The Lighthouse Diary #64: Direct Instruction in Teaching Research Skills and MIL

Here is a key takeaway from yesterday’s library skills and research class: 

The OPVL was used as a method for analyzing and evaluating sources. Source evaluation must be taught explicitly. Direct instruction is a teaching approach that can be used to facilitate the learning of research skills.

Direct instruction is a teaching approach where the teacher leads the lesson in a structured, straightforward way, typically involving clear explanations, demonstrations, and guided practice. In this model, the teacher is the primary source of information, presenting new material in small, manageable steps, with checks for understanding and immediate feedback along the way.

The core components of direct instruction include:

1. Clear Objectives: The teacher sets specific learning goals and communicates them to students.

2. Modeling: The teacher demonstrates the skill or concept, often by thinking aloud to show the thought process.

3. Guided Practice: Students practice the concept with support from the teacher, who provides feedback and corrects mistakes.

4. Independent Practice: Once students are confident, they practice on their own to reinforce learning.

5. Assessment and Review: The teacher checks for understanding through questioning, assessments, or reviews.

Direct instruction is often effective for teaching foundational knowledge, procedural skills, and step-by-step processes, especially in subjects like math or grammar as well as academic writing and research. It is sometimes associated with explicit teaching methods and contrasts with student-centered approaches like inquiry-based or discovery learning, where students explore topics more independently.

The Asian Literacy Conference: A Proposal for Themed Panel

 Themed Panel: Research and Academic Writing, Information Literacy Skills, Literacy Skills Assessment, Library and Research Skills Instruction

Proponent: Zarah C. Gagatiga, Teacher Librarian, The Beacon Academy

The Pioneer: The Research Skills Hub of the Beacon Academy Library

The Diploma Program (DP) of the International Baccalaureate has three capstone projects requiring students to apply skills in research and academic writing. These are the Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay and the Creativity Action and Service (CAS) project. Known as the DP Core, it is an exercise on creativity and critical thinking. The Beacon Academy (BA) Library, being an academic department facilitating research and reference programs conducts a yearly assessment of students’ research skills. 

Using TRAILS, Tools for Real Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills by the Kent State University (KSU), the BA Library adapted and adopted TRAILS to identify and determine strengths and areas of improvement of students’ research and information literacy skills. TRAILS have six areas or skills for assessment which are: (1) narrowing and broadening topics of research, (2) selecting and locating appropriate sources of information, (3) evaluating sources, (4) identifying and following research steps, methods and processes, and (5) documentation, referencing and citing of sources.  

The results of the assessment inform the Teacher Librarian in crafting Reference and Research programs and services that meet the needs of the DP students; creating Information Literacy Skills modules that builds and enhances research and writing skills. The programs, services and modules are on a Google Site known as The Pioneer, the Research Skills Hub of the Beacon Academy Library.

MIL Skills Instruction: Is Wikipedia Trash or Treasure?

 Are you still wary of Wikipedia as a credible reference or source? Well, it is online and very much accessible so, we might as well understand it a little bit more. 

Here is how I read, teach and instruct my student in using Wikipedia as a reference and source for a research topic.

1. Introduce the idea of knowlege sharing in in-person learning and online learning. Experts, scholars and academicians, as well as the regular person have knowledge to share and communicate. Forums, Online Groups, Tweeter Moots and Spaces are examples. Long before these online communities came about, there was Wikipedia, a space in the digital world where anyone can share his/her knowledge about a topic. It is open and open source. It is an example of a digital learning commons.

A hyperlink to an article in The New York Times

2. Wikipedia is a hyperdocument. The links function as leads or, in itself references to more sources of information. It offers opportunities to check the topic or content as valuable or limited depending on the reader or user's purpose. Do take note that the links can lead the reader or the researcher astray. It can be a distraction. So, before using Wikipedia or any online and electronic reosurce that has hyperlinks, the goal and objectives of a research task is one's anchor or beacon of light.

This article from The New York Times is preserved in a digital archive.

3. It is advisable to read laterally on Wikipedia. This means, the reading of websites and online sources from Wikipedia is important to assess the credibility and richness of its contents. Lateral Reading is another topic and skill worthy of learning. More on lateral reading in future posts. 

4. Take note of the footnotes and bibliography. It will lead you to the basic and original references used by the authors and contributors of the topic or subject. From here, you can build your own reference and source list.

Even the definitions of important words are "clickable".

