LIBE 477 – Final Reflection

As I have been preparing to write this final reflection for LIBE 477 I have had many thoughts go through my mind. Firstly, I am thinking about the fact that this final post will conclude my 8th course towards my Teacher Librarian Diploma. I must admit that I have not exactly sped through this diploma program, opting for one course a semester and taking a couple semesters off here and there due to life and its not so linear nature. As I think about this, however, I am realizing that maybe, going slowly has actually been beneficial due to the nature of this program and the work we do. By going slowly my learning has been extended and I have continued to grow professionally over the course of these past few years as opposed to jamming it all together just to get it done. Needless to say, completing the diploma is a goal of mine (that I plan to have accomplished by April of next year!), but just as we tell our students, learning is more about the process than the end result and going slowly has, indeed, allowed for the process to be more meaningful in terms of its impact on my teaching and growth as an educator.

In considering my biggest take away from this course I believe it would have to be the discovery of the work of Edgardo Civallero, the Argentinean librarian who has done an incredible amount of work and research into libraries in South America with specific attention to the role of libraries in Indigenous communities. It was so interesting to see the parallels between the issues facing Indigenous communities in two countries that are so far apart geographically and, that seem on the surface, so different from one another. Discovering Civallero’s work was personally motivating to me and I felt empowered by the fact that I was reading and understanding an academic paper written entirely in Spanish. It is true that if there is a personal connection present then the learning will be more powerful and rewarding… for students and teachers alike! I look forward to reading more of Civallero’s work and discovery further connections between the two countries I have called home.

I have also found it very interesting, throughout this course, to take a look at what other TLs are doing throughout the province. We can sometimes become so focussed on what is going on in our own small communities that we forget to look around at what is happening at other schools, in other districts, or even in other countries. When we remain enclosed in our own bubble we miss so many potential opportunities. Opportunities for learning, sharing, collaborating, teaching, inspiring, and, of course, being inspired. While I have had a chance to look at a few Vision of the Future Projects so far I look forward to exploring more in the next few days as I know that doing so will lead to rich learning and new ideas.

Creating my own Vision of the Future resource was something that I felt held purpose and was, therefore, a valuable endeavour that I hope will help to guide colleagues in trying something new in their classrooms. I do not claim to be an expert in technology, far from it. But I am not scared to try. I think that fear is what lays beneath many teachers hesitation to bring technology into the classroom and I hope that the Toolkit I created will help ease some of that fear and make it seem more manageable because it is, indeed manageable, and incredibly worthwhile as we strive to do all we can to teach our students the skills necessary in today’s world.

I am very thankful for the learning that has stemmed from this course and I look forward to my final two courses in the TL Diploma Program as I continue to learn and grow as an educator.

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I pressed ‘publish’ on this post an hour or so ago and yet I felt drawn to come back after just reading something that resonated so strongly with me and felt connected to this course and my reflections. I won’t say much more about it as it truly speaks for itself…

“Educate Me” by Lebanese-Canadian author, speaker, and educator, Najwa Zebian.

Zebian, N. (2018). Mind platter. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Vision Project – iPads in the Grade One Classroom: a Toolkit

For my final vision project I decided to go back to the beginning of the course and look at one of the initial areas of interest that I highlighted during the first Reading Assignment. This was something I have had interest in since before even beginning this course and so I felt as though it would be worthwhile to spend more time delving into the topic and to create something that would be of use to my colleagues. The area of interest, technology in early primary, with a specific focus on iPad instruction/use in Grade One, stemmed out of a collaboration with a Grade One class this past year in which we have worked together weekly to teach iPad skills and to bring new apps to the classroom.

Working with the Grade One class demonstrated to me the power that iPads can have in enhancing classroom practices and also the value in structured teaching in using these devices as tools for learning, creating, and sharing.

For my Final Vision artifact I decided to create an iPad in the Classroom Toolkit for Grade One/early primary teachers. This Toolkit begins with a rationale and explanation of the background from which it is based and continues to highlight a selection of apps that have proved worthy in the Grade One classroom accompanied by several examples of student work. My hope is that this Toolkit will enable primary teachers to feel more confident in introducing apps to their students in a structured way with the confidence that these apps are ‘tried and true’ in the early primary classroom. Another reason I decided to create this Toolkit is because I will be away on the leave for the fall term and I wanted to be able to leave a possible framework behind for my colleagues who are hoping to work with the iPads with their classes starting in September.

While students today are, in many ways, more comfortable with technology than most adults, this does not mean that they automatically know how to use it as an effective tool for learning. In his article “Can we teach digital natives digital literacy?” Wan Ng speaks of the role that educators have of introducing “the range of educational technologies that the digital natives” (our students) can use for learning (p. 1066). I firmly believe, as Ng states, that students “need to be taught about these technologies, just like people born into a community needs to be taught how to speak the language or use tools and equipment that are available to the community” (p. 1066). The responsibility, to teach our students to navigate the wide range of technologies available cannot fall solely on the Teacher Librarian and, as such, I created this Toolkit with the hope that it could help serve as a guide to primary teachers who are hoping to bring iPads into their classrooms.

In his book, Why School? Will Richardson lays out the 21st Century Literacies as outlined in a policy by the National Council of Teachers of English. This policy echoes the Ng’s sentiment, stating that students must “develop proficiency with the tools of technology,” (2013) amongst other recommendations. How else can we achieve this goal without the intentional teaching, modeling, and practise with the different technologies in the classroom, beginning at an early age?

The BC Ministry of Education also lays out a series of 6 different skills/understandings that we should be teaching in schools in relation to Digital Literacies, including, but not limited to, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration. All of these skills will be practised through the use of the apps and activities outlined in the Toolkit. While this Toolkit will remain a living document due to technological advances and developments, it will, I hope, prove to be a useful and informative tool for colleagues who are looking to move forward with technology and digital literacies in their classrooms. 

References:

British Columbia Ministry of Education. BC’s digital literacy framework. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). The NCTE definition of 21st century literacies. Retrieved from http://www2.ncte.org/statement/21stcentdefinition/

Ng, W. (2012). Can we teach digital natives digital literacy? Computers and Education, 59. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/S0360131512001005/1-s2.0-S0360131512001005-main.pdf?_tid=709411ba-038f-4b20-9b81-25ea83a3a5e9&acdnat=1530559134_8301d58d5468855747a359526ee24fcc

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school? New York, NY: TED Conferences.

Cambiar el destino de la comunidad – Changing the destiny of the community

While I began this week unsure of where I was going to end up in terms of the topic introduced I ended up coming across a publication that excited and engaged me in new and challenging ways. In fact, I would say it was one of the most interesting things I have read in a long time, perhaps because I felt a connection to it and we all know that when reading something we are personally connected to we will be all the more motivated to not only read it but to also learn from it.

La Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno in Buenos Aires

When I read through the module introduction my initial thought was that I wanted to see if I could find anything written on the topic of libraries in more remote areas of Argentina. Having spent time in Argentina teaching, and also through my own familial connections to the country, I was drawn to learn more about what is happening there in terms of libraries. While I was in Argentina last summer I visited the Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno in Buenos Aires and met with the new Director, Alberto Manguel, who happens to also be both Canadian and Argentinean (it was this article from the Globe and Mail that first prompted me to contact Manguel about meeting). It was very interesting to speak with Manguel about his role in the National Library and the plans he has to bring about changes, especially in terms of educational offerings and a library centered on Indigenous Peoples of Argentina. Through this discussion, however, I did not obtain a bigger picture of what is happening in smaller communities in the country and so that led me to want to learn more.

 

When I came across Edgardo Civallero’s (2007) publication entitled, “Bibliotecas en comunidades Indígenas: Guia de acción y reflexión”  – Libraries in Indigenous communities: A guide for action and reflection – I was instantly intrigued as it was not only related to the week’s topic of world libraries but also related to two other great interests of mine, Indigenous Cultures and Argentina. The fact that this publication is written entirely in Spanish caused some slight trepidation at first but as I began reading I felt motivated by the fact that I was not only understanding but greatly appreciating the wise words written. It also demonstrated how similar our stories are… Argentina and Canada may be far apart geographically but the commonalities are strong, especially in terms of issues related to Indigenous Peoples today, the challenges being faced, and the work being done to try and repair the damage caused by years of ignorance and prejudice.

