The Lighthouse Diary Entry #88: Persistence and Designing a Flap Book

This year, I had the opportunity to supervise two Grade 10 students and journey with them in the accomplishment of their Personal Project. A few weeks ago, they presented their work, and for the first time, I saw the product of their blood, sweat, and tears. Also, the joy on their faces and the bright spark of confidence in their eyes were unmistakable.

Who would have thought they were both going through uncertainty and stress last November? The struggle to finish a 15-page report last March weighed them down, too. I kept telling them to trust the process and persevere.

Mistakes happened, of course. Some plans went awry. But my supervisees pushed on. Showing up every time was an entirely new experience. More than the mark, there is character to strengthen and nurture. This is how we learn.

I’m sharing this photo of a flap book, which my student fought for as a Personal Project. Because, in our first meeting, I told her that form follows function, further explaining that flap books as a form serve a purpose in relaying a message and facilitating communication. I recommended books on design right after.

And she persisted. Her flap book on matcha, its origins, and the process of making tea was well made! Yes, she got good marks, too!

Ah! The things I learn from my students are among the best rewards I get as a teacher.

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 Lighthouse Diary #63: "I Love Studying in the Library"

Our grade 10 Philosophy class had research in the library today. 

I heard one student say, "I love studying in the library".

Music to my ears.

Another came up to me with a book on epistemology saying, "Miss, I didn't realize our library has good books. It's so, varied!"

My heart beat triple time in joy. I smiled to her and replied, "Thank you! We will keep our library books relevant for your learning needs."

Their Philosophy teacher asked, "Miss Zee, Mark (not his real name) is looking for a new topic. The Inductive Method. Which volume of the World Book Encyclopedia will he use and where is it located?"

I was intrigued so I went over to Mark. "How did you come up with that topic? Aren't you assigned to read up on logic?"

"There's a "see Inductive Method" after the last paragraph, Ms. Zee. So I suppose I can look it up in another volume." Mark said.

"Aha! The article is cross referenced" I exclaimed. "Can you show me where the term "see Inductive Method" is found"?

Once he did, I congratulated him for being sharp and for paying attention to what he is reading. 

"This topic or entry is cross referenced. It is one way of locating additional information in an encyclopedia." I said. 

I then brought him to the set of World Book Encyclopedia, showed him volume "I" and handed it to him. He was all smiles and politely thanked me.

I made a mental note to add cross references as tools in locating information when I do a briefing or a library orientation on the use of encyclopedias. When I do, I will have to emphasize its connection to hyperlinks and the manner in which knowledge can expand and deepened.

Yes. I had a good day at work today. 

Nothing Groundbreaking There, Swiftie!

Don’t mistake me for a Taylor Swift fan. I am not.

I do, however, recognize the amount of success she achieved. I respect her unrelenting effort to stay relevant. So I am really rooting for the TS Course UPD is offering. There is much to learn from TS’ marketing and manipulation of language.

My student who I supervised this academic year researched and wrote about the poetry in the songs of TS. Her research shows that TS adheres to the standards of song writing. In consulting literature teachers and an award winning poet, she found out that TS fits into a mold. Nothing groundbreaking in that aspect.

A few days after her submission of the paper, she came by the library for a chat about the Grammys. We both agree that Sza was robbed this year. We are biased for Tracy Chapman and share a deep admiration for Joni Mitchell. We both realized how The Recording Academy affirms and fetes TS, like the favored niece in the family. I told her that TS’ attempts to cross genres is aided by cosmetics and her investments in selling her story of white privilege. Even this, she said, can be considered a talent and skill.

From our conversation, I think that artistic talent and exceptional music making skills are not the only recipes for success in the music industry. It’s a system of composite parts. Each and every part matters.

Now, I wonder. Theoretically remove the white privileges and what will Taylor Swift be?

CORE Session with the Teacher Librarian

 

Garde 11_Documenting Sources 1 by ZarahG

Research Skills Instruction: Prewriting and the Use of Reference Sources aka Learning About Anything Creatively and Strategically

 

Research_BALibrary by ZarahG

PPT: From Questions to Answers

Dear School Librarian In Action: Research and Choosing a Topic

Sharing with you, dear readers, the email exchanges I had with Vin del Rosario. In a previous post, I blogged about his inquiry on research and choice of topics. My reply to him is below:

Hi Vin,

Where are you completing your MLIS? What have you found so far considering some primary research you have read? What are your topics or issues of interest?

