School Libraries as Knowledge Spaces: Connections and Actions; Outcomes and Evidence

1. School Libraries as Knowledge Spaces:Connections and Actions;Outcomes and Evidence DR ROSS TODD Associate Professor Department of Library and Information science Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey rtodd@scils.rutgers.edu SLAV CONFERENCE“Assessing the Evidence Assessing the Learning”

2. The Information Age school: Get it right

3. Outline:Hallmarks of Victorian School Libraries CONNECTIONS:Intellectual / information scaffolds for learning ACTIONS: Inquiry approaches to teaching and learning OUTCOMES: Making a real difference to student learning EVIDENCE:Charting the outcomes; demonstrating the role and power of the school library THE THINKING COMMUNITY

4. The Hole Truth Consider the Drill

5. The Hole Truth Consider the Drill People don't buy a 1.0 cm drill bit because they want 1.0 cm drill bit, they buy a 1.0 cm drill bit because they want to create a 1.0 cm hole.

6. The Hole Truth Consider the school Library: School administrators and teachers aren't interested in a good library because they want good libraries or good teacher-librarians. They're interested in libraries because they want students to read better, to research effectively, to discover new ideas, learn more, and to improve achievement.

7. The Hole Truth • Buying the drill is an expense • Creating the hole is an investment • Drills are boring: the infrastructure • The focus is the hole; the space • The school library: from infrastructure and information to knowledge; from place to space

8. What is your focus? • The Drill: the place? the infrastructure? the collection? the technology? the role? the image? • The Hole: • student achievement? student learning outcomes? student engagement with information? knowledge and understanding?

9. Not Collections Systems Technology Staffing, Positions & Image Buildings & Infrastructure THESE ARE IMPORTANT But Knowledge construction and human understanding, implemented through a constructivist, inquiry-based framework Actions and evidences that show that it makes a difference to student learning Hallmarks of a Victorian School Library

10. SHIFTING THE FOCUS OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES From: collections, position and advocacy Through: connections, actions and evidence-based practice centering on a shared philosophy and process of inquiry learning To: making a real difference to student learning outcomes Developing knowledge and understanding A thinking community

11. "If we always see as we've always seen, we'll always be as we've always been, and always do as we've always done" (Author unknown)

12. School Libraries: 3 Fundamental Beliefs • Information makes a difference to people. • Making a difference does not happen by chance: Teaching-learning role is the central dimension of the professional role of teacher-librarians • Learning outcomes matter: belief that all students can learn, and develop new understandings, and demonstrate outcomes

13. 1. Information Makes a Difference to People • “Effects” conception of information • Move from a focus on “thing” and its management to “effect” = outcome • Posits that people engage actively / highly selectively with information that surrounds them to some effect – a person’s existing knowledge is changed or transformed in some way. • “Effects” orientation: faithful to Greek / Latin roots of “information”: in = within; formere = to shape or form; that is, information’s effect is inward forming.

14. 2. Teaching-learning role is the central dimension of the professional role of teacher-librarians • IFLA / UNESCO Manifesto for School Libraries: The core school library services center on “supporting and enhancing educational goals as outlined in the school's mission and curriculum” • Collaboration with individual teachers in designing authentic learning tasks and assessments and integrating the information and communication abilities required to meet subject matter goals and standards • Provide learning experiences that encourage students and others to become discriminating consumers and skilled creators of knowledge.

15. The reality Survey of Principals 2002 • 80% of principals believe that the school library and teacher-librarian play a key role in the school • 99% of principals believe that despite the growth of the Internet, school libraries will remain important in the school • 97% of principals believe that the school library plays a positive role in the overall value of the school • 94% of principals believe that there is a direct correlation between the strength and effectiveness of the school library and an increase in student achievement

16. The reality • 76% of principals identified that their teacher-librarian worked with classroom teachers as needed; • 50% of principals saw their teacher-librarians working in the classroom • 52% of principals saw the role of the teacher-librarian to be that of “caretaker” of the library