 

Liberar Mentes y Salvar Vidas – Open Minds and Save Lives

Civallero begins his publication writing about the power of libraries in terms of their ability to open minds and save lives. Through libraries the eyes of the poor and marginalized can be opened and he states that this can cause those in power to become scared, especially if their power was built upon the ignorance and misery of others. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and so withholding knowledge is, in fact, a way of keeping the power in the hands of a select few. It is up to those people who have the opportunity and the resources to ensure that knowledge through libraries is accessible to all people.

“De nosotros depende que el niño aprenda a leer y escribir en su idioma materno, que la historia sea contada permitiendo que suenen todas las campanas, que los que nunca tuvieron voz puedan escribir sus memorias y sus recuerdos, y decir sus palabras y hablar sus voces, antiguas y siempre calladas” (p. x). 

It depends on us whether a child will learn to read and write in his mother language, that history be told accurately, that those who have never had a voice can write their memories and say their words, speak their voices that have previously been silenced.

 

Pulmón Cultural y Gestora de Memorias – Cultural Lung and Storehouse of Memories

It is impossible to translate everything directly – Pulmón Cultural sounds so much better than Cultural Lung even though it is the literal translation. But when you think about what it implies, a library as a “cultural lung” does, in fact, make sense. Lungs are what sustain us, through our lungs we breath in the air that is necessary to live. In this same way libraries can be seen as necessary to sustain cultures, but as Civallero points out, “así como podía recuperar y salvar una cultura, también podía ser la herramienta idónea para aplastarla, borrarla y negarla” (p. ix). In other words, he is saying that while libraries do have the immense power of being able to save a culture they can also be a tool to crush, erase, or deny a culture if the power is in the wrong hands. If done right (and I will discuss more about what this might mean) Civallero argues that libraries have the power to:

• Help restore history and lost identities
• Strengthen oral traditions and weak/threatened languages
• Promote literacy and bilingual education
• Guarantee basic human rights and equality
• Share information about health, employment, and sustainable development
• Teach about wellbeing, social inclusion, and democratic participation
• Provide materials allowing people to obtain a variety of resources, texts, and images which will enable them to make connections with others in different places and times
• Provide entertainment, training, and information
• Connect Indigenous communities with International communities.

In order to reap these significant benefits, however, it is essential that the building of libraries in Indigenous communities be done properly. And Civallero suggests that this means being innovative and responsive to each specific community and not simply trying to adapt pre-existing models.

 

Bibliotecas y Desarrollo Social – Libraries and Social Development 

In his publication, Civallero suggests many important factors to consider when planning the implementation of libraries in Indigenous Communities if we hope to achieve the aforementioned benefits in the communities.

1. It is essential that the librarians know the community extremely well. They must listen to and recognize their own specific needs and work to attend to those needs in an appropriate manner for the community.  Civallero goes on to give an example of how governments have donated computers to communities of people who are, by majority, illiterate thinking that this will be helpful when really the money could have been better spent on books and education campaigns to build literacy skills necessary to even be able to use a computer. There is no ‘one size fits all’ method and the only way to know what will help a specific community is to spend the time getting to know the people and listening to their needs and concerns.
2. We must forget about the traditional library model, take down the walls and allow for the development of more flexible and dynamic spaces. Whether that be in the streets, in schools, in community centres, neighbourhood associations, cultural organizations, in the most poverty stricken neighbourhoods. As this is where the inequality lies, and this is where the libraries must work to assist the people in regaining their own power through knowledge while embracing and strengthening their own culture, language, and way of being.
3. The librarians working in these areas must be life long learners themselves. Be open to trying new strategies and ways of doing things.
4. The librarians must also see themselves as a part of the community and be active in community life. This will ensure that the library remains relevant and vibrant as opposed to “un depósito de saberes anticuados y de páginas polvorientas” (p. 25) – a deposit of outdated knowledge and dusty pages. One of my favourite quotes from the publication echoes this sentiment. It emphasizes the importance that those working in a library do not see it as being work done solely for the ‘other’ but work done for all people…

Que no existen “bibliotecas indígenas” y “bibliotecas no indígenas”, sino “bibliotecas”. Y que no hay “mi mano”, “tu mano” y “su mano”, sino “nuestras manos”. Y nuestra imaginación (p. 3).

That there be no ‘Indigenous Libraries’ and ‘Non-Indigenous Libraries,’ only libraries. And that it is not ‘my hand,’ ‘your hand,’ or his/her ‘hand’ – only our hands. And our imaginations.

 

Acción Real – Real Action 

Civallero proposes big ideas. He has big dreams in terms of the power that libraries can have in Indigenous communities in Argentina (and around the world). He is clear to state, however, that these will remain as ideas unless we begin. Unless the ideas are accompanied by action and open minds. Yes, it may not be an easy task, and there is, indeed, much work to be done, but  as Civallero says, “dejemos de hablar, dejemos de mirar como espectadores inertes… y hagámoslo” (p. 28) – let’s stop talking, stop looking on as spectators, and let’s do the work.

Libraries are powerful. Civallero reminded me of this and I feel very fortunate to have found his work as it has left me feeling inspired and rejuvenated at a time when I have been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by my work and this role. I know I will continue to read more about his research and projects not only due to my interest in his work in Argentina but also due to the fact that the links to our own situation here, in Canada, are so strong. Civallero writes, “una biblioteca puede… cambiar el destino de su comunidad de usuarios. (p. 44) – a library can change the destiny of its community… I agree with this powerful statement and feel inspired by the work already done and motivated to continue with the work we still must do.

 

References:

Civallero, E. (2007). Bibliotecas en comunidades indigenas: Guía de acción y reflexion. [PDF file]. Cordoba, Argentina: Wayrachaki. Retrieved from https://www.aacademica.org/edgardo.civallero/18.pdf

Nolen, S. (2017, May 12). Argentina’s page turner: How a Canadian author became the leader of a library revolution. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/argentina-alberto-manguel-national-library/article34966600/

“Fearless, Playful, and Connected”

As a classroom teacher it is possible (unfortunately) to get away with shutting yourself off in your own classroom, with your own kids, without much contact or collaboration with the rest of the school. As teacher librarians, however, this is definitely not the case… at least if we hope to do our jobs well. As teacher-librarian I have found that I am much more involved in admin-type activities than I ever imagined when I first began in this role. Teacher librarians are involved in so many aspects of the school, it is much more than just the purchasing of books and the managing of book exchanges. It is also much more than the teaching of students and the organization of student activities as in this position we also take on the role of teaching and engaging our staff in new and exciting ways.

In her article “School Librarians: Vital Educational Leaders” Martineau (2010) recognizes the shift in the TL role from the traditional librarian to today’s teacher librarians, especially in terms of ICT skills. She notes that “teacher librarians are increasingly acting as professional development providers of digital literacy skills” (p. 5). Martineau makes another important point in her article saying that in order for it to be possible for TLs to be leaders in terms of staff professional development as well as collaboration and teaching then it is important that there is sufficient support in the library to assist with the necessary day to day tasks of running the space. It would be impossible, even if the TL role was full-time, to do everything to keep a library running while also doing everything else. I feel fortunate to have a trained library technician who works two days a week. She does most of the processing of new books, the cataloging, and most of the book exchange sessions. Without her it would be impossible for me to do the teaching and collaboration that I currently do. 

In my few years as teacher librarian I have worked to try and help my colleagues move forward with new technologies especially in terms of our school iPads and Chromebooks. We have held some learning lunches to teach different apps and also spent some time during staff meetings to introduce the iPads and the routines/expectations for using them in the classroom. I think it is important to start the year off with this as it introduces the tools to any new teachers and ensures that everyone is on the same page with how the tools are used at our school. This helps to keep the iPads running and organized so that they can be properly shared with the whole community. At the beginning of this year I created and shared this Google Slides presentation for these purposes. 