I can give you my list, but research is more effective and meaningful if it comes from the research’s inner intent, desire and curiosity.

He replied back:

Appreciate your immediate feedback.

Sa UST po.

Am a school librarian (dito po sa neighbor nyo sa Laguna BelAir Science School).  I've been browsing papers on makerspace, new K-12 curriculum and IL, etextbooks, reading remediation and corporate social responsibility of school librarians (for sick children in hospitals), and visibility of librarians and work inspiration.

Parang interesado din po ako sa millennial librarians (pero I cant connect it with any issues/gaps/problems).

Pero sa lahat po, it's the visibility of librarians that is closest to my heart.  But I can't "connect" it with something more relevant.

Salamat po uli.

And finally my answer:

Visibility of librarians in what way? Is it on image? Perception? Relevance of school librarians in teaching and learning communities? Librarians and leadership, specifically, school librarians as literacy leaders and advocates.

Will it benefit your search for a topic if you look at concepts outside the LIS discipline and connect it with ours. Like, will a knowledge of pedagogy help school librarians become visible and relevant to the learning community? Here, you will look at the status of school librarians in several schools and learning communities. What schools have had successfull visible librarians? Why are these librarians visible in these schools? Is it because the librarians know the pedagogy and thus, contributing much to the teaching and learning process. Or is it because these librarians are leaders - they can manage themselves, relate well with colleagues, have a sense of business acumen, and learns constantly. And sometimes a big question can be a good start to polish a research topic:

Why is it that librarians know their worth in a learning community but the learning community does not? 

Try the mind mapping approach to widen and limit your inquiry process. Then step back and see what you have made. Look at connections in macro and micro issues and topics. Do a lot of readings as well. This goes hand in hand in choosing specific topics and issues. Be patient. Research takes time as it is exhausting. 

Here’s hoping that Vin has found a topic since he thanked me for the brain storming we had over email. This goes to show how conversations are a big help for researchers and that, research, when taken as a means of communication, is never an isolated endeavor.

Extended Essay Workshop: Completion and Certification

My certificate of completion arrived last week. This was for the IB Workshop I attended last year, on the Role of the Supervisor in the Extended Essay. Like in any workshops, I take the experience as an eye opener. There is so much to learn and learning is indeed lifelong.

In case you missed it, here are the reflections I had in the workshop.

The EE and Pedagogical Support 

The World Studies EE and Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Reflections on REFLECTION

Where do I go from here?

I will continue blogging about the EE and my adventures in research. As a school librarian servicing young adults, otherwise known as teenagers, I take my role as teacher of skills very seriously. One way for me to continuously improve and grow is to document my experiences in journey.

If you have anything to share, or if like me, you are a high school librarian too, drop a comment below. I always reply to my readers.

IB Online Workshop: Reflections on the Extended Essay

Sharing with you, dear readers, the reflections I have on the IB online workshop I am participating in for the past two weeks. This workshop is about the Role of the Supervisor in the Extended Essay (EE). I am not supervising a student's EE, but in Beacon Academy, I am part of the coordinating team helping and supporting teachers in the EE journey. 

 Something new that I learned about the extended essay: 
 * I am not the only one concerned with students' imbibing the values and codes of conduct that are essential in writing the EE. This gives me comfort. :-) To be in the company peers, colleagues and professionals in the IB and interacting with them is a big support for a learner like myself. There is more reason to teach and learn collaboratively.  

 * The EE is a process oriented task and therefore, reflecting on the process leads to learning beyond the subject and the topic of choice for investigation.  

 * Reflection happens or occurs in all phases of the EE, from the initial check-in sessions to the interim and final stage of the EE. That is why, reflection skills and strategies in teaching need to be planned and implemented in the context of the learner at the forefront of instruction.  

 * Formative assessments are the built-in structures that can firm up reflection and metacogntion. Some of the things I need to think about again are the current library services and programs we offer to our teachers and students that contribute to the development and strengthening of ATLs, also known as life skills. The value of reflection is for the development of skills in lifelong learning.

Call for Papers: The Rizal Library International Conference 2017

Fifty years ago, when the Rizal Library first opened, students were required to remain completely silent inside the premises, research was done by searching typewritten 3x5 cards and print indexes, and there were no computers on campus.

Fifty years later, the Rizal Library allows students to hold group discussions in designated areas, research can be done using print and electronic resources, and assignments can be written and printed on PCs and Macs.

The Rizal Library—along with other libraries in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the rest of the world—has changed with the times during the past five decades but its mission remains the same: to
facilitate learning.

