Assignment 2 - Evolving effective use of reference resources through collaboration
Reference resources have evolved and changed over the years. I remember doing research projects in elementary school and fighting over a specific letter of a World Book I needed in order to find the information I was searching for. In the Leading Learning document one rationale has stuck with me, “ A myriad of new technologies, the explosion of digital information, and the potential of collaborative work spaces and networks are driving pedagogical changes to school curricula.” (Getting Started). I think that this is a key point in the use of reference resources for the school curriculum. How are teachers and students using reference materials? Where are they finding these reference resources with an LLC that does not have current print resources? Below I follow the CBAM and SAMR scales to take a deeper look into the use of reference resources by two teachers at my school.
Teacher A - Mrs. C has been teaching for 25+ years. She is less than 5 years away from retiring. She has spent most of her teaching career working part - time but she is currently working full - time to achieve her 5 best years before retiring. Mrs. C has taught a straight grade 3 for the past 4 years. Most of her lessons come from pre-made lessons bought off of Teachers Pay Teachers. However, she does enjoy collaborating with other teachers and with support she will sometimes try new ideas. Having lessons organized and laid out step by step makes her feel comfortable and more likely to try it.
Teacher B - Ms. T has been teaching for less than 5 years and is new to the school this year. She seems overwhelmed because she is teaching a new grade and learning how the school community works. She is eager to collaborate and try new things. Sometimes it seems like she is trying too many new things and needs to prioritize a few important pieces before adding more. She enjoys using technology and gives her students agency in their learning. Her classroom can look chaotic to people passing by but her students are happy and learning about topics that interest them. Just like Mrs. C she is also teaching grade 3.
Collaboration - Developing an effective use of reference resources with these two teachers has been fairly easy because we have developed an open and trusting relationship. We get one 55 minute block every two weeks to collaborate. We use this time to work together and discuss the needs of our students and how we can support their learning..
On the CBAM scale I would say that both teachers are in between the information stage and the personal stage on the stages of concern scale. Mrs. C (Teacher A) has used reference resources in her career but with the lack of print resources she has had a hard time accessing reference resources. She is also questioning how she is going to be able to support students using this digital resource. Ms. T (Teacher B) has little experience with using reference resources with students but she uses technology with her students and is excited to have a place where students can find safe information that she doesn’t have to locate beforehand. This would mean that on the scale of use as per the CBAM they would be in the orientation stage.
The SAMR model seems to focus more on the use of technology. Mrs. C and Ms. T both use technology in their classrooms. They would both be in the early stages of the augmentation stage. They both use Seesaw and Google Classroom to guide students through assignments and they are able to give students immediate feedback on what they are handing in. Assignments can be handed back to be corrected or finished if they need to be.
The Goal - My goal will be to support these teachers in raising their use of reference resources in a meaningful way by using technology. On the CBAM scale it would be great to see them at a management or consequence stage on the level of concern scale and at least to a mechanical stage on the level of use scale.
The Process -
Step 1 - During a collaboration block we discussed completing an inquiry about living things including adaptations and biomes. To do this the teachers were looking into finding reference resources to support students through their learning. The TL would support the teachers by showing them how to access the subscription of National Geographic Kids on the school district portal. They will add this to their Google Classroom to allow students easy access to the resources.
Step 2 - As a collaborative group we will plan and co-teach a group lesson to show students how to use National Geographic Kids and complete a guided inquiry about where a specific animal lives and its adaptations used to survive.
Step 3 - After the guided group inquiry, students will have free exploration time on National Geographic Kids. With this free exploration time students will be asked to look at different animal adaptations, and answer the question: How do living things survive?
Step 4 - Debrief after the lessons and find out what wonders Mrs.C or Ms. T have about using digital reference resources in class, specifically National Geographic Kids. The TL will continue to support these teachers to use this reference resource to complete a student led inquiry about animal adaptations and biomes. The plan is to take it further and create a living thing and biome using Minecraft Education.
The Results - Collaborating with these 2 teachers, who are very much willing to use digital reference resources but were unsure of how to access them and set their students up, has been successful. I think both teachers have made great strides in their use of reference resources. With the CBAM level of concern scale they are in the consequence stage because they are seeing an impact in the way their students access information. In the level of use both teachers are floating between preparation and mechanical because they know where they can access the reference resources but they are still at the beginning stages of how this digital resource works. As for the SAMR scale they are still in the augmentation stage but with ideas and plans that could be more in the modification stage.
Works Cited:
Bates, A. W. (T. (2019). 7.4 assessing media affordances: The SAMR model. Teaching in a Digital Age Second Edition. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/chapter/7-4-assessing-media-affordances-the-samr-model/
Canadian School Libraries (CSL). 2020. “Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada.” Available: http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca
Puentedura, R. (n.d.). SAMR Model - Technology is Learning. SAMR Model. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model
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