Years of Experience
|
# Staff Members
|
…
5
|
4
|
5 – 10
|
6
|
10 – 15
|
4
|
15 – 20
|
3
|
20 – 25
|
2
|
25 +
|
7
|
We have 4 newbie teachers on staff, 2 of them are filling in for maternity leaves. At the other end of the spectrum, we have 7 "master teachers" who have more than 25 years of teaching behind them. You might assume that they are fuddy-duddies, but they are not! These teachers are involved in school activities, are creative and still love coming to work!
Riedling reminds us that in order to be effective in our job as Teacher-Librarian, one of the most important facets is the relationships that we need to make with the students, staff and parents. I believe that having taught in this school prior to moving into the Library was an asset. These relationships were already established.
For this assignment, I have decided to work with Suzanne, who has been teaching for 27 years, and all of them in this school! I chose her as we have started a project together and it has been interesting to see how the project has morphed and changed through our discussions.
Suzanne has always taught in Primary. For the last 10 years, She has been teaching grade 3. Suzanne has a quiet, calm way with her students. She was ahead of her time in attending "Play is the Way" workshops and in taking the mindfulness training which she has been using in her class for many years. She has an excellent mastery of the "old" curriculum and is finding the new curriculum with its technology expectations challenging.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, our school is also piloting the Discovery Education Tech book. Through this project, staff has been exposed to TPACK which has stressed the teachers a little bit.
Suzanne was the proud recipient of a ceiling mounted digital projector, complete with laptop and speakers. During our conversation, she admitted that she did not use the projector often as she found it frustrating because there was always something not working: the laptop was not projecting, there was no sound or a recent update caused a change in settings... Suzanne found it easier not to use the technology because the stress of not being sure it was going to work properly was not worth it. She is also the type of teacher who has everything planned and organized and she does not like "glitches". This is also because her class is challenging and the students need routine and organization in order to do well.
The project we are doing is one we have done before. Students, working in pairs are doing a research project on a province that was randomly assigned to them. The books we are using are dated 2001, however, I love the way the information is clearly laid out and they provide me the opportunity to teach a lesson about text features found in non-fiction resources. The vocabulary used is age appropriate and new words are found in the glossary. Students are given a sheet on which to take notes before producing a travel brochure.
Through our discussions I brought up the idea of using technology for some of the research. Since the books are old, the population given for each province is incorrect. That fact alone was an excellent conversation starter - has population increased or decreased; why is it important to know when a book was printed... Suzanne was open to using the lab, with me leading the search for information.
We continued to chat and we decided to add a section to our note taking form to include information about one of the National Parks found in each province. We can explore the Parks Canada site to gather extra information if the paper resource is not detailed enough.
And then, feeling a little like I was pushing the envelope, I decided to ask if she would be open to changing the final product to something that required us to use technology to produce. I could see the apprehension in her face...
But she did agree to give it a try. The final product will be a short video called, "Viens visiter le Canada avec la classe de Mme Suzanne", or "Come visit Canada with Mme Suzanne's class". Each pair will have to share the highlights of their province. Suzanne will use an iPad mounted on a tripod to film the students presenting. I will upload the parts, add music when possible and create the video. I am hoping that Suzanne will help me and that we can learn together, but realistically, I may be asking my son to help me with the editing! I have only edited one video, ever, and it was only 4 segments long, with no dialogue!
Riedling reminds us that in order to be effective in our job as Teacher-Librarian, one of the most important facets is the relationships that we need to make with the students, staff and parents. I believe that having taught in this school prior to moving into the Library was an asset. These relationships were already established.
For this assignment, I have decided to work with Suzanne, who has been teaching for 27 years, and all of them in this school! I chose her as we have started a project together and it has been interesting to see how the project has morphed and changed through our discussions.
Suzanne has always taught in Primary. For the last 10 years, She has been teaching grade 3. Suzanne has a quiet, calm way with her students. She was ahead of her time in attending "Play is the Way" workshops and in taking the mindfulness training which she has been using in her class for many years. She has an excellent mastery of the "old" curriculum and is finding the new curriculum with its technology expectations challenging.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, our school is also piloting the Discovery Education Tech book. Through this project, staff has been exposed to TPACK which has stressed the teachers a little bit.
Suzanne was the proud recipient of a ceiling mounted digital projector, complete with laptop and speakers. During our conversation, she admitted that she did not use the projector often as she found it frustrating because there was always something not working: the laptop was not projecting, there was no sound or a recent update caused a change in settings... Suzanne found it easier not to use the technology because the stress of not being sure it was going to work properly was not worth it. She is also the type of teacher who has everything planned and organized and she does not like "glitches". This is also because her class is challenging and the students need routine and organization in order to do well.