This year, the Rizal Library International Conference, with “Click!” as its theme, aims to cultivate discourses on librarians' roles in expanding their network within the larger community, through culture and society, and in the field of communication and technology.

CALL FOR PAPERS

On its 50th anniversary, the Rizal Library invites librarians, professors, and enthusiasts to submit papers that explore the enrichment of library management and experience in Southeast Asia and
the rest of the world.

Suggested topics include:

Community: institutional collaborations, library partnerships,
librarian empowerment and capacity building, knowledge development

Culture and History: Southeast Asian studies and libraries, evolution
of cultures in literary texts, reading customs and practices

Communication and Technology: social media, source preservation,
accessibility, big data, data mining

Proposals should include the following:

Author/s
Title
Topic (choose from those enumerated above)
Paper abstract (maximum of 250 words)
Curriculum vitae with photo (indicate achievements and/or publications
within the last 5 years)

Please email proposals to rl.internationalconference@gmail.com  by 15 May 2017.

Please see the call for papers below and/or the website: http://rizal.library.ateneo.edu/7rlic/public/.

Important dates

15 May 2017 - Submission of paper proposals
15 June 2017 - Notification of accepted proposals
1 September 2017 - Submission of full paper
30 September 2017 - Deadline for early bird registration
16-18 November 2017 - Conference proper

For more information you may contact the following

Engracia S. Santos
Conference Chair
Ateneo de Manila University
 +[632] 4266001 ext. 5559/5564
 esantos@ateneo.edu

Rosalyn Santos
Conference Co-Chair
Ateneo de Manila University
 +[632] 4266001 ext. 5559/5564
 rsantos1@ateneo.edu

Kareen Banal
Head, Promotions Committee
Ateneo de Manila University
 +[632] 4266001 ext. 5554
 kbanal@ateneo.edu

Guide Posts and Cornerstones in Research

Reflecting on process and product

As I have written in a previous blog post, we resumed research and EE work the week we got back at school in January. During an EE session with the juniors, I asked them two questions to prompt them to look back at where they are in their EE journey and to push them to look ahead, deadlines and all. After two weeks, I am getting final drafts of the seniors' EEs.

I am swamped.

Not complaining.

Just saying.

What I like about this experience is that, as a high school librarian, I get a first hand experience at seeing research being done by students. I also get to work closely with EE Supervisors as they guide and mentor their students in the process of writing the EE. Now, these are two interesting research topics I can work on in the future.

But, it has to wait a while.

Here are some random reflections, questions and thoughts I have been tossing in my head as I push the idea of an action research or a paper on high school research and collaborative teaching back in my head. For now, I wish to entertain these questions and thoughts before jumping into that research paper.

1. Research and writing are both process oriented tasks that involve a lot of cognitive functions. How can complex tasks such as these can be scaled down or divided in chunks so that, the high school student working on college level work can be guided or taught appropriately?

2. Where in the curriculum can a teacher teach writing and research? Apart from process, the word skills comes to mind when I meet writing and research almost everyday of my working life. So, content is essential as the meat or the substance by which the skills are applied.

3. Research is formative as well. Not only is it a test of intellectual endurance, it is also a test of character. Patience. Perseverance. Commitment to finish a task. How are we preparing our teens for the emotional stamina needed to do research?

4. Writing is listening. To one's self. To one's readers. We may teach writing as a form of communication, but, have we considered teaching writing as conversation and discourse?

5. As the school librarian, I am compelled to model research and writing. And reading! Yes, I need to read the curricular content. I need to know what sources to provide both student and teacher working on such tasks. Designing an environment to support research and thinking is a primary expectation, but going beyond and developing knowledge management systems in the school is another challenge.

Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh my.

Where will these thoughts lead me? Or am I misled by my thoughts?

Extended Essay Journey: The Research Question and the Annotated Bibliography

Citation Concepts for High School Students

Posting some slides from a PPT I use to teach citation to my high school students. I have used this presentation last year, in August, when we opened school. This term, I will be doing a research lesson with grade 10 students. I will use these slides as springboard. Apart from these, I will also use a graphic novel to teach research concepts.

Extended Essay Journey: Progress Chart

Since the start of the Extended Essay Journey two weeks ago, I have set up a tracking mechanism for students. Our initial conversations about the topics they wish to investigate on had been purposeful and interesting. For one, many of the juniors see the EE as a ticket to college. A good and well written EE is proof that the student is ready for academic writing and in scholarly work, in general.  To some, the EE is a requirement to graduate from high school. Either way, the students writing the EE must have a purpose in doing it and that his or her perspective of it is clear. Writing a research paper is not an easy task, especially for students who are being introduced into the experience for the first time.