 

As another year has gone by with the iPads and we have  learned more and added another set to our collection I would make some updates to the presentation for next year, but the basic idea would be the same.

The team of teachers from my school who attended the iOS Summit in Vancouver also did a share out at a staff meeting. We each shared a different app we had learned and explored and teachers went around to whichever app they were interested in learning about, or rotated through all four. Working as a team with other teachers who went to the summit allowed us to share more with our staff than if only one of us had presented.

I also recognize that while I may hold the position of Teacher Librarian I am, by no means, an expert in all ICT areas and so I do what I can to bring in others who are more knowledgeable to help teach and guide us as we strive to integrate new technologies into our practices. This year, for example, we were fortunate to have our District IT Expert (not actually sure what his official title is… but he is indeed an expert in all things tech!) and two other GSuite experts (one of whom is a TL in the district and the other a teacher at middle school) come to our school to offer a Google Sandbox session. Teachers came with questions about GSuite tools (Read Write and Classroom in particular) and these three experts helped teachers through their questions in a small group setting. We were also able to have a colleague from another elementary school who has done a lot with Spheros come to a Pro D day and we ran a session on coding together, I did a short session on paper coding and then she led us in some great exploration time with our brand new set of spheros.

Great ProD with colleagues in #sd63 today. First a morning of important conversations with @JLHALBERT & @lkaser & the power of connections & belonging in schools. Then an afternoon collaborating with @SD63Brentwood getting their spheros rolling pic.twitter.com/PRdp6thrJ3

— Sherisse Norris (@sherissen) April 21, 2018

A new experience for me last month was being invited to a school district up island  to present with a colleague at their Curriculum Implementation Day on an inquiry project we developed a few years ago. We gave two presentations to a total of about 75 educators and while I was definitely a bit nervous at first, we were well received and were able to engage in some really excellent discussions with the teachers who attended. While not necessarily directly related to technology, there were aspects that were ICT related, including, on a basic level, the platform on which we now store and share the project. Using a Google Drive folder has allowed for it to be easily shared to educators across our district and others in BC and Canada. It also allows it to be a living document, one we are always updating and adding to as we find new resources to improve the project and ensure it remains relevant.  

In their article “The power of Web 2.0: Teacher-librarians become school technology leaders” (2011), Branch-Mueller and deGroot from the University of Alberta state that in order to be an effect TL in the 21st Century one must be “fearless, playful, and connected” (p. 25). What great descriptors for our role. While sometimes it can be overwhelming, I do strive to do all I can to embody these characteristics in my role as teacher librarian in order to ensure I am doing all I can for our school community, students and staff included.  

 

References:

Branch-Mueller, J. & deGroot, J. (2011). The power of web 2.0: Teacher-librarians become school technology leaders. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(2). Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=8dd84a5a-1dcf-4dd5-ba9d-325c9422d053%40sessionmgr4006

Martineau, P. (2010). School librarians: Vital educational leaders. The Education Digest, 75(6). Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=753a16d9-45d7-4933-811f-20d763a0fcd3%40sessionmgr4007

Embracing Connectedness and Life Long Learning

If we hope our students will become lifelong learners then we really must be modelling this behaviour ourselves and, as such, it is important that we are continually learning and stretching our thinking throughout our careers. 

Some of the TLs in Saanich celebrating our Professional Book Club on Trevor Mackenzie’s Dive Into Inquiry

I think one of the most valuable ways in which I have learned and grown in my role as teacher librarian has been through the amazing network of teacher librarians in our district. We are so fortunate in Saanich to have a strong and committed group of people who are truly dedicated to this work and I feel so grateful to be a part of this team. Whether it be through the sharing of resources or initiatives, collaboration in terms of TL advocacy, or professional book club discussions, there are always opportunities to learn and grow from one another. As a relatively new teacher librarian I have also appreciated the informal mentorship offered through this group, we are there to support one another and those who are more experienced are always willing to lend a hand or answer questions. If you do not have a TL association in your district I urge you to consider starting a discussion with your colleagues about the possibility of monthly meetings to collaborate, support, and learn from one another. 

Attending Pro D events with others from your school/district can be so valuable… not to mention, fun!

Another way I have worked to learn and stretch my thinking in terms of ICT and education is through attending professional development workshops including the iOS iPad Summit in Vancouver in 2016 and 2017 as well as the Google Summit here in Victoria this past Fall. These workshops are amazing opportunities to learn and be inspired by so many educators both local and international. What impresses me most about these events is the passion that the presenters have for their subject area and their willingness to share with all attending.  While I do find that I leave these workshops feeling quite exhausted, it is a good kind of exhausted.

The courses I have taken over the past few years as I have been working away at my TL Diploma have also been great sources of learning and professional development. While it is definitely not an easy task to balance coursework on top of full time work I do recognize the impact the courses have had on who I am as an educator today. Looking back through this blog that I created for the diploma program reminds me of the ways in which I have grown and also all the different people and resources I have learned from along the way.

Learning through the network of educators I follow on Twitter has also been significant. It is amazing how a platform such as Twitter has really taken the education world by storm in the past few years, making it possible to share across the globe and be inspired by one another. I will admit though, that looking at Twitter does sometimes leave me feeling overwhelmed and I find myself having to be careful not to get stuck in the comparison trap where I am looking at what others are doing and thinking how everything they do is so much better than what I could ever possibly accomplish. Instead of getting trapped in this comparison mindset, however, I remind myself to remain open to the ideas and instead let myself be inspired. Being a part of a network such as Twitter also includes a level of responsibility. I think it is important that as educators we try not to be passive participants but that we also share things happening in our own schools and in our personal professional development. In Why School? (2012) Robinson speaks about the importance of educators sharing beyond the walls of their classroom saying that many would argue that this, in fact, a duty.

In an article entitled “Together we are better: Professional learning networks for teachers” (2016) authors Trust, Krutka, and Carpenter speak of the value in a network such as Twitter in allowing teachers to develop their PLNs (personal learning networks). They suggest that if teachers are expected to be continually learning and deepening their practices then “they could benefit from broad, holistic, and flexible networks” and the accessibility of PLNs and “their capacity to respond to educators’ diverse interests and needs” can be very valuable in achieving this goal (Trust, Krutka, & Carpenter, p. 16).

I have been teaching for six years, something that feels pretty hard to believe in that I still feel like a new teacher much of the time. There is the danger in this career (and most other careers too for that matter) that once you begin you turn on your blinders and just plow forth doing the same day in and day out. We must be so careful, however, to not allow this to happen because the results from this kind of teaching will not lead to beneficial learning environments for our students. We must approach each day new, and be willing to let go of old ideas or ways of doing in order to ensure our teaching is relevant to our students’ changing needs. And the wonderful thing is, we do not have to do this in isolation. As educators we are part of a global network of people who are striving to do their best for students each day and by recognizing and embracing this network we will be able to move forward with our students’ best interests at heart while also remaining engaged and passionate about the work we do.

 

References: 

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school? (Kindle Edition). TED Conferences.

Trust, T., Krutka, D., & Carpenter, J. (2016). Together we are better: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/S036013151630135X/1-s2.0-S036013151630135X-main.pdf?_tid=6826c544-71e0-439a-a1e2-1eee69f966bb&acdnat=1527864853_2a6565793d0980f001cea50eec41196b

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Building a Culture of Reading = Common Vision & Purposeful Planning

The Brentwood Library Learning Commons

Today I had a small group in the library after lunch who were finishing up their Book Club on The One and Only Ivan. Three of the four students had finished reading and were working on an activity at a table while one student had a few chapters left to read. She didn’t want to read, but I suggested we sit and read together, taking turns, one page at a time. She agreed to this idea and so there we sat, side by side, reading though the last pages of her story while the chatter of a class of Grade One students filled the air as they searched for books during their weekly book exchange.

