SBAC seeks Partnership for hybrid assessmemnt

Katie Hanna

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SBAC seeks partnership for hybrid assessment. (2017). Education Week, 36(24), 4-4. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=121677077&site=ehost-live&scope=site

This is a quick one-page article about the Smarter Balance Assessment team looking for a partnership with Collegeboard or the makers of the SAT and ACT. While not long, and doesn't provide much information, it is a topic I wish to keep an eye on for my teachers and students.

Katie Hanna

ET

Salend, S. J., & Whittaker, C. R. (2017). UDL: A blueprint for learning success. Educational Leadership, 74(7), 59-63. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=122878184&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Universal Design for Learning is one of my favorite topics from my Special Ed Masters Program. 
To differentiate instruction for students with a range of learning differences,
-UDL provides multiple means of n Representation (presenting content in a variety of ways);
-Action and expression (varying the ways in which students are encouraged to respond and show their learning);
-Engagement (using a range of practices to heighten student motivation).

those three aspects of lesson design can be utilized for ALL students, and when you have classes coming to the library they are all at a variety of levels. Preparing for that eventuality allows your lessons to be accessible to every student with little to no modification.

The Article a Blue Print for Learning Success discusses how teachers use UDL in the classroom to reach all students in one lesson in a variety of ways. How the extra work planning and building a lesson is worth it in the end, much like an architect. By looking at barriers to success before the lesson you can ensure that the proper supports are built into the lesson before the student sits in your classroom.

Katie Hanna

CO
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Murawski, W. W., & Spencer, S. (2011). Collaborate, communicate, and differentiate! how to increase student learning in today's diverse schools. Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Corwin Press. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2011-09459-000&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The text was written by Wendy Murawski and Sally Spencer from CSU, Northridge. This book describes collaboration specifically between teachers and special educators. It also explains how teams working in the best interest of the students need to communicate and trust each other to be successful. This was one of my favorite texts from my teaching credential. It is poignant beyond the applications in Special Ed. Differentiating is a hot topic for all students, and as librarians, we collaborate with teachers daily. These skills and ideas transfer easily to our situation. 

Katie Hanna

IL

Crippen, K. k., & Archambault, L. (2012). Scaffolded Inquiry-Based Instruction with Technology: A Signature Pedagogy for STEM Education. Computers In The Schools, 29(1/2), 157-173.

While a few years old, this article about supporting inquiry-based instructions gives a clear example and structure to how STEM programs utilize Inquiry in their lessons.

Schloman, B. F., & Gedeon, J. A. (2007). Creating TRAILS. Knowledge Quest, 35(5), 44-47.

Loertscher, D.V. (2014). Collaboration and Coteaching. Teacher Librarian, 42(2),

         8-19.
Summary-This article discusses the importance of a teacher librarian in the classroom and how they can be an integral part to the instruction of students.  The role of the librarian has been changed a great deal.  We have gone from just checking books in and out to being involved directly in instruction. This can be done by collaborating with teachers in classroom instruction, PLCs, and professional development. 

Review- I really liked this article because it is true.  I have been working as a teacher librarian for over 5 years now and I do all of these things.  I work collaboratively with the teachers and staff here at the library.  I also am directly involved in coteaching the classes with the classroom teachers.  This article is timely and relevant.

Anna Swenson

IL

Gardner, L. (2016). Teaching Information Literacy Now. School Library Journal. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://www.slj.com/2016/11/industry-news/teaching-media-literacy-now/#


In this article from the School Library Journal, Laura Gardner offers practical ideas and lesson resources to improve teaching information literacy in the classroom. 

Co-planning in co-teaching: A practical solution

Pratt, S. M., Imbody, S. M., Wolf, L. D., & Patterson, A. L. (2017). Co-planning in co-teaching: A practical solution. Intervention In School & Clinic, 52(4), 243-249. doi:10.1177/1053451216659474

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Summary:  This article provides an outline of how coteaching might be properly implemented considering the limitations of teachers. It is based on the assumption that, while coteaching is obviously more beneficial to the students because of the combined teachers' expertise, co-teaching can be hard to plan out when teacher are already overwhelmed by full schedules. In order for co-teaching to work, both teachers need to build the curriculum together. The article lays out a framework for co-planning the curriculum, co-assessment, and equal participation in each daily lessons. Most importantly, this framework is supported by technology, and the article discusses the various synchronous and asynchronous tools teachers can use to maintain equal levels of involvement and facilitate planning/discussion.

Review: This article looks more at co-teaching between two teachers, but the same framework can be applied to teacher-librarians (in fact, it may even be easier for them to engage in co-planning due to their involvement with supporting teachers in their curriculum). The article provides a bunch of practical information on co-planning, but also the article can be used as a potential example for connecting with teachers (i.e. showing teachers how co-teaching can be done even within their busy schedules).

[by Stephannie Tornow]

Technology and Project-Based Learning

Racone,  A., & Quale, M. (2017). Technology and Project-Based Learning. Independent School, 76(3), 54-61. Retrieved from libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=121560985&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

IL, ET


Summary: This article looks at the AltSchool network of schools in the US. AltSchool is an education startup which offers online platforms for personalized learning in traditional schools and formed micro-schools focused on personalized learning. AltSchool created the AltSchool Learning Cycle (ALC) with the intent of: motivated learning, constructed knowledge, and applied understanding. This article looks at how project-based learning (PBL) takes place in this personalized (and sometimes digital) environment. It examines the challenges faced in the PBL methodology when it was applied to the AltSchool elementary classes in 2016. The article looks at the types of challenges faced in PBL in general, such as, making sure projects relate the core subject matter while still allowing for exploration and personalization. 


