Transcript Document 7124873

School Libraries and Productive
Pedagogy: Moving Beyond
Information Literacy
Ross J. Todd
School of Communication,
Information and Library Studies
Rutgers, the State University of
New Jersey
4 Huntington Street
NEW BRUNSWICK NJ 08901
[email protected]
www.cissl.scils.rutgers.edu
www.scils.rutgers.edu/~rtodd
Courage to Think Outside the Box
“Preparing our students today for tomorrow's
unknown world, being able to predict an uncertain
future, and moving into it with confidence, takes
courage and conviction. Indeed, the best way to
predict the future is to work towards creating it, and
creating it begins today, not tomorrow. This means
that although we respect and are informed by our
past, we also have the courage and determination to
think and act divergently”
(Todd, in “Effective libraries in international schools” (Markuson,
1999), 1999, 9)
POSITION VACANT
Visioneema Valley School
Information-Learning Specialist
Primary Responsibilities:
Through VVS’ library as a dynamic agent
of learning, to develop all students as clear
and effective thinkers and communicators,
self-directed and independent learners,
creative, reflective and practical problem
solvers, and informed citizens.
School Library Profile
Vision Valley K-12 Day School library is a physical
and digital learning-centered space that fosters
effective connection, interaction and utilization of
information for achieving stated learning outcomes
it provides space that is structured to accommodate
multiple learning styles and teaching styles
it provides space to facilitate multiple pathways to
information, instructional interventions and learning
outcomes: print and digital collections, storytelling,
formal learning-teaching, technological access
Required Qualifications
expertise in design of instructional interventions for
learning through information at class, group and
individual level
expertise in mutually negotiating, planning and
implementing instructional interventions as partnerleader with school administrators, teachers,
students and local community
expertise in mutually negotiating, planning and
implementing a whole-school library program which
articulates the integrated nature of information,
learning processes and knowledge outcomes
Required Qualifications
expertise in the provision of learning-oriented
professional development targeted to whole school
success with learning outcomes
experience as literacy specialist particularly in area
of reading comprehension and reading enrichment
experience in integrating information technology in
curricular areas
expertise in evidence-based practice and outcomesbased evaluation
information management and school library
administration
Are you read to
apply for the job?
11 Pathways to Obsolescence
Media: Plural of Medium. Invoking the distant
powers to rescue you from your plight; derived from
the Latin Mediocrum, meaning not quite up to
standard
Information: all the stuff that we like to keep tidy and
straight on the shelves
Lifelong learning: That vague state in some distant
future which enables me to stop worrying about
doing anything meaningful now to enable it to
happen
Collaboration: A guiltifying process of ensuring I
spend my days in cataloguing instead of
instructional intervention
11 Pathways to Obsolescence
Research paper: a neat, grammatically correct
written piece usually enclosed in a plastic sleeve or
folder
Reading motivation: encouraging kids to read what
they want as long as long as it suits the selection
policy and the moral high ground of the school
librarian
Project: A preconceived notion of what students will
do, how long it will take and what credit it is worth
without regard for assessing process or gaining
formative feedback
Information skills: Week 1, day 1 – Time to tell them
about Dewey, again and again, year after year
11 Pathways to Obsolescence
Advocacy: a process of administrator bashing to
ensure that the librarian assumes a position of
authority outside library land
Weeding: a diversionary tactic of focusing on the
unnecessary; talking about weeding the collection in
stead of weeding the profession
Information Literacy: Yes, I do IL, I do Dewey!
Information literacy is not about Information or
sources, it is about the learner
THE SCHOOL LIBRARY IN THE
INFORMATION AGE SCHOOL
INFORMATION
PLACE
Collections
Technology
Access
Staffing
Locating and finding
information
Information Literacy
THESE ARE IMPORTANT
KNOWLEDGE
SPACE
Building knowledge
through engagement with
information
Information scaffolds for
learning
Learning outcomes
Making a difference
THESE ARE LIBRARY GOALS
Information Literacy: its
dilemmas

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
Goal of the library, platform / bandwagon for
school librarians
Deficiency Model rather than an
Empowerment Model
Who cares: perceived to be an add-on, not
linked to curriculum outcomes and knowledge
outcomes
Is Information literacy the end? Or is it a
means to an end?
Infoliteracy babble
THE
INTERCONNECTIVITY
OF LEARNING
Learning is about making and
maintaining connections
Linking information to
knowledge
Linking mind and
environment
Linking self and
others
Linking deliberation
and action
Linking actions and
outcomes
Promoting an
empowerment model
towards knowledge
construction, rather
than a deficiency
notion – ie students
are somehow deficient
because they do not
have information skills.
Gathering evidence on
which to base
knowledge initiatives
and decisions.
Learning in the Information Age
School
an active search for meaning and understanding by the
learner
learners constructing deep knowledge and deep
understanding rather than passively receiving it
learners directly involved and engaged in the discovery
of new knowledge
learners encountering alternative perspectives and
conflicting ideas so that they are able to transform prior
knowledge and experience into deep understandings
learners transferring new knowledge and skills to new
circumstances
learners taking ownership and responsibility for their
ongoing learning
learners contributing to social well being, the growth of
democracy, and the development of a knowledgeable
society.
