A Digital Teaching Platform to Further and Assess Use of Evidence-based Practices

A Digital Teaching Platform to Further and Assess Use of Evidence-based Practices

Elias, Jenann

CA
Bondie, R. (2015). A Digital Teaching Platform to Further and Assess Use of
Evidence-based Practices. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 34(1), 23-29.

The author, Rhonda Bondie, presents a solution to the challenge of assessing candidate teachers who are learning online. This solution is called Project REACH, which is a free online digital teaching platform.

The platform is learner centered which allows for collaboration, and support is available at any time, 24 by 7.

This paper seems more of an instruction sheet on using this platform. The learning path for teacher candidate steps are:

1. Learn Evidence-based practice (EBP). The website includes resources for 67 EBP’s. A teacher candidate uses resources developed by others to “develop knowledge about specific EBPs and guides for classroom implementation.”
2. Plan instruction, using learning and collaborate tools on the website. Invite other Project REACH users to collaborate on instructional plans. This includes:
1. Unpack curriculum standards
2. Develop multiple assessments
3. Design differential lesson plans
4. Apply Universal Design for Learning
5. A field-test report
6. Analysis of student work
3. Reflect on impact. Field test. Upload and annotate student work. Track student progress.
4. Share accomplishments. Earn “badges”. Learn, share, and add badges throughout career.

The website is: www.projectreachonline.org and much of the article I read includes screen captures and “how-to” instructions.

The Relationship Between Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

I thought this was an informative Prezi regarding the relationship between curriculum, instruction and assessment. The relationship was shown in regards to Goals, Hands on Learning, Homework and Discipline. I like unique ways of presenting information...
The Relationship Between Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality

Kira Koop

CA - Curriculum Assessment

Popham, W. J. (1999). Why standardized tests don't measure educational quality. Educational Leadership, 56(6), 8-15.
Find it here: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar99/vol56/num06/Why-Standardized-Tests-Don't-Measure-Educational-Quality.aspx

This article, though dating to 1999, outlines the disconnect between what standardized tests evaluate and what the student learns. It's a good primer to learn some of the goals of a standardized test - to make relative inferences about a student's abilities - while also providing a critique of their methods. Popham uses examples to illustrate that in some cases, the tests may be evaluating students in areas where their socioeconomic status has more influence on their question answers than what the teacher has taught. For instance, in a question that states that all fruits have seeds, and which of the following plants is not a fruit, a child in a place of privilege will know that pumpkins have seeds, and celery does not. However, a child whose parents or guardians have never brought a pumpkin or celery home would not know, and so may give an incorrect answer.


As a resource, this was a good introduction to the critique of standardized testing. I've heard several teachers express dismay and frustration about the role of the federal government in education, but this article gave me concrete ideas on which to base my understanding of those frustrations. 

Legislation Influences Curriculum Development

Alpers, Jessica

CA-Curriculum Assessment

Robinson, G. (1961). Legislation Influences Curriculum Development.Educational Leadership, 19, 26-30.

Summary: This article begins with a discussion on how “authority for regulating both the content and conduct of public education in the United States resides in the state legislatures.” Most states have given power to the school boards, however. These bodies all give input in what subject matter is taught in public schools, especially in history, health, and safety. These bodies also set rules to prohibit the teaching of certain subjects, such as subjects that are religious in Utah or the facts of birth control in Michigan. The discussion continues by describing how some states set lists of subjects that must be taught, then gives a history of how curriculum legislation evolved in the first half of the 20th century. The second half of the article gives a long discussion about financing and finance legislation.

Evaluation: While this article is over 50 years old, I believe is gives some good information. It is a good article for beginning research in this area as it gives good background knowledge. I felt that the finance section was a bit off topic, but that is because I was primarily looking for information about curriculum and subject matter. The discussion was still very informative.

The Every Student Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview

Hudson, Evelyn

CA

Klein, A. (2016, March 31). The every student succeeds act: An ESSA overview. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/every-student-succeeds-act/

This article gives an excellent overview of the ESSA for those who are unfamiliar with it. The article breaks down the ESSA into different parts such as "Accountability Goals" and "Testing" to clearly explain the coming changes. There are also videos in several sections for those who need additional explanation.

As someone who knew nothing about the ESSA before this course, I feel much more knowledgeable after reading this article. I appreciated the use of text and videos to really drive the concepts home.

