Designing and Transforming Learning Through the School Library

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DesigningandTransformingLearningThrough
theSchool Library
School Libraries as Dynamic Agents of Learning

• Dr Ross J. Todd
• School of Communication, Information and Library
  Studies
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• 4 Huntington Street
• NEW BRUNSWICK NJ 08901
• rtodd_at_scils.rutgers.edu

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A Bleak Future

• Not enough resources
• Reduced budgets
• My role is not understood
• My role is not valued nor appreciated
• No one cares about information literacy
• Not able to do the job I want to do
• Perceived low status

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SCHOOL LIBRARIES HELP !!!
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Student Learning

• School libraries as powerful and engaging places
  in the lives of students do not happen by chance
  or force.
• Learning outcomes are achieved through deliberate
  actions and instructional interventions of school
  librarians
• INFORMATIONAL TRANSFORMATONAL FORMATIONAL

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Your Actions?

• What actions have you taken in the leading of
  learning in your school?
• What evidences have you accumulated about the
  learning role of your school library?
• In the last year, how has your school library
  contributed to meeting Ohio standards?

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Taking Risks

• "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling
  on his face and not Gary Cooper." --Gary Cooper
  on his decision not to take the leading role in
  "Gone With the Wind.
• "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is
  on the way out." --Decca Recording Co. rejecting
  the Beatles, 1962.
• "Heavier-than-air flying machines are
  impossible." --Lord Kelvin, president, Royal
  Society, 1895.
• "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous
  fiction". --Pierre Pachet, Prof. of Physiology
  at Toulouse, 1872

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• Risky Business The Leading Of Learning

From authority- or role- or person-centered
leadership to cultural- and learning-centered
leadership explicitly focuses on leading of
learning.
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School Librarians And TheLeading Of Learning

• Learning to Read
• Guided Inquiry Transformational
• Reading to Learn

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The Reality

• Many types of research assignments using library
  or web-based sources contribute little or nothing
  to learning
• Very little evidence of construction of new
  knowledge
• Rarely guided and sustained throughout the
  research project
• Rarely equip students with the range of
  information and technical competencies necessary
  to complete the task

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Transportation of Text

• Cutting and pasting plagiarism
• Amassing of facts without imposing any
  organizational or reflective structure
• No local or global coherence to the facts
• No interpretation of facts or development of
  positional stance
• Little evidence of internalization of facts

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Transformation of Text

• Collection of facts pertinent to specific focus
• Imposing of a personal organizational framework
  on facts to create thematic substructures
• Identifying interrelationships of themes
• Critically reflecting on themes to develop
  personal viewpoints, positions
• Demonstrating deep knowledge of curriculum
  standards

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Transportation of Text
I borrowed a book on sharks, picked out words
from the book, from the text. I jotted these down
in a little notebook as rough notes, then I
rewrote it and then I painted a front page and
then I put the whole thing into a booklet and the
job was done. (David)
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Why do students transport text rather than
transform text?

• It is rewarded copying and pasting by being
  undetected
• Erroneous notion that more facts deep knowledge
  and deep understanding
• Poor information handling skills particularly
  those involving analysis, manipulation and
  synthesis
• Stress and competition
• Poor time management and planning skills
• Lack of confidence to manipulate information
• Unwillingness to ask for help and when they do
  ask, told this is an independent project you
  have to work it out for yourself
• Low level of assignments no critical thinking
  required
• Assessment of product only
• Absence of clear assessment criteria that
  emphasize deep knowledge and deep understanding

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Transformation of Text Help Organizations
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Transformation of Text Help Organizations
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MEANINGFUL LEARNING

• What do I want students to produce?
• What do I expect students to be able to show me?

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MEANINGFUL LEARNING

• SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ARE INFORMATION-
• LEARNING
• SPECIALIST

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Designing Learning in the School Library
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Designing Learning in the School Library 6
Principles

• Students learn by being actively engaged and
  reflecting on that experience
• Students learn by building on what they already
  know
• Students develop higher order thinking through
  guidance at critical points in the learning
  process
• Students development occurs in a sequence of
  stages
• Students have different ways of learning
• Students learn through social interaction with
  others

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Designing Learning in the School Library Guided
Inquiry

• compelling situations and questions which engage
  and challenge students in wanting to know
• the task connects to real life contexts and
  enables students to solve intellectual and/or
  real-world problems
• students exercise some choice over the specific
  questions they want to answer and how to present
  their new knowledge
• Information literacy focus is constructing new
  knowledge
• Students involved in thinking, acting,
  reflecting, critical analysis, and creating new
  understanding
• students are given opportunity to practice their
  new skills
• students have multiple opportunities to dialogue
  and get feedback from teachers and school
  librarian about their learning
• students have opportunity to communicate and
  share their new understandings

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8 Models of Meaningful Research Assignments
Framing the Task

• Background to Question Model
• Advice to Action Model
• Compare and Contrast Model
• History and Mystery Model
• Take a Position Model
• The Recreate Model
• Reinventing a Better Way Model
• The I-Quest Model

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USEFUL RESOURCE

• Ban those Bird Units 15 Models for Teaching and
  Learning in Information-Rich and Technology Rich
  Environments
• David V. Loertscher, Carol Koechlin and Sandi
  Zwann. Salt Lake City. Hi Willow Research and
  Publishing, 2005.