17. Impact of technology on library and role Perceived lack of understanding of nature and dimensions of role Perceived lack of value, importance and appreciation Negative perceptions of image Perceived lack of support for role Not able to do the job I want to Perceived low status Advocacy for position Funding Professional development Student learning-processes and outcomes Focus on the Hole instead of the DrillWhat Concerns School Librarians? Australian Survey 2001

18. A PREFERRED FUTURE: 3 CHALLENGES • Integration of information literacy and information technology into curriculum units: development of conceptual, technical, and evaluative processes / scaffolds that underpin inquiry learning • Constructivist, inquiry-based approaches to learning: building knowledge and understanding • Evidence-based practice: demonstrating and documenting how the school library program makes a difference to student learning

19. The Research Evidence • Macro-Research: Eg. In USA by Keith Curry Lance and colleagues – focus on broad relationship of various library dimensions to student achievement • Micro-Research: International: Seeks to identify student’s use of information, information skills development, reading

20. Lance: USA Findings State test scores increase as teacher-librarians specifically spend more time: • planning cooperatively with teachers • identifying materials for teachers • teaching information literacy to students • providing in-service training to teachers • managing a computer network through which library’s learning program reaches beyond its own walls to classrooms, labs and offices

21. The Micro-Research Evidence • Teaching information skills results in improved curriculum performance • A process approach results in students with more positive attitudes to learning, increased engagement in the learning environment, and more positive perceptions of themselves as constructive learners. • Teaching information skills is most effective when it is integrated into flexibly delivered classroom instruction at the point of need. • Teaching information skills is most effective when embedded in a constructivist, inquiry approach

22. Other Research Evidence • Active reading programs foster higher levels of reading, comprehension, vocabulary development and language skills. • There are benefits to students when school and public libraries communicate and co-operate more effectively. • Successful school library programs gather meaningful and systematic feedback on program impacts. • School leaders tend to be more supportive when they can see the library actively engaged in the teaching and learning process, and they see the difference this makes.

23. The Research evidence – I.T. • Significant student learning dilemmas: • Getting a focus on their search and structuring an appropriate search strategy (conceptual processes) • Working with search engines (technical processes) • Critiquing web sites and making quality assessments of the information (evaluative processes) • Moving from relevant web sites to pertinent web sites • Constructing personal responses that demonstrate development of understanding (conceptual processes) • Expectation of technology to make up for student weaknesses • Information management issues: managing search process, time, workloads, deadlines

24. The Research evidence – I.T. Every research study published 1996-2002 that focuses on the integration of information technology into learning highlights one key implication: the development of the intellectual and technical scaffolds for engaging with information: pedagogical intervention and the development of a community of thinkers

27. Can we believe what we see? “http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blphoto-wtc.htm

31. From Information Literacy to Knowledge Construction Information literacy instruction is part of making actionable all the information and knowledge that a school possesses or can access. WHY? HUMAN UNDERSTANDING

32. From Information Literacy to Knowledge Construction Information literacy instruction is part of making actionable all the information and knowledge that a school possesses or can access. WHY? ‘DOING’ information skills is not the answer. The development of an information literate student is integral to BECOMING and BEING

33. By developing information literacy skills, what do we want students to become? • The destination is not an information literature student, but rather, the development of a knowledgeable and knowing person, one who is able to engage effectively with a rich and complex information world, and who is able to develop new understandings, insights and ideas. • The development and use of human knowing, the construction of understanding and meaning is what learning is all about, and that defines the central purpose of the school library

34. Empowerment, connectivity, engagement, and interactivity define the actions and practices of the school library, and their outcome is knowledge construction: new meanings, new understandings, new perspectives

35. The Library as a Knowledge Space, not an Information Place

36. FROM INFORMATION SKILLS INSTRUCTION TO AN INQUIRY APPROACH TO LEARNING Focuses on the process of thinking that builds understandings by engaging students in stimulating encounters with information and ideas. Students learn by constructing their own understandings of these experiences by building on what they already know to form a personal perspective of the world. The process of construction is an active ongoing process of learning that continues throughout life.

