The curriculum map is a great way for the teacher librarian to know what is being taught in the classroom and a valuable tool in developing the library curriculum to enhance student learning in the building. The map is also valuable in the collaborative efforts with the classroom teacher because the librarian has an opening in the collaborative conversation. As we move forward and implement these great plans how do we know if the students are learning what needs to be learned?
As I read through the text I can’t help but notice that self-reflection is stressed time and time again. I think it is one of the most important steps in curriculum development for the library media specialist. Many of us do not have a way to take student assessment after each lesson, so how do we know if the students learn what we are teaching them? How do we self-reflect?
Charlotte C. Vlasis adds assessment as Step 4 in using the curriculum map for writing curricular units. There are five questions Vlasis feels need to be measured which can be found on page 114. These questions are also valuable to ask for self-assessment. After each unit we teach we need to ask ourselves if we gave the students enough information to answer the essential question. Did we address the chosen standards? Did we present the material at the right level for the students in front of us? Most importantly, did we provide an exercise that was interesting and relevant to our students?
How do we know the answers to these questions? One way is to ask the classroom teachers for feedback as part of our collaboration. What worked and what didn’t work? Ask for suggestions. The library component of instruction needs to work with the unit being taught in the classroom. The best way to know if we did our jobs well is to find out how the students did in their unit. Did the work done in the library improve the student’s work? If the answer is yes, add the unit to the library’s map and if the answer is no, it is back to the drawing board.
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Great post, Teresa. It's so easy to skip assessment and self reflection. I never really thought about how to assess what kids have learned in the library when we have so little time. Your last paragraph makes so much sense. I'm going to need to think more about this!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some interesting points on assessing our work. I agree with Pam that so many times we don't do this. It is so easy to forget this part of the teaching because you are so strap for time. However, I really believe that the reflection is what makes you grow professionally. I like your idea of talking to students and the collaborating teacher. As a classroom teacher, I have learned that there is only so much you can learn from a written assessment. Through conversations, I learned more about the process thinking that my students were going through. I think conversations before and after a unit are a great way to assess the unit.
ReplyDeleteI agree that self-reflection and the assessment pieces are extremely important. You all make helpful points in the post & comments. It requires us (as the librarians) to take the time to incorporate these steps into our practice. It is so easy to be tempted to rush on to the next thing. But if we are going to improve and have a more significant, meaningful impact we can't skip this work. It is something that I have tried to improve upon in the last couple of years, and I'm still working on it :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's almost funny to me when we talk in this program about assessment because the initial reaction I usually have (in my head) is "I'm not allowed to assess!" This is completely ironic since I know I assess constantly. I certainly don't formally test students, but every time I ask clarifying questions, look over students' shoulders at the work they are doing, or ask a student to read a small passage to me to help him or her determine if a book is "just right," I am assessing. So I'm feeling that my biggest problem isn't that I'm not assessing my students--I'm simply not acknowledging that I am.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that I'm not alone in this. I think we all assess our students constantly. But I, for one, do not spend enough time self-reflecting. The data I collect as I work with my students must be better recorded. If I take more time to make a note of what went well/poorly with each lesson I teach, taking into account my students' learning, I know I can be a more effective instructor.