design instr sch lbr media ctr - edli 274 dl1 - course syllabus

7/30/2019 Design Instr Sch Lbr Media Ctr - EDLI 274 DL1 - Course Syllabus

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Course Syllabus

Title: Designing Instruction for School Library Media Centers EDLI 274Credits: 3

Instructor: Patricia Megivern

Meeting dates and times: On campus, 1/19 & 5/4 (11am 3pm)VIT (VT Interactive Television), 2/2, 2/16, 3/9, 3/30, and 4/13Blackboard (online), 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/16, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20

Locations: see above

Course Description:

Effective school librarians must be effective teachers, with skill in designing lessons thatenable students to meet standards. Whether we meet regularly with classes of youngchildren for story-times and/ or library- and technology-skills lessons, or whether weoccasionally host a teacher-led visit of a class of older students, or simply supportindividual student library-users, we need to know how to assess and meet studentslearning needs. In this course we will look at the Common Core and other standards,explore ways to present content and skills, and assess student learning. Mostimportantly, we will look at ways a school library media specialist can be (or become) avalued instructional collaborator for classroom/ content-area teachers.

Goals:

Within this course students will explore topics that include designing learning activities,lessons, and units, based upon learner needs and standards-based requirements;research skills and processes and instructional strategies; inquiry learning; informationliteracy standards; collaboration between the SLMS and classroom/ subject-areateachers; and classroom management in the Library Media Center.

Learning Outcomes:

This course will enable students to meet these Knowledge and Performance Standardsrelating to the SLMSs role as teacher and instructional collaborator, of the VermontLicensing Regulations for the School Library Media endorsement:

Students will: Demonstrate knowledge of research and information literacy processes as

defined in Vermonts Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities andcurrent national standards.

Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and processes of written, visual, andspoken literacy, including the development of reading, writing, listening,expression, and other forms of communication skills for all learners.

Design, implement, and collaborate with other staff to develop standards-basedcurriculum that supports student attainment of Vermonts CommunicationStandards.


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Evaluate, select, use, and teach students and other staff to use current andemerging school library media information technology resources, includingcatalog, circulation, reference, production, and other services and systems.

Explore concepts around a public relations/information program geared to boththe school and its surrounding community which develops awareness of, interest

in, participation in, and commitment to library-media services and programs.

Note: Listed outcomes are taken directly from the Licensing Regulations; more recentstandards (i.e., the Common Core State Standards) will also be examined.

General Course Information

Course Policies:

Students are expected to fully participate in this course, in both the online and livesessions. If a student is having difficulty meeting course requirements, it is expectedthat he or she will contact the instructor to create a plan to address missing (orinadequate) work.

Attendance Expectations:

Students are expected to attend both on-campus sessions and all of the VIT sessions.If an absence is unavoidable, the student is expected to contact the instructor in a timelymanner. Students are expected to log-on to Blackboard regularly, spendingapproximately three or four hours participating in each online class session.

Contributions in Class:

Students are expected to participate in class discussion and small groupactivities during the live sessions.

Students are expected to post responses to online discussion topics, asassigned.

Students are expected to read and respond to others postings.

Academic Honesty & Professionalism:

All students are required to be familiar with and adhere to the Academic Honesty PolicyProcedures delineated in the most recent edition of The Cats Tale.

(http://www.uvm.edu~dosa/handbook/ ).

Required and/or recommended readings:


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Zmuda, Allison, and Violet H. Harada. Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting theLearning Imperative for the 21stCentury. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited,2008.

Sprenger, Marilee. Brain-based Teaching in the Digital Age. Alexandria, Virginia:

ASCD, 2010.

Thomas, Nancy Pickering, Sherry R. Crow, and Lori L. Franklin. Information Literacyand Information Skills Instruction: Applying Research to Practice in the 21stCenturySchool Library, 3rd ed. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2011.

Calkins, Lucy, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. Pathways to the CommonCore: Accelerating Achievement. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 2012.

Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible: How toPromote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. SanFrancisco, California: Jossey-Bass, 2011.

***Medina, John J. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work,Home, and School. Seattle, Washington: Pear Press, 2008.

