Title: Learning Through The School Library: Evidence-Based Practice: 21 Strategies
1Learning Through The School Library
Evidence-Based Practice 21 Strategies
- Dr Ross J Todd
- Director of Research
- Center for International Scholarship in School
Libraries - Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
- rtodd_at_scils.rutgers.edu
- cissl.scils.rutgers.edu
- scils.rutgers.edu/rtodd
2Evidence-BasedPractice (EBP)What is it?
3I am a school librarian at x. We are confronting
a serious situation. Because of the financial
crisis in our community, our school board is
addressing a proposed substantial budget cut.
One of the proposed strategies is to drastically
reduce the number of school librarians in the
area claiming that school libraries can be
effectively run by aides to ensure services are
provided and the library remains open. This is
despite the fact that I have hundreds of students
in the library each day, and teach in the
classroom regularly. I have voiced my objection,
but I am told that such reductions will not
impact on student learning in any way.
4Evidence Based Practice
- If your local newspaper asked you We want to do
a story on your school library and how it really
helps students learn. - If your school board was trying to make a budget
decision and asked "how your school library
impact students? - If your principal asked "what is the current
research on school libraries and their impacts on
state standards?" -
- What would you answer?
5Evidence-based Practice
- Evolving concept in many professions and new
paradigm for professional practice - 1990s Medicine and Health Care - to teach
medical students how to independently find,
appraise and apply the best evidence, and to
apply it to solving clinical problems
6Two key dimensions of EBP in current usage
- Conscientious, explicit and judicious use of
current best research findings in making
decisions about the performance of the day-to-day
role - Where day-to-day professional work is directed
towards demonstrating the tangible impacts and
outcomes of sound decision making and
implementation of organizational goals and
objectives. - Local actions, local processes, and local,
immediate outcomes
7 Evidence-Based Practice
- Gathering evidence in YOUR local school
- You are able to provide convincing evidence that
answers these questions - What differences do my school library and its
learning initiatives make to - student learning outcomes?
- What are the differences, the tangible learning
outcomes and learning benefits of my school
library?
8Traditional Approaches to EvidenceEmphasis On
Information
- Number of classes in the library
- Number of library items borrowed
- Number of students using the library at lunch
times - Number of items purchased annually
- Number of web searches
- Number of books lost
- Students suffering from PFS and LHC
- And who can do this?
9Learning-Centered Approach to EvidenceEmphasis
on Knowledge
- Understanding how school libraries help kids
learn Learning outcomes in terms of - Information processes
- Information technology
- Reading
- Knowledge outcomes mastery of content
- Independent learning
- Attitudes and values of information, learning
- Self concept and personal agency
- And who can do this?
10EBP School Library Context
- Identifying indicators and outcomes of learning
- Systematically locating evidence
- Analyzing and organizing evidence
- Summarizing evidence
- Presenting evidence
- Celebrating achievements
- Reflecting on evidence to reshape practice
11Value of EBP Australia Study 2003
- Visibility of school librarian in learning
outcomes - Meaningful time with teachers
- Clearer sense of learning outcomes by taking an
evidence approach feel you are succeeding by
being able to state specific outcomes - More effective judgments about student progress
- Clearer feedback to students and to school
community on outcomes - Covered more curriculum content in less time
- Pooling of expertise
- Stronger emphasis on creative and authentic
learning - Focus to instructional planning
- Teachers as advocates
- Job satisfaction
12EBP Issues and Concerns
- Accountability Threat to professional authority
and autonomy immunity from accountability calls - I have to be a researcher intellectual skills
required to undertake evidence-based practice are
information literacy competencies - Our goal is lifelong learning, so how can we
identify outcomes? Providing learners with
explicit feedback on how they are learning in
their formative years is fundamental to effective
teaching and learning - EBP detracts from the job! What then is your
job? - Time I do not have time to do this.
- Professional Development we need examples,
models, templates
13Evidence of Instructional Intervention and
Library Program
Intellectual Agency Deep knowledge Deep understanding Problematic knowledge Higher order thinking Meta-language Substantive communication Personal Agency Self Confidence Willingness to take risks Trying new ideas and practices Independence Autonomy
Social and Cultural Agency Respect for different values, cultural knowledges, viewpoints Team building, collaboration, negotiation, decision making Knowledge integration from bits and bytes to conceptual coherence and integration Connect with current and future lives Social and ethical values Social and Cultural Agency Respect for different values, cultural knowledges, viewpoints Team building, collaboration, negotiation, decision making Knowledge integration from bits and bytes to conceptual coherence and integration Connect with current and future lives Social and ethical values
14EBP IN ACTION
151. Action Research
- Problem identification related to curriculum
standard - Mutual commitment to improvement
- Plan for investigation of problem
- Implement actions / strategies to improve
- Effects of actions observed and recorded EBP
- Reflect on outcomes
- Ongoing cycle of planning, action, evaluation
162. Mapping Knowledge
- Map knowledge at beginning, midpoint and end of
instructional unit - What differences do you see?
- How do students describe the differences?