I start with this story because it was, for me, an important reminder of why I do what I do. To be honest, I have had many moments lately where I have struggled with this job, struggled with the task of dividing myself between teacher-librarian and classroom teacher, never feeling like I can give quite enough to either role. I recognize that this is probably a result of my perfectionist nature and something I have to learn to let go of but it is not all that easy. Sitting there today though, with my attention devoted to one student – reading one book – together, I was filled with a deep sense of peace. We finished the book and chatted for a moment about how it was a sad story, but that it ended well, Ivan was going to be ok (Applegate, 2012). 

This little moment in time did not impact many students. It was not some school-wide event, it did not require any pre-planning. And yet I do believe it illustrates the reading culture in our Learning Commons, and in our school. A culture in which taking the time to sit one on one with a student (one who probably does not have many opportunities to read with an adult at home) for half an hour to read is seen as a valuable use of time.

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Much research can be found on the development of cultures of reading in schools and how this positively impacts students and communities. In an article entitled “Developing a Culture of Readers Through Effective Library Planning” (2013) co-authors Kay Wejrowski and Mat McRae (Teacher Librarian and Principal at a high school in Michigan) speak of the this very topic, explaining that it was not by chance that their school library became the hub of their school but it was a result of collaborative planning, stemming from a common vision. This vision included aspects such as ensuring their library was welcoming and accessible to everyone in the community, that it be a part of every aspect of school life (making it the ‘hub’), and that, as a result, a culture of readers would be nurtured and thrive.

I share the vision of Wejrowski and McRae and I too work to make sure our Library Learning Commons is a welcoming place for our whole community and I do believe that we have had success in this area. Every morning at 7:55, without fail, when I am sitting at my desk preparing for the day I hear a little knock at the library window as my first two visitors arrive. They are dropped off early at school and head straight to the library to read, draw, or help out with whatever small jobs I can give them. These two are soon joined by others and by the time our bell rings at 8:35 the library is a pretty busy place. And I love it. Because is this not what it should be? A place where students don’t just come when they HAVE to but a place they come whenever they WANT to.

Another way that I strive to build a culture of reading at our school is through listening to the students and actively encouraging them to request books. Author, Neil Gaiman, is a strong advocate for the importance of giving children choice in their reading. In a lecture he gave at the Reading Agency in London he proposed the idea that there is no “such a thing as a bad book for children” (2013, para. 11) and while I realize this quote is a well used one, it is for a reason in that it is so true and so crucial in our attempts to build cultures of reading (I highly recommend you check out the rest of Gaiman’s lecture here if you have not yet read it.)  If students ask for a book we do not yet have I do all I can to get that book in for them. Seeing the look on students’ faces when you hand them a book that they have specifically requested is definitely up there in terms of my favourite moments in the library. By purchasing a book that a student requests you are sending the message: “You matter. I care about you. Your ideas and opinions are valued in this place.”

This importance of giving students choice in terms of their reading is so critical when building a strong culture of reading at a school. This is further enforced in an article by Mathers and Stern entitled, “Cafe Culture: Promoting Empowerment and Pleasure in Adolescent Literacy Learning,” in which they discuss the fact that elementary students often have quite a positive perception when it comes to reading and one of the reasons for this is due to the choice they have when reading. Sadly, this is something that tends to fade as students get older and reading becomes more about reading to get the job done instead of reading for the pleasure and joy of getting lost in the pages of a good book. Fortunately, I know there are fabulous Teacher Librarians at the middle and high school levels who are working hard to keep the reading spark alive for their students and their communities as a whole and hopefully this helps to ensure that the pleasure of reading does not fade away. 

Kindergarten Thing 1 and Thing 2 on Family Literacy Day

Building a reading culture also includes events at our school such as Family Literacy Day (where students come to school dressed as their favourite book character), author visits, Red Cedar Book Club, other book clubs (including two student run book clubs this year), and the promotion of new books. We have also seen the connection of a strong reading culture with writing culture as we have had this year a spontaneous (and now very substantial!) collection of books written by students in their own time that they have brought to the library to be shared with the community.

A few of the many student written/illustrated books that make up the student author section of our library.

I will end this post with a book trailer by two Grade 3 students who are a part of our Wednesday Grade 2/3 Book Club. They finished this trailer the other day and are very excited to share it with the rest of their peers. When students begin recommending books to each other I think it is fair to say that a healthy reading culture is in place… and I must admit… even I am interested in checking out this book after watching their great little trailer.

 

References

Applegate, K. (2012). The one and only ivan. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Gaiman, N. (2013, October 13). Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming?CMP=twt_g

Mathers, B. G., & Stern, A., J. (2012). Café culture: Promoting empowerment and pleasure in adolescent literacy learning. Reading Horizons, 51(4), 251-278. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=96ea23fb-168c-44be-b025-ae92b8de1f6d%40sessionmgr4010

Wejrowski, K., & McRae, M. (2013). Developing a culture of readers through effective library planning. Knowledge Quest, 42(1), 38-43. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=41dd196c-8c37-47c2-b230-41ad5c1fe9ec%40sessionmgr4010

 

LLED 477B – Reading Assignment B

In beginning my exploration of resources connected to my topics in the previous assignment I was unsure of where I would end up. I focused in on the two themes I am most interested in at the moment: technology in early primary and core competency development in connection to digital literacies. I decided to begin my search with the UBC Library page and was able to find a variety of very interesting and relevant resources written by experts in the field from around the world. Upon further investigation I narrowed down my search in order to draw out four resources that I believe will prove helpful to myself, and anyone else interested in these areas of education.

We are so lucky to have databases such as that provided by UBC as they allow us to learn from one another no matter where in the world we are situated… this connectedness, made possible by technology, allows educators from around the world to move forward together in strengthening the educational experiences of our students, something that I find very exciting and empowering.

Resource Collection

Technology in Early Primary

Young Children in a Digital Age (2016) is an exciting resource that includes writing and research from a variety of educators working in the field of early childhood education and technology. This collection, edited by Lorraine Kaye of Middlesex University in London, is intended to provide pedagogical reasoning and research supporting and justifying the use of technology in early years. Found in the introduction of this resource is, perhaps, the most critical piece that we must keep in mind as we consider the role of technology in our early primary classrooms in that it is essential that we provide even our youngest learners educational experiences that reflect “the world in which they operate” (Kaye, p. xiii).  And there is no doubt that the world in which we currently operate in is one that is highly technological and it is, therefore, essential that we bring these skills into our classrooms in order to ensure we are educating students to live in the world as it is today… and as it might be once they graduate. While I feel this whole book could benefit my practice, the chapters that perhaps feel most relevant to me in terms of my current areas of interest include, Language acquisition in a digital age, Supporting children’s technological development: The role of the practitioner, and Personal and socio-economic development and technology.

Apps, Technology and Younger Learners: International Evidence for Teaching (2016) is another relevant resource in terms of technology and the early primary years. Like the previous resource, it is a compilation of articles written by a number of different educators in the field and, therefore, provides a larger breadth of information and research than if it had been written by one individual. This book looks at current practices while also taking a look into the future in terms of the direction(s) we may be headed with respect to technology in the early years. The preface of this book contains an important and interesting idea and it is encouraged that the reader keep this idea in mind while reading the resource. The idea comes from a book written by Lisa Guernsey entitled, Into the minds of babes: How screen time affects children from birth to age five (2007) and consists of the importance of taking into account the ‘3Cs’ – Context, Content, and the Individual Child – when evaluating technology usage and effects on children. This means that we should be paying careful attention to the context in which an app or a technology is being used, the content being taught or shown, and, so importantly, attention to the individual child and how a certain technology may affect him/her based on his/her own unique situation (including socio-economic factors, cultural considerations etc.) Editors Kucirkova and Falloon (2016) suggests that we also keep in mind the fourth C of Connectedness in terms of the fact that all 3Cs need to be taken into account in an “interlinked nature” (p. xviii) when considering the use of certain technological tools in the classroom.