Common Core State Standards

Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities

AASL. Standards for the 21stCentury Learner. Chicago, Illinois: American Associationof School Librarians, 2007.

***Sykes, Judith Anne. Brain Friendly School Libraries. Westport, Connecticut:Libraries Unlimited, 2006.

***Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. Guided Inquiry:Learning in the 21stCentury. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.

Husid, Whitney, and Virginia Wallace. Learning to the Second Power: Inquiry-BasedCollaboration and Learning Commons. Teacher Librarian, February 2012, p. 25.

Donham, Jean. Enduring Understandings Where Are They in the LibrarysCurriculum? Teacher Librarian, October 2010, p. 15.

Ray, Mark. Save the Children by Fighting Truthiness. Seattle Times, October, 21,2011. http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2016574447_guest23ray.html

Gewertz, Catherine. History Lessons Blend Content Knowledge, Literacy Education Week, 8 August, 2012
http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2016574447_guest23ray.htmlhttp://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2016574447_guest23ray.htmlhttp://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2016574447_guest23ray.html


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Hubert, Elfrieda H. The Common Core State Standards and Text Complexity Teacher Librarian, June, 2012.

Hill, Rebecca. Common Core Curriculum and Complex Texts Teacher Librarian,February, 2011.

CoreStand. Becoming a Core Ninja: Mastering the Common Core Standards.www.corestand.com

Additional journal articles and website resources, to be determined and listed with eachlearning module.

Note: *** = supplemental texts

Electronic Submissions/Internet Use:

Assignments will be submitted through the UVM email system and the Blackboardonline interface.Student Evaluation/Assessment

Grading:

Grades will be based upon participation in class and in online discussion,thoughtfulness of responses, and quality of projects.

97-100 pts. = A+, 94-96 pts. = A, 90-93 pts. = A-, 87-89 pts. = B+, 84-87 pts. = B,80-83 pts. = B-.

Format for Expected Work:

Students will be expected to write brief responses to discussion topics based onrequired readings, complete individual exercises for class presentation, and producefinal projects. These will include:

Threaded discussion postings and responses I-Search exploration and reflection Small group presentations In service presentation Resource collection Final collaborative unit

Specific format requirements will be provided with each assignment.

Scoring Rubrics:

Evaluation throughout the course will include both formative and summativeassessments, with rubrics and/or criteria checklists provided for each assignment.
http://www.corestand.com/http://www.corestand.com/http://www.corestand.com/


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Percentage Contribution of Each Assignment:

Class participation (on-campus and VIT) 10% Threaded discussion postings and responses 35%

I-Search exploration and reflection 10% In service presentation 10% Resource collection 10% Collaborative unit 25%

EDLI 274: Designing Instruction for School Library Media Centers

Projects and Assessments

Threaded Discussion

Each week, there will be questions, writing prompts, or other written assignments to be posted on thediscussion board of Blackboard. This is your chance to interact with the content, explore ideas and

formulate opinions, and discuss the concepts with your classmates. The format of the assignment may

vary, but the expectations within the rubric will be valid for each assignment.

In addition, you will be expected to provide a meaningful response to at least one posting by a classmate

each week.

CATEGORY 10 points 8 points 6 points 4 points

Depth ofThought

I discussed anissue or conceptin detail. I usedspecificexamples,quotes, andreferences toillustrate mypoint.

My post is fairlygeneral; I use oneor two specificdetails.

I use onlygeneralcomments tomake mypoints.

I do not discussany issues orconcepts indetail; rather, Irely on vaguecomments.

Originality I posted aboutmy own ideas; Idid not re-word

those of another

I discussed somenew ideas butalso summarized

others' as well

I mainlysummarizedand added to

the ideas ofothers

I did not havemany ideas todiscuss or I only

used those ofothers.

Engagement I refer to myfellowclassmates byname or makedirect referenceto a point they

I mention an ideapreviouslydiscussed but invague terms(without names,etc.)

I rarelyacknowledge orrefer to thework of others.

I do notacknowledge orrefer to the workof others.


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discussed

Relevance My commentsare alwaysrelevant to thetopic at hand

I stay on topic inmy posts, but attimes wander intoideas that seem

disconnectedfrom the mainpoint

I tend todeviate fromthe topic athand several

times in mypost.

