Assignment 2: Collaborate with a teacher and evolve their practice

Assignment #2: Collaborate with a Teacher and Evolve Their Practice

Introduction

In this assignment, I will discuss two fictious teachers regarding their use of reference resources in their pedagogical practices. This will include describing the situation, experiences, and methods of each teacher. I will then design an approach that will take each teacher onto a higher level of integration, application, and embedding of reference resources in their pedagogical practices.

Teacher A Profile

·       Elementary teacher for 15+ years

·       Grade 2 teacher for the past 6 years

·       Explicit teaching practices where students know exactly what is expected and what to do.

·       Uses differentiation methods to teach literacy, expeditionary learning to teach science and some lecture-based learning as well.

·       Her personal interests are outdoor learning, art, and literacy.

·       Uses resources available within the school community (i.e., Indigenous support worker) and beyond (i.e., Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy) to enhance lessons/projects/units.

·       Integrates technology by creating a Symbaloo for students to access for inquiry projects. Uses some technology for reference resources such as “Our Canada.”

·       Students create posters to demonstrate learning.

·       Same projects each year

·       Schedules the District Technology Teacher to come into the classroom three times a year to provide technology lessons.

Teacher A’s Evaluation

According to the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Teacher A’s “Expression of Concerns” are at the “consequence” level. The following questions are examples of questions heard from Teacher A this year - is there any way I could do it better? How is this affecting learners? What is the intervention going to do to help our students?

Teacher A’s “Levels of Use and Behaviors “are at the “routine” level since she is making few or no changes and has an established pattern of use. Each year students use the Symbaloo to investigate the topic. Then a poster is created to share learning.

According to the SAMR Model created by Dr. Rueben R. Puentedura there are four levels of technology integration. As shown in the image above the lower stages enhance learning and the top two stages transform learning. In Teacher A’s Symbaloo she incorporates some websites with eBooks. This is an example of “Substitution” in the SAMR model because a physical book is substituted for an eBook.

Teacher A’s Plan to Evolve Practice

Teacher A’s plan includes moving through the steps to the “collaboration” level and beyond. By collaborating with the Teacher Librarian, they can work together to plan an inquiry unit. This would include training to support at each step. For example, modelling/demonstrating how to access “World Book Early Learning” from the digital classroom to the class while at the same showing Teacher A how to use it. After the lesson, the teacher-librarian can share a few tips on how to use the “For grown ups” button to find “Curriculum Correlation” available through Early Learning in hopes Teacher A will “integrate” World Book Early Learning into her practices.

With vocabulary enhancement as a district literacy goal the use of an online dictionary such as Cambridge Dictionary to find the meaning of vocabulary words in the lifecycles inquiry units for example can be modelled as well. The goal is for teacher A to move from routine to refinement to integration and finally renewal. This is a process and not an event. It will take time and support (Loucks-Horsley, 1996).

The School District has won a year subscription to Book Creator Pro. To evolve Teacher A’s level of practice from substitution to modification as mentioned above collaboration with the teacher-librarian needs to occur to address needs. For example, by developing supportive arrangements, providing training, consultation and reinforcement, monitoring and external communication and dissemination on Book Creator Teacher A will create student accounts and have students use it to share and transform their learning instead of using a poster.

In Conclusion, with time and support sustained change can take place. By using the CBAM and SAMR assessment higher levels of practice can occur. By knowing Teacher A’s level of practice, a plan to address needs can be created and implemented for a higher level of integration, application, and embedding of these potential resources into practice.

Teacher B Profile

·       Kindergarten teacher for 20+ years

·       Explicit teaching practices where students know exactly what is expected and what to do.

·       Her personal interests are outdoor learning, art, teaching independence and physical books.

·       Has an excellent selection of classroom books which she has purchased and uses as teacher resource books (anchor books) and for students to use for research.

·       Does not integrate technology in the classroom but recently expressed an interest in this area.

·       Is not comfortable using technology. Use her laptop to check emails and do attendance.

·       Teacher B recently joined some social media platforms and is excited about all the resources available.