Digital Literacy and the Core Competencies 

What are the 4Cs? by Common Sense Education (2016) is a short video clip explaining the idea of the 4Cs (different from the 3Cs previously mentioned… seems like ‘C’ is the letter when it comes to digital literacies!) Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration are the 4Cs described with the idea that in order to teach our students to become digitally literate in terms of their use of technological tools in a safe, responsible, and productive manner then we must focus time strengthening these competencies in our students (Dowd, 2017). While these 4Cs may not be exactly the same as the new Core Competencies as outlined in the BC curriculum they are in essence, the same, except for one key aspect that I feel is left out of the 4Cs, that of Positive Personal and Cultural Awareness. Encouraging students to reflect on using technology in a way that aligns with their own values is important, just as we encourage students to collaborate and communicate with others. Using technology in the classroom allows for the teaching of these important competencies in a natural way, as I experienced in my own classroom when working with the iPads and Spheros.  These competencies will be important to students not only in school but as they enter the ever-changing world beyond school as well.

Source: https://blogs.absolute.com/digital-natives-not-necessarily-tech-savvy/

Digital Natives: What Are They Learning, If Anything?  by Marilla Svinicki (2017) from the University of Texas is a short but thought provoking read that includes some very relevant considerations that we must take into account when thinking about our students and digital literacy. The idea of today’s children being ‘digital natives’ is widely accepted. Children today are growing up in a very different world than those of past generations (even than those who went through school just a decade ago) and as such their experience of the world is, in many ways, very different than that we experienced growing up – especially in terms of technology. What Svinicki suggests, however, is that just because our students are growing up in this new age with technology at their finger tips, it does not necessarily mean that they know how to use it in away that will strengthen them in terms of the core competencies of Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Personal and Social Responsibility that are now a part of our curriculum. It is my belief that these competencies can be taught and practised through the use of technology but only if this technology use is meaningful, modelled, and practised.

Conclusion

This assignment has enforced for me, once again, the value of collaboration and connectedness, especially in terms of our work as educators. While I have highlighted four main resources, I came across many more in my time investigating these topics and it is evident that these are areas in which many are focusing their learning and professional development at this time. It is interesting to see what is being done not only in our own province but also internationally, and this sharing is made possible through the use of technology.

Resource Collection References:

Common Sense Education. (2016, July 12). What are the 4cs? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrEEVZa3f98

Kaye, L (Ed.). (2016). Young children in a digital age: Supporting learning and development with technology in early years. London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/books/e/9781317618959

Kucirkova, N., & Falloon, G. (Eds.). (2016). Apps, technology and younger learners: Internation evidence for teaching. London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/books/e/9781317402473

Svinicki, M. (2017, March 21). Digital natives: What are they learning, if anything? The National Teaching and Learning Forum, 26(3), 11-12. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/full/10.1002/ntlf.30112

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Other References: 

British Columbia Ministry of Education. Core Competencies. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies

Dowd, E. (2017, April 24). Digital literacy and the importance of the 4 C’s in a global context. [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.levelupvillage.com/digital-literacy-importance-4-cs/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=Blogpost_4_24&utm_content=Erin%27s_Global_Digital_Literacy_P21%27s_repost

Guernsey, L. (2007). Into the minds of babes: How screen time affects children from birth to age five. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Schweber, A. (2015, August 7). Digital natives not necessarily tech savvy. Retrieved from https://blogs.absolute.com/digital-natives-not-necessarily-tech-savvy/

University of British Columbia. Library. Retrieved from http://www.library.ubc.ca

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LLED 477B – Reading Assignment A

Education is fluid, or at least it should be if we are teaching in response to (and in anticipation of) our students changing needs, interests, and environments. As such, it is essential that we, as educators, view our role as ever-changing… we cannot possibly think that just because we graduate with a degree in education that we are set for a 30 year career of teaching. That degree may have given us a foundation but from that foundation we must continue to build, stretch, and challenge ourselves throughout our careers if we hope to be the effective teachers that our students need and deserve. And no, this is not always easy… I often feel like I am never quite keeping up to where my students are at, and in many cases (especially in terms of digital technologies) they are already many steps ahead of me. But I try. As teachers we have to commit to being learners as well.

When first reading through this assignment I began giving thought to what my current specific areas of interest were in terms of education and digital technologies and many ideas came to mind. The more I thought about this though the more I kept coming back to the same 3 areas: technology in early primary, core competencies and the digital technologies, and maintenance/upkeep of digital tools in schools.

Technology in early primary is of interest to me as I have been collaborating closely with a Grade One teacher for the past year and a half in introducing iPads as tools in her classroom. We have worked to introduce new apps to the young students and watched as their familiarity and comfort level with these tools as grown over the course of the year. I am interested in reading more about what others have discovered about using digital tools, such as iPads, with some of our youngest learners and how developing these skills early will translate into their use of the tools in years to come. I think what is most important to note is that yes, most of these kids have played on some sort of tablet before at home and may be familiar with it as a toy. I am, however, focussing more on their familiarity of it as a tool for learning.

 

The idea of the link between Core Competencies and Digital literacies came up by chance the other day during a Sphero session with my Grade 4/5 class. We recently got a set of Spheros at our school and so it has been an exciting new venture for our community. While watching my students engage in small groups with the Spheros I realized how they were unknowingly practising all of the Core Competencies as they worked through the challenges of driving and programming their device to follow a specific path. Following this activity we had an informal discussion about which Core Competencies had been practised and many connections were made. This sparked in me an interest in how we can further link core competency teaching/reflecting with digital literacies in our classrooms.

 

 

The last area that seems to be an ongoing issue is the actual maintenance and upkeep of technology at school. While this may not seem totally relevant to actual digital literacies I think that it is in fact extremely relevant because without proper upkeep and maintenance we would be unable to effectively use the technology that allows our students to develop their digital literacy skills. While we are making do at the moment with our technology upkeep and maintenance it is a large job and I still question what the best practice might be in terms of keeping everything running smoothly. We are so fortunate at our school to now have 40 iPads, 25 chrome books, and 12 spheros but with these tools comes great responsibilities and a commitment to the proper care and maintenance in order to ensure they are useable tools for our 300+ student body.

I look forward to diving deeper into these areas over the course of the next few weeks and reading more about what others have experienced in connection to these topics. We are so fortunate to be a part of a profession where collaboration is strong and valued and there is so much we can learn from one another as we work to strengthen and broaden our own teaching practices.

LLED 469: Inquiry Unit Plan

My inquiry unit plan is focused on the topic of Refugees. I chose this topic as it is both topical in terms of current events and also relevant to the Grade 5 Social Studies curriculum. An inquiry into refugees and immigrants will also encourage the development of a range of Core Competencies as outlined in the new BC curriculum.

I plan to use this unit in the coming school year with our Grade 4/5 classes. I will meet with the teachers and discuss the inquiry plan, encourage their own input to make changes and/or additions, and then go forth from there to co-teach the unit.

It is my hope that students will finish this unit with a new understanding of what it means to be a refugee and what our role as Canadians is/can be in terms of welcoming and supporting refugees in our communities. I hope that students will develop a new capacity to appreciate multiple perspectives and to be critical thinkers. I believe that this is especially important in the study of this topic when we consider the messages we receive from media. Through this unit I hope that students will be able to bring together their own values and beliefs, combined with new learnings, to develop an attitude of respect and appreciation for diversity. As stated in the Core Competencies, I hope students come away from this unit with values that will encourage them to be change-makers, to be defenders of human rights, and to be able to stand up for what they believe in with confidence and also the evidence to support their beliefs.

It is important that students realize that they can make a difference. You do not need to be an adult, or in a position of power, to make a difference in someone’s life and this is a message that I hope students will come to understand during this inquiry unit.

The following table outlines the Essential Questions of our inquiry. Of course, this does not mean that these are the only questions that will be considered as it is important to be open to the questions that arise from students along the way. The table also lays out the key knowledge that students will learn and the skills they will use, as taken from the new Grade 5 Social Studies curriculum (BC Ministry of Education).