There are many ways to read online articles, sources and documents. Wikipedia is only one of many. There are, however, threads common to these online texts - images and graphics, included, that has to be evaluated and understood before taking a deep dive into the content that it offers.

Slide Presentation: Designing a MIL Module for Online Distance Learning and Remote Learning

PLAI Congress: Plenary Session

This one is for the PLAI Congress as I am speaking on Day 3 where all the education and instructional tracks are scheduled. Also, it is Library Association day, so I am doing this one for PASLI.

Zarah C. Gagatiga, RL

09209672884

zarah.gagatiga@gmail.com

http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com

@thecoffeegoddes - Twitter

@zarah815 – IG

@authorZarahG815 – Facebook

 

Bio Note (English)

Zarah is a teacher librarian, an award-winning author, blogger and storyteller. She handles press releases and communications protocol for the Philippine Association of School Librarians and currently represents the library sector in the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. 

Zarah believes in three things: the power of love; the value of family and friendship; and, with the use of appropriate methods, that books and reading can change lives. Visit her blog at http://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com.

Bio Note (Filipino)

Si Zarah ay isang gurong librarian, premyadong manunulat, blogger at kuwntista. Siya ang PRO ng Philippine Association of School Librraians (PASLI) at kumakatawan sa sector ng mg librarian ng Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). Si Zarah ay naniniwala sa kapangyarihan ng pag-ibig; sa kahalagahan ng pamilya at pagkakaibigan; at, gamit ang tamang pamamaraan ng pagtuturo, ang aklat at pagbabasa ay may kakayahang gawing pambihira ang isang buhay.

 

 

PLAI Congress Parallel Session for PASLI

Title: Designing Media and Information Literacy Skills Modules for Online Distance Learning and Remote Learning

 

Description

 

The session is a seminar-workshop for school librarians, teachers, advocates of Media and Information Literacy (MIL), parents and media practitioners. Trends and current practices in the teaching of MIL skills will be discussed including a matrix of MIL skills and topics for K-12 learners. Platforms of different modalities that are used for the design and delivery of MIL modules for ODL and remote learning will be presented as well.

 

Reflection Questions

1.     What are the key principles of instructional design?

2.     What are the fundamental concepts of MIL in application to school library services and programing?

3.     With an understanding of the context of your learning community, how will you approach the design and planning of a MIL program?

MIL Lesson: OPVL (1 of 2)

OPVL is a techniques used for the evaluation of sources in the humanities. It is an acronym that stands for Origin, Purpose, Value and Limitations. The IB has published guides on its use and many teachers and librarians have created handouts and worksheets.

Last year, our Personal Project Coordinator requested for a session on the use of resources and its evaluation. Since our grade 10s already know the use of OPVL, I thought of using Visible Thinking to assist them in reflecting through their selected sources. Below is the presentation slides I used in my session with them.

Finding the Right Source

Miss, may I ask help in finding the right source?

This is a request I frequently get from some students, especially during research season. Before reminding them to use the OPVL assisting them on the use of the BA Library OPAC and research databases, I verify the following activities prior to locating sources of information in the library and online.

Did you understand and analyse the task or project?

Did you identify information you need to complete the task?

What important terms or words have you pulled out from the identified information? You can use them as key words for searching the BA Library OPAC, online databases and search engines like Goggle.

Are you familiar with primary and secondary sources?

If the answer to these questions are all in the affirmative, which rarely happens, we proceed to the OPAC and databases. Once a student finds a book, an article or an academic paper he proceeds with evaluation of the source, text and material. And then, citation becomes a concern. That would require another session. Another inquiry. Or, the student depends on a citation machine online.

Recently, I got bored with my pre-research interview and verification process. Searching EBSCOHost for ideas, I found a good material to further support me in library reference work and readers’ services. The Right Source is a short, easy to read article that may help me assist students in their research and inquiry. I recommend you read it too and download the file. Share it with another co-teacher and to your class as well.  

Is this the right source for me?

