11/8 Evaluation

Evaluation 11/8/2010

“Assessing Learning: The Missing Piece in Instruction”
I find it interesting that this webpage deals with the issue of media specialists feeling that the lower grades aren’t properly teaching the skills kids need since they feel that every year they have to reteach what kids should already know. This is the same thing that happens in every subject across the board. Even with my advanced, dual credit kids I am still reteaching in-text citations and works cited page info every single year. Very rarely do the kids know what to do and, sadly, even after I reteach it and say they need in-text citations I often get blank looks even though we do a full citation and in-text citation in class properly before they write their first essay. Harada and Yoshina put forth the idea that focusing on addressing kids learning is crucial rather than just the teaching of material. They give the scenarios to assess if kids really know this, but I feel as though I assess my kids learning with the citations referenced above. My kids have to prove that they can make both a parenthetical and full citation on their own form a book they’ve never seen using only their MLA handbook before they can move on. This is the same sort of situation mentioned in this article. However, while the ideas here are good, I don’t think they actually address the real issue – which is how kids will retain it. Assessing for learning does not mean that they are being assessed for long-term retention. I can’t say that I have a good idea on how to fix this either since I’ve been trying to come up with something good for years, but I’m not sure that I feel the solution offered by these authors is any more fool-proof than what we do now. In large part, though it’s an entirely different issue, I think a lot of retention issues stem from not having year-round schooling. No matter how well we know something, we lose it if we don’t use it.

Hamilton’s Reports
In comparing the past reports and the one Hamilton is switching to, I can see how the new version would be more beneficial in making the library appear to be a main part of the school. Not that I’m saying it isn’t a main part, but that with her new reports it will actually be obvious to others besides English teachers and the LMS that it is. Making a report that shows clearly both what’s been going on and gives proof of students learning through samples of work seems to be a great idea in general in terms of advocacy. I definitely see how the old reports were mostly data based, which, as Woolls states, has many downfall since it isn’t based on actual educational outcome. With student work on the new reports, there can be no doubt as to the functionality of the library and the learning that comes from it. On a personal note, I think the new reports will be better overall but I am concerned about getting the knowledge to do them. I hope that in a later classes for this degree more of these programs will be dealt with and I will have to make projects out of them because now I feel totally unprepared (of course, this is only my second class…). In fact, my biggest concern is taking over a library and being the lonely LMS. I expect I can’t just call Hamilton and ask her how to make reports like she does and I am overwhelmed by the prospect of having no one to help me. In general, the libraries at our high school (we have two buildings) work well together, but neither are super into bringing more technology and changes, such as super cool monthly reports, into the system so I am afraid that there won’t be anyone to help with these ideas.

“Annual Report as Advocacy Tool”
As previously mentioned, I totally recognize the benefit of the reports as an advocacy tool for the library. I do find several of points on this webpage interesting and intend to use them later. Firstly, Google calendar does certainly need to be implemented into our school. If my understanding is correct, it will make the reports easier to put together and it would certainly be more user friendly. Now teachers have to go sign up on paper calendars and the LMS then looks at them every day to see what’s going on and has them to produce at the end of the year if necessary. However, to do a report (she doesn’t at our school), I would not want to have to sort through 7 different calendars (yes, there’s that many) and do the entire math. As an additional benefit, as a teacher I would LOVE to not have to walk to the library to sign up for time. It may sound silly, but just getting there to sign up is often difficult and I’m pretty close. There are classes that are super far away which, I expect, makes it even more difficult for those teachers. Another point I intend to use is the folder suggestion. I am a natural organizer and think this is a great way to get things ready to go without much effort at the time or later. I would probably break it down into several folders for students work, interesting events, numbers, etc. then I would just have to pull each folder when I need it. Additionally, this would allow me to do most of the report in April, which is our LMC’s dead time. Then I could simply add once a week to each section instead having to do it all at the end of the year in May when the LMC is crazy and books are being weeded and ordered and shelved and the LMS is prepping for summer school.

Annual Reports
The Springfield Township Report had many good points on it. I love the pie graph that breaks down which departments came in for the library the most (how in earth did social studies outdo English?) and the portion that focused on student reading trends. It was a point that was not mentioned in the other readings and I think has a strong importance on what gets taught in class. If teachers are more informed about what student’s like, teaching is less of a fight. I also think the pictures of students are a nice touch to show the student/library connection.

The Lawrence High School report was not good for me at all. I found it difficult to read firstly. Then I felt that the information was not accessible. There seemed to be lots of links to click instead of just getting the info and the page really had the feel of a library webpage that was promoting cool activities. I know that is a part of the annual report, but this didn’t feel like a report and I found it very hard to navigate.

Hamilton’s Animoto report was not good for me. I gather from the discussion that others like it and are jumping in on it, but I felt that I kept losing the numbers. The idea is cool of adding in the photos and the numbers and it is certainly more entertaining than a basic report, but I do feel that overall it is less effective. I assume that it is accompanied by a paper report, but in that case isn’t the Animoto part just unnecessary? I expect that when my time comes I will be more than willing to incorporate technology into my report and make it meaningful, but this version isn’t one I will do.

Woolls Chapter 13
Several parts of this chapter are good. Firstly, I really like the idea of adding an assessment of the LMC by teachers and students. I think that is an important part of improvement since we can’t fix what we don’t know is wrong. Maybe only the highlights could be put in the report or perhaps I could do a simple scale for all questions where they have to rank the LMC on a scale of 1-5 or something. That data could then be crunched and it would be very easy to add to the report. I also really like the pint Woolls makes about the fact that reports that are only filled with numbers are missing a good part of what the library is about since most of what we do can’t be given a number. I can say how many books were checked out, but that doesn’t say if kids actually read them (which are an especially prevalent issue since we have mandatory SSR). Also, numbers can’t prove that kids have actually learned anything or that I have made a life-long reader out of any of my students. I also really like the idea that reports should focus on both what is right and what is wrong. It may sound silly, but I didn’t think about this until I read it. Normally I focus on what is good or what needs to change, but rarely on both at the same time. I also may not have even considered adding what was wrong to the report that my administrator would see, but after thinking about it I see that it does give a more human look to the library and I think that Principal’s are always [pleased to see that faculty can admit when changes are needed.

Raymore-Peculiar High School Library Reports
After speaking with our librarian, I have discovered that there is no monthly reporting at all. There is a yearend report that is mostly data and doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. It gets submitted to the Principal and that’s it. Part of the issue stems from the climate of the libraries. According to the librarian I spoke with, the librarians across the district have had near total autonomy for so long that there would be a near revolt if anyone started looking over their shoulders. I can see why they would be upset if they were asked to submit reports after such a long time of total freedom, but I also see the value of the reports. I am also way surprised that that’s the case for the librarians since the teachers are constantly checked up on.