This unit will also aid in the development of certain Core Competencies as outlined below:

I am basing the format of this Inquiry Plan on a project I planned collaboratively with a group of 5 other teachers (4 classroom teachers, Indigenous Education Teacher, and myself) at my school a couple of years ago. The Inquiry (entitled Two World Meet), on Indigenous Peoples and the effects of European Exploration, was inspiring for all teachers involved as it illustrated to us the power of both collaboration amongst staff (and students) and the process of Inquiry. Based on the success of that project I plan to follow a similar model for this Inquiry, I have however, made some adjustments based on my own new learnings and on reflections our collaborative group made about our Inquiry journey.

For this Inquiry plan I have decided to use the Inquiry Model that we developed as a staff at Brentwood Elementary a couple of years ago. To create this model we spent time looking at a variety of different models including the BCTLA Points of Inquiry model and the Alberta Learning model in order to then create one that we felt would work best for our community. We also developed our own common definition Inquiry in order that all staff have a common understanding to frame our teaching and learning.

Brentwood Elementary’s Inquiry Definition and Inquiry Model

A personal quest for understanding that begins from a sense of wonder.

Inquiry Plan Calendar 

As the teacher planning a unit of inquiry it is important to have  a general idea of the time that you have for the Inquiry to unfold. It is equally essential, however, to be able to be flexible and take cues from the students in terms of the planning once the inquiry is underway. Below is a general idea of the time frame of this unit, however, later (as discussed in Stage 2 below) it will be important to take into consideration student input when working out a more specific calendar outlining the inquiry investigation and creation stages.

It is important to also ensure we help students learn to independently recognize when they are ready to move on through the inquiry stages and to help students understand that we may not all be ready to move on at the exactly the same pace. I very much appreciate the questions included in the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (2014) that encourage students to reflect at the end of each stage on whether they are ready to move on. Before moving onto the Construct stage, for example, one of the questions students are prompted to consider is if they considered more than one perspective in their investigation, an important consideration for our students if we are hoping to teach them to become critical thinkers (New York City School Library System, 2014, p.6). Posting questions such as this one in the room and referring students to these questions before they move stages would be an effective way to help students take responsibility for their own learning.

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Stage 1: Invitation – Launch – Exposure – Immersion 

Invitation & Launch 

Students will be invited into this Inquiry Journey on Launch Day. Launch Day is a day in which all students involved in the project are divided into mixed class groupings and rotate through stations taught by the different teachers involved. Each Launch Day station focuses on a word or concept that will prove important to this unit as opposed to specific content itself. Launch Day stations will depend on the number of classes/teachers involved, however, ideally the following stations would be included in the Launch of this Inquiry:

Station	Description/Ideas
Empathy	Walk a Mile in My Shoes – Shoebox Activity: o   Gather 4 or 5 different shoes (that are of different styles, sizes and condition) o   Create a short story to go for each pair of shoes that is about the owner of those shoes. Include a couple discussion questions as well. Paste story into the lid of the box. o   Have a student choose a shoebox and read scenario out to the class. o   Discuss story and discussion questions reflecting on how it might feel to be in that person’s shoes. o   For more details about this activity see the following blog:http://corneroncharacter.blogspot.ca/2012/07/empathy-in-shoe-box-guest-post.html
Two Sides to Every Story (perspectives)	The story Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a great resource for opening a discussion on the importance of considering differing perspectives.
What does it mean to be Inclusive?	Ask students if they know what it means to be inclusive. This can be done through a Chalk Talk activity: o   Write word inclusive on the middle of the white board o   Then students freely come up to board when there is a marker available and write something up that connects to the word inclusive o   This activity is done in silence, students freely move from desk to board, but can only write one word/idea each time before having to sit down and wait for another marker to be available o   Once it seems like students are done, stop and discuss ideas that have been reordered on the board around the concept of inclusiveness
Human Rights	It can be valuable at this point to go over the idea of Human Rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms) so that students can use this later to determine whether actions towards refugees and immigrants have always be respectful of this rights. They can consider the question, are these rights truly universal? Some great resources for this topic include: o   We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures by Amnesty International o   We Are All Born Free short film: https://youtu.be/x9_IvXFEyJo o   Dreams of Freedom by Amnesty International o   I Have the Right to be a Child by Alain Serres o   Every Human Has Rights by National Geographic (available online through National Geographic Kids, a database that our school district has access to through ERAC.)

Adapted from book How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith

Students will have prepared special notebooks to use for Launch Day to record new learnings and to then use throughout the Inquiry Journey. Having dedicated journals for inquiry is important not only for student buy-in but also to acknowledge the fact that all the learning along the way that will be recorded in this journals is just as important as whatever product they may end up with at the conclusion of the journey.

The front of student Field Notebooks will include the message (to the right) to remind students of their role in this inquiry journey. Inquiry is not passive learning, inquiry is an adventure.

 

 

 

Exposure & Immersion

During this stage students will be engaged in inquiry-based lessons to teach some of the necessary content that will help drive their motivation to inquire further into the topic. Before embarking on any inquiry it is important that students are introduced to some content. It is unrealistic to expect that students will be able to jump into inquiry without first having some background knowledge on the subject. The teaching of some content allows students to build a foundation of knowledge. During the teaching of content it is not essential to cover every possible aspect of the topic but just enough to give students a general understanding and to instil in them the motivation to learn more.  During this stage students will be taught lessons that are collaboratively planned by the team of teachers involved and, therefore, lessening the load on any one teacher. Lesson plans can be stored in a shared Google Drive folder for easy access by all teachers.

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Stage 2: Wonders – Questions – Focus 

Students will now be almost ready to dive into their inquiry adventure. They have developed a foundation of background knowledge and sparks have been lit in terms of areas of interest. They will be eager to embark on their own inquiries and to delve further into areas that resonated with them. Before beginning this stage, however, it is important to go over certain expectations and skills that will helps students be successful in their Inquiry Journeys and so comes Launch Day II. Launch Day II has a similar structure as the first Launch Day in that students will be back in their mixed class groupings and each teacher will be responsible for delivering one of the stations. The stations for Launch Day II, as well as some ideas for the content of the stations, are described in the following table:

Preparing for Inquiry Template (for Deep Questions Station): Preparing for Inquiry (developed by our collaboration group during Two Worlds Meet inquiry project, modified to fit this project).

Following Launch Day II students will decide on their Essential Question. They may use one of the Essential Questions shared above, or, if they are eager to use their own Essential Question that will be an option as well. Students will complete the Preparing for Inquiry (see above) reflection when preparing for their Essential Question.

At this time it can also be very valuable to work with students to create a calendar to help structure the next phases of inquiry. This calendar will outline the expected time to be spent on the different aspects of inquiry in order to help students plan their time effectively. It is important to complete this step with students as it gives them a voice in the process and recognizes them as valuable contributors to the learning and planning process. This will lead to a greater sense of ownership over the project as opposed to simply being told what to do, the students are given a voice in the process.

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Stage 3: Investigate

Providing students with investigation folders can be useful in helping students keep all their work together. Field Notebooks can also be stored inside.

Students will now spend time immersed in the investigation stage of inquiry. It is important to recognize that this stage is busy, messy, and can sometimes feel chaotic. What can be so valuable is coordinating investigation times with another class who is also involved in the inquiry as this allows for greater possibilities and collaboration. When you have two classes involved and the teacher librarian you all of a sudden have three adults available and 3 spaces for students to work. The messiness of inquiry can feel so much more manageable when spread amongst the school in different classrooms, the Learning Commons, hallways, and the computer lab. Not only is it more possible for three adults to supervise but to also check in with students about their progress. This collaborative approach to the investigation periods also allow students the opportunity to move outside their classroom walls and to mix with other teachers and students. This makes learning so much more natural and authentic and strengthens the sense of community amongst students in different classes.

