7 Things You Should Know About a Flipped Classroom

Boyer, Allison

ET

7 things you should know about a flipped classroom. (2012). Educause. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7081.pdf

Summary: This is more of a brochure set-up, but it still offers a lot of information in a short space.  Educause released this to detail 7 important facts about a flipped classroom, which is when the instruction and the the homework is reversed.  With this method of instruction, the teacher (and/or teacher librarian) prepares video lectures (either original or compiled from other sources) for students to view on their own.  This way, classroom time is devoted to hand-on, practical, active learning activities.  With this, students are responsible for their own learning.

 

Review: While this isn’t exactly an article, this brochure gives an excellent and quick debriefing on flipped classrooms.  The seven points are clearly defined and explained.  The layout makes it easy and quick to read.  The scenario they use as an example is also beneficial to understanding the idea of a flipped classroom.  It gives a “real life” example of how to use this method of instruction. The 7 facts contain both the positives and downsides to flipped classroom, which gives a fair representation.

New Technologies and 21st Century Skills

Boyer, Allison

IL

New technologies and21st century skills. (2016). Retreived from http://newtech.coe.uh.edu/

Summary: This website is part of an ongoing project by the Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Education.  This site provides an explanation of what it means to be literate in the 21st Century, what skills are considered 21st Century, as well as an ongoing lists of resources to help teachers understand 21st Century skills and ways to incorporate these skills in the classroom for student development.

Review: I found this website to be quite helpful in understanding 21st Century skills.  Not only does it provide an in-depth explanation of these skills, especially in relation to the education field, but the list of resources is extensive and ever-growing. It’s this aspect that I found most interesting.  This website is part of a project organized and maintained by LITE, and the list of resources will only continue to grow.  Resource include links to outside website, videos, Google Docs, etc.  This website is definitely one to remember.  

Public school libraries Closing and negative affect

Shibrie Wilson

Z-Discussion

Schou, S. (2014, February 28). How cuts and closures of elementary school libraries are hurting our kids. Retrieved from Takepart website: http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/02/28/read-public-school-libraries-suffer-staff-cuts-and-closures

Summary: School libraries are constantly closing surprising in major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, L.A., and other places.  Kyle Ashberry library aide to two schools in Los Angeles Unified School District. His position receives special funding from government to increase performance in minority communities. School libraries in L.A.  district has closed their doors to many school libraries in which has eliminated qualified librarians and aids. Unfortunately, there is no statistical data on public school affected by library staff cuts and closures. Many U.S. schools lacks qualified candidates in public school libraries. Administrators and local officials have adopted conception in which they believe closing libraries will save money yet this is false. There is a distinct correlation between literacy rates affect to poverty and crime. Many low income students desperately need libraries in school s because they are unable to access public libraries in their communities. For many students just as adults books are a way in which one can escape reality and focus on different things. Issue as is many school districts is that school library aides are being forced to compete against school nurses, and nurses are preferred over library aides.  

Review: This article is something that I hold close to my heart. Considering district in which I work for recently voted to layoff positions in middle and elementary libraries. Out of 12 sites and 12 employees district has decided to layoff 9 people and allot 2hours per day to 3 individuals covering 12 sites. This is not infallible. From this article and issue occurring personally I have developed a strong advocacy for school libraries and importance of having access in schools. I think it is important to have a qualified librarian and aide to assists professional. There is so much more to librarianship that many persons do not understand therefore do not value. 

Stop searching like a bird and start thinking like a cat

Maricar Laudato

IL

Cheby, Lisa. (2016) Search strategy instruction: shifting from baby bird syndrome to curious cat critical thinking. Knowledge Quest 44(4) 48-53.

Summary:

Cheby draws attention to the problem that high school and college level students lack basic research and critical thinking skills. She asserts that students are not given enough time or guided instruction to learn how to undergo the inquiry process, where a deeper level of learning occurs. A fair amount of the article discusses how most of the problems are due to the fact that students do not know how to construct search terms to use for databases and/or search engines.