Constructivist Approach to Learning
1.
Students learn by being actively engaged and reflecting
on that experience. (Dewey).
2.
Students learn by building on what they already know.
(Ausubel)
3.
Students develop higher order thinking through guidance
at critical points in the learning process. (Vygotsky)
4.
Students’ development occurs in a sequence of stages.
(Piaget)
5.
Students have different ways of learning. (Gardener)
6.
Students learn through social interaction with others.
(Vygotsky)
FROM
INFORMATION TO
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge,
as the
transforming
effects of the
school librarians’
interventions,
is the reason for
school libraries.
In an Information Age School
Library, the challenge is to …
“celebrate the
understood, not the
found”
Moving Beyond Information
Literacy
Productive Pedagogy
Guided Inquiry
Partner-Leaders
Librarian as information learning
specialist
Productive Pedagogy?
The dimensions of Productive Pedagogy
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
INTELLECTUAL QUALITY
Knowledge is deep when focus is sustained on key concepts and
ideas
Students are able to demonstrate meaningful understanding of the
central ideas and the relationships between them
Students are encouraged to address multiple perspectives and/or
solutions and to recognise that knowledge is often conflicting and
problematic
Students are engaged in thinking that requires them to organise,
reorganise, apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate knowledge and
information (higher-order thinking)
students learn to use complex terms relevant to their subject (metalanguage)
Students regularly engage in substantive conversations about the
concepts and ideas – can manifest in oral, written, artistic forms
QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Learning environment provides high levels of
support for learning:
Explicit quality criteria
Engagement
High expectations
Social support
Self regulation
Student direction
Why does it matter?
SIGNIFICANCE
Students need to see why and understand
that their learning matters and has real world
connections
Is their learning with the school librarian
connected to real units and meaningful
literacy support?
SIGNIFICANCE
•
•
•
•
•
•
Background knowledge
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Inclusivity
Connectedness
Narrative
Guided Inquiry
Guided inquiry is carefully planned, closely
supervised targeted intervention of an instructional
team of school librarians and teachers to guide
students through curriculum based inquiry units that
gradually lead towards deep knowledge and deep
understanding, and independent learning.
The guided inquiry approach is grounded in a
constuctivist approach to learning for developing
students’ competence with learning form a variety of
sources while enhancing their understanding of the
content areas of the curriculum.
THE INFORMATION SEARCH PROCESS:
FRAMEWORK FOR GUIDED INQUIRY
Tasks
Initiation
Selection Exploration Formulation Collection Presentation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→
Feelings uncertainly
(affective)
Thoughts
(cognitive)
Actions
(physical)
optimism confusion
frustration
doubt
clarity
sense of
satisfaction or
direction/ disappointment
confidence
vague-------------------------------------→focused
-----------------------------------------------→
increased interest
seeking relevant information----------------------------→seeking pertinent information
exploring
documenting
INFORMATION SEARCH PROCESS: C. Kuhlthau
Characteristics of Guided Inquiry
guided inquiry learning is initiated though compelling situations, and
questions which meaningfully engage students in wanting to know,
and which provide challenge and opportunity
instructional activities put emphasis on meaningful, authentic
activities that help the learner develop skills relevant to problem
solving and to construct understandings
students are more motivated to engage in their inquiry when they
are able to exercise some choice over the specific questions they
want to answer and how to present their new understandings
an attempt is made to connect with students’ background knowledge
Characteristics of Guided Inquiry
instructional activities involve the students in thinking, acting, and
reflecting, discovering and linking ideas, making connections,
developing and transforming prior knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values - higher order thinking and critical analysis occurs throughout
instructional activities enable students to develop deep knowledge,
deep understanding
Students see that inquiry learning is developmental, an iterative
process of advancing, consolidating, reinforcing, and involving
whole person; opportunities for students to provide their
understanding of concepts or ideas, and opportunities for sustained
dialogue between students, and between teachers / school librarian
and students
Characteristics of Guided Inquiry
learning activities closely resemble the ways that students will be
expected to use their knowledge and skills in the real world
focus on identifying and solving intellectual and/or real-world
problems
structured interventions are informed by the Information Search
Process enable students to have the information seeking and use
skills to engage in an active search for meaning and understanding
students know how to engage with diverse information sources to
build background knowledge, formulate a focus and collect pertinent
information – the focus is constructing mew knowledge, not just a
source orientation
students encounter deep knowledge and build deep understanding of
the curriculum content
students demonstrate a personal process of construction through the
products they create that show their new understandings
Characteristics of Guided Inquiry
students have opportunity to communicate and share their new
understandings
the inquiry learning environment is one where academic and personal
success and intellectual inquiry are valued and acknowledged, and
one where students feel connected, cared for and trusted
students are given feedback throughout their inquiry process that
advances and nourishes their learning and continues to motivate them
students are given opportunity to practice their new skills to sustain
and support their learning beyond the formal classroom and school
library experience
inquiry learning is responsive to students’ personal, social and
cultural worlds, valuing differences and cultivating an inclusive
community
Guided Inquiry and Productive
Pedagogy in Action:
Case Study
Gill St Bernards School
Gladstone NJ
SAMPLE
43 Grade 9 students at Gill St Bernards’ School,
Gladstone NJ (21 girls, 22 boys)
Semester long course: “Research Project”
School librarian / teacher collaboration (7 teachers)
Instructional Intervention: Understanding the
Information Search Process, information searching,
information analysis and note taking
2 phases of course: Instructional intervention
culminating in major oral presentation (7 weeks);
guided free-choice research paper (7 weeks) within
the theme: “Celebration in Culture”
DATA COLLECTION
1.
