Intentional Reference: Implementing Formative Assessment through Reflective Peer Facilitation

1. Intentional Reference: Implementing Formative Assessment through Reflective Peer Facilitation Dale Vidmar Information Literacy and Instruction Coordinator/ Education, Communication, Health, Phys. Ed. & Leadership Librarian Southern Oregon University Library http://www.sou.edu/library/dale vidmar@sou.edu http://www.sou.edu/~vidmar/reference_renaissance/vidmar.ppt Reference Renaissance Conference 2008 Denver, Colorado August 4-5, 2008

2. Speaking of Intentions • Reference is teaching • Overview of reflective teaching in the context of reference • Reflective peer facilitation— collegial conversations—as a formative assessment process • Intrinsic improvement of our craft • Questioning strategies for planning and reflective conversations

3. The Death of Reference Reference statistics are down dramatically! Reference transactions are less frequent, but questions are more complicated and take place in random environments.

4. The Big Question Do people know more today than about accessing and using information effectively and efficiently than they did ten years ago? . . . Twenty years ago?

5. Can’t we just Google it? or Yahoo! it? or Blog or Wiki it?

6. Librarians Teach!!! We must consider our approach to reference with the same diligence we consider our classroom teaching. Central to our mission as librarians is our role to promote, facilitate, and cultivate information literacy.

7. Teaching and Learning Therefore, one of the most promising ways to improve learning is to improve teaching.” “The quality of student learning is directly, although not exclusively, related to the quality of teaching. - Thomas Angelo from Classroom Assessment Techniques

8. The Intentional Teacher A primary characteristic of an outstanding teacher is intentionality– Having a purpose with which to cultivate informed reflection.

9. Why Reflection? “Experience itself is actually the ‘greatest teacher,” . . .

10. What Does Our Experience Say?

11. Why Reflection? “Experience itself is actually the ‘greatest teacher,” . . . not “we do not learn as much from experience as we learn from reflecting on that experience.” - Thomas S.C. Farrell from Reflective Practice in Action: 80 Reflection Breaks for Busy Teachers

12. Collegial Conversations Do you ever talk with colleagues after a reference or teaching session? How does this affect your future sessions? Do you ever talk with someone after providing assistance?

13. Collegial Conversations Think – Pair – Share Think about your next reference session. What do you intend to do to make the session more productive and meaningful as a teacher?

14. Intentional Reference: Reflective Peer Facilitation Collegial conversations that compliment the actual teaching experience before and after a reference session.

15. Intentional Reference: Reflective Peer Facilitation A formative process that facilitates introspection and self-awareness prior to, during, and after reference as teaching.

16. Reflective Peer Facilitation: Collaborative Conversations Intention: Planning conference Reflection: Reflective Conference Reference Experience Critical Incidents: Transformative Events

17. Reflective Peer Facilitation:Collaborative Conversations Teacher: Introspection Facilitator: Elicits critical reflection Observer: Moderates the process and takes notes Trust & Collegiality

18. Intentional Reference and The Craft of Teaching “Significant, meaningful, and long-term positive change will be achieved only when it comes as a decision from within the individual . . . based on self-evaluation” • - Lapp, N., Lascher, T., Matthews, T., Papalewis, R., • & Stoner, M. • from “A Proposal for Formative Assessment Teaching”

19. References and Resources • Angelo, T. (1993), Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for teachers, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. • Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Costa, A. & Garmston, R. (1994). Cognitive coaching: a foundation for renaissance schools. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon. • Farrell, T. S. (2004). Reflective practice in action: 80 reflection breaks for busy teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. • Slavin, R. E. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

20. References and Resources • Vidmar, D. J. (2006). “Reflective peer coaching: Crafting • collaborative self-assessment in teaching.” Research Strategies. 20 (3), 135-148. • Vidmar, D. J. (2008, May). “Reflective peer coaching: • Crafting collaborative self-assessment in the classroom.” Retrieved May 22, 2008, from http://www.sou.edu/~vidmar/reflective_peer_coaching/ • index.htm. • Vidmar, D. J. (2008, May). “Collaborative Peer Conversation • Reference Questioning Strategies.” Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://www.sou.edu/~vidmar/reference_renaissance/ • collaborative_peer_conversation_questions.doc. • Vidmar, D. J. (2008, May). “Collaborative Peer Conversation • Reference Questioning Strategies.” Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://www.sou.edu/~vidmar/reference_renaissance/facilitator_and_observer_roles.doc.

21. Final Thought Our best intentions will not improve statistics . . . Reference is about relationships . . . crafting an association with individuals that extends beyond desks and classrooms and walls.

22. Intentional Reference: Implementing Formative Assessment through Reflective Peer Facilitation Dale Vidmar Information Literacy and Instruction Coordinator/ Education, Communication, Health, Phys. Ed. & Leadership Librarian Southern Oregon University Library http://www.sou.edu/library/dale vidmar@sou.edu http://www.sou.edu/~vidmar/reference_renaissance/vidmar.ppt Reference Renaissance Conference 2008 Denver, Colorado August 4-5, 2008