Essential Librarian Skill: Writing

Aubree Burkholder

ET

Griffin, M. (2016, September). Essential Librarian Skill: Writing » Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2016/09/essential-librarian-skill-writing/

Summary:
Informative article about writing being the basis for all forms of communication. This article outlines the many reasons why it is essential for all librarians to possess stellar writing skills.

http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2016/09/essential-librarian-skill-writing/

Evaluation/Opinion:

I enjoyed this article because I have always felt that strong writing skills are something that all librarians and educators should possess, and with the continuous advent of new technologies, I feel that many of these professionals may feel that this skill is of less importance than it used to be. I think it is wonderful that there are still professionals who feel that strong writing abilities are vital to performing their roles and serving the community. 

Doing the Impossible: Motivating Middle School Students

Esling, Kathleen

ET

Davis, A., & Forbes, L. (2016). Doing the impossible: Motivating middle school students. Voices from the Middle, 23(4).

This was an article from the Voices from the Middle publication. It talks about the dreaded task of trying to motivate a middle-schooler ... a task that is sometimes more difficult that it seems it should be! Rather than using incentives, the authors argue, teachers should instead rely on communication as a way for middle schoolers to tap into their own motivation. Organizing classrooms in such a way as to facilitate discussion in-class and keep kids face-to-face with one another is Davis and Forbes's preferred method of "tapping" into existing motivation.

I really enjoyed some of this article, but as an introvert, I did not see where introverted students would get the support that they need. Communication in a classroom is great, but constant groupwork and partner discussion is tiring. Having worked in open-offices, I know that it can get very exhausting very quickly if someone is an introvert. I actually felt a little bit validated in my experiences when I read Susan Cain's Quiet. (And yes, while introverts do need to learn how to "deal" with being socially exhausted, it sometimes begins to feel like the decks are stacked against us when every new office or school layout is open-air!) I wish that the authors had included an insight into that population in the classroom as pods and circles do not make every student feel most at-ease and ready to work in class.

Developing legal information literate law students: “That dog will hunt”

Gary Lui

Poydras, P. E. (2013). Developing legal information literate law students: “That dog will hunt”. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 32(3), 183-201. doi:10.1080/0270319X.2013.820999

Summary
The Poydras (2013) article discusses legal information literacy skills. Most legal research instructors are law librarians or law library staff. Legal research instructors must understand how law students learn in order to teach the skill of legal information literacy to law students. One strategy to teach legal information literacy is active learning. "Legal research classes are ideal for active learning instruction because, as a skills class, most legal research instruction involves interaction and problem solving through assignments" (Poydras, 193). Other strategies also mentioned in the article to teaching legal information literacy is learning style theory and collaborative/problem-based learning. Overall, when legal research instructors use one of the teaching strategies to teach legal information literacy to law students, these law students will become competent legal researchers.

Evaluation
The Poydras article defined what is legal information literacy according to several sources, but the author could have included what is information literacy as defined by librarians too. I think the teaching methods the article shares will be effective in allowing law librarians who teach legal research to help the law students to become legal information literate. The reason why I choose this article is because it does talk about information literacy in the legal profession, even though the article does not mention how law libraries or law librarians can specifically play a role in teaching legal information literacy. Most law librarians do teach the first-year legal research course, and the article does make suggestions to legal research instructors.

Good article on differentiation

Morgan, H. (2014). Maximizing student success with differentiated learning. Clearing House, 87(1), 34-38. doi:10.1080/00098655.2013.832130

Morgan examines the benefits of differentiation in the modern classroom. She starts with a hypothetical situation in which an unruly student and a frustrated teacher find a way to work together to differentiate the content of the class and make everybody happy.

Despite the saccharine nature of the theoretical situation, this article makes a strong case for differentiation, but makes the point that this is hard to achieve, given the amount of students for each teacher, so this may be a good niche for librarians to fill.