The EE Progress Chart is meant to help me, as EE Coordinator, guide the students through the process of choosing a topic, crafting a research question, preliminary research, outlining a structure for writing and initial writing of the Introduction and the Methodology. The chart is also a means to remind students where they are in the process. I keep reminding myself that the whole exercise demands competence, stamina and skill from students. A lot of thinking is put into this first stage of the process. Some students do well. Some falter.

In times when students express a difficulty at this stage, I look at the learning support structures in place in school. I recognize the individuality of each student; that there is no one way of learning; that there are varied ways to solve problems; and that, as a teacher of research, I too have my own limitations. In times like this, collaboration is essential.

Extended Essay Journey: Choosing a Topic

Research Season Begins

Last Monday, our school had breakout sessions that focused on research, in general. The grade 9s had a scavenger game at the library. The grade 10s talked with their supervisors on the current progress of their Personal Projects. The grade 11s kicked off their Extended Essay journey and the grade 12s had focused group discussions on the different research and outreach projects they have done so far.

As librarian, my participation involved the preparation of activities for the scavenger hunt. I also explained to this year's grade 9s the mechanics of the game. We did this last year and it had been a success. A good number of the grade 10s this year are more aware of the use of the library OPAC. I often tell myself that if students access library resources through an OPAC until they reach college and later on life as they progress in their academic careers, then I have done my job.

On to the next one.

As Extended Essay Coordinator, I met the grade 11s to facilitate the brainstorming session on their choice of topic for their Extended Essay. We are ending one cohort's journey on the Extended Essay as this new batch begins theirs.

Librarian as Research Supervisor: On the Personal Project

At the start of the school year in August, I took on the challenging task of a research supervisor.

I coordinate the writing of the Extended Essay of our grade 12s and supervise a grade 10 student on his Personal Project.

My supervisee showing his ebook to a guest at the WIP fair.

Yesterday, my grade 10 supervisee participated in the Work In Progress (WIP) Fair of the Personal Project. Like his batch mates, he was well prepared for it. He had his booth set-up a few days before the fair. His posters and iPad were ready. I watched and listened to him speak to guests and school mates as he explained the goals of his project, the status of his project, the difficulties he experienced and how he was able to overcome them. He looked happy, proud and fulfilled. I expect to see him next week, after the Papal Visit, for a conversation on his experience at the fair.

This is what I enjoy doing the most with my supervisee. The conversations. Listening to him allows me to understand what his thought process is, how he works his way through the research process and how he discovers new insights. I am lucky to have a conscientious supervisee. He adheres to the schedule and diligently works on task assigned to him on a regular basis. My role has really been a guide and cheer leader for him as he journey on the path of the Personal Project.

I think what helped him accomplish a good presentation at the fair, apart from his diligence and discipline, are the following:

a. He picked a topic and project he is genuinely interested in.
b. He has developed a certain level of skill in crafting questions.
c. He listens.
d. He follows through.
e. He reads.

I check his online journal once a month and I am amazed at how honest his insights and reflections are. He still needs to work on his information literacy skills as well as his thinking skills (reasoning, logic, supporting a claim). This is the point of the whole exercise. This is the reason why, high school students need a research supervisor.

And yet, this experience with my grade 10 student has allowed me to grow and learn too. For one, I am taking a great interest on the iBook authoring app. Being a research supervisor makes me revisit old and new ways of servicing young people in the context of library and information science. I am also compelled to write more. This April, I will present a paper in another international conference. Reading and writing skills need to be modeled. If I want my students to respect me as a research supervisor and EE Coordinator, they must see me "walk my talk" I sit back and further reflect on the these things. Yes, competence and cognition are essential to complete a research paper or project. But there is a lot of character building going on in the process.

Teaching Research to Teens: The Research Process

My second infographic using www.easel.ly.

This second infographic on the research process focus on the skills that students need to apply as they move from one step to the next. I have included questions on each step to guide the student in the journey. I chose the Big 6 Model in research to amplify the concept of research as a process.

Teaching Research to Teens: The Extended Essay (EE) Journey

My first infographic via www.easel.ly. 

I will be using this for my session on research/EE with grade 11 students this week. I'll blog more on the utility and experience of using easel.ly and the infographic itself some other time when I'm less busy. But drop a comment if you have thoughts about the infographic.