Oreta Taylor

Standard 2: Teaching and Learning
School library media candidates model and promote collaborative planning with classroom teachers in order to teach concepts and skills of information processes integrated with classroom content. They partner with other education professionals to develop and deliver an integrated information skills curriculum. Candidates design and implement instruction that engages the student's interests, passions, and needs which drive their learning.

Sub-standards:
Knowledge of Learners and Learning; Effective and Knowledgeable Teacher; Information Literacy Curriculum.

Collaborative Unit
Link to assignment (6360)

Description:
In this assignment, I collaborated with a fifth-grade classroom teacher to design a unit that integrated curriculum content with information processes. Together we planned a unit to allow the students to learn the research process by researching a famous American or famous American event. We assessed the needs of our students and determined the best way to teach the students. I also designed two lessons to teach information skills within the context of this unit, specifically the use of encyclopedias and the use of Kids GALILEO.

What did I learn?
This assignment allowed me to collaboratively plan an entire unit with a teacher. We assessed the needs of our students and determined the best instructional methodologies to teach. Although we did not have time to actually teach the unit this year, it calls for us to co-teach and co-assess the students. We hope to teach this unit next year. In addition, I have been placed on the curriculum designing committee and will be using this as an example to plan integrated information skills and curricular content units.

Sub-standard Addressed:
Knowledge of Learners and Learning; Effective and Knowledgeable Teacher.

I - Search
Link to assignment (6360)

Description:
I-Search is a research process model designed not simply to find information but to teach students how to use a research process. It incorporates strategies such as user-selected topics, essential questions, reflections, graphic organizers and double-entry note-taking sheets to encourage the student to become an efficient, ethical and evaluative information seeker. We learned to teach this process by doing our own I-search.

What did I learn?
I-Search is a flexible research process model which allows me to tailor it to student needs and to entice and engage student interest. It lends itself well to the addition of technology and is easy to integrate into the curriculum. As well as integrating subjects such as social studies and science, it can also be integrated into our writing curriculum. Having the students reflect on their research is a more authentic learning experience than simply writing from prompts. I-search can serve as the framework for redesigning my information skills curriculum.

Sub-standards Addressed:
Information Literacy Curriculum