Living in Interesting Times

Frey, Jennifer

CA

Woyshner, C. (2016). CHAPTER 1: LIVING IN INTERESTING TIMES. Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, 18(1/2), 1-10.

Summary:

This article is very current and addresses how curriculum can include current events and provide lessons on morality. Curriculum could cultivate citizens and shape and motivate them to be aware of social issues and act appropriately. The article also goes over a brief history of what has been the focus of curriculum over time which i found interesting.

Evaluation:

I found this article very interesting, I read it to learn more about curriculum and assessment but found it enjoyable too. I labelled it with a Z-Fun tag since it was an interesting perspective and also provided some history which I liked.

Tuel, Kris

Pederson, P. V. (2007). What is measured is treasured: The impact of the Co Child Left Behind Act on nonassessed subjects. Clearing House, 80(6), 287-291.

Summary:

This article reports on a study of the results of a national survey on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on non-assessed subjects, such as social studies and humanities classes. The study showed that while the assessed subjects’ scores increased, the non-assessed subjects underperformed. The summation is that the redirected resources towards the assessed subjects is taking away from the non-assessed, leaving a measurable gap in social studies, art, humanities, and technology.

Evaluation:

I have never been a proponent of NCLB because of the way curriculum and instruction is developed around tests, rather than having a broad-serving curriculm. Having worked with teachers that are frustrated with standards-based teaching, I thought this article did a very good job at pointing out some of the learning gaps that have resulted from NCLB’s focus on science and math.

Label: CA-Curriculum Assessment

Tuel, Kris

Roach, A. T., & Elliott, S. N. (2009). Consultation to support inclusive accountability and standards- based reform: Facilitating access, equity, and empowerment. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 19(1), 61-81. doi:10.1080/10474410802463320

Summary:

This article is about providing equitable services and curriculum to provide education that coincides with the efforts in standards-based reforms as set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The study included providing consultant services to provide guidance to help educuators meet and exceed assessment goals.

Evaluation:

I found the article quite interesting, and thought the insights into providing consulting services to guide the instructors and administration towards assessment goals seemed like a valuable solution to an ongoing problem.

Label: CA- Curriculum Assessment

TED Talks Education

Karen Rogers

ET
CA
CO

TED. (2013, May 11). TED Talks Education. Retrieved July 13, 2016, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dilnw_dP3xk

Summary:  This video has a plethora of educators, Bill Gates, psychologists, and students who talk about educational theory, new ways of looking at curriculum and assessment, and how to improve our teaching.  The speakers talk about the importance of relationships, inquiry, perseverance, how to motivate students, and ways to help teachers improve.

Review:  The video is incredibly empowering and inspiring.  It encourages teachers to change their traditional mindset and take some risks in education.  It talks about the problems faced in education and ways to improve them.  It talks about the importance of building up student confidence and passion for knowledge being even more important than talent.  I think it is something all people in education should watch before starting the school year.

Project-Based Learning: Success Start to Finish

Karen Rogers

CA = Curriculum Assessment
CO = Collaboration

 Edutopia. (2012, May 23). Project-Based Learning: Success Start to Finish. Retrieved July 13, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OWX6KZQDoE 

Summary:  This is a great video about Manor New Technology High School where they have a completely project-based learning program.  The video demonstrates how teachers implement and create the projects for the classroom.  It gives a great amount of information about why you should choose project-based learning and how to assess the projects.

Reflection:  This video was very useful and I think it would be a great video to show staff who have doubts about delving into project-based learning because it actually shows the planning process and thought process behind teaching in this way.  A lot of the fear around this type of learning deals with teachers not having the knowledge on how to start planning or implementing these types of lessons.  Most educators agree that this type of learning is best for helping students to engage and learn in the classroom, but they don't know how.

Independent School Librarians and Common Core: What Are We Doing?

Brandt, Alisa

MacLean, C. D. (2013, December 25). Independent school librarians and Common

    Core: What are we doing? [Blog post]. Retrieved from Independent Ideas

    website: http://aislnews.org/?p=841

CO-Collaboration Strategies

CO-School Organization

IL-Communication of Products

I have had over 15 years of experience working in independent school libraries and now eight MLIS courses under my belt. I have noticed a serious lack of scholarly library research materials directed entirely at independent school libraries so my goal is to find materials that will support this underrepresented population.

