Teaching Research Skills with the New Utah Core State Standards for Library Media (6-12) Caitlin Gerrity and Anne Diekema (Sherratt Library @ Southern Utah University)

Session Objectives Unpack the six strands concerning the research process Uncover essential research skills Discuss teaching strategies relevant to these strands Increasing Rigor & Engagement: Webb’s “Depth of Knowledge” Chart High-impact practices Share ideas for engaging lesson plans Wrap up & Questions

Explore: “Information & Research”

Unpacking Standards As teachers unpack the component knowledge and skill required by a standard statement, they better understand the learning expectations and can more clearly articulate those expectations to students and parents” (Konrad, 2014). Allows teachers to break standards down into manageable pieces from complex, overarching statements for deeper understanding Promotes a deeper analysis of the standards by asking participants to consider what students need to know and be able to do to demonstrate mastery of the standard.   Provides an opportunity for reflection on the skills we teach Allows for the identification of professional development/ resources needed to implement each standard.

Uncovering the essential skills

Defining and Information Problem and Identifying an Information Need 2.1: Define an Information Problem Develop a research question 2.2: Identifying an Information Need Searching to learn

Identifying, Evaluating, and Selecting Sources 3.1: Determine a wide range of general and specific sources Source types and related information types 3.2: Select relevant sources. Evaluation (authority, accuracy, currency, relevance)

Locating Sources and Accessing Information 4.1: Locate identified sources and access information within sources Search; test & tweak (experimentation) 4.2: Access information within sources TOC, back-of-the-book index, alpha order

Engaging with and Extracting Information 5.1 Engage with information by reading, listening, and viewing sources in a variety of formats Read & Note taking & time management 5.2 Extract relevant information that answers the information problem and meets task requirements Organization charts, concept maps

Organizing, Synthesizing & Presenting Information 6.1: Organize information from multiple sources Information synthesis 6.2: Present research learning products Variety of end products

Evaluating the Process and Product 7.1 Assess the process and product for efficiency and effectiveness Reflection

Teaching Strategies

Increasing Rigor and Engagement Webb’s “Depth of Knowledge” Chart Similar to Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels of Cognition Bloom’s Taxonomy Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

This slide shows another model for teachers to consider when looking at what students should be doing to show mastery of the common core standards. Level 1: Curricular elements that fall into this category involve basic tasks that require students to recall or reproduce knowledge and/or skills. The subject matter content at this particular level usually involves working with facts, terms and/or properties of objects. It may also involve use of simple procedures and/or formulas. Key words that often denote this particular level include list, identify and define. A student answering a Level 1 item either knows the answer or does not; that is, the answer does not need to be “figured out” or “solved.” Level 2: includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. This level generally requires students to contrast or compare people, places, events and concepts; convert information from one form to another; classify or sort items into meaningful categories ; describe or explain issues and problems, pattern, cause and effect, significance or impact, relationships, points of view or processes. Level 3: Items falling into this category demand a short-term use of higher order thinking processes, such as analysis and evaluation, to solve real-world problems with predictable outcomes. Stating one’s reasoning is a key marker of tasks that fall into this particular category. The expectation established for tasks at this level tends to require coordination of knowledge and skill from multiple subject-matter areas to carry out processes and reach a solution. Level 4: Curricular elements assigned to this level demand extended use of higher order thinking processes such as synthesis, reflection, assessment and adjustment of plans over time. Students are engaged in conducting investigations to solve real-world problems with unpredictable outcomes.

Effective teaching practices Learning activities that involve application, analysis, evaluation, and creativity From: Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs / AASL (2009); Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action / AASL (2009)

Collaboration Incorporate with the content area Not teaching in isolation Skills are best learned in the context of content learning

Active searching Design learning tasks that incorporate the information search process Have students find their own materials instead of handing them out

Status quo Build on learners prior knowledge needed for learning task Take level of development into account

Graphic organizers Provide aids that help learners collect information and data

Differentiated teaching Use differentiated strategies (gender, ability, interests, etc.) Integrate all learning modalities (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and respresenting)

Feedback Use diagnostics, formative, summative assessments to guide learners Guided, goal-directed practice with targeted feedback Provide opportunities for learners to revise through feedback from educators and peers Use diagnostics to identify zones of intervention

Instructional technology Integrate instructional technologies for effective and creative learning

Group learning Social nature of learning Group assignments

Autonomous learners Create self-directed learners learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning

Sharing lesson plan ideas

In pairs of two... Visit: goo.gl/pZoLhL (case sensitive!) Select your assigned strand (handout) Select one or more standards Brainstorm how best to teach it Take notes to share with others

Conclusion Standards guide librarians to ensure student progress to next level Plan out learning progression Tell us what students need to know Allow us to implement best teaching practices

Thanks you for your participation! Please get in touch! caitlingerrity@suu.edu annediekema@suu.edu

Sources Albuquerque Public Schools (2009). Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Guide. Retrieved from: http://www.aps.edu/re/documents/resources/Webbs_DOK_Guide.pdf American Association of School, L. (2013). Empowering Learners : Guidelines for School Library Programs. Chicago: AASL. American Association of School, L. (2009). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action. Chicago, Ill: AASL. Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.