Resources

It is important to ensure that students have access to a variety of resources to use in their  inquiry investigation. These resources should be at an appropriate reading level and should also include mixed media formats. For a curated collection of resources for this unit please see the following presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q5s0ff56ThG1Tz93dMUef8TyjK2u-izC-oirtatRY5U/edit?usp=sharing 

Inquiry Resource Bins

During our Two Worlds Meet Inquiry project we organized our resources in resource bins. We found this to be a practical way to store resources as it allowed for easy sharing amongst the multiple classes using the resources. Resources were put in bins based on theme and could be easily used by individual or small groups of students. These resources bins included both text resources and physical artifacts that were related to the different inquiry questions.

In addition to the Resource Bins it is important to provide opportunities for online investigation. These online resources can be accessed by students in a variety of ways, either at school in the Computer Lab or on the school iPads, or at home. On our Learning Commons website I have collected websites that are applicable to the different projects students are engaging in and this acts like a digital Resource Bin in that they can go to the website and be guided to age appropriate resources.

We also have access to a variety of online databases that can be accessed through our Learning Commons websites. These databases are very valuable and it is important that students are taught about how to use them prior to the investigation stage of inquiry so that they are able to independently navigate the sites for information relevant to their Essential Questions.

Formative Assessment

Assessment during the investigation phase involves observations and conversations with students. This formative assessment is casual but ongoing and can be done by the teachers, teacher-librarian, and the students themselves. It is valuable to discuss with students what ‘on task’ behaviour during investigation periods looks like and this discussion could lead to the creation of an on task inquiry behaviour checklist established collaboratively with students. This checklist could be posted in the classroom and referred back to throughout the process in order to reflect on how students are doing. Students are expected to begin taking responsibility for their own learning, and as teachers it is our role to help guide students in this process. One on one discussions throughout the investigation period can be very valuable in terms of assessing how students are doing and what support they may be needing.

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Stage 4: Create – Construct 

Students will be creating an artifact to share their inquiry learning. The format that the artifact will take is up to each student. It is important to allow students the opportunity to have choice in their learning and one way to do that is to allow them to choose how they would like to share their learning based on their own interests and strengths. Students may decide to create a poster, a Google slides presentation, a powerpoint, a model, a video, a game, a lapbook… the options are (almost) limitless. Using our school set of iPads students may also choose to use one of the apps to share their inquiry. Some tools we have found very effective and user friendly for our elementary students include Adobe Spark Video, Draw and Tell, ChatterPix Kids, Popplet, PicCollage, and also the iPad camera itself to film or take pictures of learning. It is important to have discussions with student in terms of what they will be creating and to help students make a plan for how they will carry out their goal. Teaching students to plan is an important part of helping students take responsibility for their learning.

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Stage 5: Share – Present – Take Action – Transfer 

Share & Present

When students engage in inquiry they become invested in their learning and are, typically, excited to have the opportunity to share their new knowledge with others. There are many different formats that this sharing can take, one such option being sharing through an Inquiry Museum. In an Inquiry Museum other classes as well as community members would be invited to see the students’ learning and to talk to the students about their inquiry journeys. I think it is important to remember that while the students will all have their final artifact to display it is just as important to display the work students did along the way – as that work is such an integral part of the inquiry process. Displaying student Field Notebooks (in which students recorded learning throughout unit) would help to demonstrate the journey, as well as displaying pictures of the students engaged in different parts of the journey. As we teach our students that inquiry is more about the process than the final result it is important that we also communicate this to families who may be more accustomed to the traditional summative mark on a final project as opposed to taking into consideration the work that happened to get there.

Take Action – Transfer – Reflect 

Inquiry does not just end with the final product, much like it does not begin that way. It is imperative that students are given the opportunity to reflect on their learning and the new understandings reached through the inquiry process. The reflection process would also be very valuable if it included a chance for students to reflect on the Core Competencies used during the process. Inquiry and Core Competencies go hand in hand and I believe that encouraging students to reflect on the interconnectedness of the competencies with the inquiry process would be valuable as it shows students that these competencies are a natural part of learning and not actually something new.  Students should be able to highlight each core competency with an “I Can” statement which they would then support with evidence from their inquiry. For example, for the competency of Communication a student may reflect saying, “I can share new information I have learned with an audience” and support that with evidence about sharing his/her inquiry journey with peers and community members at the Inquiry Museum.

It is also important to allow the community an opportunity to reflect on the learning they gained from attending the Inquiry Museum and speaking with the students about their learning. This not only gives visitors a chance to reflect but also demonstrates to students that they have an important role in teaching others and that though they may be children, they have so much to share with their peers and community. An example of one way to achieve this community reflection is though a post it wall such as the one illustrated below. For a previous Inquiry Museum at our school we encouraged visitors to consider three questions at the conclusion of their visit and while a different topic, I believe that these same questions would be relevant to this inquiry project on refugees.

• What have we learned from the past?
• What are we doing in the present?
• What can we hope for the future?

Summative Assessment

The summative assessment of an Inquiry project is not what may be seen as a traditional final assessment. It is made up of the formative assessment from along the course of the journey as well as the students’ self reflections. It can also be valuable to include a written comment based on the final artifact, perhaps in the form of Two Stars and a Wish. Fontichiaro (2011), in her article “Nudging Toward Inquiry: Summative Assessment” suggests using creating a rubric to assess inquiry in that rubrics can provide students with detailed feedback while being less time consuming than writing written comments for each student (p. 12). I believe that in order to make the rubric more effective, however, it should be collaboratively created with students. This gives students a voice in the assessment process which, in turn, will lead to the assessment being more meaningful.  We do not give letter grades in grades 4 and 5 in our school district and so this is not something that I would assign to an inquiry project. Not only because it is not a requirement, but also because it is simply not useful for students and their learning.

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Conclusion

I look forward to having the opportunity to work collaboratively with our Grade 4/5 team to bring this inquiry to life in the coming school year. The inquiry journey is one that leaves a lasting impact on those involved in terms of the learning that results and the opportunities for authentic collaboration. While this plan lays out the groundwork for the inquiry unit, it is important, that as teachers, we remain flexible throughout the process. We must remain cognizant of the fact that inquiry is about the journey, and while a journey can be planned to some degree, journeys can also take unexpected twists and turns. We must be willing to go with our students and follow their lead as they learn to immerse themselves in the inquiry process.

 

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Professional Resources Mentioned:

Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on Inquiry. Edmonton, AB: Alberta Learning.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/5

Ekdahl, M., Farquharson M., Robinson, J., and Turner, L. (2010). Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21^st Century Learner. Vancouver, BC: BCTF/ BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association.

Fontichiaro, K. (2011b). Nudging toward inquiry – Summative assessment. School Library Monthly 27(7): 12-13.

Gear, A. (2008). Nonfiction reading power. Markam, ON: Pembroke Publishers.

Gruener, B. (2012, July 27). Empathy in a (shoe) box guest post (web log post). Retrieved June 10, 2017 from http://corneroncharacter.blogspot.ca/2012/07/empathy-in-shoe-box-guest-post.html

New York City School Library System. (2014). Empire state information fluency continuum: Benchmark skills for grades k-12 assessment/common core alignment. Retrieved from http://www.slsa-nys.org/files/1674412/empire%20ifc.pdf 

Rothstein, D. & Santana, L. (2011). Teaching students to ask their own questions: One small change can yield big results. Harvard Education Letter 27(5): 1-2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing.

Inquiry Resources

Amnesty International. (2008). We are all born free: The universal declaration of human rights in pictures. London, UK: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

Brentwood Learning Commons. Retrieved from https://brentwood.sd63.bc.ca/course/view.php?id=68

Amnesty International. (2008, November 20). Everybody – we are all born free (video file). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/x9_IvXFEyJo 

Harris, A. (2013). I wonder. Four Elephants Press.

Krouse Rosenthal, A. (2009). Duck! rabbit! San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Robinson, Mary. Every Human Has Rights. National Geographic Society, 2009. National Geographic Kids, tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/4wq9W6. Accessed 17 June 2017.