Not sure if this source is something you can cite in your research? Find your class assignment or research prompt and check the guidelines your teacher has outlined. Then, ask yourself the following questions about your source to see if it’s what you need:

• Primary or secondary? A primary source is an account from a specific time period. If you’re writing a paper about the medieval political system, the surviving pages of Magna Carta would be a primary source. A book written by a medieval studies scholar that describes the importance of Magna Carta would be a secondary source—this type of source provides analysis and context.
• Popular or academic? Popular sources are "popular" because they are meant for the general public. Newspapers and magazines are popular sources because they are easy to understand and widely available. Academic sources are more thoroughly reviewed than popular sources. They often undergo a peer review process, have multiple sections, and are generally much longer and more detailed.
• Neutral or biased? Examine the word choices made in your source to determine if it is objective or trying to get across a certain point of view. If it seems to be interpreting facts with a specific agenda or goal in mind, the source may have gone past a specific viewpoint to outright bias.
• Where did this source get its information? Look for a bibliography at the bottom of the work and see what sources were used. If they look credible and trustworthy, not only is your source likely a good one, but you now have a list of other reputable sources you can search for.

The "right" source for you depends on the guidelines your teacher has set for the assignment. If your teacher has asked you to see how an event was covered in newspapers, then neutral, academic sources won’t be the right fit. All sources—whether they are primary or secondary, neutral or biased—can be useful; it all depends on the type of source you need. If you’re not sure what kind of a source you should be looking for, simply ask your teacher.

Content provided by EBSCO LearningExpress PrepSTEP^® for High Schools. http://infoliteracy.learningexpresshub.com/hs/is-this-the-right-source-for-me.html

Retrieved August 26, 2019

The Lighthouse Diary Entry 9: One Step Backward Before the Big Leap

It’s holiday today but, I am working. 

I am reviewing materials I used for the #milclicks sessions done a year ago and farther back. It helps me to look back, to take a few steps backward before jumping in the work that is required at present. I do this to establish context and to set directions. I call this reflection. Coming into an awareness of where things are and where I am. 

So, I had a session on using and choosing keywords with the grade 9s last year. They are now in 10th grade, poised to do the Personal Project. They gave out interesting feedback as to how the library helped them in 9th grade during our Library orientation. I get the feeling that they are ready for robust thinking processes.

Where do we go from here, grade 10? I think I need to see the Personal Project Coordinator.

Our current grade 9s are scheduled to have their library scavenger hunt next week. It’s a tradition already! Like a prerequisite course. A priming activity that I plan and work with the CRe teacher. My review prompts me to do a digital library scavenger hunt using our online subscriptions and yes, Google. There are a lot of metadata structures there and search strategies are skills necessary to navigate and understand the layering of data and the expansion of information systems. And somewhere in the back of my mind is the result of the grade 9s’ assessment test of their research and information literacy skills. Another data that will inform me of their skills and context.

I need to organise!

What activities have I come up with for library scavenger hunt? Here are links to each.

Library Scavenger Hunt (2016)
Library Talk and Scavenger Hunt (2015)

These posts are not about the scavenger hunt, but library lessons and activities in research and on media and information literacy skills. Key to the implementation of these lessons is the collaborative partnership with classroom teachers.

Teaching Grade 9 Students Search Strategies
Teachers and Teacher Librarians Working Together

In Retrospect: #milclicks Posts of 2017

Curating and collecting all #milclicks post I made in 2017.

#milckicks: Where it all began  The round table discussion on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) last March 2017 prompted me to review and to look forward on plans for a MIL campaign through my blog. I wanted to blog every week on a #milclicks topic but only got to do seven in a period of one year.

I will be more realistic this year. From weekly posts, I will go for monthly #milclicks posts.

Pathfinder: MIL Sites and Helpful Links Basic readings on MIL. For starters, I recommend these links and websites.

Cultural Pluralism, Libraries and MIL One of the many terminologies that struck me in the MIL MOOC I attended last year.

#milclicks: Think Before You Click Use the library bulletin board for awareness campaign and information services on MIL.

Media Literacy and Media Education Media Literacy and Media Education are kins of Information Literacy. Know more about each of these concepts and identify library practices being implemented in school libraries in your area. Begin in your learning community. Assessment and appraisal is a good start to understand these concepts.

Unit 1 of the UNESCO MIL MOOC Sigh. Another unfinished business. Let's see if I can get back to complete this MOOC.

Digital Citizenship Where I left off last year on my #milclicks blog campaign.

#milclick Activity: Jinkee Paquiao and the Belo Ad A MIL activity I used for my session on social media during the 1st National Conference on Technology in Education.

I have more library lessons and Information Literacy activities posted in the blog. I did not include them here as I will put them in one post on Teacher and School Librarian collaboration. Watch out for more In Retrospect posts!