My discussionpoints are not ontopic

Conventions All conventionsof StandardEnglish areobserved in myposts

Most conventionsof StandardEnglish areobserved in myposts

Someconventions ofStandardEnglish areobserved in myposts

Conventionproblemsobscure themeaning of myposts

I-Search

The I-Search project is about exploring the research process. Compare a "typical" process, one that

students might use to do informal research to the more structured process you might teach as an SLMS.

Select a topic (typical kid topics: Martha Washington, Delaware, bald eagles, black holes) of interest

to you. Do some research as though you were preparing a two-page report or a five-minute

presentation. Your focus should be on the process, not the information you would gather.

I-Search Rubric

CATEGORY Exemplary Adequate

Needs

Improvement No Credit

Questioning and

Task Definition

I formulated an

essential question

for my research. I

discussed types of

questions andused them to

guide research.

I formulated a

research question

for myself. I

explored

questions andtheir role in the

research process.

I explored task

definition and

questions only in

general ways.

I did not consider

questioning

behavior in my

exploration of the

research process.


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Choice of Model I considered my

audience/ purpose

in choosing a

"best" model. I

gave a detailed

analysis of the

pros and cons for

my choice.

I chose a "best"

research process

model. I offered

one or two specific

reasons for my

choice.

I indicated a

general

preference. I cited

some general,

rather than

specific, reasons

for my choice.

I did not make any

real choice from

among the models

presented.

Implications for

Teaching and

Collaborating

I offered specific

examples and

ideas for using the

research process

or parts with

students and

teachers.

I offered at least

two general ideas

for using a

research process

or parts of it in

working with

students and/or

teachers.

A presented a few

non-specific ideas

on using research

process ideas.

I did not make any

connections

between research

process models

and teaching.

Depth of Thought I discussed the

issue in detail. I

used specific

examples, quotes,

and references to

illustrate my

points.

I used one or two

specific details,

but most of my

comments are

fairly general.

I used only general

comments to make

my points.

I did not discuss

any ideas or issues

in great detail.

Conventions of

Standard Written

English

All conventions of

SWE are observed

in my I-Search

essay.

Most conventions

of SWE are

observed in my I-

Search essay.

Some conventions

of SWE are

observed in my I-

Search essay.

No conventions of

SWE are observed

in my I-Search

essay.

Resource Collection

This is a collaboration with peers to collect and share resources (i.e. lesson plans, instructional supports,

technology tools, etc.) that support your practice. Throughout the course, there will be opportunities to

explore potential resources, and to post annotations of your favorites.


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InService Presentation

According to Joie Taylor [author of textbooks on teaching research skills], the library media specialist

plays a critical role in implementing information literacy skills integration by introducing teachers to the

skills through formal in-service programs, informal planning sessions, and casual conversations (40).

Create a Meaningful ten minutes Present information during a faculty meeting that is relevant to ourrole of creating information literate students. The information must be clearly related to teaching

practice. Educators should leave the meeting with some kind of practical application in mind.

One VIT session will be devoted to inservice presentations, an opportunity for you to teach us

something valuable.

Rubric : Direct Instruction Inservice

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Content:

relevant to SLMSs

role in info. lit

instruction and/or

research skills.

Shows a full

understanding of

the topic. Is able

to fully answer

audience

questions.

Shows a good

understanding of

the topic. Is able

to answer some

audience

questions

Shows a good

understanding of

parts of the topic.

Is able to answer a

few audience

questions

Does not seem to

understand the

topic very well.

Cannot answer

audience

questions.

Research:

Supports the need

to address this

topic in the school.

Displays an in

depth knowledge

of the research

and uses it to

create a need.

Displays a good

understanding of

the research and

uses it to create a

need.

Displays some

understanding of

the research, but

doesnt make it

clear to the

audience how this

info. impacts them.

Displays minimal

understanding of

the research.

Presentation

Format:

Uses a wide

variety of

strategies that

show considerable

work/creativity

and were chosen

to most effectively

convey the info.

Uses some variety

of strategies that

show considerable

work/creativity

and which

effectively convey

the info.