2.
3.
4.
Written protocol at three key stages in the
Information Search Process (Initiation,
Formulation, Presentation)
Structured search logs kept by each student
during the progress of assignment
Affective Domain (feelings) statement and Next
Task statement
Product analysis at completion of the assignment
PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF
KNOWLEDGE: Initiation
Initial representations were lists of unrelated concepts,
and generalities, language associations
Statements were primarily property (is a), manner
(describe how something happens)
Average number of statements 4 (range from 0-11)
Random representation: unstructured, no clear
sequence or organization; guess work “I think that…”, or
at best chronological / historical
Some indication of inaccuracy / misrepresentation
Acknowledge that students knew very little
Motivated to learn: personal experiences, personal
connections, intriguing facts about topic, curiosity,
teacher/librarian recommendation
PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE
Midpoint – Focus Formulation
Dramatic increase in number of statements; range from
6-34 statements; average number 17
Focus on Properties: describes characteristics; Manner:
describe processes, styles, actions; Reason:
explanations of how and why
Some evidence of organizational structure of ideas;
some attempt to develop conceptual grouping
Key mechanism: writing of abstract and its feedback
PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF
KNOWLEDGE: Conclusion
Clear and precise listing of properties, manner and increasing
use of set membership
Final representations also stronger on reasons, outcomes,
causality, implications, predictive, reflective (increased
complexity)
Average number of statements: 31 (range 8 – 63)
For 4 students, decrease in number of statements reflect
higher levels of synthesis: coalescing lists into categories
Higher levels of structural centrality and conceptual
coherence -ie. overall integrated and interlinked structure
Reflective, comparative, positional: personal ownership
INTELLECTUAL QUALITY
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
Evident in 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
Perceptions of Knowledge
Gained
Know “heaps” more
Know lots more, and surprised at breadth
and depth of knowledge
Know lots more, but still could learn more
Know lots, but dissatisfaction about not
knowing enough
The Emotional Rollercoaster
Very distinctive ebb and flow of emotions follows the
deadlines that were crafted by the faculty and librarians to
guide the students effectively through the research process.
Increase in optimism and confidence as they identify a
general topic and begin to investigate sources for relevant
information
Increase in negative emotions—often reported here as
stress, anxiety, and pressure—just as the deadlines for
bibliographies and, particularly, outlines approach
Submission: relief, confidence (because of level of
research done); acknowledge that it was “hard work” but
worthwhile
Enablers of Learning
Instructional intervention: 3 kinds of scaffolds valued by
students:
Reception Scaffolds: assist learners in garnering
information from the diverse sources; direct the learner's
attention to what is important, and to help them organize
and record what they perceive. (Perceive structure in
information)
Transformation Scaffolds: assist learners in transforming
the information they've received into some other form. This
involves imposing structure on information
Production Scaffolds: assist learners in actually producing
something observable that conveys the complexity and
richness of what they have learned.
Quality Learning Environment and
Social Support
Staged process of learning; clear benchmarks
Explicit quality criteria: feedback eg abstract (focus stage)
Engagement: personal choice: provide a will to know
High expectations (but also causes considerable stress)
Social support: community of scholars. Valuing role of teacher and
school librarian; instructional support – clear involvement of teacher
and librarian; teacher and librarian on the same page
Students’ self regulation: knowing steps of good research
Student direction: decisions about what next to do, identifying
problems, opportunity to discuss problems; Information scaffolds as a
regulatory and reflective device to determine immediate needs,
manage emotions.
Productive Pedagogy
“learned to follow a set plan and be organized”
“help me through papers in high school, college
and life in general”
“getting genuine information is hard and tedious
work”
“learned the basics of writing a more
professional research paper”
“research approach is more complicated but
creates a much better paper”
“my project is amazing. I have put a lot of hard
work into it”
The Students’ Guide to Good
Research
“you need sufficient sources; if you don’t, you’re
in trouble”
“important to stay on top of your work”
“budget your time better”
“keep better track of resources”
“Important to work ahead”
“always have a plan if something goes wrong,
and keep track of sources”
“cite every source so there is no plagiarism”
The Last Word
“I’ve just slipped out of the hands of a giant
research monster who wanted to eat me feet
first”
A time of bold action
“Are you in earnest?
Seize this very minute.
What you can do, or
dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power, and magic in it.
Only engage and then the
mind
grows
heated.
Begin and then the work
will be completed”
Goethe