NCTED 2017: Teaching Tech and Thinking Skills (2 of 2)

Here is part 2 of the post on the NCTED 2017 experience I had two weeks ago. Part 1 can be read through this link. For this blog post, I am sharing what the teacher participants in my workshop, Media in the Time of Social Media, came up with during discussions and group activities. There were many ideas that came up so I took the chance of writing them all down. We called it, Teacher's Idea Box.

I did ask permission from them for this blog post. Thank you, teachers!

Teacher's Idea Box

1. Create a Media Log. Digital natives write diary entries about their digital lives.

2. Know your tech tool for thinking, teaching and learning.

3. Reading corners never go out of style.  Design an attractive reading corner where digital natives can read books.

4. Involve parents in the teaching and learning experience. Open avenues where parents can give valuable feedback of their child's progress when at home or with the family.

5. Encourage students to use social media by posting reflections, highlights and questions they had during class.

6. Make use of hashtags that are relevant to the learning experiences and activities in the classroom.

7. Provide students with constant feedback on their use of technology, specially on their communication skills and how they relate to others in an online environment.

8. Schedule a time and space where students can play around with tech tools, integrated them with subject related activities and allow them to explore and curate content online.

Do you have something to add or share? Feel free to post a comment!

NCTED 2017: Teaching Tech and Thinking Skills (1 of 2)

Congratulations to Woohoo Learning Lab for successfully staging the first National Conference on Technology in Education (NCTTED) last week amidst two typhoons. I missed day but made it to days 2 and 3 of the conference. I missed the research presentations and the panel on technology in education but, thanks to Schoology and the NCTED website and Facebook page, catching up on missed sessions was possible.

Being at the conference was a reunion of sorts with friends in the teaching and book industry and former colleagues from Xavier School. I met new friends too, teachers who registered in my session on Media in the Time of Social Media. Indeed, the experience was fun, nostalgic and life affirming.

So here now is my list of "take away" from the NCTED.

1. Using technology in education is equal to sound pedagogy.

2. Teachers are lifelong learners and must be given the support to grow in their context and environment.

3. Quoting Fr. Johnny Go, "A culture of what ifs is grown by a leadership of why not?"

4. Important terms: Assessment of learning. Review and selection. Evaluation. Curation. Collaboration. Empathy. Innovation. Critical Thinking. Creativity.

5. There exist a gap between the boomers, the gen Xers and the millennials. Of course. But, if possible, bridging programs or initiatives that fill in gaps need to be set up by the government and non-government organizations.

6. Question: Advances in technology cost a lot. What happens to the have-nots if they could not keep up or are not given access and opportunities to learn and use technology?

7. Content is king. Context is QUEEN (Insert: Ms. Universe wave).

8. Formative assessment is crucial to learning achievement and progress. Where technology plays a role in formative learning is applied in differentiation or differentiated instruction.

9. The effective use of technology in education involves a lot of time spent on discussions with peers, colleagues, school leaders and students - even parents. Talk. Talk. Talk. My take: LISTEN. Listen. Listen.

10. Learning in the age of the digital  natives require teachers to take on different roles: a sage on the stage; a guide on the side; an architect of learning environments. In the best interest of your students, when are you a sage, a guide and/or an architect of learning?

These are all for now. Part 2 to follow as I share the Teacher's Idea Box which participants in my workshop came up with.

#milclicks: Illusions, Perceptions and Jinkee Pacquio

Photo taken on August 25, 2017 along Alabang, SLEX

Here is a MIL activity in my workshop during the National Conference on Technology in Education (NCTED) last September 13, 2017.

Using the 5 Critical Questions in Understanding Media Messages by Media Audit, participants analyze the media message of the billboard ad and synthesize their findings into a commentary. The five critical questions are:

1. Who created this message?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently?
4. Why is this message being sent?
5. What point of view is represented in, or omitted from, this message?

Group Activity 1 - What is wrong with this photo?

Photo: Jinkee Pacquio as Belo commercial billboard model

Inquiry Question: Why was a billboard used to relay the media message?

Use the 5 critical questions to understand the message of the billboard, its purpose, form and function. Write a one page commentary and post it on your Facebook Timeline.

Use #milclicks after your commentary.

National Conference on Technology in Education: INNOVATED 2017

I am deeply humbled to be in this roster of passionate educators. I will be running a workshop on Media in Social Media that will cover Media and Information Literacy Skills and Web 2.0 Technology in teaching and instruction.

Join over 300 educators in shaping the future of education. The National Conference on Technology in Education: INNOVATED. September 12-14, 2017, SMX Convention Center Manila. 