- Mapping can be in the form of prose, concept
maps, diagrams
17INTELLECTUAL QUALITY NJ RESEARCH 2005
- Higher order thinking movement from description
to explanation and reflection - Deep knowledge Evident in the nature of the
sources students accessed, and the changing
search patterns from generalist background
information to specialist, detailed, information
sources - increased specificity of topic focus
- Deep understanding evident in extent of recall
and in the types of causal and predictive
relationships portrayed - Substantive conversation Valuing of dialogue
between teacher, librarian and students fluency
in written statements - Knowledge as problematic In some cases,
students identified dealing with dealing with
factual conflict or conflicting viewpoints and
formulating their own (choice of topic) also
evident in constructing arguments that show a
basis for the claims they were making - Meta-language Use of language specific to the
topic domain not just provision of terms, but
clarity of understanding these terms - Increasing complexity of the language used to
describe their knowledge, and the ordering of
this knowledge into conceptually coherent units
183. Analysis of student bibliographies
- Diversity of choice
- Depth of knowledge
- Accuracy of citation
- Relevance to task
- Use of multiple formats
194. Checklists
- Students school librarians provide checklist or
ratings of perceived levels of skills and / or
knowledge acquisition - Use before and after instructional intervention
so that comparisons of differences, changes in
levels of knowledge and skills can be documented - Focus on identifying changes
205. Rubric Strategies
- Students performance in final products are
scaled according to a set of criteria that
clearly define what is the range of acceptable to
unacceptable performances and/or information
products look like. - Compare with previous assignments where no
instructional intervention took place - Provide summaries to show students performance
- Kathy Schrock Rubric Website http//school.discov
ery.com/schrockguide/index.html
216. Formal feedback strategies
- Examples
- simple feedback survey every term on what the
library does best and least to help students
with their school work - Feedback at end of instructional unit what
helped and did not help - Feedback on quality of resources
- Feedback on what students could do better
- ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
227. Reflection sheets / self assessments
- At end of lesson / unit, students reflect on
- Knowledge gained
- Skills gained
- Things I need to work on
- Things I can apply to other research tasks
- Things that have helped me work better at home
- ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
238. Comment Cards / Advice Cards
- Advice to give to other students
- Build a kids guide to doing good research,
using statements from the students, and put this
on your library web site, or create a funky guide
for giving out to students - ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
249. Conferencing Strategies
- Group / individual review activities, students
reflect on their work, on their constructive
process and skills, and on benefits. - Ask just a few questions, summarize responses
(positive and negative) share responses back to
students report at faculty meetings - ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
2510. Journaling Strategies /Search Log
- Writing entries in journal that focus on the
research process as well as on the outcomes of
their research - Search strategies used
- Search terms
- Sources used
- Feelings and attitudes
- Next task
- ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
2611. Portfolio Strategies
- Students construct a cumulative process of
samples of their work collected over a period of
time, matched to curriculum goals and information
literacy requirements, as well as work progress
reports, products, and self-assessments. - Can be electronic available for whole school to
peruse - ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
2712. Library Surveys
- (not of library use, but of library learning) of
how students have helped them learn - Eg. Using part / all of Ohio Study to gather
perceptions - ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS REPORTING
2813. Analysis of standardized test score data
- matches between scores and high-use library
groups - Matches between scores and reading enrichment
programs - Improvement in critical thinking interventions
2914. Photo voice
- Video Recording of learning process (for showing
at staff meeting) - Get students to use digital images, examples of
searches and products created to construct a
website of the unit being studied
3015. Exhibitions
- Exhibitions, displays of products plus student
self assessments of learning - Put up the story of learning, as well as the
products of new learning - Let the voices of students tell the story
3116. Motivation Board
- Motivation Board (staff room and library)
- Library Learner of the Month
- Teacher Collaborator of the Month
32Example of Motivation Board
- I have learned many things about the research
process after completing this project. The
tracking sheets showed me that organization is
important when researching. It helped me manage
the time and showed me just how indepth my
knowledge became. Another good thing was that
there was always help available from the teachers
and librarians - This was a very exhausting process, but none the
less, it was all worth it. I finally learned
how to write a proper paper, not only for
research, but any paper in general. I got to
spend quality time with my teacher and librarian.
The three things I enjoyed in writing and
research are reading the books, making an
outline, and LEARNING. I definitely learned a
lot both about my interesting topic, and the
research to make it happen.
3317. Teacher-Related Strategies
- Number of collaborations
- Instructional focus (information learning) of
collaborations - Subject / grade levels
- Teacher observations
- Teacher summary of outcomes
- Teacher summary of benefits
3418. Library Reports
- Focus on Collaborations AND Learning Outcomes
- Summaries of Instructional units, highlighting
instructional interventions and links to
curriculum standards - Summaries of learning outcomes
- Distribute to principal, library website, board
members - Include direct evidence tallies, quotes
- Send to multiple recipients Principal, School
Board, include in parent newsletters
3519. Mission Statements and Policy Documents
- School Library Policy and Mission Statements
Shift in focus from School Library to Student
Learning Outcomes - Test criteria
- Celebrate the Understood, not the Found
- Does your mission and policy statements do
this?
3620 Getting the Word Out
- Summary of projects in School Newsletter to
parents - Staff, Curriculum and parent meeting learning
outcomes focus - Profiling teachers (indirectly profiling library)
- Photo and commentary of teaching units on school
web, including student feedback of process and
learning outcomes - Teachers speaking at school librarian meetings
- Student morning tea to discuss learning outcomes
with teachers - Community newspaper stories
- Focus on national and state themes eg No Child
Left Behind Legislation
3721 Your Actions?
38It is hard to set in motion what is still, or to
stop what is in motion
Cobham Brewer 18101897 Dictionary of Phrase and
Fable