how to implement guided inquiry in the library (p. 14) and detailed suggestions of how to implement such learning.
The quotation, “This guidance and support helps student learn to think though topic content rather than simply trying to find the right answer or repackage specific facts,” (Todd et. al. p.9) got me thinking about the boarder meaning of inquiry learning. Although it seems obvious that guided inquiry is engaging and mind expanding, I believe it has a larger implication on learning. In my experience guided inquiry is a necessary exploration in school because it lays the foundation for a student to become a life-long learner. When students are discovering information on what they want to know, finding new pathways to discover information and engaging in meaningful meta-cognition about the experience the have power over their learning. The process inspires learners to take control, change directions and expand their knowledge on topics they want to know about and topics they discover along the way. Allowing for an inquiry experience to occur is therefore the ultimate cure for apathy.
Yet it is difficult; consequently many teachers chose a more focused research approach. As I read through the SLIM, the steps made sense. The work up front by the teacher seemed intense, yet as the possible guided-inquiry projects start to move the students take charge allowing the teacher to be a guide rather than the ultimate giver of information. So what do teachers have to do before they can even attempt guided-inquiry? They must let go of the any notion that they must be in control of the learning. That is not to say that classroom management and guidance goes out the window but it is to say that the student’s interest has to be the guiding factor.
Earlier this year, my students were reading a variety of novels for their literature circles, they were charged with researching any cultural aspect of the novel they were reading. May students were reading Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. Even though foot binding was rarely mentioned in this book many students wanted to research the topic. As the teacher, I was hoping they would research China’s one child policy. Yet, I allowed them to delve where they wanted with the topic. Eventually, the students had come to an a deep understanding of the torture some girls face(d) because of cultural norms. By letting go of my beliefs about what the students should research and allowing them to chose their own path they were able to become experts in foot binding and gain empathy for the girls who went through the process. Because I didn’t dictate what they had to look up, I had kids begging to go the media center, reading and researching after the bell rang. Moreover they were excited to share what they learned by creating multi-media presentations for their classmates.
Between my personal experiences and what I read in this article I am more steadfast than ever to my belief of the importance of inquiry-based learning. As a middle school teacher the biggest battle I face is fighting apathy. If students become inspired through inquiry based-learning, and they do, then it is worth all of the effort on the teacher’s part.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Week 4
Collaboration Theory into Practice
Farwell, S. (1998). Successful Models for Collaborative Planning. Knowledge Quest, 26(2), January/February, 24-30.
“To encourage team planning among grade-level teachers and to provide a substantial time block for planning between the library media specialist and teachers, the principal offered to provide substitutes using funds from the school’s budget (25)”.
I found the above quotation from, “Successful Models for Collaborative Planning” shocking, particularly the part that read: “school district’s budget”. Naturally, I assumed that the monies for substitute teachers needed for this project would come from the grant. Then, I read the date of the particular publication and realized that in 1998 the economy was still booming. We were told not to ask for substitutes a few years ago and collaboration and project work time was severely cut. Current conditions got me thinking about the ways in which it will be possible for successful collaboration to occur in our current economic conditions. The only way to overcome this obstacle is to be flexible and strive to work in a way that offers the best education possible for students when collaboration time is not allotted in the budget.
As I read on in the article, I examined the levels of learning constantly thinking of the way each level can be achieved on today’s budget. Level one is easily achievable, however, totally impractical. Students cannot learn research skills out of context. Isolated research skills are totally uninteresting and inappropriate for K-8 students. Level two seems like more of a support level rather than a collaborative model that encourages true communication with the media specialist. Level three begins to shows a true collaborative effort with very little time for planning and discussion. At this level, however, the media specialist is allowed to work within the realm of the lesson plan and no additional funding is needed to further this level of collaboration. At level four is a more pure form of collaboration where both media specialist and the teacher shape the lesson together. Level four, however, requires time and discretionary budget that many schools no longer have.
As I read about the schools featured in this article, I continually wondered if this type of collaboration is possible in Michigan’s public schools today. In the conclusion of the article Farewell writes, “the most promising formula for successful information literacy instruction is a combination of energetic, knowledgeable…media specialist…a principal who understands change, how to manage both staff and budgets, and the advantages and needs of intergraded resource-based instructional program; and a system for providing regular planning time during the school day” (p.30). I believe that there are a plethora of media specialist that fit this description and that principals understand the need for solid collaboration. Yet, I fear that with ever-shrinking school budgets in Michigan these programs will not be implemented to serve the needs of our students at the level that true collaboration allows teachers and media specialist to achieve.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Week 4
Collaboration Theory into Practice
Abilock, D. (Ed.). (2002). Ten Attributes of Collaborative Leaders. Knowledge Quest, 21(2), November/December, 8-10.
