AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Library Media Specialists:
Standard 4: Advocacy and Leadership: Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning
environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement.
4.3 Leadership
Candidates are able to articulate the role and relationship of the school library program's impact on student academic achievement within the context of current educational initiatives. Utilizing evidence-based practice and information from education and library research, candidates communicate ways in which the library program can enhance school improvement efforts.
Artifacts:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan
Artifact Descriptions:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review. This artifact is a working paper which describes a method for writing improvement among second language learners in higher education. The method includes multiple revisions and organized peer review opportunities along with instruction and teacher revisions before ultimate summative assessment. This method may be successful for other first language learners in a secondary educational setting.
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan. This artifact illustrates the school and faculty commitment to learner success when using technology to assess their work. If faculty are familiar with the technology and software, this will allow for greater support of their students before assessment resulting in less stress on students and possible improvement of scores.
Relevance:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review. Educational initiatives invite educators, including librarians, to adapt instruction to include learners who feel marginalized by physical, social, cultural, or language barriers. The value of student conversation and peer review enables the second language learner to improve written vocabulary, express deeper thoughts, and practice oral language. The school librarian and resources of space, text, and technology can support the process by offering a site for conversation, review, and revision and expertise in instructional support where appropriate.
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan details a three year plan to allow faculty to become familiar with the test instruments that their students may be using for assessment. A local school system is planning for its learners to use computers and assessment software to measure all work. Unfortunately, the students may not be using laptops or computer desktops regularly and experience problems with the format of online testing. Faculty would take a supporting role familiarizing themselves with examples of online testing software. Faculty would be trained and given time to interpret data from the content level and standardized assessments to inform their teaching.
Analysis/Reflection:
The LMS can demonstrate the impact of the school library program when scheduling time to support literacy instructions and when organizing and presenting professional development within school progress plan initiatives. These endeavors help the LMS to meet the AALS standard 4.3 Leadership.
Students don't always have the words to express their higher level thinking when expected to engage in conversation during instruction. When students are learning English as a second language, they struggle with speaking and listening, reading, and writing in English while trying to learn new content in science and social studies. As a school librarian I can begin by making text in the first language available to those students. In addition I would like to be able to provide a space before and after school or during other times to allow students to practice oral and written English skills with peers. The Student Perception of Value of Peer Review research has allowed me a chance to look at studies in writing pedagogy that initiated with older students but whose methods and strategies are transferable to primary, intermediate, and secondary students as well. I focus on peer review perception because when students see value in an active and objective critique; they can help others and they can improve their own writing.
A local middle school teacher said that she was worried that her school's low assessment numbers on standardized tests resulted in part from her students' lack of technology training. Learners did not regularly use computers and did not have computer classes, yet they were expected to take many of their assessments online. The LMS could fill in the technology support gaps by offering professional development opportunities to teachers to improve their knowledge of online testing formats. Additional training in how to interpret data from assessments would inform instruction. The LMS could help encourage administrators to set aside time so that teachers could learn the supportive technology and practice interpreting assessment data. I developed a three-year training program (Professional Development Plan) which offered summer and after-school classes which would help teachers enable their students to better demonstrate their learning.
Standard 4: Advocacy and Leadership: Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning
environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement.
4.3 Leadership
Candidates are able to articulate the role and relationship of the school library program's impact on student academic achievement within the context of current educational initiatives. Utilizing evidence-based practice and information from education and library research, candidates communicate ways in which the library program can enhance school improvement efforts.
Artifacts:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan
Artifact Descriptions:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review. This artifact is a working paper which describes a method for writing improvement among second language learners in higher education. The method includes multiple revisions and organized peer review opportunities along with instruction and teacher revisions before ultimate summative assessment. This method may be successful for other first language learners in a secondary educational setting.
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan. This artifact illustrates the school and faculty commitment to learner success when using technology to assess their work. If faculty are familiar with the technology and software, this will allow for greater support of their students before assessment resulting in less stress on students and possible improvement of scores.
Relevance:
ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology - Student Perception of Value of Peer Review. Educational initiatives invite educators, including librarians, to adapt instruction to include learners who feel marginalized by physical, social, cultural, or language barriers. The value of student conversation and peer review enables the second language learner to improve written vocabulary, express deeper thoughts, and practice oral language. The school librarian and resources of space, text, and technology can support the process by offering a site for conversation, review, and revision and expertise in instructional support where appropriate.
ISTC 702 Educational Leadership and Technology - Professional Development Plan details a three year plan to allow faculty to become familiar with the test instruments that their students may be using for assessment. A local school system is planning for its learners to use computers and assessment software to measure all work. Unfortunately, the students may not be using laptops or computer desktops regularly and experience problems with the format of online testing. Faculty would take a supporting role familiarizing themselves with examples of online testing software. Faculty would be trained and given time to interpret data from the content level and standardized assessments to inform their teaching.
Analysis/Reflection:
The LMS can demonstrate the impact of the school library program when scheduling time to support literacy instructions and when organizing and presenting professional development within school progress plan initiatives. These endeavors help the LMS to meet the AALS standard 4.3 Leadership.
Students don't always have the words to express their higher level thinking when expected to engage in conversation during instruction. When students are learning English as a second language, they struggle with speaking and listening, reading, and writing in English while trying to learn new content in science and social studies. As a school librarian I can begin by making text in the first language available to those students. In addition I would like to be able to provide a space before and after school or during other times to allow students to practice oral and written English skills with peers. The Student Perception of Value of Peer Review research has allowed me a chance to look at studies in writing pedagogy that initiated with older students but whose methods and strategies are transferable to primary, intermediate, and secondary students as well. I focus on peer review perception because when students see value in an active and objective critique; they can help others and they can improve their own writing.
A local middle school teacher said that she was worried that her school's low assessment numbers on standardized tests resulted in part from her students' lack of technology training. Learners did not regularly use computers and did not have computer classes, yet they were expected to take many of their assessments online. The LMS could fill in the technology support gaps by offering professional development opportunities to teachers to improve their knowledge of online testing formats. Additional training in how to interpret data from assessments would inform instruction. The LMS could help encourage administrators to set aside time so that teachers could learn the supportive technology and practice interpreting assessment data. I developed a three-year training program (Professional Development Plan) which offered summer and after-school classes which would help teachers enable their students to better demonstrate their learning.