Looking at AssignmentsLooking at Assignments Looking at AssignmentsLooking at Assignments

Effective LessonsEffective Lessons

Effective ApplicationEffective Application

Integrating Integrating

Information Literacy into the Information Literacy into the CurriculumCurriculum

Effective LessonsEffective Lessons

Effective ApplicationEffective Application

Integrating Integrating

Information Literacy into the Information Literacy into the CurriculumCurriculum

What Do You See Happening?What Do You See Happening?What Do You See Happening?What Do You See Happening?

Are students involved in learning through social interaction with others?

Are students actively engaged and reflecting on their experience?

Are children learning by building on what they already know?

Are students developing higher-order thinking skills?

Are students confronted with authentic questions drawn from their own experience?

Are students involved in learning through a variety of experiences?

Does This Ring a Bell?Does This Ring a Bell?

Common practice for assignments• Background to material provided by teacher• Textbook work is done• A project in the media center is assigned with

worksheet asking FACT questions• “Bird” is selected to research• Students are introduced to a few resources

OR students hit the WWW• Students copy information from sources onto

their papers• Papers turned in for grade

Why is this “bird” unit a disaster?

• What are we really doing?

• What are we really expecting from students?

• What is the teacher expecting?

• What are the students doing?

They learned to cut and paste.They learned that finding information

means nothing much to them.They learned to provide a nice neat

colorful paper to impress the teacher. They might even use clip art to dress it

up and further impress the teacherWhy – they even learned to ……NO!

……YES

PlagiarizePlagiarize

1. What is the problem? Need to integrate the information

technology/information literacy into district curriculum/instructional program

Let’s Look at

Creating or Tweaking

RIGOROUS Lessons

Standards = Curriculum =Instruction =

Student Information Literacy and

Technology Integration Continuum

Definition/Introduction

• Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information - to become independent life-long learners"

Definition/Introduction

Technology Education focuses on incremental skills in using and applying technology tools for relevant, meaningful, instructional activities

Information Literacy’s focus is on content, communication, information searching, analysis and evaluation

Purpose of IntegrationPurpose of IntegrationPurpose of IntegrationPurpose of Integration How do you “teach” research? Why integrate? What does that involve?

Have a research protocol. Need common, consistent model

What does it look like? Modeled and taught – not assigned

What steps are included? Good research activities just don’t happen – time

planning, access Developmentally and progressing through complexity Questioning piece is the most important part – makes

or breaks Key person – the principal How will it impact on student learning?

What’s the Goal?What’s the Goal?

Increase Student Academic Achievement

Can the Teacher and Media Specialist Build a Better “BIRD” Unit?

Can the Teacher and Media Specialist Build a Better “BIRD” Unit?

ASSIGNMENT

Background

Locate Information

Worksheet

Cut and Clip

Report

Antique Classic “Bird” Unit

What Needs to Happen?

• Re-design the activity so learners must THINK ABOUT the information they collect

• Re-design so that learners MUST DO SOMETHING with the information they collect such as sense-making, performing, trying out, acting, building, etc.

• Address standards, content, information literacy, use of technology

• THINK…..What do you really want students to learn???

What Needs to Happen?• Content - Area of study• Standards - Which standards can I pull into this

assignment?• Curriculum - How will this be taught to meet

standards?• Information literacy - What skills do students

need from Grade Level Curriculum Overlay?• Use of technology - What resource(s) would

best support this assignment’s objectives?• Assessment - How will the teacher and student

know what and how much they have accomplished?

Which Questions Matter?

• Typical of those QUESTIONSQUESTIONS found in tough new state tests.

Select a great essential essential question or concepts and then make it the focus of

a Research ModuleResearch Module

Why?Why?

• Why do different birds have different types of nests?

How?How?

How can we change things for the better?

Which is Best?Which is Best?

Given the choices before us, which is most likely to do the

most good?

Which plan is best?

Which solution will work best?

The Fat Bird Unit – One Step Up

BACKGROUNDMAJOR

RESEARCH PROJECT

TONS OF INFORMATION

CUT AND CLIP A TON

LONG REPORT

LONG REPORT

LONGREPORT

A LOT ABOUT

A TOPIC

Give Us a “BIRD” Banquet

Give Us a “BIRD” Banquet

Essential Questions, Essential Questions, Concept QuestionsConcept Questions

Bird BanquetBird BanquetASSIGNMENT

LONG REPORT

LONG REPORT

LONG REPORT

POSE A NEW PROBLEM OR

QUESTION

STATE STANDARD

COMBINE REPORTS TO CREATE DEEP

UNDERSTANDING

COMPARATIVE CHART

COMBINED ANALYSIS

MAJOR CONCLUSION

ASSESSMENT OF CONTENT AND

PROCESS

WHAT WAS THE LEVEL

OF LEARNING?