The project we are doing is one we have done before. Students, working in pairs are doing a research project on a province that was randomly assigned to them. The books we are using are dated 2001, however, I love the way the information is clearly laid out and they provide me the opportunity to teach a lesson about text features found in non-fiction resources. The vocabulary used is age appropriate and new words are found in the glossary. Students are given a sheet on which to take notes before producing a travel brochure.
Through our discussions I brought up the idea of using technology for some of the research. Since the books are old, the population given for each province is incorrect. That fact alone was an excellent conversation starter - has population increased or decreased; why is it important to know when a book was printed... Suzanne was open to using the lab, with me leading the search for information.
We continued to chat and we decided to add a section to our note taking form to include information about one of the National Parks found in each province. We can explore the Parks Canada site to gather extra information if the paper resource is not detailed enough.
And then, feeling a little like I was pushing the envelope, I decided to ask if she would be open to changing the final product to something that required us to use technology to produce. I could see the apprehension in her face...
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| A photo from the movie Home Alone |
Using the information found in "The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals" article as a guide, I tried to decide where Suzanne was on the scale of concerns about technology and new curriculum.
At the beginning of our project and based on our chat, Suzanne shared a certain level of discomfort with technology (the projector/laptop in her classroom). Although the Canada project is no longer part of the curriculum Suzanne wanted to do it because she finds it is important for students to learn about our country. The creation of a travel brochure is a fun activity, but it is somewhat "safe", perhaps even... a little boring?
This indicates that she is in the "It's about Me" Stages of Concern, #1 Informational and #2 Personal. Suzanne is interested in using technology and curious about its uses. She did not ask questions about her projector, preferring to avoid using it. Suzanne is concerned about her ability to cope with these changes, showing she is wondering about the personal impact of the implementation of the new technology. Knowing this, I can infer that she has not accessed ANY of the videos and lessons available through Discovery Education...
Suzanne's Level of Use of new technology is at the orientation level. She has an interest in learning but has not yet acted on this desire. I think it is taking a backseat to implementing the new curriculum!
Although I have pulled Suzanne outside of her comfort zone by suggesting we include a digital component to the research as well as create a video as a final project, she is willingly coming along. Will this project be a true collaborative effort? No. I will be teaching her students how to do research using the computer. They will be searching for information that they need to complete their notes. Each pair will have different needs and goals. It will be messy! It will be fun! And that is just the research portion! The really fun part will be the creation of the videos: the planning of the script and the recording! Students will be so excited to see the final product! Their excitement will be infectious and I know that Suzanne will want to do it again! She will begin thinking of ways to include these kinds of activities, from using the computers to find information to recording videos, in different curricular areas. This demonstrates that Suzanne's level of Concern has shifted to stage #4 Consequence. She is no longer thinking about herself, but rather the impact on her students.
I feel that Suzanne's level of use of technology has shifted to the mechanical level. She is still in the early stages of implementation, attempting to master the required tasks. She has asked for help (yay) with the projector and would like me to help her create a troubleshooting cheat sheet.
And now, as I reread the assignment information, I realize that I have somewhat missed the boat! Heavy sigh...
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| Image from Wikimedia commons |
I have read so many articles about CBAM in relation to new curriculum, technology, mathematics and reference resources that I followed a path that best fit my/our situation at school. For Suzanne, using the computer lab to do research, in her mind it is using technology, not research! She is making the shift to non-print resources but it is TECHNOLOGY - and that is the stressor for her.
Next year, we will change the project. I think first and foremost, we need to find a topic that is in the new gr. 3 curriculum (!) and make sure to include computers for research and the iPads to document student learning and showcase their finished products.
Just as described in the CBAM article, change is a process. We do not all start at the same place, nor do we face it the same way. However, as a Teacher-Librarian, I is important for me to realize this and create opportunities for growth while providing support.
Suzanne and I are moving forward, holding hands. I have enabled her to change and grow, despite it being scary. Together we can do it! Who shall I enable next?
Holloway, Karel. "A Mesure of Concern." Learning Forward: The Professional Learning Association. National Staff Development Council, Feb.-Mar. 2003. Web. 1 Mar. 2017. https://learningforward.org/docs/tools-for-learning-schools/tools2-03.pdf?sfvrsn=2.
Kimmons, Royce. YouTube. YouTube, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wGpSaTzW58.
Riedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference skills for the school librarian: tools and tips. 3rd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013. Print.
https://eucaps.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/731/2015/07/CBAM-explanation.pdfRiedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference skills for the school librarian: tools and tips. 3rd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013. Print.