Uses one strategy,

which makes the

presentation

better.

Lacks variety of

strategies OR the

strategies chosen

detract from the

presentation.


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Articulation: Speaks clearly and

distinctly all (100-

95%) the time, and

mispronounces no

words.

Speaks clearly and

distinctly all (100-

95%) the time, but

mispronounces

one word.

Speaks clearly and

distinctly most (

94-85%) of the

time.

Mispronounces no

more than one

word.

Often mumbles or

cannot be

understood OR

mispronounces

more than one

word.

Audience

connection:

Appearance is

relaxed and

confident.

Establishes eye

contact with

everyone in the

room during the

presentation.

Appearance is

relaxed and

establishes eye

contact with

everyone in the

room during the

presentation.

Appearance is

sometimes relaxed

and establishes

eye contact.

Appearance is not

relaxed and does

not look at people

during the

presentation.

Classroom

implementation:

The material

presented will be

very useful to me

in my role as an

educator, and to

my classroom

colleagues, and

may facilitate

collaboration.

The material

presented will be

useful to me in my

role as an

educator, and to

my classroom

colleagues.

The material

presented will be

useful to me in my

role as an educator

occasionally.

The material

presented has no

relevance to my

role as an

educator, or to

any classroom

teachers.

Assessment of

inservice:

Determine need

for further

instruction or

support.

Presentation built

in a means to

assess the

effectiveness of

the presentation.

May be interested

in more training

about classroom

implementation.

Have little interest

in more training

about classroom

implementation.

No assessment of

further need was

considered.


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Final Unit

Throughout the semester, you will be developing a unit; topic and grade level of your choice. Your unit

must address appropriate standards, and include collaborative roles for both classroom teacher and

SLMS.

The unit will include two complete lesson plans, outlines of other lessons and activities, and a

Pathfinder. The lessons and Pathfinder will be created throughout the semester.

In addition to turning in the individual lessons, you will write a Unit Overview,Culminating Assessment

Description, and Reflection.

Unit Overview: to include setting the context of the unit in terms of audience,

grade level, and collaboration situation. Also include a Goals Elaboration Statement

based on the Instructional Design Model: needs assessment, learner analysis,

instructional objectives.

Culminating Assessment: how you plan to assess all students' grasp of the"enduring understanding" and why you chose the type of culminating

paper/project.

Reflection: formally reflect on your pedagogy.

Unit Reflection Instructions (from 2011 session):

Final UnitProject Expectations

As a culminating project, we believe this Final Unit you create is the perfectvehicle to show what you know and to be an authentic assessment; we want you to actually use it in your library instruction. If you are uncertain about the collaborative component, feel free to improvise. If you are not currently in a library, pick an information literacy standard and a content standard you anticipate will require direct instruction in your role as a SLMS.

Your reflection will be due April 16th. The actual unit will be due April 30 th.Consider the following questions while planning this unit. We will assess yourunit by asking the same questions as we read through the unit so be sure to directly address each in your creation or through your final reflection.

Questions to Ask Yourself as You Plan the Final Unit The Written PlanIs the written plan clear, comprehensive, and submitted on time? (Student Name, Date,

School, Grade Level, Lesson Overview, Standardsat least one Information Literacy standardand one content standard)

Instructional GoalsWhat do you want students to know or be able to do?

How will students know what is expected of them? Did tten goals clear and stated clearly to

students?


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How will you review your goals at the closure of the lesson?

Lesson DeliveryHow will you pull students into the lesson?

Are the roles clear in terms of what you will do and what the content teacher will do?

How will you deliver the lesson?

How will you use teaching aids (blackboard, overhead, manipulatives) and resources located

in the LMC?

How will you provide for interaction between you and students and among students?

Are the strategies and activities chosen to meet a variety of learner needs and show a

consideration of learning styles, intelligences, brain-based best practices?

Informal/Formal AssessmentsHow will the tasks for students show their understanding of the concepts and meet

instructional objectives?

How are your tasks linked to the real world (authentic assessment)?

Have you considered differentiating process or product to meet a variety of needs?

Would a benchmark or exemplar help students?

Management of Class

How will you keep students on task throughout the lesson?Do you anticipate any challenges during lesson?

