Learning Log 3: Makerspace and "Good" Questions

REFLECTING ON MAKERSPACE

Two years ago I was asked to create a “makerspace open/closed” sign for our School Library Learning Commons, and having no idea what that word meant, I realized how much the philosophy of a library has changed since I was in school. After reading the Learning Commons Handbook and after learning from working alongside a fabulous teacher-librarian, Lynne Powell, I began to develop my understanding of a makerspace.

This week we were asked questions about whether students made things in the library and about the various supplies and resources our makerspace entails. Considering I knew nothing about makerspace two years ago, I feel that I have come along way with my understanding and facilitation of a makerspace; although, I still have a long journey of improvement ahead.

Our makerspace was created two years ago. The makerspace consists of two large shelves, which contain the following supplies: lego, k’nex, timber sticks, straws, bits and pieces, marble tower, stamps, markers, scissors that cut various patterns, hole punchers that punch various shapes, puzzles, a tool box/kit with some wood, origami, perler beads, origami paper, little bits, squishy circuits, makeymakey, create your own book mark kit, create your own puppet kit, weaving,  and a “bits and pieces” bin filled with random objects that could be used to build various inventions or crafts. 

We have a set of iPads where students have used the following apps quite regularly: Scratch Jr., Hopscotch, Draw and Tell, Book Creator, and Inventions. As of this month, we also have a 3D printer which students have already begun to explore how to use tinkercad to create their own model.

 

Some Katzie students engaged in coding and makerspace. 

The biggest challenge about having so many options for the students choose from, is time. Something that has worked well in our makerspace is booking classes in for a makerspace session during collaboration blocks; however, with 34 divisions to accommodate, each class is limited to the amount of time they get to tinker, create and explore. Likewise, makerspace sessions take away precious collaboration time, which also is not ample.

During each primary classes library period, they are given many opportunities to engage with makerspace activities; what also surprises me is how many boys are drawn to the “bits and pieces” bin. If someone that was unfamiliar with makerspace saw this bin, they might think the contents inside it were junk; some creations the boys have made this year include totem poles, binoculars, bear caves, Pokémon characters, a mailbox for their classroom, and a robot. I was pleased when I discovered how drawn they were to the bits and pieces bin because I was able to share with them how easy it is to acquire these materials and create different projects at home.

Our new 3D printer!

A fellow teacher-librarian in my district that I find very inspiring for makerspace ideas is Anna Crosland. Her blog highlights the excellent organization, execution, and creations, coming out of her school’s makerspace. My favourite idea she recently shared through her blog is the idea of putting the little bits pieces into little tool boxes, as a means of better storage and organization of the pieces. Also check out what her students are doing with perler beads and binary coding! 

ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS

I am so pleased to have been exposed to the resources from this week’s modules. Great inquiry and learning opportunities start by asking the questions that are difficult, open ended, and lead to new understandings and connections. But how do you help students to ask “good” questions. One of the best suggestions I thought came from Heick –students must be curious; they must have curiosity of the subject. A know-wonder-learn chart, is a great way to peek curiosity and generate questions, but equally important is the curation of good resources that will lead to meaningful inquiry. 

In McKenzie’s blog, Questioning as Technology, he states that “questions are intended to provoke thought and inspire reflection, but all too often the process is short circuited”. I realize that this year alone, my students have been short-circuited in their inquiry quest due to rigid guidelines of what classroom teachers (and myself) want the students to learn. This realization will undoubtedly change the way I collaborate with classroom teachers. Something I can do to improve my students’ inquiry process is book the class in for at least one collaboration block to self and peer asses rather that just share their work. Yes, it is great to give students the opportunity to enjoy one another’s work, but I think there needs to be time set aside for meaningful reflection and peer assessment. 

Lastly, an idea that stuck with me this week was the idea of the “third space” as mentioned in Coatney’s article, Essential Questions and Answers for Implementing Inquiry but was coined by Kuhlthau. The third space is where student wonderment and the curriculum meet. I witness teachers feeling pressure to “cover” the curriculum, and perhaps this is why their “inquiry” projects are so teacher-centred and rigid. This idea of the third space, helps me to understand that you can say to your students, "here is a concept, what within this concept do you connect with and would like to know more about?" Overall I am left wanting read more about the third space and how I can facilitate genuine inquiry experiences for my students.

