Toward a more anatomically complete model of literacy instruction

Engelbrecht, Shannon

ET

Tatum, A. W. (2008). Toward a more anatomically complete model of literacy instruction: A focus on African American male adolescents and texts. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 155-180. Retrieved march 9, 2014, http://ejournals.ebsco.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/Direct.asp?AccessToken=6V2LVL989329KIIX3LJ9HO2FK3LC8CKMK&Show=Object.

Summary: Dr. Tatum argues that instructional theory and practice can help young men of color respond to their immediate contexts and professional development prepares teachers to deliver this instruction to all students.

Evaluation: Dr. Tatum research focuses on African-American male adolescents because these young men are the most underserved population in US education today. He points out that his research can be leveraged to improve literacy programs for any population in need. He focuses on three strands that need to be addressed to improve literacy achievement:

• Theoretical strands: defining the role of literacy instruction for adolescents in their present-day contexts, creating curriculum orientations that empower them, and using a culturally responsive approach to literacy teaching. 
• Instructional strands: research-based reading practices. 
• Professional development strands: focus on in-school teacher professional development and teacher preparation.

(Bullet points are paraphrased from the article.)

Helping Struggling Readers: Reading for Their Life

Engelbrecht, Shannon

ET

Heinemann Publishing. (2010, March 10). Helping Struggling Readers: Reading for Their Life. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vc1lMoJFjg.

This is a video introduction to Dr. Alfred W. Tatum's work with disengaged readers, especially African-American boys and young men.

Dr. Tatum is an excellent resource for learning about making curriculum and instruction relevant and engaging for adolescent students. At a time when literacy resources are focused on early primary grades, his focus is on middle and high school students. He makes several good points in this short less than three minute video, such as "[i]t is not simply about students' literacy development, it is about students' lives."

ET- Arenas of Practice

Benson, Jessica

ET

Schoenfeld, A. (1999). Looking toward the 21^st Century: Challenges of Educational Theory and Practice. Educational Researcher, 28 (7), 4-14. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-189X%28199910%2982%3A7%3C4%3ALTT2CC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0

Summary

In this paper Schoenfeld sets out to identify a series of arenas for investigation in which theoretical and practical progress can be made in the field of education. He argues that “pure” and “applied” work in research need not be in conflict, but that that contributions to knowledge and practice should complement and reinforce each other. Educational research can and should be conducted in contexts that are of practical import. He identifies the theoretical and practical issues in which progress needs to be made, and outlines his conceptual framework for joining theory and practice. Schoenfeld's question of the difficulties in unifying the cognitive and the social aspects of learning continues the discussion of how we think and act in the world, as well as offering ideas about the how the mind works in context. His quest for a truly integrated theoretical perspective on issues of self, identity, and social interactions has very practical applications: “The better you understand how someathing is done, the better you can help people do it” (p.6).

Evaluation

This article was one of the first that I encountered while creating my reading plan, and while it does not offer many solutions for the problems in educational theory, it does pose many interesting questions (which is arguably more important). He poses questions about the future of creating detailed models of teaching based on theoretical understanding, and I am focusing my reading on work that has come out of this question in the decade since this article was published. What I found interesting about this article was Schoenfeld's focus on creating not only a theory of learning but a theory of mechanism-- the processes by which learning take place. The discussion of how we make sense of the ways in which people use knowledge in differing circumstances (transfer) is an important factor in considering educational theory.

Using BYOD to Transform

Anusasananan, Chalida

IL

Schwartz, K. (2014, January 7). How BYOD programs can fuel inquiry learning. 
     Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/01/      how-byod-programs-can-fuel-inquiry-learning/ 

Schwartz discusses the learning transformations that can occur with a BYOD (bring your own device) program in schools.  An example is having students respond to a film shown in class with an app called Back-Channeling or Socratic.  With devices, students can be in a constant state of inquiry and find many answers and new questions to fuel their big question.  Schwartz adds that students should be allowed to explore apps and share strong learning apps with teachers.  Teachers should not impose a set list or number of apps.  Schools also need to be aware that not all students have personal devices; to compensate schools should purchase laptops and house them so that a student without this technology could borrow resources.  The varied technology, ipads, laptops, mobile phones, will facilitate students working together.  Technology should allow students to learn in transformative ways, ways they couldn't learn without technology.

As a new teacher librarian and former high school English teacher, I am scared about mobile devices in the library.  I do believe technology can transform learning, but I fear that technology can also distract from learning and I wonder how we get students to stay on task with technology and see its benefits.

No More MOOCs

Jack, Gordon

Levinson, M. (2014, March 4). No More MOOCs: Pay Attention to Beyonce. Edutopia. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/no-moocs-learn-from-beyonce-matt-levinson?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&clReload=7844bd28

Summary

In this article, Levinson makes the analogy between changes in the music industry with changes in education.  Just as listeners are buying singles rather than a whole album, Levinson recommends that educators allow students to assemble pieces of information themselves instead of taking an entire course.  He states the weak completion rates of online MOOCs as evidence that today’s student doesn’t want an “album” of curriculum.  Instead, more and more learners are gravitating to YouTube to select the “singles” of content they are most interested in.

The article suggests that educators take note of this phenomenon and crowdsource their course content.  “When the learning experience is constructed for students to find problems, generate questions and devise solutions to authentic challenges,” Levinson writes, “then the need surfaces for students to seek information.”  Levinson quotes Dr. Mark David Milliron who suggests that educators “turn students loose” on a topic and let them gather all the material they can from any source they can and then share the resources they used.  From there, the teacher can “create customized playlists for units of study.”