Self Assessment/ReflectionDid the students learn what I intended? How and when will I know?

Did I change the procedures as I taught the lesson?

How could I explain the concepts to students who didnt understand this first time?

If I had the opportunity to teach this lesson again, what would I do differently?Lesson Creation Questions adapted from Alison Fiskes Observation Checklist, Champlain College Template

Please use the Lesson Plan Template available on Blackboard under Course Content Lesson Six when creating the individual lessons that make up theunit. If you need to adapt the template in any way, please feel free. (Note: we will present the preferred format prior to the due date.)

In addition to turning in the individual lessons, you will write a UnitOverview,Culminating Assessment Description, and Reflection.Unit Overview: to include setting the context of the unit in terms ofaudience, grade level, and collaboration situation. Please include a GoalsElaboration Statementin this Overview (think of the Instructional DesignModel: needs assessment, learner analysis, instructional objectives).Culminating Assessment: how you plan to assess all students' grasp ofthe "enduring understanding" and why you chose the type of culminating paper/project.Reflection: formally reflect on your pedagogy. Please respond in writing

to:The Ten Pedagogical Dimensions of Interactive Learning by Thomas and PatriciaReeves

What is "The Art of Changing the Brain?"by James E. Zull

The format of the reflection does not need to be a formal essay. You may bullet the categories from the Reeves model and then paragraph the reactions to the Zull article. This is your vehicle to help us assess whether you met the instructional objectives created for this course.


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Students will be able to:Demonstrate an understanding of a process approach to information literacy by assessingand designing lessons that integrate the retrieval, evaluation, and use of information.

Demonstrate understanding of an inquiry approach to learning by responding to readingsand drafting a unit that embraces a thematic or problem-centered or product-centeredapproach.

Develop competencies in using various instructional strategies that involve cooperativelearning techniques, integration of technology, higher order thinking skills, and an

awareness of divergent learning styles.

Demonstrate the ability to select and evaluate appropriate learning resources by creating apathfinder of print, electronic/multimedia and community resources to accompany a unit ofstudy.

Demonstrate knowledge of related research and literature by interpreting andcommunicating their implications in discussions and presentations.

Display understanding of collaborative role library media specialists and teachers assume in instruction by discussing the topic and modeling cooperative planning for class assignments

reflecting all three levels of involvement.

Ten Pedagogical Dimensions of Interactive Learning by

Thomas and Patricia ReevesPedagogical PhilosophyInstructivist to Constructivist

The instructivist approach assigns the learner to the role of passive recipient of

instruction. At the other end, the constructivist approach focuses on the learner who

constructs knowledge based on previous knowledge and experience.

Goal OrientationSharply Focused to General.

The goals for any given educational experience can vary from a highly focusedone

such as learning a specific medical procedure to broader, higher ordered ones such as

motivation of employees. Different goals call for different tactics.

Task OrientationAcademic to Authentic.

Traditionally, instruction occurred via academic exercises that did not necessarily offer

any context or relevance for learners. A basic tenet of adult learning theory is that

context is highly important to them. An example of an academic exercise would be to

diagram sentences to learn proper sentence structure. In an authentic learning experience,

students would learn by doing more practical activities such as writing a resume.

Source of Motivation Extrinsic to Intrinsic.Motivation plays a role in all learning theories. Extrinsic motivation draws from

external sources to motivatesuch as working to receive a passing grade. It is easier to

offer extrinsic than intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation depends heavily on

individual learners and what they value about taking from the educational experience.

Presenting a way for the learner to determine his or her own outcomes from the

instruction is one way to try to intrinsically motivate the learner.

Teacher Role - Didactic to Facilitative.The traditional didactic teacher role is that ofsage on the stage where the instructor is

the possessor of the knowledge to be imparted to the student. The facilitative role is one

of being the guide on the side. This approach puts the responsibility for learning with the

student; the teacher functions more as a mentor.

Metacognitive Support Unsupported to Integrated.

Metacognition refers to the learners awareness of objectives, ability to plan andevaluate learning strategies, and capacity to monitor progress and adjust his/her behaviors


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according to need. An integrated system would provide a means for students to reflect on

their progress, assess their needs, and adjust their learning processes.