Trust: A "Radical" New Way to Create Better Students

Johnson, Meghan

ET

Schwartz, K. (2014). Why trust is a crucial ingredient in shaping independent learners. KQED. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/11/04/why-trust-is-a-crucial-ingredient-to-shaping-independent-learners/

Summary: This article by Katrina Schwartz discusses the need for trust in schools. Despite the fact that students are supposedly being prepared for the “real world” in high school, they have many restrictions placed on them ranging from the types of materials they can view to the tools they are allowed to use to approach problems. There needs to be trust between students, teachers, administrators, districts, and parents as well. While this is a scary prospect, Schwartz believes that this is ultimately the best way to create fully functioning and accountable students.

Evaluation: I found this article to be absolutely fascinating. I could see myself in the anti-trust kind of teacher described by Schwartz. It is indeed a terrifying prospect to look at entire student body and grant them a larger portion of responsibility for the success of their education. I believe Schwartz is correct, though, when she states that the likely benefits outweigh the potential negatives. She provided great details from a school called New Caanan High School where a system of trust in regards to cell phones and new technologies exists. These students seem to realize the benefits of maintaining this system of trust and honor it, which astounded me! As an academic librarian, though, I can see how this type of system is necessary. I constantly complain to my coworkers about how new undergraduates have no idea how to use certain tools (such as an online catalog) and don’t have any respect for the higher educational institution they get to study at. These are the students most systems are creating, though. Students who have it drilled into them that they cannot be trusted to know what they want to study and to determine which tools they need to use. I think Schwartz is right. Trust-based educational systems are the only way to create students that will succeed in higher education and in society.

Team Learning and Collaboration Between Online and Blended Learner Groups

Stefani Tovar

Lim, D. H., & Yoon, S. W. (2008). Team learning and collaboration between online and blended learner groups. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(3), 59.

This article examines online and blended learning models to determine which, if any, offers a more collaborative platform of instruction.

While its approach may vary, the study focuses on blended learning, which offers a combination of online, in-person meetings on a campus or other site (i.e. museum, park, etc), as well as opportunities for live instruction with professors. Highlights of the findings showed a significant difference between these two approaches. Among them were higher student performance and collaboration opportunities among the blended learners.  A possible cause of these findings were linked to the effectiveness of the professor and their ability to facilitate meaningful work.  Also the perception of social belonging was significant in both groups, favoring the blended learning approach.

I found this article of personal interest because of the nature of the MLIS program at SJSU.  I think that these findings are supported by my own experiences thus far in the program.  The engagement of the instructor, the motivation of the students and delivery of instruction fluctuate in quality from course to course, affecting the meaningful learning and collaborative opportunities available to students.  I don't believe the findings are startling, but they help support that regardless of the medium, teacher quality is a central theme.

Douthit, Chris

ET

Voyer, D. & Voyer, S. (2014, April 29). "Girls make high grades in all school subjects, analysis finds." Retrieved on 9 May 2014 from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/04/girls-grades.aspx.

Summary

According to the authors’ study of research collected from 30 and spanning from 1914 through 2011, female students do better than male students in all academic subjects, including science and math, which have traditionally been seen as the strong suit of males.  Statistically, boys score better on standardized tests in these subjects, but girls outperform in classes where steadiness and diligence take precedence.   These findings cast doubt on the idea of a current “boy’s crisis” because they seem to show that girls doing better than boys is the historical norm. The authors note that there could be various reasons for this, including parental involvement and gender differences in study habits.  

Evaluation

These findings are very important in recasting gender ideas in the academic environment.   First, it dispels the ugly rumor that female students are weaker in these fields.   Second, it dispels the idea that male students are somehow “weakening.”   Further analysis and discussion of these ideas could (should? will?) lead to more openness and empathy--basis decisions on individual’s strengths rather than gender stereotypes--and more cooperative work in which each individual’s strengths are used to help the whole.   However, as always, we need to be cautious of competition that can develop from general findings about academic scores.  Ideas such as this could influence the way student work is assessed as well.

