Creating the RTM Information Literacy Curriculum

1
Creating the RTM Information Literacy Curriculum

• LaVerne Motley
• District Library Coordinator

2
Where we started

• Library Scope and Sequence Curriculum
• Staff inventory of RTM library skills taught as
  of that date
• 1998 PA Guidelines for School Library Information
  Programs
• Recommendations from 1998 RTM Library Program
  Study
• ALA Information Literacy Standards

3
How we proceeded

• Examined best practices
• Books
• Journals
• Web searches
• Conferences
• Workshops
• Sample curricula from other districts

• School visitations
• Hunterdon
• Ephrata
• Londonderry
• Radnor
• Tredyfferin-Easttown
• Strath Haven
• Others

4
Who first participated

• District Library Coordinator
• High School Librarian
• Middle School Librarian
• Two Elementary Librarians
• Elementary Teacher Technology Coordinator
• District Technology Specialist

5
1999 progress

• Mission statement
• K-12 information literacy objectives
• Rose Tree Media Research Process
• Process guides for primary, intermediate and
  secondary students
• Collaborative teaching experiences with RTM
  Protocol and guided questions

6
Mission Statement

• The mission of the library program in the Rose
  Tree Media School District is to provide an
  active learning environment which ensures that
  each student has the opportunity to become an
  independent, effective, and responsible user of
  ideas and information.

7
In pursuit of this mission, our school library
program will...

• Provide collections that address the diverse
  interests, multicultural backgrounds and varied
  ability levels of our students.
• Provide resources and learning experiences which
  will foster life-long learning.
• Promote student literacy through individual and
  group activities.
• Work collaboratively with teachers to provide
  relevant learning experiences across the
  curriculum.
• Provide access to information in a variety of
  formats through systematic learning activities
  which develop strategies for selecting,
  retrieving, evaluating, synthesizing and
  communicating that information.

8
Rose Tree Media Research Process

• We felt that we could not proceed with writing a
  curriculum unless we developed a research process
  on which to build.
• After examining many samples, we based ours on
  the Big6 Research Skills of Eisenberg and
  Berkowitz, but tailored it to meet the unique
  needs and mission statement of RTM.
• Our goal was to define those attributes we wanted
  each student researcher in the Rose Tree Media
  School District to attain.

9
Steps in the Big6

• Task definition
• Information seeking strategies
• Location and access
• Use of Information
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

10
Steps in the RTM Research Process

• Determines information needs
• Develops a plan of information seeking strategies
• Gathers information using a research plan
• Uses information
• Thinks and applies information
• Evaluates the process and product

11
The researcher in the Rose Tree Media School
District . . .

• will develop the following skills

12
Determines information needs

• Completes preliminary assignments prior to
  research
• States purpose of research
• Explores options through background reading
• Narrows topic to manageable focus
• Considers format for communicating results

13
Develops a plan of information seeking strategies

• Formulates appropriate questions
• Considers possible sources
• Considers locations of sources
• Keeps a list of possible sources
• Prioritizes potential information sources
• Identifies keywords and Boolean operators for
  searching
• Plans time and coordinates with others to meet
  deadlines

14
Gathers information . . . using a research
plan

• Searches OPAC to find library resources
• Searches electronic sources using appropriate
  search syntax
• Accesses alternate sources (e.g. vertical file,
  personal interviews, non-print materials)
• Adds keywords, repeats steps, modifies search as
  needed

15
Uses information

• Evaluates sources for authenticity and relevance
• Reads for significant facts and concepts
• Views/listens for significant facts and concepts
• Extracts appropriate facts and concepts which
  relate to the information problem
• Records information in appropriate format Records
  bibliographic information and credits appropriate
  sources
• Assembles sufficient information to satisfy
  purpose of research

16
Thinks and applies information

• Integrates information from a variety of sources
• Compares and contrasts
• Makes inferences
• Draws conclusions
• Constructs meaning
• Builds connections to prior knowledge
• Communicates findings within the parameters of
  the assignment

17
Evaluates Process and Product

• Reflects on the level of product success
• Identifies process strengths and weaknesses
• Identifies areas of personal interest generated
  by the research

18
Language Arts Standards adopted in 2000!

• Standards 1.8 a,b c address research
• Language arts curriculum written in summer 2000
• Library Coordinator serves on L.A. writing team
  for research component

• Two language arts teachers join Information
  Literacy writing team
• Standards-based draft is completed
• Collaborative teaching experiences continue

19
2001 Brings RTM Usage Manual

• High school, middle school and elementary school
  librarians write M.L.A. Style Sheet
• Bibliography cards are created to assist students
  in citing sources K-12
• Librarians promote collaborative teaching model
  using RTM Protocol
• Librarians showcase online resources, M.L.A.
  Style sheet and bibliography cards at in-services
  and workshops

20
Summer 2002 Rewrite

• RTM Information Literacy Curriculum is
  completed!
• It is presented to the Board of School Directors
  . . . and approved!

21
Promotion of curriculum and supporting resources
continues

• In-service day offerings
• Departmental and grade level meetings
• Flex Workshops
• New teacher teas
• Back-to-school night handouts
• PTG Presentations
• Articles for school publications

22
Continued Revisions

• Elementary curriculum was revised in summer of
  2005
• Research process for primary grades was
  simplified to Plan, Do, Review
• Secondary revisions will occur during the summer
  of 2006
• Secondary librarians are in the process of
  visitations and research in preparation