37. Characteristics of Inquiry-Based Learning • Students motivated to know • Students able to raise the focus questions that lead to new knowledge: “I need to know more” • Students own the search process and its outcome – they know why they are in the library • Supported by information skills that provide scaffolds for connecting and engaging with information • Conversation and sharing of ideas throughout the searching process • Construction of personal understanding from diverse perspectives: another part of their world has been opened

38. Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning • Moving beyond “doing information skills” or treating “information skills” as a laundry list • The critical role of “exploration” and “formulation” in the search process: making provision for situations that build background knowledge and promote seeking a focus during a search • Developing formal interventions which enable students to stay focused and not wander away from the learning task • Engaging students who perceive task of searching as primarily one of gathering information to a task of forming a focused perspective from the information encountered

39. Model of the Information Search Process Tasks Initiation Selection Exploration Formulation Collection Presentation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→ Feelings uncertainly optimism confusion clarity sense of satisfaction or (affective) frustration direction/ disappointment doubt confidence Thoughts vague-------------------------------------→focused (cognitive) -----------------------------------------------→ increased interest Actions seeking relevant information----------------------------→seeking pertinent information (physical) exploring documenting Professor Carol Kuhlthau

40. School Libraries Empowering Learning: The Evidence • Making concrete the links between library and learning • Making concrete the links between information access and provision and growth of knowledge • Practices that demonstrate tangible power of our contribution to school’s learning goals • Local, immediate evidence: local successes, local improvements

41. Evidence-BasedPractice (EBP)

42. Origins of EBP • New paradigm for professional service • 1990s – Medicine and Health Care fields • “Duty of Care”, “Informed Decision Making” “Optimal Outcomes” • Commitment to making a tangible difference to the lives of people • Concept now strong in professional arenas such as education, social work, law

43. Evidence-Based PracticeTwo Key aspects • Conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best research findings in making decisions about the performance of your role and understanding the learning needs of your students Combining professional expertise, insight, experience and leadership with ability to collect, interpret, and integrate valid research evidence to ensure significant outcomes

44. Teacher-Librarians and Research • Librarians’ use of research is low (McClure & Bishop, 1989, Turner, 2002). • Applied research that seeks to resolve operational concerns is most widely used. • Research is not consulted because it is perceived to inadequately address the real concerns of practice. • Research not presented in ways that foster understanding and application. • To busy to read research.

45. Teacher-Librarians and research: Principal’s study • 33% of principals said that the school librarian made them familiar with current research of library programs and student achievement • 35% of principals were made familiar with current research on library programs and reading development

46. Not Engaging in the Research of our Profession • Devalues both the profession as a thinking and informed profession; • Cuts off the profession from advances in knowledge which shape sound practice; • A profession without reflective practitioners willing to learn about the advances in research in the field is a blinkered profession, one that is disconnected from opportunities for constructing best practice the school library as central to the learning process.

47. Research in Teacher-Librarianship : Prof. Ken Haycock “Learn from our research and build on its precept in order to become the force for excellence that is within our grasp. We have evidence that we can make a difference through cooperative program planning and team teaching and flexible scheduling; we have the principles for the effective initiation, implementation and institutionalization of change. Now we need only do it”.

48. The Research Challenge • Urgent need to analyse and synthesise the emerging body of information-learning research into meaningful generalizations with practical utility for the whole school • teacher-librarians, as the information literate experts (with information literacy competencies centring on the ability to analyse, organize, synthesise and evaluate information, and especially the information of their discipline) can surely play a central role here, bringing insights as the reflective practitioners to the research and its outcomes for practice.

49. Evidence-Based PracticeTwo Key aspects 2 Ensuring that your daily efforts put some focus on learning outcomes evaluation that gathers meaningful and systematic evidence on dimensions of teaching and learning that matter to the school and its support community = Evidences that clearly convey that learning outcomes of your school are continuing to improve

50. Outcomes-Based Education • Emphasis given to specifying learning outcomes, establishing measurable indicators of these outcomes, providing feedback on achievement of outcomes • “Method of teaching that focuses on what students can do after they are actually taught”(Lorenzen, 1999) • “Learner-centered, results-oriented system founded on belief that all individuals can learn” (Towers, 1996) • “Clear, observable demonstrations of student learning that occur after a significant sent of learning experiences” (Spady & Marshall, 1996)