Collaborative Learning StrategiesUnsupported to Integral.Instruction can be constructed to disregard or promote collaborative learning

opportunities. Using synchronous or asynchronous technologies in online courses to

allow students to work collaboratively in small groups is one example of integrating thisdimension into a learning experience.Adapted from Smith, Susan Sharpless. Web-based instruction: a Guide for Libraries. Chicago: American LibraryAssociation, 2006

What is The Art of Changing the Brain?by James E. ZullI had an interesting time picking a title for my book. A lot of clever things were possible,

like Using our heads, or Making a smart brain, but none of them seemed satisfying.

Actually, in the end it was my publisher, John VonKnorring, who suggested The Art ofChanging the Brain.

But even though John chose the title, I like it a lot. One reason is that it is just slightly

provocative. This translates into potentially interesting, and what could be better for a new author? True, it has gotten me into hot water once in a while, with people worrying

that I had written about mind-control, or brainwashing. But the positives outweigh the

negatives. What the title says is that learning is a physical change in the brain. This is one

thing neuroscience has shown us, and if it is true, then it must be that successful teachers

produce change in the learners brain. But generating that change is not a science; it is an

art. In other words, science may tell us what learning is, and what influences it, but to

apply this knowledge effectively is nothing if not an art!

What, then is this art?

The first part I would mention is the art of challenging the whole brain. Although the

human brain is immensely complicated, we have known for some time that it carries out

four basic functions: getting information (sensory cortex,) making meaning of information(back integrative cortex,) creating new ideas from these meanings,(front integrative

cortex,) and acting on those ideas (motor cortex.) From this I propose that there are four

pillars of human learning: gathering, analyzing, creating, and acting. This isnt new, butits match with the structure of the brain seems not to have been noticed in the past. So I

suggest that if we ask our students to do these four things, they will have a chance to use

their whole brain.

The next part of the art has to do with the foundation on which these pillars stand.

Biologically, it appears that our thinking brain evolved by building on parts that are now

know to be involved in emotion and feelings. This brings our body into the story, since

we feel with out bodies, and our brain is always influenced by how our body is feeling.

Are we feeling optimistic, frustrated, bored, satisfied, eager, or afraid? The fascinating

thing is that these feelings come from the brain itself and its perceptions as to what is

happening to us and how we like those things. The feelings then are both created and

perceived by the brain. They directly influence our behaviors and attitudes. For students

they determine whether or not they are motivated to learn.The biological basis for all this

is that the emotion centers of the brain are strongly connected to the thinking areas.

Emotion and thought are physically entangledimmensely so!This part of the art then, is that the teacher must find ways that the learning itself is


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intrinsically rewarding. That seems to mean two things: first, the learning itself must

evoke emotion, and second, it must be about things which naturally engage the learner.

For the process of learning, extrinsic motivators, such as grades or gold stars, are only

needed when these intrinsic conditions are not met. If the learner is given assignments

that connect with things which naturally interest her, and if she finds the learning itself

rewarding, if she makes progress, extrinsic rewards are not needed.The biological basis for these claims are described in the book. I will leave you to read

them for yourselves.

Another key part, perhaps the key part, of the Art is the art of helping students find

connections with their past beliefs and experiences. Knowledge grows as our neurons

make new connections, and as they increase or decrease the strength of existing networks

in the brain. Most teachers have learned about constructivism somewhere in their

training, but this physical view of constructing knowledge puts it in very concrete terms.

Information enters the brain through existing networks of neurons; there seems to be no

other way. So it is these existing networks, this prior knowledge, that is the substrate for

constructing new understanding. We learn by attaching the new to the old. This modifies

the old, sometimes beyond recognition, but we are always building on what has gonebefore. Sometimes these old networks are so powerful that they become a barrier to new

knowledge. Thus, we often carry childhood beliefs with us for a lifetime, even when we

know that they are technically incorrect.

The Art of working with these connections can be thought of as having two

components. The first component is the art of discovery of existing networks. This means

understanding the student. The better we understand how she thinks and the nature of her

prior experiences, the better insight we can have into how she can build on her existing

neuronal connections. These connections include all the factors I discussed above,

including the four pillars, and the networks that are responsible for emotions and feelings.