Most independent schools do not rely on government funding and thus do not have to implement programs such as Common Core. The idea is that the curriculum will have already included those standards and content and more. So, it follows that independent school libraries will have other standards and goals to help the school accomplish their mission.

This article from the Association of Independent School Librarian’s blog Independent Ideas is about how independent school librarians addressed the emergence of Common Core Standards in their libraries. As will most standards and guidelines, independent school librarians tend to study up on the newest state and national standards and look for ways to integrate the best of what would apply to their schools. C. D. MacLean offered her library’s solution of using the AASL CCSS Crosswalk in combination with their school’s own standards to create a document that will help compare their alignment with the state standards. This would allow the librarians to focus on areas that will meet their school standards while including the state standards.

There are also some suggestions of useful LibGuides and an iPad app that will help Language Arts teachers integrate technology into the classroom.
Evaluation: Seeing examples of how independent school librarians are working with state standards helps me understand how I can apply them to my own library. The links and the app suggestion are also very helpful.

Series Reading

Taylor, Andrea
ET, CA, IL
Series Reading Program: Creating a Culture of Reading. (2016, February 16). Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/practice/series-reading-program-creating-culture-reading

Summary: Walter Bracken STEAM Academy Elementary school is a Title 1 magnet school in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have found a way to help students be two and a half years above their grade level on their STAR reading assessments by fifth grade. They have done this by implementing Series Reading in all of the grades, supplementing curriculum. The school deciding to make a change from what they had been doing years ago when they realize that the students were not finishing the books they brought home. Series Reading is meant to help the students develop a connection to the books' characters, have a better idea of what book to read next, and increase their reading time and comprehension.

To accomplish Series Reading, each staff member at the school chooses their favorite book series. The series are then purchased and stored in the classrooms and staff offices. Six of every book is purchased so that multiple students can read the same book at the same time. The books have colored dots on their spines to indicate what reading level the series is. They also comes with a Series Bookmark that is a bookmark showing the title and covers of the books in that series. The school then uses the Accelerated Reader program to test each student on the book that they read. Next, when a student finishes an entire series they are rewarded with items such as dog tags, a charm to add to a necklace, a rubber duck, or a trophy. The school explains that as the students age it becomes less about the rewards and more about the excitement to read. Students receive a face bookmark in order to check out the books; this is done for the staff to know what books are out and need collected and it helps students know how much reading they have done.

Review: I think this is a terrific idea, although a school would have to have a substantial budget in order to get started. Not all schools would be able to incorporate this for that reason alone.  The series would cost a great deal of money, but so would continually buying incentives and prizes. The fifth graders are encouraged to donate their trinkets back, which would lower some cost, but not eliminate it altogether. Also, the article (and accompanying video) did not explain how the school accommodates students with learning disabilities. Perhaps the biggest issue with this is the lack of mention of a library! It seems that there is no library media center for students to go to.

Serving the underserved students; low-income and technology

Taylor, Andrea
CA, IL, ET
Zielezinski, M. B. (2016, May 19). What a Decade of Education Research Tells Us About Technology in the Hands of Underserved Students. Retrieved from: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-19-what-a-decade-of-education-research-tells-us-about-technology-in-the-hands-of-underserved-students

Summary: This article is about how to use the influx of hardware and software in schools to better serve underserved students. The sad truth is that there is an alarming number of low-income, minority, and special education students that are not  graduating from high school. In a study of edtech, it was found that access to internet sources was not enough; technology could not be used for remediation and drills and benefit these students. It is a problem when privileged students use technology for so much more, while underserved students are limited to drills. It is from this issue that five tips are provided.

The first tip is to not use technology for remediation. This means rather than using technology to drill kids into learning the standards for their grade level, schools should use technology to bring the students in. The goal should be to engage students in relevant ways, teaching them communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, not to just have kids memorize facts and equations.

The second tip is to have the students get creative by having them design their own digital content. Examples of this is how students can create their own film documentaries or use social media as a way to teach and learn. The biggest benefit to this is that students will create ongoing portfolios that they can add to for years to come.

The third tip is to use digital tools that incorporate interactivity. The best programs/apps are ones that allow students to come to their own conclusions and understandings, allowing them to see real life situations, and be able to use many forms of media.