“You will be able to involve teachers in information literacy when you learn to inspire them with a vision of what students might achieve when teachers and librarians collaborate.” (Abilock, 2002, p.8)
Collaboration is more than working together to generate great lesson plans; it is becoming a team. This article illuminated ten ways to collaborate as a team in order to increase access to knowledge to all students. Abilock points out that there are specific behaviors that librarians should engage in to ease the pressure on teachers and to improve curriculum.
There are several ideas that resonated with me in this article particularly because I currently work in a highly effective collaborative team. The article called out the way my colleague and I function and gave what we do a particular heading and a summary of how the collaboration occurs. The twist however was that the article was written for librarians which will help me as I move from the role of classroom teacher to that of librarian.
The first point that stands out in this article is in point tip number two, “live what you value each day” (p.8) Abilock presents the idea that students will do as they see the adults in their lives do. I have found this to be true. This week as I sat with students to set semester two goals, I showed them annotation on my assignments for grad school. Then I noticed that some of them who had reading comprehension goals were grabbing sticky-notes to make their own annotations. A librarian that reads a lot is able to recommend texts will propel students not just towards the material but also into a love of finding the materials. A second adult in the classroom expands the opportunity for students to see role models who love learning and learn the techniques the adults use to engage in learning.
Next the article goes on to remind us to listen, use “we” and mediated language, seek understanding of the problem and as a partner gently promote improvement. As the school librarian, I will have the advantage of working with all of the teachers in the school. Therefore, I will be able expand my knowledge of teaching techniques. As the partner in the library, I will then be able to help students of diverse backgrounds and needs when the classroom teacher needs to focus on whole class instruction or has difficulty working with an exceptionally difficult student.
Finally, the article ends with a reminder to value the gift of collaboration. She stresses the importance of, “celebrating moments of genuine victory” (p.10). Beyond the celebration the connection to a coworker is essential for teachers to feel good about what they are doing and a preventative measure against teacher burnout and is the spark of inspiration for continual improvement.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
21st Century Learners BONUS!
Kumasi, K. (2010, November 02). Cultural Inquiry: A Framework for Engaging Youth of Color in the Library | The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
“Critics of the mainstream colorblind approach to teaching and learning argue that it simply masks the fact that whiteness is the primary cultural frame of reference from which most learning begins… As a result, students of color often find themselves lost, disengaged, or having to reinsert their cultural background into the learning situation in order to connect with the material and create personal meaning.” This statement really got me thinking about my experience working in a highly diverse school system. Our school strives to represent all ethnic backgrounds by giving students choice as they work in book clubs. The result, though, is a lot of books about Asian-Americans, new immigrants (mostly from Asia), Jewish and few books about Africans and Caribbean Islanders. I hadn’t really thought about this before but we have inadvertently removed a very large population of students, both black and white Christian students. The statements made me examine the curriculum which I currently work with and wonder if we need to take a critical look at the titles in our collection to be more inclusive so that the books we offer in the classroom more closely represent the population in the classroom. It is my belief that students build a love for reading when they are exposed to books that have characters that they can relate to.
The book club framing and questions addressed in this article are on point and are important to keep in mind when running a book club. The question in my mind then becomes which books should be offered both in the school curriculum and as extra curricular activities to best reach African-American teens? Do books need to feature characters that are supposed to be lead the reader to know that the character is African-American in order to move the book club forward? How do adults guide students of all races to books that feature characters from a variety of backgrounds?
Currently, the books in the curriculum at my school that have African or Caribbean characters are The Cay and The Captive neither title reflects today’s African-American experience. Where then do we go as educators to bring a balance into the curriculum and spark a love for reading to the point where they want to join a book club?
Please use the comment section to express your option, share experiences or give title suggestions.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Role of the Library Media Specialist reading #2
Callison, D. and Preddy, L. (2006). Foundations of the Library Media Specialist’s Role. The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy (pp. 135-150). Westport , Conn
In Mr. Callison’s chapter he points to several important factors that schools and librarians should be cognizant of in order to run a successful program. First, he focuses on the media specialist’s self-perception. Next, he goes on to define the instructional role of media specialists as well as the role that communication and collaboration play in the field. Finally, he closes with some best practice information and tips for success.
Callison begins by asserting that media specialist often perceives their role as a support role rather than as a teacher. This statement should be untrue, at least in Michigan
He sends a reminder that positive attitude along with high ability will create instructional actions for student achievement. This is an obvious statement but is also a reminder that economic conditions give administrators the notion that money can be saved by making cuts to the media center. Cuts to the media center, however, effect all students in the school in a negative way and do not support adequate yearly progress. Obviously, the media specialist must keep a positive attitude but moreover he or she must continue his or her education so that the school sees him or her as the biggest asset in the media center.