Evaluation:

I think that Cheby brings to light an issue that often gets overlooked amidst all the talk about the need to achieve equal access to digital resources. Yes, it is of utmost importance that all school libraries have access to the all the digital and print resources necessary to help students succeed. However, what gets forgotten once the said resources are obtained is that the school does not take the necessary steps to train students nor faculty/staff to use these resources to their utmost capabilities. In this article, Cheby focuses on the problem of students not having the skill of being able to employ successful search strategies when using the library's online research databases. Too often, when librarians hold research workshops showing students how to navigate the databases and use all of the database tools, the librarians conducting the workshops provide students with search terms to move the workshops along. Spoon-feeding students search terms is what Cheby calls searching like a "baby bird." Cheby, however, wants students to be as curious as "cats." Since students are given search terms by the librarian, students will always yield results when they attend a database workshop under the supervision of a librarian. However, frustration takes root when the student researches on their own and they yield little to no results when they use search terms that they create. This is because  librarians and teachers do not invest the necessary amount of time to teach students the process of constructing effective search terms. Cheby, a fellow MLIS candidate at SJSU, effectively underlines the importance of getting students to engage themselves fully in the inquiry stage of the research process. Cheby outlines how in order to do this, it requires the cooperation and commitment from teachers and school librarians to set aside time in the lesson to show students how to conduct successful searches.

Designing Your Own Text Sets

Deligencia, Nick

CO, ET, IL

Lewis, W., & Walpole, S. (2016). Designing your own text sets. Literacy Today, 33(4), 34-35.

Summary:

Create a set of four texts to build background knowledge and support students as they tackle text complexity.  “Quad Text Sets” include (1) video clips, (2) small/short informational text, (3) complex “target” text, and (4) contemporary text “to extend understanding.”

Evaluation:

Worth reading.  It’s only 2 pages, and has application far beyond the language arts example provided.

The concept of text sets may not be new to experienced educators, but this concise explanation of what to choose and why to choose it could easily serve as a roadmap for initial collaboration efforts with teachers.

I subscribe to the print edition of the journal as part of my membership in ILA, but it’s also accessible through the EBSCO/Academic Search Complete database at SJSU’s King Library.  Just copy/paste the title into the database search bar.

CO- Integrating TL into curriculum, ET- Arenas of Practice, IL-Critical Thinking

Evaluating Multiple Perspectives...

Evaluating Multiple Perspectives...

Deligencia, Nick

IL

Lafferty, K.E., Summers, A., Tanaka, S., & Cavanagh, J. (2016). Evaluating multiple perspectives: Approaching the synthesis task through assessing credibility. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 59(5), 587-598. doi:10.1002/jaal.475

Summary:

This article examines a synthesis performance task aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  The authors “focused on differentiated instruction...based on the...controversial events on Mt. Everest in 1996” which allowed for the increased CCSS emphasis on informational text.  Students analyzed survivor accounts and assessed each author’s credibility.   Students also examine non-print texts (documentary film, YouTube videos, etc.) that deal directly with the event and also indirectly (as in effects of high altitude on the human body) to build background knowledge.

Evaluation:

Worth reading, or at least skimming.  None of the individual elements are particularly impressive, but this is another instance when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  

The authors provide enough detail regarding their design and decision-making processes (and several resources) that one could recreate with relative fidelity the lesson/experience if desired.  “Common Core” and “Differentiated Instruction” are big buzzwords in my district, without a lot of support regarding the actual how to get it done.  

Assessing credibility is an important element of literacy, so lessons to support development in that skill area are worth stockpiling if you work in a school library.  The “Take Action” sidebar near the article’s conclusion lists “steps for immediate implementation” that are generic enough to make sense, but still leave a lot of leg work to be done.

IL-Analysis and Synthesis

Integrating Reading & Programs for ESL

Roys, Kelly

ET

American Library Association. (2008). How to Serve the World @ your library. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/servetheworld/LI_toolkit.pdf

Summary: This article from ALA describes the importance of providing collections and resources for ESL (English Second Language) learners to promote life long love of reading and learning. There are programs demonstrated as an informational resource to promote other programs in your local libraries and other resources to read to discover more about differentiation. 

Review: As an educator for the elementary age group, instruction serving this population should be relevant and applicable for information to be retained and acceptance/understanding to ensue. Students need a safe place for learning and by providing articles and information to highlight this need is important. Librarians have a duty to increase this as they are a hub for resources, programs, and types of books/materials for the students to access and teachers to utilize in their classrooms.