Hackschooling Makes Me Happy

Hackschooling Makes Me Happy

Lisa Gatzen

ET-New Trends

ET-Restructuring,

ET-Learning Styles

ET-Differentiation

IL-Constructivism and IL

IL-Creative Thinking

IL-Critical Thinking

IL-Integrated or Separate

IL-Other Literacies

Hackschooling Makes Me Happy: Logan LaPlante at Tedx University of Nevada            

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11u3vtcpaY

Summary

What do you want to be when you grow up? Every child has been asked that question and they answer with the things they are interested in doctor, astronaut, dancer etc. But what about happy? Go to school, go to college, get a job, and get married; then you will be happy.  Schools don’t make it a priority to teach kids how to be happy and healthy, it is separate from school. But what if we based education on being happy and healthy? So much of education is oriented towards making a living not making a life. How do you change that? You hack your education. Hackers are innovative and challenge the system. So, what is hackschooling? It is creativity + technology and online resources + experimental classes and camps + happy and healthy.  How do you hack your education? You take opportunities to learn about things that interest you and then experience what you learn.

Opinion

The reason that I chose this Ted talk was because it really makes you think about the direction of education. I don’t think that Logan has all of the answers, but he is definitely on the right track. Students need more hands-on education and the need to experience what they learn. Let the students drive their education. This is a great video that can open up some very interesting conversations about education. 

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Linda Jenkins

ET

Robb, L. What is differential instruction? Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-differentiated-instruction.


Summary:

 

This article by Laura Robb is really an excerpt from her book, Differentiating Reading Instruction: How to Teach Reading to Meet the Needs of Each Student.  Although most of the article focuses on reading, the beginning of the article defines differentiated instruction which can be used for any subject.  Differentiated instruction requires the teacher to know each student well enough to be able to plan and provide instruction in a way that each child “has experiences and tasks that will improve learning.”  The teacher’s goal is to maximize learning in every student using various teaching methods to reach the goal. 

Ross also describes a few key principles which are the basis for differentiated instruction.  She states 1) teachers must have continuous assessments to identify the strong and weak areas of each student. 2) There is a wide range of “expertise and experience with reading, writing, thinking, problem solving, and speaking” amongst the students. 3) Students should collaborate in small groups which allows learning through discussion and observation. 4)  Instruction should be based on “issues and concepts rather than the book or chapter.” And 5) Students should have choices in their reading, writing, tasks and projects, since everyone has different skill levels and interests.

The article also gives an example of what Ross would do in a differentiated reading class along with her nine practices to be used with this type of teaching.

 

Evaluation / Opinion:

This article was very informative. I think it would be beneficial if all subjects were taught using differentiated instruction. Every student should be able to be taught in a way that would maximize their learning.

Fostering Students' Mindsets

Anusasananan, Chalida

ET

Schwartz, K. (2014, March 25). What’s Your Learning Disposition? How to Foster 

     Students’ Mindsets. Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/03/whats-your-learning-disposition-how-to-foster-students-mindsets/ utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

Schwartz expands on Dweck's idea of growth mindet, the idea that the brain is a muscle that can 
constantly be exercised to grow and improve; this idea goes against one that says we are born 
with fixed abilities.  Schwartz names some other ways to foster a growth mindset: belonging to an
 academic community, belief that success is possible, belief that work has meaning and belief 
that intelligence can grow with hard work and practice. 

This goes against the idea that humans are born with fixed abilities.  Dweck discusses that if you 
believe you can't achieve something, you won't be able to.This idea of a growth mindset needs to
be part of school culture.  

Teachers are instrumental in developing this culture.  
If students only have one opportunity to do something or if their grade is fixed, that is fostering a 
fixed mindset.  As educators, we need to show and cultivate a culture where failure is part of the 
learning process.  Failing is okay; you can overcome failure.  Students need to learn from their
mistakes and we need to offer them opportunities to do that.

