The project planner for the information inquiry project is a GoogleDoc. It took me awhile to find the appropriate help information but I did find it and here it is.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Aio3C_44Nom7dFI3bVlnQkREelRrNXBxMzhFNjdpZFE&hl=en&output=html
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Reflections and Connections
I promised a morning post in the last blog. This is a morning blog just not the morning I intended. This entry is about tying up an information inquiry project. The last step in Dr. Lamb's 8Ws inquiry process is Wishing: assessing, evaluating and reflecting on the process and the product. How did the project go and what are the possibilities for the future.
A supervisor I worked for years ago constantly reminded those of us who worked for him/with him that learning was a process of errors. To understand the significance of that statement in this context, I have to provide some background. The background is this. The principal wants to have a student produced TV news program once a week. This task has been assigned to me. In discussing the idea, it was recognized that to get started we needed to know if there was any student interest. An announcement was made, some posters were placed in high traffic areas and a meeting was held. 19 students attended. At the end of two weeks 26 had expressed interest. Now I am really good at coming up with ideas for projects and being able to define things that need to be done. I am not good at planning the details and as you know that's where the devil dwells. I have had frequent encounters with the devil and don't like having to deal with those kinds of problems. Personally, I like working alone. It's not that I can't work with others or that I have social issues. I am not a person who can inspire and motivate others to do something simple much less hitch their wagon to a star. I find it extremely frustrating to present an idea to a group of people who say they are interested and learn once again that the group is very capable of building castles in the air but see no way to build from the ground to the magnificience of the vision they created. (I know they need leadership, coaching etc. and that's part of my responsibility, the part I am really not good at. I apologize for the ending preposition.) I know I not only have to perform, there has to be a product and a good one at that.
The last piece of background information is that our students are pretty involved in sports, band, speech, and other clubs and organizations. There is never a time when a meeting can be held where everyone can attend. The excitment and enthusiasm of the first meeting had everyone talking at once and no one listening. This I had not anticipated. Step one was complete. I knew who was interested and I knew that they had ideas. I also learned that they had no sense of the practical. On to step two: solve the problems of communication and coordination.
After conversation with the school's IT, we decided that a blog attached to our school's website would give everyone opportunity to post ideas. It took a whole day and some tweeking for days afterward to get a working blog established. Another meeting was called so students could login to the site make comments and see how this was going to work. There was immediate posting and discussion activity. Many ideas were posted but no one volunteered to begin working on an idea that would become part of the news program.
After reporting progress to the priincipal, a date for first broadcast was set. The blog site while it had activity and good ideas were posted, the majority of those who expressed interested were not contributing to the blog. So announcements were made to encourage the interested to visit the blog and contribute. I posted a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished in order to get to the first broadcast and encouraged volunteers to come forward. No volunteers. Problem #3: Motiviation. What kept students from doing something they said they were excited about doing? Maybe they didn't know how to get started. Maybe there was some fear of the unknown, some fear of failing. I turned to the blog site and announced that I was available to teach, coach, advise, assist and help anyone that wanted to do something but didn't know where to begin. I addressed the idea of making mistakes as part of the learning process and part of the fun. I tried to assure visitors and participants that mistakes were acceptable and that there could be no failure. I want volunteers and not forced labor. I don't know the students well enough to know who is capable of what. I believe that their volunteering is a sign of ownership and sincere interest. I have posted a calendar showing the tentitive times when tasks need to be done. I posted a list of tasks and made an announcement that students should visit the website and take action. Two cameras went out at the second group meeting and one was taken as a result of the last announcement. That takes care of the background.
Now for reflection and connection. Our students and myself included need assurance and security because they lack self-confidence in the task of problem solving. In general I think students have been conditioned with threats and failure in every academic challenge. No learning opportunity associated with school in my experience has ever been so constructed that students could feel secure as they faced the challenge of the unknown. Until recently, in education generally has there been an emphasis on the skills of problem solving and critical thinking. These are new "habits of mind". Carol Kuhlthau has contributed significantly to what is known about the learning process having identified the feelings that are experienced in every phase of an open ended learning activity. I have learned that these feelings cannot be ignored. They are very real even when they are not (or cannot be) verbalized.
In my own school and even in my own classes in the past these feelings are not and were not taken into account. It has been assumed and expected that students come to us with the necessary skills and confidence to learn and accept new challenges. I regret that I am just now beginning to realize what it means to create an environment that nurtures learning and creativity. I am of the opinion that pressure to meet academic standards has corrupted the profession and to our shame has put our students at risk because we have bored them and provided no safe haven in which to make mistakes and get them corrected without severe consequences.
While I am behind in my class for professional development (my apologies and regrets to Dr. Lamb) I have had an opportunity presented to me to develop a learning activity that will have a weekly product. To meet the need for scaffolding and support, I made sure that the last blog posting for my students was clear on my desire and availability to help them realize their ideas. I developed a bibliography of websites that provided information on conducting interviews that have been linked to our blog page within the school's website and as I have earlier mentioned, made a list of tasks that need to be done and a calendar to give students a sense of timing for the production of the first broadcast that will be successful even if not totally polished.
As part of my personal jouney of information inquiry, I was to "describe how this project could be translated into a curricular experience for children with examples for two age groups and identify specific student learning standards and/or proficiencies". While my personal inquiry journey was about understanding, obtaining, installing and using a new computer operating system, this was the avenue that motivated me to inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. According to the standards for the 21st century learner, standard #1 is inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. In a curricular setting The American Library Association of School Librarians publication Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action describes nine skill benchmarks for the standard inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. The benchmarks apply to all age groups. They are as follows:
1. Follow an inquiry-based process... make real world connection for using this process in own life.
2. Use prior knowledge as context for new learning.
3. Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding.
4. Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
5. Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for
needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
6. Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format in order to make inferences and gather
meaning.
7. Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and
supporting ideas, conflicting information and point of view or bias.
8. Demonstrate mastery of technology tool for accessing information and pursuing inquiry.
9. Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
For a curricular project designed for grade five the behavioral indicators for the above identified benchmarks are:
1. The student will generate questions and practice different ways to locate and evaluate sources that provide needed information
2. connect ideas or topics to their own interests, articulate what is known..., with guidance generate a list of keywords, identify and use appropriate sources to acquire background information, predict answers to inquiry questions based on background knowledge and beginning observations or experiences.
3. With guidance formulate questions about the topic. Assess questions to determine which can be answered by simple facts, which cannot be answered and which would lead to an interesting inquiry. Revise the question or problem as needed to arrive at a manageable topic.
4.Understand the library's organizational scheme and what main topics are included in each section. Select and use appropriate sources including specialized reference sources and databases to answer question. Use multiple resources: print, electronic, human, to locate information. Use organizational structure of a book to locate information that answers questions. Use text features and illustrations to decide which resources are best to use and why.
5. Skim/scan to locate information appropriate to age and ability level. Identify facts and details that support the main idea. Evaluate facts for accuracy, Distinquish between fact and opinion. Interpret information taken from maps,graphs, charts and other visuals. Select information to answer questions or solve a problem.
6. Use various note-taking strategies. Paraphrase and summarize information, draw conclusions based on facts and premises
7. Recognize when facts from two different sources conflict and seek additional sources to verify accuracy. Recognize own misconceptions when new information conflicts with previously held opinions.
8. Search an online catalog to locate materials, use selected websites and periodical databases to find appropriate information, use delected search engines to find appropriate information, use software or online tools to record and organize information.
9. Work in teams to produce original works or solve problems. Respect the opinions of others through active listening and questioning.
While the benchmarks are the same for senior as for students in the fifth grade, the behaviors are more sophisticated for grade twelve. By grade twelve the students will be able to...
1. independently and systematically use an inquiry-based process to deepen content, knowledge, connect academic learning with the real world, pursue personal interests and investigate opportunities for personal growth.
2. explore general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic or question, review the initial information need to develop, clarify, revise or refine the question, compare new background information with prior knowledge to determine direction and focus of new learning.
3. recognize that the purpose of the inquiry determines the type of questions and the type of thinking required, explore problems or questions for which there are multiple answers or no "best" answer, review the initial information need to clarify, revise or refine the questions.
4. identify the value of and differences among potential resources in a variety of formats, Use various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats, seek and use a variety of specialized resources available from libraries, the Web, and the community, describe criteria used ot make resource decisions and choices.
5. evaluate historical information for validity of interpretation and scientific information for accuracy and reliability of data, recognize the social, cultural, or other context within which the information was created and explain the impact of context on tnterpreting the information, use consciously selected criteria to determine whether the information contradicts or verifies information from other sources.
6. restate concepts in their own words and select appropriate data accurately, integrate new information presented in various formats with previous information or knowledge, analyze initial synthesis of findings and construct new hypotheses or generalizations if warranted, challenge ideas represented and make notes of questions to pursue in additional sources.
7. create a system to organize the information, analyze the structure and logic of supporting arguments or methods, analyze information for prejudice, deception or manipulation, investigate different viewpoints encountered and determine whether and how to incorporate or reject these viewpoints, compensate for the effect of point of view and bias by seeking alternative perspectives.
8. select the most apppropriate technologies to access and retrieve the needed information, use various technologies to organize and manage the information selected, create their own electronic learning spaces by collecting and organizing links to information resources, working collaboratively and sharing new ideas and understandings with others.
9. model social skills and character traits that advance a team's ability to identify issues and problems and to work together on solutions and products, design and implement projects that include participation from diverse groups.
It is obvious that regardless of grade level, the process is rigorous and demanding. In The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy, Daniel Callison writes regarding the demands of the information inquiry process "that the skill sets ... will seem demanding and beyond the norm.... Wise use of information is not an easy task." Because the demands of the process are formidable Callison says that "these more challenging skills and methods" are no reason to conclude that they should not be adopted. He continues, "Teaching is the opportunity to provide meaningful situations for learners to experiment and deal with information problems" and "It is essential... that current and future teachers master the Information Inquiry Process...." My own experience with this process confirms it's rigors and demands and the need to master the process for myself.
Included in the Waving process is the assessment of both process and product. This project required that I read the blogs of others and respond constructively to at least three peers, and use at least four technology based tools. I did read the blogs of others but I did not respond to any because until now I did not realize that the communication was about the process and not the content. As I read the projects I knew I was doing good to get information for my own project much less contributing information that would help others with their project. Communication was to be significant not just a formality. I was focused on the project more than the process. Points lost there.
Regarding the electronic tools, I used three and part of a fourth. The fourth tool I used partially was to get information by an e-mail, listserv, webmaster or forum to communicate with someone for questioning related to my investigation. I acquired information related to my project from forums and postings published on line without having to create an account in order to ask a question that had already been addressed.
In concluding this portion of my blog, I want to address some quick observations and issues. I am not a good multitasker. I don't think many students are either. The stress I felt was enormous trying to work out the problems of starting a TV news project and complete the requirements of this project at the same time. If process skills are going to be taught not only is there the need for a safe and supporting environment, the process would be more effective and efficient if teachers collaborated across disciplines to implement information inquiry projects. Content concepts would be developed for two subject areas at least using one set of process skills. And last, I realize I have been the beneficiary of a collaborative effort. The Ubuntu operating system I installed was a product of international collaboration and communication. By patient exploration of documents and forums made available on line, I was able to find information that informed and provided a variety of steps for solving problems along the way. While I was willing to create an account so I could make an inquiry, I did not want to receive a response that directed me to something already published. I do intend to create an account and avail myself of the forums as I continue to use use this operating system. While I was successful in installing the operating system, there are parts that I want that I am not sure were installed with the particular edition I used. There has not been time for me to continue this project.