Review: While this article is really tailored to information relating to this specific organization/ network (whether their system for PBL would work in a traditional classroom would need further study/justification), it does a great job in discussing how personalized can be integrated into PBL through the use of technology. Educators can harness and work with platforms to create interactive (digital) spaces for students to engage with a lesson/project in their own manner while still "sharing learning" with other students.

[by Stephannie Tornow]

Coteaching across STEM Disciplines in the ESSA Era of School Librarians as Teachers

Dow, M. J., & Thompson, K. W. (2017). Coteaching across STEM Disciplines in the ESSA Era of School Librarians as Teachers. Teacher Librarian, 44(4), 16-20. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0ad77cc0-9d7b-40a9-993f-b65b0f0b293a%40sessionmgr102&vid=1&hid=116

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Summary: This article looks at the STEAMALL project at Emporia State University, which requires licensed educators to complete four 3-credit-hour college courses specializing in coteaching scientific learning. Considering the ESSA era has focused more on digital literacy skills, the classroom is shifting to a more student-driven learning environment where coteaching offers new insights to teaching STEAM skills.The article looks at the techniques for collaboration between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers and professional school librarians. It goes through the various stages of scientific research, and the effects of and the potential in coteaching during each step.

Review: The article provides a strong background/evidence for coteaching as a general concept, but could benefit from more direct evidence or studies on specific aspects. As such, it feels more like the article addresses how co-teachers can teach STEM (and why they should) rather than the techniques for this collaboration (as outlined in the abstract). In addition, there is not a lot of information on how this is impacted by ESSA, except in the article's generalized notions that de-standardization allows for this type of teaching.

[by Stephannie Tornow]

Flipping the classroom in freshman English library instruction

Rivera, E. (2017). Flipping the classroom in freshman English library instruction: A comparison study of a flipped class versus a traditional lecture method. New Review Of Academic Librarianship, 23(1), 18-27. Retreived from http://p9003-sfx.calstate.edu.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/sanjose/cgi/core/sfxresolver.cgi?tmp_ctx_svc_id=1&tmp_ctx_obj_id=1&service_id=1000000000003009&request_id=4898436

ET

Summary: This study examines the affect of flipped classroom model on an English library instruction class. In the study, 6 sessions of the lesson was taught (3 sessions using the traditional lecture model and 3 sessions using a flipped classroom model). All session were taught at the same school by the same teacher librarian. The, the students' work cited papers on their final paper was assessed by a rubric on the authority, timeless, and variety of sources cited. While all the teachers participated in the study had high hopes on the potential of flipped classrooms, students from the traditional lecture model actually scored higher on the assessment. While Rivera does address the limitations and conclusion of this particular study, she also notes it finding are congruent with other mixed result studies on flipped classrooms. Students may just be too used to traditional lecture models.

Review: This was the first article I found that didn't present flipped classrooms as a holy grail. It realistically looks at the way the flipped classroom model make a lot of intuitive sense, but the results don't always back up these notions. This study is also apt in noting that creating video lectures is often more time and effort for teachers than the traditional model (which is only worth it if the results support the methodology).
[by Stephannie Tornow]

Turning education upside down

Rosenberg, T. (2013, October 13). Turning education upside down. New York Times, p. 12. Retrieved from libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=90678618&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

ET

Summary: This New York Times article examines the trend of flipped classrooms, where students watch lectures at home and complete assignments in class. The article presents some "studies" i.e. examples from within classrooms to show the possibility of flipped classrooms and the benefits it has provided for specific schools. It shows how flipped classrooms have improved student assessments/grades, specifically for students who were under-performing.  The article provides viewpoints from different educators (and different types of educators) on flipped classrooms, such as the opinion that not watching a lecture impacts student less than not doing an assignment.  However, it would seem the article demonstrates the potential of flipped classrooms for a layman audience through purely anecdotal evidence.


Review: While the article is a good overview of flipped classrooms, it presents flipped classroom as the end-all-beat-all. It does not discuss any drawback to flipped classroom or potential obstacles in making this model work. There are many obstacles and extra consideration for flipped classrooms. Rosenberg also makes the claim flipped classrooms allow for more individualized and self-directed learning, and while this is certainly true, she does so with no claims to back this up. The article does not go deep enough into the role of the teacher as a support system within this model.

[by Stephannie Tornow]

Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers

[TEDx Talks]. (2013, March, 20). What 60 schools can tell us about teaching 21st century skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g

IL, ET

Summary: This lecture looks at the changes within classrooms to structure them as creative spaces. It presents an overview of the current industrial model of education and a suggested shift to thinking of education as an ecosystem i.e. students flourish under the same conditions that allow ecosystem to flourish. The main conclusion of this lecture considers how education already knows what works for students (Montessori, Waldorf, etc.-- we have plenty of educational theories that have shown progress) but changes have not occurred. Lichtman suggest there are several reasons the teaching model has not changed... from teachers wanting to maintain authority in the classroom to education governing boards which focuses content rather than context. Breaking down these barriers allows for innovation and student learning, and Lichtman the outcomes from students and schools who have focused on this type of education.


Review: Being a TED Talk, this lecture is rather general, and focuses more on inspiration/ motivation than information. While the depth of information is not there, it is good overview by a compelling speaker. The section on self-evolving learning presents an interesting look on education's place in an off-campus, online, and collaborative environment. This lecture looks at the methodology of change. Essentially, in a time of rapid technological change, it is useless to try to teach students concepts and skills. Learning needs to shift to teaching students HOW to learn new concepts and skills, and be ever adaptive and learning as adults.
[by Stephannie Tornow]