As Callison defines the role of the media specialist he states that, “the library media professional would conduct in-service media training for teacher and develop learning programs that would assist all individuals in access to and use of materials found in the school’s collection” (138). His concept is extremely logical, yet, not always implemented when school districts separate media professionals from technology staff. When a district draws this distinction, they are making an illogical choice. A media specialist has the teaching credentials that it takes to conduct trainings; an IT person does not. It is therefore logical to employ the media specialist’s talents.
Next, the chapter goes onto explain the definitions of instructional roles that the media specialist needs to take on. On page 140 he shares a list from Kay Vandregrift, professor at Rutgers . This list is very comprehensive but quite idealistic. If the media specialist participates in all of the stated activities when will the media center be open? It seems like the answer to that question is: not enough. The collaboration piece, however, is dead on. Media professionals should have an innate love of investigation. There is no better way to learn about a variety of topic and see a variety of teaching styles than to collaborate will as many teachers as possible.
Finally, he closes with some important information about how to have a successful career. To summarize his points, he emphasizes that media specialists should communicate with the principal allowing him or her to understand why collaboration is so important. In other words, the media specialist should be a self-advocate. In addition, Callison makes it clear that media specialist should continue to seek information and strategies to engage learners be it the students, teachers or the administration.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Week 2: The Role of the School Librarian
Oberg, D. (September 30, 2009). Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture. Library Trends, 58, 1, 9-25.
As I read though week one’s assigned readings, annotating and highlighting along the way, I noticed that my annotations started to burn up the margins during a particular reading. “Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture,” by Dianne Oberg was the article that I found the most compelling and had me responding out loud to her assertions. Therefore I have decided to blog my thoughts relating to this article.
On page 11 of her article Oberg states, “research has shown that an integrated school library program, appropriately resourced and staffed, can contribute improved student achievement.” Schools around the country are facing cuts, Michigan being hit very hard by this latest economic downturn has “extras” cut from schools across the state. What concerns me is, in many districts, school see the media center staff as an, “extra”. As our district started to eliminate jobs, one full-time middle school media specialist was not replaced after retirement. This leaves our school’s media specialist to drive between the district’s two media centers to run programming and keep the center open while the paraprofessional has her scheduled breaks. It seems apparent then that the well-staffed portion of the statement cannot reasonably be fulfilled and should be cause for concern for teachers and the principal. Moreover, it would be a huge asset for the government to invest in school media centers as an essential part of school funding rather than only allowing media centers to obtain their budget though the general fund.
Oberg’s opinion differs from mine as she asserts that the “conservatism of the teaching profession is what attracts individuals to the profession” (12). I take issue with this statement and her reasoning. She states, “factors tend to attract individuals who found their own schooling a rewarding experience and who are not likely to see the need for changes in the schools or to invest the time and energy needed to make any major change in schools.” In my opinion, this statement follows faulty logic. My colleagues and I strive to give quality experiences to our students that are more organized and student centered than schooling was for us. We use new teaching models and are not afraid to drastically change lesson plans when we think we can do something better, we get bored of doing things the same way or our kids need a different approach. Perhaps my retort is only antidotal well Oberg’s assertion is too broad.
In addition, a person who found their own school experience rewarding may have experienced a lot of teachers who used best practices to make the experience pleasant. It should then follow that individuals who were the most immersed in classes where teachers used best practices and innovate strategies, have the broadest knowledge of how to combine those practices to make school more rewarding for the next generation of learners.
In her next statement on page 12, Oberg highlights an interesting problem in teaching. In summary, she states that teachers are given full responsibilities and then not given time for proper mentorship or collaboration. In some school districts this is a very harsh reality. I believe that it makes it difficult for districts to retain newer teachers and for seasoned teachers to expand and create the change they need to create to keep up with the culture of the school.
Near the end, Oberg gives us some hope when she sites the work by Hay et. al. stating that, “the teacher-librarian improved the quality of teaching and learning through in-serving staff, through cooperative planning and teaching, and through collection development” (18). In my experience, this is the truth. When our school’s media specialist collaborates with me on a project, the students create work that is of higher quality then when I teach them alone. When she teaches the students I learn from her and am able to improve my lesson plans. By including her in my planning she is better able to develop her collection as she works with the kids, getting to know the ever changing culture of our school. As the next group of media specialists enters the field, a strong desire to collaborate will improve schools, teaching and learning.
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