Evaluation

I don’t quite buy Levinson’s music analogy to education.  Some of the best music on an album isn’t always the hit singles, just as some of the most important information isn’t the kind students will easily find.  Also, sometimes a song needs to be heard in the context of the entire album to appreciate its value, just as parts of class only become significant in light of the other information presented in the course.  Still, I appreciate his suggestions for making learning more meaningful to students by engaging them with compelling topics and questions and allowing students’ curiosity to drive their information seeking behavior.  I think this is a great way to hook kids, present a variety of content, and make learning more relevant.  From there, the teacher needs to help organize this information to give it some coherence and meaning.

Library Website Redesign Process

Jack, Gordon

Becker, D., & Yannotta, L. (2013). Modeling a Library Website Redesign Process: Developing a User-Centered Website Through Usability Testing. Information Technology & Libraries, 32(1), 6-22.  Retrieved from: http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ofm&AN=89093592&site=ehost-live

Summary

Most library users begin their information search using search engines rather than library websites.  In an attempt to drive more users to their Hunter College Library site, Becker and Yannotta redesigned their website with the following goals in mind:  

1. Users should be able to locate high-level information within three clicks
2. Eliminate library jargon from navigational system using concise language
3. Improve readability of site
4. Design a visually appealing site
5. Create a site that was easily changeable and expandable
6. Market the libraries services and resources through the site

The authors describe their redesign process and place emphasis on the importance of small, iterative user focus groups to provide feedback.  In the study, the authors observed users “thinking aloud” as they performed the following tasks on their site:

1. Find a book using online library catalog
2. Find library hours
3. Get help from a librarian using QuestionPoint
4. Find a journal article
5. Find a reference article
6. Find journals by title
7. Find circulation policies
8. Find books on reserve
9. Find magazines by title
10. Find the library staff contact information
11. Find contact information for the branch libraries

By following user feedback, the authors were able to redesign the library website to increase users ability to successfully complete all areas listed above.

Evaluation

I found this article helpful in describing a process for library website redesign.  As we try to make our sites adhere to the Virtual Learning Commons template, it is important to beta test these changes with our users to ensure they help them find the information they need.  Simplicity, both in language and in design, seems critical here.  Excessive graphics, while visually appealing, may slow down page download times.  Library terminology (e.g. “LibGuides” instead of “Research Guides”) also seem to make it harder for users to find information quickly and easily. 

Enacting Equity and Social Justice in Our Libraries

Keith, E.K.

IL

 Martin, R., McCann, H., Morales, M., & Williams, S. (2013). White Screen/White Noise: Racism and the Internet. Urban Library Journal, 19(1), 1-12. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=4b873570-1fef-4067-881d-aaa130e04897%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=llf&AN=93739851

Summary:

This article examines the power of the Internet to spread information and issues of racism and censorship. Several significant examples illustrate the problem of the perpetuation of racist attitudes, speech, and imagery on the internet. The article also explores the librarian’s role to counteract racist messages and how critical race consciousness can improve library services in person and online. 

One significant example that was most compelling explained a problem that I personally had while trying to research teen interest magazines for Latina and African American girls to purchase for my library. The problem I had was that on school computers, any time I entered either of the above-mentioned terms for a search with “girl” or “teen,” the filter blocked access. The article references the same process as an experiment conducted by a teacher with her students to demonstrate how the Internet perpetuates the hypersexualization of Latina and African American girls across media formats. 

Another example was the posting of photographs by a white supremacist group intended to malign Trayvon Martin’s character and reputation after his murder. The photographs were then re-posted by major news outlets. The failure to check facts or question sources demonstrates the casual reinforcement of racial stereotypes that is a click away.

Lack of moderation of posted comments is another significant example of hate speech that is perpetuated on the Internet. Several more examples are given to show the use of the Internet as a tool of oppression to clearly explain this problem from the perspective of the user.

For librarians, there are contributing problems. The article notes a lack of open discourse about racism in LIS programs with a preference for use of less controversial terms, multiculturalism and diversity. In addition, many programs lack courses that directly address issues of racism, oppression, and privilege. 

This article explores in detail the courses of action that librarians can take to preserve the free access to information and to protect and educate young people who are vulnerable to overt and subtle racist messages on the Internet. The authors focus on solutions, recognizing the power of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools for learning. They also reiterate that learning in any environment cannot be separated from cultural norms, so it is the responsibility of the librarian to directly challenge those norms that are oppressive. Here is a list of their suggestions for librarians.

• ·         Acquire and teach digital literacy, along with the new skills that separate it from traditional information literacy

• ·         Use critical race consciousness as another tool to evaluate online resources

• ·         Become more aware of exclusive language and subtle racist messages on the Internet through anti-racist training

• ·         Use and promote the Internet with users as a tool for equity and social justice (for example, http://www.communitychangeinc.org/content/civil-rights-movement-oral-histories-personal-accounts).

• ·         Make collection decisions around needs of users

• ·         Teach users (especially young people) to critically evaluate web resources past superficial checklist levels

§  A domain that ends in .org does not necessarily mean it is reliable

§  Recognize bias and how it influences the understanding of information, both positively and negatively

§  Search engine rankings indicate nothing about the reliability of a website or its relevance to a search

I highly recommend reading this article for librarians who serve young people of color and have a deep concern for enacting equity and social justice in their libraries.