Serres, A. (2012). I have the right to be a child. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

Smith, Keri. (2008). How to be an explorer of the world: Portable life museum. New York, NY: Penguin Books

Torrey, R. (2010). Why? New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Additional Resources listed and annotated in Top 10 Resources for Refugee Inquiry presentation found at the following link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q5s0ff56ThG1Tz93dMUef8TyjK2u-izC-oirtatRY5U/edit?usp=sharing

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LLED 469 – Learning Log #4

Emily Style’s (1988) article, “Curriculum as Window and Mirror,” was written 29 years ago, and yet, it shares a belief that is so incredibly relevant in today’s society. Our job, as educators, is to help foster the development of citizens of our world. Not an insignificant responsibility by any means. Style speaks of the importance of looking beyond our own communities when teaching our children, and instead considering the fact that we must educate our children to live in the “global context, facing vast differences and awesome similarities” that are present in our global community (p. 5). Today, almost three decades after this article was written, this is even more important. Our world is getting smaller as we become more and more connected through technology and it is no longer enough to just educate our students on a local level, we must open up our classroom windows to the world.

As Style (1988) emphasizes, it is essential that we provide students with a learning experience and curriculum that “mirrors their own experience back to them” (p. 5). Allowing all our students to see themselves in the curriculum we teach is so important as it illustrates to children that their story is important and that they belong. When I read this I connected immediately to a Grade 3 Inquiry project I have been involved with at my school this year. The collaborative effort between two classroom teachers, our Indigenous Education teacher, and myself, has proved to be one of the most meaningful projects I have been a part of. Our school is located on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ people and 20% of our students are Indigenous. We see it as a priority at our school to ensure that all students, including our Indigenous students, see themselves reflected back in the curriculum. With the new curriculum we worked collaboratively to develop an inquiry on our local Indigenous community with an emphasis on oral story telling. We are fortunate to have some amazing resources at our school including old pictures from the W̱SÁNEĆ community and we were able to use these in our unit. As our Indigenous Education teacher shared some of these pictures with our students it was incredible to see our students light up and exclaim, “hey, he is my uncle!” or “he is part of my family!” We heard from the aunt of one of our students that at dinner one night her niece excitedly shared about the project and how she had been learning about her W̱SÁNEĆ ancestors. The aunt, who shared this with us, was so incredibly touched by the dinner time conversation and the pride in her niece’s voice as she shared what she was learning about at school.

Not only is it important for students to see themselves reflected back in the curriculum, but it is equally essential, as Style (1988) notes, that the curriculum opens the “windows into the experience of others” for our students (p. 5). Learning about the experiences of others, whether that be our non-Indigenous students learning about the Indigenous peoples on whose land we live, or our students learning about the experiences of others from different countries in our world, allows for the development of empathy, understanding, and appreciation of diversity, qualities that are so essential in a peaceful and inclusive society.

 

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Assessment of Inquiry is something that has been the topic of much discussion amongst colleagues as of late. While most have jumped on board the inquiry bandwagon in that they understand it is the way we are headed (and rightly so) many still feel quite insecure when it comes to developing appropriate ways in which they can meaningfully assess inquiry in their classrooms. For some, this serves as a roadblock to actually giving inquiry a chance. I think it is extremely unfortunate when teachers avoid trying something new simply because they do not feel 100% confident with it. We expect our students to try new things and, as such, I believe that we, as teachers, need to model this behaviour ourselves by being open to new practices and ideas.  As teacher-librarian I can help aid this foray into the unknown by supporting teachers through the process. While I too am still learning, I try and model that it is ok not to know everything before trying something new – in fact, it is impossible to know everything.

The most important aspect of the assessment of inquiry that we must realize is that it is about the process – not simply about the end result. When we assess learning based on the process we are assessing what is meaningful, the learning along the way. We are assessing how students respond to challenges, how their thinking changes, and their ability to persevere. We are assessing in a much more natural way, and we are making assessment meaningful to each individual child. When we only focus on the end result we are disregarding the journey each student took to get to the end. We are sending the message that it is not how far you’ve come that matters, but only where you ended up. This is not personalized learning, this is not being cognizant of each individual’s learning journey.

Simply focusing on summative assessment also contradicts our teaching about growth mindsets. We have done a lot of work at our school teaching Dweck’s  (2006) research of Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets and it has become a common language amongst all our staff and students. If we truly believe in the growth mindset idea, however, it is essential that we embrace formative assessment practices. As Fontichario (2011) writes, the use of formative assessment helps students to understand that their “current level of skill” is by no means a permanent reflection of their capabilities (p. 11). Solely focusing on summative assessment can cause students to become so fixated on those final marks and, consequently, disregard the process that got them there. It is, however, becoming more and more imperative that our students understand that the process of learning is just as, if not more, important than the end result. As Moreillon and Fontichiario (2008) write,  “unlike students of the past, who could rely on a relatively stable world of work upon graduation, today’s graduating students are entering a world of unknown opportunities, challenges and potential pitfalls” (p. 65). As such, it is essential that we prepare our students for today’s world by helping them take responsibility and ownership over their own learning, something that can come when we make assessment an ongoing and  collaborative practice.

Louis and Harada (2012), in their article, “Did Students Get It? Self-Assessment as Key to Learning” outline ways to make assessment more collaborative through including students in the creation of rubrics. This simple adjustment of writing a rubric with students has powerful results in that students come away knowing that they are “trusted partners in assessment” which leads to students learning “more deeply” and having a “greater motivation to improve” (Louis & Harada, 2012, p. 16). Through keeping the lines of communication open between students and teachers when it comes to assessment, we move away from assessment being something that comes as a surprise at the end of an assignment or term but instead as an ongoing process that students participate in and no longer fear or become preoccupied by.

I very much appreciated Buerkett’s (2011) article, “Inquiry and Assessment Using Web 2.0 Tools,” as this is something I have yet to delve into. I especially am interested in investigating the tool Wallwisher as I believe it would prove very useful in the classroom. The idea that students can easily post a question that all his/her classmates can see and then the teacher can provide a response that is also accessible to everyone would, I believe, prove very useful during the inquiry process. Not only would it save the time of answering the same question multiple times, but it would also allow students (and teachers) the chance to share ideas, successes, challenges, and helpful resources throughout the inquiry process that could be easily accessed by everyone. Authentic learning is a collaborative process and a tool like Wallwisher would help to make collaboration possible through an online forum and not simply during school hours.

When reading Moreillon and Fontichiario’s (2008) article, “Teaching and Assessing the Dispositions: A Garden of Opportunity,” I began making connections to the new Core Competencies in BC’s curriculum. The Core Competencies, similar to the idea of the dispositions discussed in this article, are skills that we hope to encourage in our students in order to nurture the development of life long learners. The competencies of Communication, Thinking (Creative and Critical), and Personal and Social are skills that students practice in school everyday but the idea behind the Core Competencies is that we help students become aware of these skills and give them the language to discuss, assess, and reflect on their own development in these areas throughout their school years. As Moreillon and Fontichiario emphasize, it is important that we be “explicit about dispositions when we see students demonstrate them” (p. 67). Similarly students will only be able to reflect on their development of the Core Competencies if we help students become aware of when they are using the skills by naming them when we see them being used. Core Competencies are an aspect of the new curriculum that are never intended to be assessed by teachers, solely by students. I think it will be interesting to see how this changes our students as learners and if it encourages students to take more responsibility for their own learning and growth in the years to come.

 

References

British Columbia Ministry of Education. BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/5

Buerkett, R. (2011). Inquiry and assessment using Web 2.0 tools. School Library Monthly 28(1): 21-24.

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.

Fontichiaro, K. (2011a). Nudging toward inquiry – Formative assessment. School Library Monthly 27(6): 11-12.

Louis, P. & Harada, V. H. (2012). Did the students get it? Self-assessment as key to learning. School Library Monthly 29(3): 13-16.

Moreillon, J. & Fontichiaro, K. (2008). Teaching and assessing the dispositions: A garden of opportunity. Knowledge Quest 37(2): 64-67.

Style, E. (1988). Curriculum as window & mirror. Listening for all Voices. Oak Knoll School monograph. Summit, NJ. The SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) Project on Inclusive Curriculum. Wellesley Centres for Women.