Zooming in on the Relearn Literacy Session on Media and Information Literacy, you will find three topics on MIL: search strategies, understanding media, social media and smart strategies in navigating Web 2.0, and teaching Media and Information Literacy.

Teacher and Librarian Collaboration: Media and Information Literacy Workshop

Media and Information Literacy: Teacher and Librarian Collaboration from Zarah Gagatiga

Priming Activity 2: Media and Information Literacy

Priming Activity 1: Media and Information Literacy

Media and Information Literacy Templates for Lesson Plan and Instructional Program

MIL Lesson Plan Template

MIL Matrix for Instructional Program Template

Media and Information Literacy Matrix of Topics

A Media and Information Literacy (MIL) matrix of topics I put together as product of my practice and research when preparing for training workshops on MIL for school librarians.

Please properly attribute and appropriate my work as source when you use the matrix. I would also appreciate an email or a message informing me that you used the matrix.

Thank you!

Mil k 12-library_instructionalprogram from Zarah Gagatiga

Post Script on Teacher-Librarian Collaboration and MIL Workshop for ALLPI

Dear ALLPI,

It's been a week since our workshop on Teacher and Librarian Collaboration and Media and Information Literacy. Thank you very much for making the workshop a meaningful experience for me. As always, I learned from the experience as well. Your presence and cooperation pushes me to improve my training module and the approach I can use the next time I get to do a similar workshop.

Among the many insights I gained from our workshop last week, it is the concept that MIL is a process - something we can work on together in steps and in progression. And while you may be connecting the dots on what you gained from the workshop with actual practice, I am sending these links your way to further enhance, enrich or support your understanding and competencies in MIL.

Read on! Take note. Write down your questions or what struck you along the way.

If you are new to assessment and the tools necessary to undergo diagnoses of skills and competencies, I recommend this PPT by Marjorie Pappas (2009). In her presentation, she explains the different kinds of assessments and the tools that are appropriate for each one. I particularly like the strategies and graphic organizers she identified for self-assessment not only on IL skills, but on creative and critical thinking skills applied in communication arts.

For specific rubrics and criterion based assessment tool on IL, here are three websites and links to each of them.

Information Literacy Skills Assessment for Students 
This assessment on IL is a free online assessment tool designed by the Kent State University Libraries. All you need is to get an account, verify it and you can use the assessment tool, known as TRAILS, for one-on-one, small group or class sessions.

Information Literacy Value Rubric for Projects and Finished Research Work - 
This is a PDF of an IL rubric to assess students' achievement on IL skills applied in creating and communicating a project or a research work. The PDF can be downloaded for free.

RAILS Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy Skills is list of assessment tools on IL skills and its sub-skills. You need to log in to get free rubrics and even contribute your own. Of the three, this is may favorite because, I am able to choose which is applicable for my students, my workshop participants and colleagues who need my help and assistance.

That's it for now. Do give me feedback or ask questions on the links I recommended.

A Day With Librarians of Laguna Province

My seminar-workshop on teacher-librarian collaboration in designing and implementing a Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Program with the Association of Librarians of Laguna Province Inc (ALLPI) was a success! There were 25 participants excluding the officers of ALLPI who came from private schools, public schools and colleges in the cities and towns of Laguna. Majority of the participants are first timers in a seminar-workshop on media and information literacy. This gave them reason to listen very well to my lecture and to follow the activities of the workshop. I felt their eagerness and enthusiasm in understanding the supportive roles they play to teachers and school leaders in the learning community. I think I gave a good introduction on this topic as well as presenting to them the basic concepts of MIL.

A few hours after my workshop, my Facebook feed received notifications of posts and tags on photos of the workshop. I did my own posting and I was happy to get a message from one participant saying that, "she always learn something new every time she attends my workshop." That is actually one of my goals in every workshop I do. One participant sent me messages over at Messenger today asking questions to clarify some points and concepts on MIL. Another' asked for my slide presentation and list of sources. Of course, ALLPI did an evaluation of the entire workshop but it is the direct feedback from participants that interests me more.

I do hope this is not the last MIL workshop I would do for ALLPI. In fact, I hinted on doing a part two. Let's see how things go because these things take time to grow and develop. Since MIL is a process oriented activity, something that can't be learned over night, I sure hope that there will be a follow up activity to the training.

The seminar-workshop was held at the Toyota Motor School of Technology in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.