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 STUDENTS LEARN !!!
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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
• School Librarian Action

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Your Actions?

• What actions have you taken in developing your
  library as an active agent of learning?
• 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 RI standards and state
  frameworks? And how do you know?

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Rhode Island State Standards for Information
Literacy

• 1.  Student will exhibit lifelong reading and
  lifelong learning skills.  
• 2. Students will demonstrate information-seeking
  strategies to identify, locate, access and
  retrieve information in all formats.  
• 3. Students will demonstrate an ability to
  synthesize and analyze information in all
  formats.  
• 4. Students will demonstrate an ability to
  organize and evaluate information in all formats.
   
• 5. Students will demonstrate an ability to
  communicate ideas and information through the use
  of various media.  
• 6. Students will communicate an understanding of
  responsible and ethical practices related to the
  use of ideas and information.

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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 Finlays Office)

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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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School Libraries as Active Agentsof Learning

• Learning to Read
• Transformational Role of
• the School Librarian
• Reading to Learn

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The Reality So Little Learning

• 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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Typical Research Scenario

• Teacher provides background to topic in classroom
• Textbook work is done
• Teacher asks class to do project in library /
  using internet, and provides question sheet or
  worksheet for information (fact) collection
• Students pick a dinosaur to research
• Librarian introduces students to a few resources
  and websites
• Students copy information from sources on to
  their paper
• Students report back to class or turn assignments
  in form grading
• WHO DO WE TYPICALLY BLAME FOR THIS?

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TRANSPORT OF TEXT
Presentation
Final version
Rewriting
Printout
Interaction
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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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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 through being undetected
• Erroneous notion that more facts deep knowledge
  and deep understanding
• Lack of confidence to manipulate information and
  to construct personal knowledge
• Stress and competition
• Poor time management and planning skills
• 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

• Not merely writing it in your own words
• 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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MEANINGFUL LEARNING

• SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ARE INFORMATION-
• LEARNING
• SPECIALISTS
• Design of Learning for the Information Age School

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Designing Learning in the School Library
Intellectual Quality Deep knowledge Deep understanding Problematic knowledge Higher order thinking Meta-language Substantive communication Quality Learning Environment Explicit quality criteria Engagement High Expectations Social Support Students self-regulation Student direction
Significance Background knowledge Cultural knowledge Knowledge integration Inclusivity Connectedness Narrative Significance Background knowledge Cultural knowledge Knowledge integration Inclusivity Connectedness Narrative
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Designing Learning in the School Library 6
Principles

1. Students learn by being actively engaged and
   reflecting on that experience
2. Students learn by building on what they already
   know
3. Students develop higher order thinking through
   guidance at critical points in the learning
   process
4. Students development occurs in a sequence of
   stages
5. Students have different ways of learning
6. 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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Transformation of TextAn Example Help
Organizations
The Information Base AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Creating the Text Transforming the text
History of Organization
Vision and Goals of Organization
Significant Achievements
Barriers
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Transformation of TextAn Example Help
Organizations
The Information Base AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Creating the Text Transforming the text
History of Organization
Vision and Goals of Organization research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights http//web.amnesty.org/pages/aboutai-index-eng Synthesizing sets of ideas into your own words Creating a bullet point summary
Significant Achievements
Barriers
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7 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

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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

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R V L CONNECT
Questions I have???
I didnt know that!
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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 gather data like an historian
• 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 (gather data from multiple
  sources, including text, people, field)
• 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
• Gather appropriate information and data
• 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 Providiences
  public transport system

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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.