The second component is the skill of building on existing connections, even when they

seem wrong. The pedagogical idea here is one of building on what exists, rather than

trying to eliminate things that bother us. No dismissive comment by a teacher, or mark of

a red pen can suffice to eliminate existing neuronal networks in a student brain. The art is

the skill of finding the parts of existing networks that are right and helping the studentattach new things to them which generate more complete understanding. This approach

suggests that much of what we consider wrong is just incomplete. We can add to it if

we have the Art.But we dont have to trust to black magic in these challenges. Neuroscience has shown us

two key things that lead to change in networks of neurons. The first one of these is simply

practice. Neurons that fire a lot tend to form more connections and strengthen new

connections. This is nothing new, of course, but it is more subtle than just drill, drill, drill.

For example, neurons have the ability to just stop firing when the stimulus turns out to be

unimportant. This phenomenon is known as habituation, and it is the same thing that

happens when we stop hearing the cars that go by our window on a busy street. In fact, if

you live on such a street, you eventually may come to believe that it isnt very busy at all,

because you never hear the cars. So repeating isnt necessarily enough.

The other thing that helps neuron networks get stronger and become larger and more

complex is emotion. There are recent experiments which show that such changes in

networks can be generated simply by triggering neurons to dump emotion chemicals on


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the firing networks. These chemicals are things like adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine,

and they are delivered to specific parts of the brain by specific neuron pathways. Thus,

the concomitant frequent firing and exposure to the chemicals of emotion lead to great

change in neuronal networks.

So the art of changing the brain comes down to some things that we have always

known. Practice and meaning are the most important parts of this art, but of course thestudent will not practice in a meaningful way unless she cares. Ultimately it is the learner

that is in control. The teacher can arrange the conditions and the challenges in ways that

engage the learner, but still we must have faith in learning itself.

But never fear. When our students find the right connections, they will learn. They wont be able to help themselves. It is just what the brain does. And having that faith in learning

is part of the Art.

http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/zull.htm
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16/19

Instructional Sequence

DESIGNING INSTRUCTION FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTERS

CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS

DATE/

MODULE

TOPICS READINGS ASSIGNMENTS

# 1 1/19/13

On campus, 11

am - 3 pm

Librarian as Teacher: Roles

and Perceptions

Introductions

Course overview

How we define

ourselves as teacher-

librarians Collaboration and

why it matters

Zmuda, pp. 1-43

librarians role

Thomas, pp. 1-32

historical overview

of librarians role

Learning to the

Second Power

Introduce

yourself

RAFT (role,

audience,

format, topic)

on librarians

role Response to

one classmates

RAFT

# 2 1/26/13

Blackboard

Learner Differences

Learning styles

Multiple

intelligences

Gender differences

Intro. to brain-based

teaching / learning

Thomas, pp. 77-90

context for

teaching and

learning

Medina, ch. 2, 3, 11

brain

development,

gender differences

Website: 100

Helpful Blogs for

School Librarians

(and Teachers)

Posting on

learner

differences

Response to

one classmates

posting

Begin resource

collection: brief

annotation on 3

favorite blogs

# 3 2/2/13

VIT, 9 am 12

noon

Brain-Based Teaching, Brain-

Friendly Practices

Research and

writings by Langer,

Sylwester, Wolfe,

Medina, Sprenger,

others

Implications forschool libraries

Medina website

(Brain Rules)

Sprenger, pp. 1-40

brain overview

test notes

summary of key

brain research

applicable to

your practice

Respond to

others postings

# 4 2/9/13

Blackboard

Looking at the Standards:

Common Core, AASL

Standards for the

21st

Century Learner,

crosswalk

Focus on reading and

Calkins, pp. 1-31

Common Core

overview

AASL Standards

History Lessons

Blend Content

Crosswalk/

connections

between

selected

sections of

standards


17/19

writing

Supporting content

teachers in their

work with students

Knowledge, Literacy

Becoming a Core

Ninja

documents

I-Search paper,

part 1

# 5 2/16/13VIT, 9 am 12

noon

Standards = Objectives andTargets

The Research Process

Translating

standards into

measurable what

they must know

and what they must

be able to do

statements

Models for teaching

students how to do

research

Thomas, pp. 33-76 research models

Thomas, pp. 127-

182 research

instruction

Enduring

Understandings

Where Are They in

the Librarys

Curriculum?

