Week One Reading

My thoughts about:

Woolls, Chapter 1

The school library media manager

Blanche Woolls. 4th ed.. Libraries Unlimited, 2008. Paperback. 9781591586432

First of all, let me admit, I'm in love with John Dewey.

I believe the most effective teaching methods allow for student learning to happen through experiences that students and teachers create together. Developing a curriculum that allows for individualized teaching is an extremely valuable tool to foster student advancement. This type of personalized instruction is often difficult to achieve because of demands on standards, time, budget and resources.

-Standardized testing limits curriculum development because teachers must teach "to the test"

-Teachers do not have enough planning time during the school day to prepare lessons

-Limited budgets restrict a teacher's ability to provide the necessary resources for student needs

I agree with her contention that teachers receive little support and input into curriculum development from administration as principals and superintendents move towards more managerial positions and have less time to focus on the education students are receiving in their schools, but I wonder if teachers see this as a problem or if they find that it gives them a desired autonomy in the classroom.

I am curious at how a rise in home schooling might place more demands on the public school media specialist and what expectations will arise for the responsibility of the school media specialist to provide for the home schoolers needs.

I would like to know how (and how many) schools work with their media specialists to develop learning strategies for individual students. I like the idea of a student having two teachers working with them on the same unit of instructions using different approaches with different resources in different settings to collaboratively reach the same goal.

I find it exciting that media centers are no longer just a repository for books and a place for storytime (as they were when I was in school), but a resource for information and a place to develop tools for learning.

It will be the constant job of the Media Specialist to prove their worth to their school to avoid funding cuts and to be able to maintain and improve upon the media center.

21st-Century Learner Standards

http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf

I'm excited about the development of the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and how these skills can be effectively integrated into a curriculum with direction and assistance from a School Media Specialist. What percentage of schools in the U.S. actively engage these standards? Are there any guidelines for age appropriateness or a sequence of introducing these standards. Are they scalable for any age group and skill level?

Papas

https://ctools.umich.edu/access/content/group/68e99bc0-fb7a-46bc-8448-fd60548e3400/Class%20_1%20-%201_12_09/Pappas%20Chap%202%20from%20School%20Reform%20and%20the%20SLMS.pdf

Hallmarks of NCLB:

Accountability-standards are set by States and vary greatly. AYP can vary greatly from school to school and has led to a “teach to the test mentality”, narrowing the curriculum. Data of student achievement since the implementation of NCLB can be interpreted differently to fit the needs of a study. Teachers are sometimes forced to make choices about who to help to achieve AYP and many students suffer.

Choice-some rural students whose school fails to meet AYP have little option for choice-so choice is not an effective incentive for school accountability. Low-income students are most effected by the punitive measures of NCLB.

Flexibility-NCLB is a mandate with no direct funding tied to it. Grants are only available to schools who meet AYP and not for those who are struggling.

Improving Teacher Quality- School library media specialists do not qualify for grants?

Funding is available through the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program for providing (low income) schools with quality libraries that a staffed by certified media specialists. That’s good, but only 100 grants were awarded in 2006.

Media Specialists need to navigate NCLB to determine how they can incorporate themselves and the media center into the goals of NCLB and the school’s AYP requirement by collaborating with teachers. NCLB funding can be earmarked towards media centers if media specialists become convincing grant writers making connections between reading goals for students and the importance of utilizing the media center to achieve these goals. Requirements for students to be technology-literate give the media specialist a foothold for establishing relevancy in meeting NCLB mandates by helping students and teachers to learn new technologies.

Media Specialists need to save themselves and their Media Centers.