Monday, October 30, 2006
Was unable to attend leadership session with David Warlick, the founder of the Landmark Project, former educator, leader in the use of technology in teaching and learning – district did not register me. Too bad. Here is an excerpt from the blurb for his keynote:
“It is often said that “the future is not what it used to be.” In this information-driven, technology-rich world, where jobs are created and become obsolete in only a few years, preparing our children for a future that we cannot even imagine has become one of our society’s greatest challenges. There are many barriers that prevent us from retooling our classrooms for 21st century teaching and learning. But at the core are the “stories” about education that we share. Most adults base their images of schooling on their education experiences from 20, 30, or 40 years ago. It is a story that is etched almost indelibly by years of being taught in isolated, assembly-line classrooms. “Our classrooms – what they look like, how the furniture is arranged, what teachers and students do, what is taught , how it is taught, and why – are all modeled after old and outdated stories that are still being told by our culture. We must change these stories and tell new ones, based on a new world, an unpredictable future, almost unlimited opportunities, a new kind of student, and compelling new learning experiences that have never been possible before.”
Workshops attended:
- Learning Starts with You: Productive Pedagogy through the School Library
Presenter: Dr. Ross Todd, professor Rutgers University School of Communication, Information and Library Studies; director, Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL)
Length: 1 hour
Dr. Todd presented a synopsis of the research that has been conducted on the impact of school libraries on student learning, including the early studies by Keith Curry Lance and the more recent work at the school level in various states by CISSL, the Rutgers-based research foundation he heads. The research since 2000 has involved 16 states; 8,800 schools and 26 million students. All evidence, whether measuring student “achievement” measured by standardized test scores or the more quantitative work that Todd and Carol Kuhlthau conduct, points to a significant positive impact on student learning when students are engaged with information in a well-provisioned and professionally staffed library.
According to Todd, CISSL research has revealed a significant gap in students’ ability to read for real meaning, a foundational skill in learning from information. Challenged librarians to figure out how we are helping students read for meaning, beyond book displays and book talks. This confirms my experience in the district that kids are not often enough engaged in deep learning and struggling with sometimes problematic and conflicting information. The transformation from learning to read effectively to reading to learn can occur in an effective instructional library. Ross said we must create a “dynamic reading culture” for the entire school. How to read the word and the world.
Other interesting finding of CISSL research that confirms my experience – students who are given prescribed assignments where every learner in the class is doing the same thing and answering the same questions are far less engaged in their research work and produced superficial information gathering while students who are given what Todd called “negotiated” tasks engaged deeply with information to construct their own knowledge of a topic.
2. Action Research in the Library
Presenter: Carol Gordon, professor Rutgers University Department of Library and Information Science
Length: 1 hour
<<report to follow>>
3. What’s New in Fantasy and Science Fiction for Young Adults?
Presenters: Bonnie Kunzel, YA specialist NJ State Library; Susan Fichtelberg, youth librarian, Woodbridge Public Library.
Length: 1 hour
Indispensable help to busy librarians who need to match kids and books. Kunzel is a master at booktalking, here about her two favorite genres. We have many avid fantasy readers at RDistrict and it is hard to keep up with the new titels in this area. SciFi is one area in YA publishing where fans are hungry for more – as in mystery, there is just not enough being published. Good stuff here. # titles.
4. The New Shape of Information
Presenter: David Warlick, former educator, technology consultant, founder The Landmark Project
Length: 1 hour
<<report to follow>>