Write objectives/ learning

targets for final

unit

Respond to

classmates

objectives

I-search paper,

part 2

# 6 2/23/13

Blackboard

Assessment

How will you know if

the students have

met the objectives?

Formative and

summative

assessments in a

variety of formats

Creating rubrics,

checklists, etc.

Using assessments toguide teaching

Zmuda, pp. 73-102

assessment

Thomas, pp. 91-126

diagnosing needs

Develop

assessment

plan, including

rubrics if

needed, for

final unit

Respond to one

classmates

assessment

plan

# 7 3/9/13

VIT, 9 am 12

noon

Lesson Planning: Activities

that Promote Thinking

Formulating good

questions

truthiness

Levels of thinking

(Blooms taxonomy,

for example)

Exploring and

evaluating lessonplans found online

Ritchhart, pp. 1-40

thinking theory

Truthiness article,

Seattle Times Oct.

2011

Explore lesson plan

websites

Write guiding

questions for

final unit

Evaluate a

chosen lesson

for its thinking

content

Respond to

others postings

on lessonevaluation

Resource

collection: add

& annotate a

treasure trove

of lessons

website


18/19

Begin

Pathfinder for

final unit

# 8 3/16/13

Blackboard

Lesson Planning:

Differentiating to Meet

Diverse Learner Needs How do we ensure

that all students

have the opportunity

to meet the

standards?

Assessing students

needs

Ways to differentiate

through materials,

tasks, providing

choices

Sprenger, pp. 41-

126 meeting

learner needs Zmuda, pp. 47-72

meeting learner

needs

Finish

Pathfinder

Posting: howwill you

differentiate

within your final

unit?

Respond to

classmates

posting

# 9 3/23/13

Blackboard

Lesson Planning:

Constructivism, Inquiry,

Information Competency

and, ideally, doing these

things in collaborative units

Thomas, pp. 77-90

constructivism,

etc.

Thomas, pp. 127-

182 information

competency,

inquiry tasks

Outline one

lesson for your

final unit; lesson

should address

some aspect of

constructivism,

inquiry, or

information

competency

Respond to a

classmates

lesson plan# 10 3/30/13

VIT, 9 am 12

noon

Technology: Tools to

Promote Learning

Things that work

well

Finding the balance

between high-tech

and low-tech: when

does IT foster

learning, and when

does it distract?

Introduce inservice

presentation assignment

Sprenger, pp. 127-

150 finding the

balance

Find and

evaluate a

lesson plan that

incorporates

technology:

used well or

poorly?

Respond to a

classmates

posting

Add a techfavorite to the

resources

collection, with

brief

description of

how it

could/should be


19/19

used to

promote

learning

# 11 4/6/13

Blackboard

Reading, Writing, and the

Common Core

Text complexity Informational texts

Factual writing

Implications for

collaboration (a

librarian with a great

collection should be

a classroom

teachers best

friend!)

Calkins, pp. 75-101

reading

informational texts Calkins, pp. 142-161

writing

information

The Common Core

State Standards and

Text Complexity

Common Core

Curriculum and

Complex Texts

Posting

addressing the

implications forcollaboration

Response to a

classmates

postings

# 12 4/13/13

VIT, 9 am 12

noon

Inservice Presentations

Students will make short

presentations on topics of

interest within the librarian-

as-teacher role

Posting great

ideas from the

presentations

Response to

classmates

postings

# 13 4/20/13

Blackboard

Classroom Management

Share the Wealth

Strategies that work

when we teach or

when we host a class

Promoting your

library and your

services

Ritchhart, pp. 217-

246 valuing

thinking

Complete final

unit

Reflection on

final unit

# 14 5/4/13

On campus, 11

am 3 pm

Celebrating Success

Sharing our final

collaborative units

What wed teach,

how, and why (show

and tell)

design instr sch lbr media ctr - edli 274 dl1 - course syllabus

Documents