Grade 9 Human Library Project

As some of you may know I have been struggling with the mess which is our approach to ATLs.  A few years ago a course was introduced in grades 9 and 10 to help solve the problem created by the non-teaching of ATLs in the previous 3 years of MYP.  I really don't like this idea and as the new ATL co-ordinator want to eventually phase out this course.  One of my approaches was to introduce a project into the grade 9 study skills class, through which we would approach some of the ATLs.  Here is what I have so far.  Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Overview

Through their preparation for a Human Library presentation, students will research and present (as a human book) a subject about which they are particularly passionate.  The Human Library concept is about offering people as ‘human’ books which are lent out to readers.  Books typically have titles that aim to represent a stigmatised or stereotyped group of people in the community.  However, in our case, our titles will reflect the vast array of interests of our grade 9 students.  

Our student ‘books’ will be borrowed by 3 people at a time for 15 to 20 minutes, during which time, the books will tell their ‘readers’ about their topic and share pictures or activities with them and then answer questions.  ‘Readers’, who will come from various parts of the ACS Egham community, will be given a ‘catalogue’ in advance from which to choose the book they are most interested in. Having done so, they will then sign it out.  The reader will also be provided with the protocols for their role in the Human library at the time of reserving their book. To assist our ‘books’ in improving for their next ‘edition’, readers will be asked to write a short ‘book review’, which will be shared with the ‘books’.

Through the preparation stage of our project, students will develop or refine their skills in time management, communications and research.  In particular, these will include but are not restricted to: organising time allocation for each stage of the process; preparing and delivering an oral presentation; negotiating a library online catalogue, databases and search engines to find information; using search tools such as keywords, boolean operators, and advanced search tools; developing various skills for academic writing such as: note taking, paraphrasing, summary and referencing; collaborating with other students as 'study buddies' or as peer reviewers; and self assessment.

The Project Begins

In November of 2015, I went to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) conference in Columbus, Ohio.  Before going I had signed up for a pre-conference workshop on guided inquiry and the humanities project.  After attending the workshop, I spent the rest of my time at any workshop or session relating to guided inquiry or research.  This was the catalyst which eventually led to the decision to try a project in grade 9 study skills, which would allow us to embed a number of skills, which are taught through stand alone lessons at the moment.  This workshop and the subsequent ones at AASL, also led me to reevaluate all my suppositions on the research process.

This is where I'm at today.  I had already come to the conclusion that we are teaching research skills ineffectively.  At the moment I try to fill in the 'blanks' and model to teachers during class visits to the library, for a research introduction, at the beginning of a particular unit or project.  I use LibGuides as a pathfinder for topics, and include in them Internet resources, links to the best of our databases for the topic, instruction via google slides on the use of the library catalog, Noodletools and citation, links to other libraries, etc.  

For two years I have been working with students on key words/search terms for their particular topic and other search assistance for using databases and search engines.  My students are fully briefed in the correct answers to questions, such as the optimum number of key words to use in any search.  Do they follow that advice in their own research?  No, or at least not enough of them to make a noticeable difference.  In fact they are aware of all the advice but continue in their old ways, habits established in primary school.  To add to the mix, is the fact that many of the teachers I work with, have little or no understanding of how to effectively research or to use the Internet to find information.   Therefore they are unable to model the process for their students.

We are a full IB school and approaches to learning should be at the centre of what we do. We talk a lot about the ATLs and ensure that they are in our unit planners but something is obviously not working out as it should.  A few years ago, we introduced a 'study skills' course in grades 9 and 10 (last two years of MYP) to make sure that students did have the necessary skills, such as time management, exam preparation, note taking, etc.  They should have acquired these in the years preceding but haven't.  My feeling is that teachers find that teaching the content and skills of their subject and all that that entails, is time consuming enough.   They simply don't have the time, energy or knowledge to come up with activities to embed in their curriculum which will ensure that the ATLs are taught effectively.

So where do we go from here?  I have some answers to that question, which I will pursue in subsequent posts.

Helping Teachers with Web 2.0 and beyond

I hadn't realized when I returned to librarianship that the most difficult part of my job would be helping  teachers use Web 2.0 tools and teach research skills.  I have spent the last 12 years in the classroom so I have a good understanding of what is involved in being a classroom teacher.  I know how busy teachers are, I was one!   I know that sometimes it is easier to continue the way you always have, even though it might not be the most effective way to do something.   There never seems to be enough time to look to see if there is a more effective tool, or to learn something new, and  introduce it to your classroom.  I see part of that as my job.  I have the time (well usually!) to look for new tools and experiment with them.  I had hoped that I would then be able to pass them on to my colleagues and thus, make their teaching more effective and their lives a little easier.

How naive!  But I am learning!  I have discovered that I am unlikely to get the information to them through my useful emails.  Why wouldn't I have realized that?  I was very good at deleting emails when I was in the classroom too.  I have tried offering brief workshops after school.  15 minutes, no longer, I promise them.  I even dangle cake as an inducement.  I now recognize that unless I can find a way to coral a teacher (more then one if possible) they won't come of their own accord.  Not that they don't want to find out about what I have to share with them, but that I am on the bottom of their priority list.  And I do understand this.

I thought that I would try all school meetings.  This doesn't work either.  The room is too large and there are too many distractions.  I would like to present at divisional meetings but in the past they have put me at the end of a packed agenda and time usually runs out.  Now I am going to approach department heads and see if they will put me on the agenda.  I think I can sell it to them if I ask for 10 minutes only and choose only one thing to present.  One very useful thing that will have them begging me to come back.

Sometime last year I put together a wallwisher page with some of the Web 2.0 applications I had found to be useful.  You may find them useful as well:

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/webtoolsforteachers