Learning to this point in my professional development has been significant and profound. Mind bog-a-ling even. Learning continues and of course so do the mistakes. Logging out until next time.
A supervisor I worked for years ago constantly reminded those of us who worked for him/with him that learning was a process of errors. To understand the significance of that statement in this context, I have to provide some background. The background is this. The principal wants to have a student produced TV news program once a week. This task has been assigned to me. In discussing the idea, it was recognized that to get started we needed to know if there was any student interest. An announcement was made, some posters were placed in high traffic areas and a meeting was held. 19 students attended. At the end of two weeks 26 had expressed interest. Now I am really good at coming up with ideas for projects and being able to define things that need to be done. I am not good at planning the details and as you know that's where the devil dwells. I have had frequent encounters with the devil and don't like having to deal with those kinds of problems. Personally, I like working alone. It's not that I can't work with others or that I have social issues. I am not a person who can inspire and motivate others to do something simple much less hitch their wagon to a star. I find it extremely frustrating to present an idea to a group of people who say they are interested and learn once again that the group is very capable of building castles in the air but see no way to build from the ground to the magnificience of the vision they created. (I know they need leadership, coaching etc. and that's part of my responsibility, the part I am really not good at. I apologize for the ending preposition.) I know I not only have to perform, there has to be a product and a good one at that.
The last piece of background information is that our students are pretty involved in sports, band, speech, and other clubs and organizations. There is never a time when a meeting can be held where everyone can attend. The excitment and enthusiasm of the first meeting had everyone talking at once and no one listening. This I had not anticipated. Step one was complete. I knew who was interested and I knew that they had ideas. I also learned that they had no sense of the practical. On to step two: solve the problems of communication and coordination.
After conversation with the school's IT, we decided that a blog attached to our school's website would give everyone opportunity to post ideas. It took a whole day and some tweeking for days afterward to get a working blog established. Another meeting was called so students could login to the site make comments and see how this was going to work. There was immediate posting and discussion activity. Many ideas were posted but no one volunteered to begin working on an idea that would become part of the news program.
After reporting progress to the priincipal, a date for first broadcast was set. The blog site while it had activity and good ideas were posted, the majority of those who expressed interested were not contributing to the blog. So announcements were made to encourage the interested to visit the blog and contribute. I posted a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished in order to get to the first broadcast and encouraged volunteers to come forward. No volunteers. Problem #3: Motiviation. What kept students from doing something they said they were excited about doing? Maybe they didn't know how to get started. Maybe there was some fear of the unknown, some fear of failing. I turned to the blog site and announced that I was available to teach, coach, advise, assist and help anyone that wanted to do something but didn't know where to begin. I addressed the idea of making mistakes as part of the learning process and part of the fun. I tried to assure visitors and participants that mistakes were acceptable and that there could be no failure. I want volunteers and not forced labor. I don't know the students well enough to know who is capable of what. I believe that their volunteering is a sign of ownership and sincere interest. I have posted a calendar showing the tentitive times when tasks need to be done. I posted a list of tasks and made an announcement that students should visit the website and take action. Two cameras went out at the second group meeting and one was taken as a result of the last announcement. That takes care of the background.
Now for reflection and connection. Our students and myself included need assurance and security because they lack self-confidence in the task of problem solving. In general I think students have been conditioned with threats and failure in every academic challenge. No learning opportunity associated with school in my experience has ever been so constructed that students could feel secure as they faced the challenge of the unknown. Until recently, in education generally has there been an emphasis on the skills of problem solving and critical thinking. These are new "habits of mind". Carol Kuhlthau has contributed significantly to what is known about the learning process having identified the feelings that are experienced in every phase of an open ended learning activity. I have learned that these feelings cannot be ignored. They are very real even when they are not (or cannot be) verbalized.
