Quest for Module One: You are interviewing for a professional position as a school library media specialists, a bibliographic instruction librarian in an academic library, or a director of professional development in a commercial firm. In the first round of interviews, a panel will expect you to make a 15-minute presentation outlining your philosophy of the librarian's role in the instructional process. They reserve the right to question you about your philosophy and how you arrived at your views.

You realize that in order to prepare adequately (in depth) for such an interview, your understanding of theory must be more than just superficial. You must have a strong theoretical framework on which to draw when approaching an instructional problem.

You realize that a strong theoretical background will enable you to be a diagnostician of an educational problem or challenge. Without hesitation, you will need to have solid recommendations built upon your knowledge. Thus, you will need to build your knowledge asking: What is happening today in the world of education in four critical topical areas?

Topic 1. Educational Theory and Practice

• What's hot in educational theory today?

• What does brain research and cognitive theory have to contribute to teaching and learning?

• What is restructuring in education (K-12 arena)?

• What is standards-based education (K-12 arena)?

• What is Understanding by Design (K-12 arena)?

• What is differentiated instruction (K-12 arena)?

• What is the difference between behaviorist theories and constructionist theories?

• How can these theories be translated into practice?

• What is inquiry-based or project-based learning?

• What are teaching and learning styles?

• What are multiple intelligences?

• What role is government playing in standards and testing (K-12 arena)?

• What role do national societies play in quality higher education (higher education arena)?

• Is anyone in the corporate world interested in quality education and training (corporate world arena)?

 

Topic 2. Curriculum and Accountability (K-12, academic institutions and training)

• Who decides who will learn what?

• Who writes curriculum (in academic institutions) and content to master (training)?

• Who really follows written curriculum, or do teachers do what they please as soon as the door is closed?

• Who decides what is the best way to teach math, social studies, science, etc.? In training institutions, who prescribes how skills are to be taught?

• What are the best strategies for teaching and learning what is to be learned?

• How do we know when a student learns what is to be learned (testing, assessment)?

Topic 3. Collaboration

• Behaviorist Teaching - What is it and what is the role of the librarian/instructional designer in course and lesson design?

• Constructivist Teaching (also known as Resource-based Learning, Project-based Learning) - What is it and what is the role of the librarian/instructional designer in helping students construct and solve their own engaging problems?

• What is collaboration in the educational setting?

• What roles do librarians (information specialists/technology specialists) perform as they collaborate with teachers (K-8 settings) (public libraries - in home schooling and staff development) (special libraries/industry - in training)?

• What collaborative strategies are likely to produce excellence in teaching and learning no matter the teaching style of the teacher?

• What are the signs that collaborative activities are successful?

• How must organizations change to facilitate the role of collaboration?

Topic 4. Information Literacy

• What is information literacy?

• What models exist and how do they compare?

• How do models of information literacy compare across the disciplines?

• How do I build my own mental model of information literacy?

• Can information literacy be taught? How?

• Is the teaching of information literacy having an impact on what learners know and do?

• What findings from research illuminate practice?

Module 1, Part 2 

The main event of Module 1: Wide reading.

There are a number of resources to help you read as widely as possible in the four topical areas:

1. The textbooks
2. The wiki: LIBR 250  Pathfinder wiki (locate this at http://libr250course.pbwiki.com/LIBR250Bibliography and search for the title)
3. Professional resources at your own library
4. Database collections from SJSU library
5. The Internet
6. Professional organization websites and other materials

The goal is to know as much as you possibly can in each of the four topical areas so you are prepared to transform learning experiences in information-rich and technology-rich environments from mediocre to excellent.

Using the rule of thumb: Read 50 minutes and write 10 minutes. Here are some suggestions on how to maximize what you are reading and learning:

1. Select something to read that has promise. If it is not contributing to your knowledge, skip it and select something else.
2. If you think this article/book/website would be something others would profit from, record its citation with a very brief description on the pathfinder wiki at:  http://libr250course.pbwiki.com/LIBR250Bibliography
3. During the semester, try to add at least ten good sources to the pathfinder wiki.
4. As you read, keep substantive notes of the major points of the article, book, website, etc. Then, if you think that the class should know these important points, post your notes with the citation, your name, and the date posted to the synthesis wiki at: http://libr250course.pbwiki.com
5. The synthesis wiki will come in handy as you do your essays later. The idea here is that if everyone reads different things and does pithy summaries, then we will all benefit from everyone else's reading.

    

Thus, we are all reading widely - creating a valuable bibliography of professional resources for posterity. By adding the major ideas to a knowledge base, we are all building togehter. This concept will be discussed further both in the online class and in the face-to-face one.

Module One Final Product: Check Due date.

Your final paper will have four sections and four appendices.

Section 1: Educational Theory. In this section's first paragraph, summarize from your reading plan in one paragraph to explain what you knew before this class began. In the next paragraph summarize how you went about reading, noting what you put in your log, what you added to the LIBR 250 Pathfinder Wiki, and what you added to the Module One 250 Synthesis Wiki. Then write an essay (not more than two pages, preferably one) about that topic that synthesizes what you now know about this topic. This summary would form the basis of a presentation you might give to a panel interviewing you for a position. In appendix 1, add your complete reading log for this topic.

Now do the same for each of the other topics. Thus, your final paper is not more than eight pages long with four appendicies. It constitutes what you know and deeply understand.

To this paper, attach appendicies for each topic that list everything your read personally for that topic. This can just be a bibliography rather than your full summary notes. This you will have about eight pages with four appendicies that are as long as they need to be.

Addendum to Module 1: By the end of the semester you should add the following:

• Your Group's Information Literacy Model. During the first class period, your group will create an information literacy model. One member of the group will have the responsibility to make a copy or photo of that model and distribute it to the rest of the group. Get that model and upload it to your own assignment manager on Angel.
•  Your Own Information Literacy Model: As one of the last things you do for this class, draw your own information literacy model matching your style of learning and post that to Angel.