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Background to Question Model

• Help learners build an engaging question when
  they seem to lack interest or need help to
  narrow a topic when struggling with generalities
• Topic or issue
• Explore, skim scan
• Develop concept map
• Make connections
• Build connections
• ? interest, engagement, ownership

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R V L CONNECT
I didnt know that!
Questions I have???
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Read View Listen Connect
?
?
I agree / disagree
I wonder .
?
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Advice to Action Model

• An engaging problem or issue needing expert
  advice
• Predict guesstimate possible advice from experts
  create hypothesis
• Build background knowledge of issue generalist
  sources
• Gather, sort, analyze expert advice (sources and
  people) / witnesses (detailed, specific
  authoritative sources)
• Test ideas with others (reflect, react
  feedback)
• Decide on course of action (propose solution)
• Eg How safe is drinking water in our community
  preventing controlling forest fires helping the
  homeless

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Compare and Contrast Model

• Identify purpose and items to be compared
• Brainstorm and select criteria for comparison
• Use quality information sources to gather data
• Sort data into meaningful categories
• Analyze results
• Draw conclusions
• Examples How dinosaurs are similar to and
  different from large animals that live on the
  earth today How had nature provided models for
  engineering and design

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History and Mystery Model

• Build a case for solving a history / mystery
  problem
• Study primary / secondary evidence to gather best
  evidence
• Compare evidence deal with conflicting
  information
• Check evidence accuracy and bias of sources
• Construct arguments and counter arguments

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History and Mystery Model

• Topics
• Causes of war, changes in government, natural
  catastrophes, advances in technology, influence
  of artists
• Examples
• What evidence can you find to prove that the
  ancient Mayans were a highly skilled
  civilization?
• The Titanic was billed as the most luxurious and
  safest ship on the sea. Was the claim that it
  was unsinkable justified?

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Take a Position Model

• Identify issues
• Investigate possible positions
• Analyze feasible positions
• Form an opinion
• Take a position
• Prepare an argument
• Present the position
• So what? Understand impact of position

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Take a Position Model

• Learn to take positions on sound ideas, rather
  than making snap judgments
• Learn how to understand ideas much different than
  own
• Develop critical analysis skills in face of
  propaganda
• Build empathy for all positions, even as you take
  a stand
• Topics political issues, controversial science
  problems, moral issues, community problems, eg.
  Stem cell research, ban on use of pesticides and
  herbicides
• Sample products position paper, persuasive
  speech, debate, panel discussion multi-faceted
  website

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The Re-Create Model

• Select event, issue, time period
• Explore event through pertinent research
• Research multiple aspects to ensure authenticity
• Use of primary sources
• Decoding of information from video, photographs
• Interpret, infer and predict
• Select format and construct
• Perform as drama, event, diary, newspaper,
  painting, story, newscast

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Reinventing a Better Way Model

• Select a system for study system analysis
• Investigate / research into current methods
• Compare / contrast current methods, establish
  strengths and weaknesses
• Reinvent
• Evaluate test, try, reflect, market
• Examples family surviving on 300 per month
  health care plans stinking swamp that council
  wants to pave over Improving Townsvilles public
  transport system

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The I-Quest Model B. Dodge

• Identify an emerging problem, scenario, or
  mission to be accomplished students are asked
  to understand, hypothesize or problem-solve an
  issue that confronts the real world
• Students assigned to role group to solve problem
• directly access individual experts, searchable
  databases, current reporting, and even fringe
  groups to gather their insights
• students take on roles within a cooperative
  group, they must develop expertise on a
  particular aspect or perspective of the topic
• Each team contributes knowledge to a solution
• Integration of team research into whole
• answer or solution the student teams develop can
  be posted, emailed or presented to real people
  for feedback and evaluation

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Think Outside the Box

• Never be afraid to try something new.
• Remember, amateurs built the Ark
• Professionals built the Titanic.
• (In Chris Findlays Office)

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A TIME OF BOLD ACTION Edna St Vincent Millay
1892-1950

• Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour
• Rains from the sky a meteoric shower
• Of facts, they lie unquestioned, uncombined.
• Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
• Is daily spun, but there exists no loom
• To weave it into fabric.