In my own school and even in my own classes in the past these feelings are not and were not taken into account. It has been assumed and expected that students come to us with the necessary skills and confidence to learn and accept new challenges. I regret that I am just now beginning to realize what it means to create an environment that nurtures learning and creativity. I am of the opinion that pressure to meet academic standards has corrupted the profession and to our shame has put our students at risk because we have bored them and provided no safe haven in which to make mistakes and get them corrected without severe consequences.
While I am behind in my class for professional development (my apologies and regrets to Dr. Lamb) I have had an opportunity presented to me to develop a learning activity that will have a weekly product. To meet the need for scaffolding and support, I made sure that the last blog posting for my students was clear on my desire and availability to help them realize their ideas. I developed a bibliography of websites that provided information on conducting interviews that have been linked to our blog page within the school's website and as I have earlier mentioned, made a list of tasks that need to be done and a calendar to give students a sense of timing for the production of the first broadcast that will be successful even if not totally polished.
As part of my personal jouney of information inquiry, I was to "describe how this project could be translated into a curricular experience for children with examples for two age groups and identify specific student learning standards and/or proficiencies". While my personal inquiry journey was about understanding, obtaining, installing and using a new computer operating system, this was the avenue that motivated me to inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. According to the standards for the 21st century learner, standard #1 is inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. In a curricular setting The American Library Association of School Librarians publication Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action describes nine skill benchmarks for the standard inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. The benchmarks apply to all age groups. They are as follows:
1. Follow an inquiry-based process... make real world connection for using this process in own life.
2. Use prior knowledge as context for new learning.
3. Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding.
4. Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
5. Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for
needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
6. Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format in order to make inferences and gather
meaning.
7. Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and
supporting ideas, conflicting information and point of view or bias.
8. Demonstrate mastery of technology tool for accessing information and pursuing inquiry.
9. Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
For a curricular project designed for grade five the behavioral indicators for the above identified benchmarks are:
1. The student will generate questions and practice different ways to locate and evaluate sources that provide needed information
2. connect ideas or topics to their own interests, articulate what is known..., with guidance generate a list of keywords, identify and use appropriate sources to acquire background information, predict answers to inquiry questions based on background knowledge and beginning observations or experiences.
3. With guidance formulate questions about the topic. Assess questions to determine which can be answered by simple facts, which cannot be answered and which would lead to an interesting inquiry. Revise the question or problem as needed to arrive at a manageable topic.
4.Understand the library's organizational scheme and what main topics are included in each section. Select and use appropriate sources including specialized reference sources and databases to answer question. Use multiple resources: print, electronic, human, to locate information. Use organizational structure of a book to locate information that answers questions. Use text features and illustrations to decide which resources are best to use and why.
5. Skim/scan to locate information appropriate to age and ability level. Identify facts and details that support the main idea. Evaluate facts for accuracy, Distinquish between fact and opinion. Interpret information taken from maps,graphs, charts and other visuals. Select information to answer questions or solve a problem.
6. Use various note-taking strategies. Paraphrase and summarize information, draw conclusions based on facts and premises
7. Recognize when facts from two different sources conflict and seek additional sources to verify accuracy. Recognize own misconceptions when new information conflicts with previously held opinions.
8. Search an online catalog to locate materials, use selected websites and periodical databases to find appropriate information, use delected search engines to find appropriate information, use software or online tools to record and organize information.
9. Work in teams to produce original works or solve problems. Respect the opinions of others through active listening and questioning.
While the benchmarks are the same for senior as for students in the fifth grade, the behaviors are more sophisticated for grade twelve. By grade twelve the students will be able to...
1. independently and systematically use an inquiry-based process to deepen content, knowledge, connect academic learning with the real world, pursue personal interests and investigate opportunities for personal growth.
2. explore general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic or question, review the initial information need to develop, clarify, revise or refine the question, compare new background information with prior knowledge to determine direction and focus of new learning.
