[CALIBK12] Advocacy opportunity

[Blanche Woolls]

Deb,

This could be a great program for CSLA -- and a great way to get your 
principal to attend and let all of us applaud him. Ask him to co-present 
with you! He asked all the right questions, you gave all the right 
answers. Then maybe he would want you to co-present at the next conference 
of school administators?

Blanche

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009, Stanley, Deborah wrote:

> 
> 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
> 
> 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  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
> 
>  
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> 
> 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
> 
> 
>