·       She has asked to buddy with one of intermediate classes to do a couple lessons of Minecraft together since students have been asking to use Minecraft Education. However, is not interested in using it in class outside these couple lessons and not interested in learning how to use it herself.

·       She recently had the District Technology Teacher in her class to teach the students how to use the Ozobots to follow the lifecycle path which each student had drawn.

Teacher B Evaluation

 Teacher B is at the “Orientation” stage according to The Concerns-Based Adoption Model Levels of Use of Innovation. For example, she is taking the initiative to learn more by showing an interest in technology.

Expression of Concerns is at the “Information” level since she wants to know more about digital resources and tools. For example, she wants to know more about the digital resources such as World Book Early Learning.

She is currently at the “substitution” stage of the SAMR Model. This evident by using Ozobots to enhance her lifecycle poster project but no functional change was made.

Teacher B Plan to Evolve Practice

“Change is a process, not an event, and it takes time to institute change" (Loucks-Horsley, 1996). Sustained help is going to be needed along the way. For example, coaching and mentoring as well as communication and collaboration to help Teacher B evolve and integrate, apply, and embed resources into her practice.

The plan is to see her level of use go from orientation to routine and refinement over the year. This would include adding reference resources such as World Book Early Learning to enhance inquiry units such as the unit addressing the big idea - plants and animals have observable features as well as the big idea - daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.

As mentioned above Teacher B is at the "No Tech" to "Substitution" stage since there is no functional change when technology is added.  The following suggestions are ideas for higher levels of practice.

To start an inquiry project Teacher B can create a class Popplet to determine what students already know about fall for example. Then revisit at the end of the inquiry to add to the Popplet what learned.

Ipads can be incorporated during outdoor learning sessions to take pictures of plants and animals. When students return to class, they can use the Ktunaxa Ethnobotany Handbook and Pacific Northwest Plant Cards to identify the plants and animals. Pictures can also be taken during outdoor to be shared with parents and on the school and district website.

Furthermore, Chatterpix Kids and Show Me apps can be used to transform learning. Students can share their learning using these apps. One advantage to these apps is that students don’t need to present in front of the class. However, the teacher-librarian needs to be cautious. If Teacher B feels overwhelmed, she may discard these practices. Instead, provide a demonstration for the whole class while she is in the library. She can participate during the training to create her own Chatterpix or Show Me drawing. Corrective feedback can be provided as needs arise. Virtual field trips may also be an avenue to explore together. As stated by Terada (2020) SAMR is like a toolbox. It is finding the right tool for the job (p.11). All in all, to evolve Teacher B’s practice time and support will be needed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the role and impact of the teacher librarian can be synthesized quite simply: teacher-librarians impact student learning and achievement by forming strong and positive relationships with members of the school community, especially the school principal; by collaborating with classroom colleagues to plan, develop and assess independent learning abilities in students; by fostering a recreational reading culture in the building; and by providing informal staff development opportunities. K. Haycock (personal communication, December 8, 2013). "By collaborating with teachers and using CBAM to help describe, explain, and predict what probable teacher concerns are going to be and their behaviours throughout the change process we can have a more successful implementation" (SEDL, 2013). Finally, “Good technology integration isn’t about using the fanciest tool; it is about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy – or strategies for the lesson at hand” (Terada, 2020, p.1). 

References

Curriculum | Building student success - B.C. Curriculum. (2021). Curriculum | Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum

Estrada, C. (2022, January 2). Chatterpix. Technology in Language Teaching and Learning. https://esl5073call.wordpress.com/carrie/

(2014). Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. https://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1996). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/731/2015/07/CBAM-explanation.pdf

SEDL. (2103). Stages of Concern, a dimension of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M6eQC1_8Cg

Serim, F. (2013). Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and Digital Learning [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JovqU3SD7o

Spencer, J. (2016). What is the SAMR Model and what does it look like in schools? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC5ARwUkVQg

Terada, Y. (2020, May 4). A powerful model for understanding good tech integration. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration/