[CALIBK12] Advocacy opportunity

[Susan Pennell]

Deb,

 

You go girl! This is what true advocacy is all about. Perfect example.
Thanks for sharing with the community.

 

Susan 

 

Susan Pennell

Manager, Library Media Services

Madera COE

559/673.6051 x263

www.madERS.org  

 

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Stanley, Deborah
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 12:44 PM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Cc: Calibk12
Subject: [CALIBK12] Advocacy opportunity

 

Hello CAlibbers;

          With so much sharing about advocacy for teacher librarians
floating around these days on CAlib and in our district, I'm sharing the
response (below) to my principal's questions (at far bottom). He saw me
in a science teacher's room when he came for the usual CWT (classroom
walk-through observation), and he naturally wondered how the teacher's
lesson, which he was there to observe, was affected by my presence
teaching information literacy. (We were in the classroom and not the
library so we could use the laptop lab AFTER our library book phase was
over.) Since Pablo is a new principal, I wanted to grab the opportunity
to advocate!

                             Deb Stanley

                             Teacher Librarian

                             Central Middle School, Riverside USD

 

Pablo;

            I'm delighted to take a few moments to address your key
questions (far below). The answers are good advocacy for the value of
library teachers.

The Research Process system that I have created stays the same, it's the
unit that changes. All students get the same research packet based on
Cornell-style notes, except for certain units where I've created special
note sheets or charts, comparable to when teachers choose to use
Darrell's note adaptation.

For example, in the 7th grade science lesson you observed, I do not
teach science. The science teacher and I meet and the teacher tells me
what unit he'd like for a library research project. We then use his
standards to create the topics and subtopics that students use to learn
about the unit material. I teach only research. In the course of
pursuing their topics that fulfill the content-area unit and standards
requirements, I teach the students how to cite sources using MLA style
citations, I teach them reading strategies for information that are
different from reading a library book for pleasure, I teach them how to
write good notes so they don't just copy and plagiarize, I teach how to
turn good notes into good writing, etc. But it was the teachers
"Objectives" that appeared on his classroom 

            In the course of performing those research tasks, the
student is actually learning about the teacher's science requirements.
For example, the 8th graders this week will come away developing a
PowerPoint for their element of the Periodic Table and so they will
learn a LOT of science in a very hands-on way from doing all the
individual research and then the final project. The Web site I created
is: http://elementsunit.blogspot.com <http://elementsunit.blogspot.com/>


The 7th graders are studying evolution and each has a modern creature
about which they learn to trace its evolution using the Web site and
special chart note sheets I created. The note sheets are downloadable
from the Web site: http://evolution4you.blogspot.com
<http://evolution4you.blogspot.com/>   They are learning information
skills while learning science. 

Your first question is a good one, but is also one reason why outsiders
don't understand the importance of library teachers. Although we have
information literacy standards, they are not taught in isolation like a
classroom teacher's content-area. Our standards are BEST learned by
being completely embedded in a teacher's course of study. This prepares
them for high school, college, and the world of information management
in life.

Your second question about Bloom's is very insightful: By performing
research steps and strategies, students automatically perform an array
of higher lever skills:

1. They use subtopics to read for information, meaning they must first
actually read authentic materials, then comprehend what was read,
process and select information, and also know which information is NOT
useful! This is problem solving at its best.

2. They read for information, which uses the skills of
comparing/contrasting and selecting.

3. They learn fact-only note-taking, which requires critical thinking to
decide which facts match their subtopics to support the topic.

4. After research is over, they re-read their notes, which further
internalizes the information = LEARNING! 

5. They prioritize their notes for writing, which requires the problem
solving skill of sequencing.

But having done all this during research, when I tell people that my
students NEVER plagiarize, I really mean it! They must turn in their
research packets along with a final project to validate their work.

            Deb J

            http://theresearchprocess.blogspot.com
<http://theresearchprocess.blogspot.com/> 

 

________________________________

From: Sanchez, John (Pablo) 
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 8:27 AM
To: Stanley, Deborah
Subject: CWT Reflection 

 

Deb,

 

            Just wanted to touch base with regarding the CWT observation
of your lesson, first I have to reiterate how impressed I am with your
blog site and the amount of preparation that goes into what you do to
support the programs.  Thanks

 

Reflections:

*	How do you differentiate your instructional content from 7th
grade Science to 8th grade Science?

 

*	Bloom's:  In teaching the research process, is there an
appropriate point to incorporate higher order thinking strategies?

 

Thanks Deb, you do not have to reply any answers to me, this are just
reflections.  Have a great Day!

 

Pablo

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