3. recognize that the purpose of the inquiry determines the type of questions and the type of thinking required, explore problems or questions for which there are multiple answers or no "best" answer, review the initial information need to clarify, revise or refine the questions.
4. identify the value of and differences among potential resources in a variety of formats, Use various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats, seek and use a variety of specialized resources available from libraries, the Web, and the community, describe criteria used ot make resource decisions and choices.
5. evaluate historical information for validity of interpretation and scientific information for accuracy and reliability of data, recognize the social, cultural, or other context within which the information was created and explain the impact of context on tnterpreting the information, use consciously selected criteria to determine whether the information contradicts or verifies information from other sources.
6. restate concepts in their own words and select appropriate data accurately, integrate new information presented in various formats with previous information or knowledge, analyze initial synthesis of findings and construct new hypotheses or generalizations if warranted, challenge ideas represented and make notes of questions to pursue in additional sources.
7. create a system to organize the information, analyze the structure and logic of supporting arguments or methods, analyze information for prejudice, deception or manipulation, investigate different viewpoints encountered and determine whether and how to incorporate or reject these viewpoints, compensate for the effect of point of view and bias by seeking alternative perspectives.
8. select the most apppropriate technologies to access and retrieve the needed information, use various technologies to organize and manage the information selected, create their own electronic learning spaces by collecting and organizing links to information resources, working collaboratively and sharing new ideas and understandings with others.
9. model social skills and character traits that advance a team's ability to identify issues and problems and to work together on solutions and products, design and implement projects that include participation from diverse groups.
It is obvious that regardless of grade level, the process is rigorous and demanding. In The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy, Daniel Callison writes regarding the demands of the information inquiry process "that the skill sets ... will seem demanding and beyond the norm.... Wise use of information is not an easy task." Because the demands of the process are formidable Callison says that "these more challenging skills and methods" are no reason to conclude that they should not be adopted. He continues, "Teaching is the opportunity to provide meaningful situations for learners to experiment and deal with information problems" and "It is essential... that current and future teachers master the Information Inquiry Process...." My own experience with this process confirms it's rigors and demands and the need to master the process for myself.
Included in the Waving process is the assessment of both process and product. This project required that I read the blogs of others and respond constructively to at least three peers, and use at least four technology based tools. I did read the blogs of others but I did not respond to any because until now I did not realize that the communication was about the process and not the content. As I read the projects I knew I was doing good to get information for my own project much less contributing information that would help others with their project. Communication was to be significant not just a formality. I was focused on the project more than the process. Points lost there.
Regarding the electronic tools, I used three and part of a fourth. The fourth tool I used partially was to get information by an e-mail, listserv, webmaster or forum to communicate with someone for questioning related to my investigation. I acquired information related to my project from forums and postings published on line without having to create an account in order to ask a question that had already been addressed.
In concluding this portion of my blog, I want to address some quick observations and issues. I am not a good multitasker. I don't think many students are either. The stress I felt was enormous trying to work out the problems of starting a TV news project and complete the requirements of this project at the same time. If process skills are going to be taught not only is there the need for a safe and supporting environment, the process would be more effective and efficient if teachers collaborated across disciplines to implement information inquiry projects. Content concepts would be developed for two subject areas at least using one set of process skills. And last, I realize I have been the beneficiary of a collaborative effort. The Ubuntu operating system I installed was a product of international collaboration and communication. By patient exploration of documents and forums made available on line, I was able to find information that informed and provided a variety of steps for solving problems along the way. While I was willing to create an account so I could make an inquiry, I did not want to receive a response that directed me to something already published. I do intend to create an account and avail myself of the forums as I continue to use use this operating system. While I was successful in installing the operating system, there are parts that I want that I am not sure were installed with the particular edition I used. There has not been time for me to continue this project.
Learning to this point in my professional development has been significant and profound. Mind bog-a-ling even. Learning continues and of course so do the mistakes. Logging out until next time.
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