Try this before taking your next course

Landsberger, J. (n.d.). Study guides and strategies: Learning to learn (metacognition). Retrieved from http://www.studygs.net/metacognition.htm

            Learning to learn series begins with the participant taking a directed reflection on personal learning style. The results are meant to help the participant gain an understanding of the best way to learn and so plan the learning activities to help with future studying strategies.

Krashen--Free voluntary reading

Jennifer Brickey ET—Educational Theory CO--Overcoming Barriers Krashen, S. (2013) Free voluntary reading. University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Long-time supporter, first-time attendee: Krashen inspired me to start a reading campaign at Oxnard High School (OHS). Several years ago before I began my career as a teacher, OHS enlisted Silent Sustained Reading (SSR). The year the school participated in the SSR program, the school experienced a drastic increase in test scores. This anecdote supports Krashen’s stance of the impact reading for pleasure—that exposing students, especially those learning a new language, helps to build vocabulary, increase language acquisition, and improves test scores. As Krashen put it, getting the students to read the easy stuff makes accessing more difficult texts a less arduous task since the student has an established relationship with reading. When I think about all the English Language Learners that will have to take the CCSS standardized tests, Krashen's view exposes the desperate need to provide access to materials to those ELLs and those living in poverty in order to assist them with demands of the new standards. In the end, it would seem that the most cost effective and useful way of improving test scores and preparing students for the transition to the CCSS would be to make reading for pleasure a ritual. Although I heard his lecture at Camarillo Public Library, this YouTube video helps one understand Krashen’s theory on second language acquisition.  Link to Stephen Krashen's site: http://www.sdkrashen.com

World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements

Anna Taylor

ET-Inquiry and Problem-based Learning
IL-Critical Thinking

What if you showed kids failure because life has failure? They learn from it.

John Hunter has shown his students how to learn from failure through his teaching method: playing a game called "The World Peace Game". Take a look at this short clip below to get the idea.

John's students are typically 4th graders and use resources like "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu to help learn how to create peace through war and chaos. This game is able to explore creative thinking, empathy, compassion, sacrifice, critical thinking and collaboration. John gives the students the floor to make things happen and serves as a guide and supporter, or as he says "clock watcher". Pretty amazing. Take a look at the great TED video to find out more and check out his book for even more inspiration!

Rethinking Reading Promotion

Jennifer Brickey

ET—Educational Theory

Chance, R. & Lesesne, T. (2012). Rethinking reading promotion old school meets technology. Teacher Librarian, 39(5), 26-28. Retrieved from http://edition.pagesuiteprofessional.co.uk//launch.aspx?eid=5e332207-1bc6-4a7d-8ce1-01b678060ecf

Chance and Lesesne notice that promoting books in middle and high schools pose a large challenge for teacher librarians. They suggest that strong reading and book promotion can change a school’s culture. In order to accomplish this, they suggest reverting to an oldie, but goodie—booktalks. Booktalks offer a brief description of the book that allows students to have an initial reaction of interest in a book. However, Chance and Lesesne advise teacher librarians to give traditional booktalks a modern twist they call “Book Trailers.” Similar to booktalks, Book Trailers offer students a taste of what books have to offer, yet, Book Trailers allow traditional booktalks to be “easily morph(ed) into other forms that will be used by everyone in the learning community” (p.27). Chance and Lesesne provide multiple examples of sites that do just that—promote books amongst learning communities. This offers yet another tool for students to interact with books in a 21^st Century model. To assist teacher librarians in their efforts, Chance and Lesesne offer ways to create book trailers and methods of extending the concept to classroom teachers.

Links provided in the article:

1)    Book Trailers for All, run by Teresa Schauer, a teacher librarian in Texas http://booktrailersforall.com

2)    Guys Read

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCd9ln6Y5Cs