ARE THE LEARNERS

MORE EFFICIENT

LEARNERS?

BETTER ASSIGNMENT!

BACKGROUNDWHAT IS THE

NEED?

ENGAGING PROBLEM OR

QUEST

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE BEST INFORMATION?

HOW CAN YOU USE THIS

INFORMATION?

WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED?

HOW CAN YOU FIND INFORMATION IN

THE RESOURCES?

HOW SHOULD IT BE

ORGANIZED?

HOW CAN IT BE

PRESENTED?

WHAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF

THE ASSIGNMENT?

WHAT WAS LEARNED?

CONTENTPROCESS

•What needs to be done?

•What can I use to find what I need?

•Where can I find what I need?

•What information can I use?

•How can I put my information together?

•How will I know if I did my job well?

It’s about Process

Making it Easier Making it Easier and More Effectiveand More Effective

• Collaborate and divide the work• Use the Information Literacy/Technology

Grade Level Curriculum Overlay• Use the Big6 to facilitate students

through problem solving• Integrate a variety of resources including

productivity software, selected web sites, and print materials

• Collaborate and divide the work• Use the Information Literacy/Technology

Grade Level Curriculum Overlay• Use the Big6 to facilitate students

through problem solving• Integrate a variety of resources including

productivity software, selected web sites, and print materials

Media Specialists and teachers collaborate and form partnerships to plan instruction and implement research activitiesBegin early with small projects

Provide information skill instruction at time of need

GuidelinesGuidelinesGuidelinesGuidelines

Have a planned attack and a plan

Media specialists and teachers evaluate projects together

Refine as needed

Make appropriate resources and activities a known factor

Focus on the learning standards and objectives

GuidelinesGuidelines

Program GoalsProgram GoalsProgram GoalsProgram Goals

What do we want students to be able to do?

Power LearnersPower LearnersPower LearnersPower Learners

• Help students learn how to learn - not just pass standardized tests

• Teaching more than just locating facts - helping students learn how to evaluate and use information for meaning

• Make assignments that require students to locate, evaluate analyze and synthesize

Ask good questionsAsk good questionsAsk good questionsAsk good questions

Why does your animal live in that region?

What if scientists wanted to remove one system from the human body. Which one should it be and why?

What disease deserves the most research dollars and why?

What would it take to move a country from third world to first world?

ResearchResearch that Counts

ResearchResearch that Counts

• Slow things down for kids - Scaffold

• First day of research

Use only print. Ask students to do something with information they find.

What new questions do they have?

• Consider what is substance and glitz

• Take time and make many experts

Clear purpose and expectations (rubrics)

Effective Problem Solving Assignments

AssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessment• Prepare rubrics

• Self assessment by student

• Checklists along the way

• Look for quality

• Conference with students

• Customize to different types of learners

• Kids assessment of resource

• Reflection on process

• Showcase final products

Be Aware!Be Aware!Be Aware!Be Aware!

• Dynamic society - inconsistent delivery of instruction

• Must be a system-wide emphasis• Little “library skills” just don’t cut it -

not with sophistication of materials and skill need

• Teacher assigns and kids look for easy way out

Be Aware 2Be Aware 2Be Aware 2Be Aware 2

• Avoid activities that don’t promote deep processing

• Avoid too much structure, too little guidance, too few strategies

• Distinction between project-centered approach and inquiry-based approach lies in underlying motivation and objective

Remember?Remember?Remember?Remember?

"Knowing content" is not sufficient in itself --

Students must apply knowledge to:

¤ construct new understandings¤ solve problems¤  make decisions¤ develop products¤ communicate

What do students need to

know and be able to do?

Successful ProgramsSuccessful ProgramsSuccessful ProgramsSuccessful Programs

• Constructivist view of learning

• Scaffold learning

• Set benchmarks

• Team teaching/collaboration

• Library media center is essential component. Research says!

The three most important The three most important school-to-life critical skillsschool-to-life critical skills

ResearchResearch

Problem SolvingProblem Solving

CommunicationCommunication

The mission of the school library media program

is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information BY

• Providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats

• Providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas.

• Working with other educators to design and implement learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students

Thanks to David Loertscher for Coining the “Bird Unit”

Now go out and build rigorous bird units!