The fourth tip is to view the students as experts and have them share their "expertise" with a real audience. This is shown to improve the quality of their work, encouraging creativity and ingenuity. Rather than write a small paper for the teacher, they have the opportunity to create a film for an entire community of people.

The fifth tip is to find the perfect blend of teacher and technology. The two must go hand in hand, and in order for digital learning to be effective the teacher plays an important role.

Review: I really liked this article because it went beyond the claim that low-income students have no access to technology or the internet. It realized that even with access there needs to be further steps taken to help these students thrive and utilize the technology appropriately. Any research done to help underserved students is a must, and I think this article does a great job highlighting five easy to achieve steps.

Specialized Legal Research Courses: The Next Generation of Advanced Legal Research

Gary Lui

Dubay, C. (2014). Specialized legal research courses: The next generation of advanced legal research. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 33(3), 203-225. doi:10.1080/0270319X.2014.922390

Summary
The Dubay (2014) article goes further into how law librarians can have a role in law school instruction. Law students must have a strong foundation in legal research in order to be successful in their practice of law. Advanced Legal Research courses are typically taught in Law Schools by law librarians or law library staff. The Advanced Legal Research course is a more advanced legal research course from the typical first-year Legal Research course taught in the first-year of law school. "As already noted, [Advanced Legal Research] courses have been the historic response by law librarians to legal educators’ demand for more skills-focused courses" (Dubay, 208). Since more of legal research is becoming digital, more Law schools are including a course such as Specialized Legal Research (SLR) courses, which is the way Law schools are now trying to provide experimental learning so that law school graduates are ready for real practice of law (214). How does this relate to law librarians involvement in legal instruction? Accounting the time and financial cost needed to create these experimental learning courses, Specialized Legal Research courses taught by law librarians is a way for law schools to better prepare their law students for practice of law instead of offering legal clinics. "Therefore, as lawyers become increasingly specialized and students continue to find interest in highly specialized practice areas, law librarians and curriculum committees alike may find opportunity in SLR courses" (218).

Evaluation
The Dubay (2014) article is a great article concerning curriculum and assessment theory of the current law school curriculum. Advanced Legal Research (ALR) courses and Specialized Legal Research (SLR) courses are ways Dubay believes law librarians can be involved in teaching of law students the concept of legal research. I think first-year legal research course typically offered in most first-year law school programs do not allow law students to investigate a variety of legal research methods. This article also does a good job of advocating for Specialized Legal Research courses in Law schools and the role that law librarians can play in teaching Specialized Legal Research courses.

The impact of michigan school librarians on academic achievement: Kids who have libraries succeed

Kari Nelson

CO

REFERENCE

Rodney, M. J., Lance, K. C., Hamilton-Pennell, C., Library of Michigan, & Hi Willow Research & Publishing. (2003). The impact of michigan school librarians on academic achievement: Kids who have libraries succeed. Lansing, Mich.: Library of Michigan. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal%5flm%5fschllibstudy03%5f76626%5f7.pdf

SUMMARY

Rodney, Lance, and Hamilton-Pennell provide research from select elementary, middle, and high schools that show increased state test scores in Michigan schools that had a school library program.  The role of the library media specialist in meeting the information needs of students were first the role of learning and teaching curriculum, second the role of providing access to information, and third the role of literacy program administration. The research showed how changes such as making more flexible scheduling, collaboration with teachers, and having up to date technology available had a positive impact on student achievement in standardized testing.  Further findings suggest that a library that gives students access to literature in multiple ways such as through the library collection and circulation, collaboration with public libraries, and book fairs will help to impact desire and understanding of literature

EVALUATION

I appreciated the information provided about how the work done in a library helps to boost test scores. I think that an article like this would be helpful to prove the necessity of a teacher librarian program as well as a need for co-teaching and collaboration.

The Common Core

Bullard, Sherrie

CA

Krashen, S. s. (2014). THE COMMON CORE. (cover story). Knowledge Quest, 42(3), 36-45.

Summary:

The author argues that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will not benefit students and ignore the issue of poverty which is the real problem in American education. He claims that the CCSS will only profit a small group of the elite and turn schools into test-prep centers. He debunks the evidence in support of the argument for the adoption of CCSS which is low international test scores and explains why controlling poverty would boost the performance of American students.

Evaluation:

Although I don't agree with the author one hundred percent, I do think that CCSS are more of a problem than a solution.