Musings from Module 5 and 6

In Module 5 we were provided with a Continuum for Change in teaching and learning, and asked where we are on this continuum.   After debating, deciding, and changing my mind, I realize that my place on this continuum is not static - it changes depending on the task at hand, the day, the class, or my own social emotional state. Generally speaking, I believe I am at the stage "I love to work with technology, let's go.." however sometimes I do undoubtedly feel like I am just getting by I cannot take on anything new.


As a Teacher-Librarian in an ever expanding and changing digital world, I believe that we are left with no choice but to attempt to keep up with technology and treat our own professional development in technology as a top priority. However, we must learn how to use technology to foster creativity, collaboration and inquiry, rather than use it as an isolating individualized tool for students. Like Phil McRae proposes in his blog post about the "teaching machine," relying on computer systems for learning, "fails to recognize that high quality learning environments are deeply relational, humanistic, creative, socially constructed, active and inquiry-oriented."    


An issue that stood out to me in this week's readings is the issue of being knowledgeable about copyright infringements through an educator's and a student's perspective. As a teacher-librarian I was given a very brief pamphlet underlying the policies of copyright. I can honestly say I have hardly looked at it and rely largely on my knowledge of copyright as a high school and university student. I find myself teaching how to properly cite a source, and talking about the seriousness of plagiarism, yet I turn my head the other way when I see someone in the copy room photocopying much more than 10% of a book; likewise, I have been asked many times by various classroom teachers, for my Netflix account password -I have a hard time saying no! We learned in Moira Ekdahl's Copyright Considerations presentation that Netflix limits users to household and personal use of their product; yet more often then not, I see entire grades watching Netflix movies around Christmas time or at the end of the school year.  So on one hand I am teaching students about being honest and the importance of their original work, yet on the other hand I am turning a blind eye when I see adults not necessarily following those rules. It's tough! Perhaps as a new teacher I lack the confidence to approach a teacher with much more experience, and tell them they are breaking copyright rules.




To me, copyright and inquiry go hand in hand. We cannot begin a research project without understanding the policies and significance behind copyright and plagiarism. In my experience however, usually classroom teachers have taught the "copyright" lesson on their own, and only wish to collaborate for the research portion of an inquiry project. After reading some of the links related to copyright, I believe I will now change my approach to inquiry and collaboration by requiring that we start each inquiry with a copyright and citing lesson, regardless if the students already are aware of these concepts.


In order to better equip myself to teach about these concepts, I do believe that the district has an obligation to provide teachers with more resources than the one pamphlet they provide. I will certainly consider the ERAC courses available especially because my district does subscribe to ERAC. Although the Surrey School District's copyright policy is quite brief, the Teacher Librarian Handbook provides more details about copyright policies. Also worth taking a look at is the Challenge Policy 3.6 pertaining to the process of challenging a print resource. I have never been challenged on a piece in the collection, however the guidelines are straightforward. First we try to solve the problem within the school, and if it is still an issue we send policy 3.6 paperwork to the learning resources management at the district level. I often have had teachers request that I not let a student take out a Geronimo Stilton chapter book or the like, because it isn't at the child's reading level - to this I always say I like to encourage their interest in reading, and have requested that child ask their parent to read the book with them.


In Module 6 we looked evaluating and curating online resources. Something new to me was the concept of "satisficing".  I definitely disagree with the teacher that proposed his students Google and then Google some more, until they uncovered the information they needed. Recently, I did an inquiry project with students in Grade 6 on the topic of inhumane corporations. Students could choose a corporation of their choice and from there they were given minimal guidelines for what to uncover and how to show their work (in hindsight a single-point rubric would have been great for assessment!). I showed the students how to work the database "Explora". I was not surprised to learn that many students found it difficult and preferred to simply type a complete question into Google rather than learn Boolean/keyword searches in a database. It's tricky - one on hand I want my students to learn how to sift through the endless and questionable information Google yields -it is a skill necessary to navigate our world of infinite information; however, learning efficient research skills and how to properly use a database with its filters and advanced searches is an important skill to develop.

In reading about evaluating resources and information literacy development, I was reminded of an article I previously read. It is about the deep web. Google and similar search engines only account for 0.03 percent of the internet. That leaves SO much information unavailable to students, if they are not using district provided databases with articles inaccessible through Google. To read more about the deep web, here is the link for the article I am referring to: The Invisible Web

Likewise, in the article Finding Information on the Invisible Web, it is noted that "there's lots of helpful information locked away in databases that can never be indexed by search engines...LARGE amounts of other information is located in databases that have subscription fees." As Teacher-Librarians, we need to know about the deep web and the limitations of exclusively using search engines for research.


A learning point for me in this week's readings came from Debbie Abilock's article. She provides what seem like effective rules of thumbs for determining the authority of information. One simple rule of thumb is to email the author directly and ask where they learned their information from, or ask them various questions one might have. I have done this before, but I think it would be a great learning opportunity for students to contact authors. Another rule of thumb that I believe is great practice for all students is the idea of having students provide differing viewpoints on the same topic rather than articles that repeat/reiterate.


A final thought that really stands out to me is the quote by Abilock "Skepticism requires effort." In our busy lives and our sometimes expectations of instant gratification, it does require a lot of effort to challenge an idea, or question the authority of information. Perhaps the best way to teach this skepticism is to model it to our students whenever we have the chance.

Inquiry to Inquiry

As a Teacher-Librarian I find myself emerged in many collaborative inquiry projects. Some of the topics we have explored include butterflies, inhumane corporations, polar bears, bats and countries of our world. Until the readings of Assignment 1, I truly never considered inquiring into inquiry or even really looked into what the concept of inquiry means. 

So, what is inquiry and why do we do it? According to Ross Todd, the intent of inquiry is to "foster creativity, [and] knowledge creation" and "to foster the intellectual, social and cultural growth of our young people".  Inquiry then, should be a collaborative process, where students are working to develop their social skills as well as developing intellectual growth. To insure inquiry fosters creativity, it should be student led and open to a variety of options; however, from my experiences with collaborative inquiry,  most classroom teachers have decided upon the topic as well as the summative assessment piece. As a result, the opportunities for creativity and critical thinking are naturally limited. Todd allowed me to come to the understanding that inquiry, in its truest meaning, should be an opportunity for student choice and personal growth, rather than a teacher-guided process. 

In Marlene Asselin and Ray Doiron’s meta-study, they say that by engaging in inquiry, students should realized that they are "active creators of the world". This was such a powerful statement that really resonates with me. To inquire, is to give students the chance to understand their world, and show that understanding in their own unique way. Thinking about students being active creators of the world, led me to reflect upon the inquiry opportunities I have had with students. Yes it was collaborative in nature, digital literacy skills were developed, and knowledge was created; however, I know see that the opportunities were largely teacher-centred as well as limiting to creativity. 

When thinking about assessing an inquiry project, I think of self-assessment, teacher-student conferences, and peer conferences. This week I learned about Single Point Rubrics. What a great way to bring meaning and clarity to summative assessment. In the past, I have relied on multiple point rubrics, spending many hours determining how a student could do poorly on an assignment. 

Single Point Rubrics eliminate the option for not meeting expectations, but leave a space for personalized feedback where a student may not be proficient. An a-ha moment for me came from Fluckiger's article: "Students need to be taught how to self assess – where am I, where am I going how can I get there". This may seem like an obvious idea, but it made me realize that I am not spending enough time with my students really helping them to understand what it is to self-assess and why it is so important to their learning process. Single Point Rubrics seem to be conducive to self assessment. I found this excellent video clip that demonstrates students who truly understand peer and self assessment. The website is called Snapshots of Effective Teaching Practice. If you're interested you can look at some literacy lessons where students are demonstrating reflective meta-cognitive assessment of their peer's and their own work. 

According to Jennifer Gonzalez, Single Point Rubrics are precise and personal, for the teacher and the student. I would definitely consider using the Single Point Rubric to assess inquiry projects, especially because it doesn't spell out what exceeding expectations is, and therefore it promotes inventiveness and creativity. 


In the article Nudging toward inquiry: Summative Assessment by Kristin Fontichiaro, Fontichiaro talks about using the Single Point Rubric in the Learning Commons, as a way to summatively assess. Below is a venn diagram I found that helps me to conceptualize formative and summative assessment. I found the idea of doing assessment in the learning commons interesting, as I find time a huge challenge in completing an activity let alone assessing it. Lack of time has been a continual challenge for me in the Learning Commons; coupled with a rigid schedule, these obstacles are areas in which I would like to begin finding solutions, especially to promote a more inquiry based Learning Commons.