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Success Through Synergy

Developing a Framework

For Student Success

Session #1817OLA Super Conference 2009

Janet Dixon | Sarah Bowler Anita Brooks Kirkland

Waterloo Region District School Board

Our Story ofhow a dream for Student Success took root and flourished

… … a tale of a tale of opportunity, innovation opportunity, innovation and convergent thinkingand convergent thinking

The KEYS to Our Success

GraphicFreebies.com

OLA Super Conference

Assignments with embedded process

skills

Information skills taught

consistently

across the curriculum

Tool-kit of scaffolding strategies

‘Grown-up’ style

conference for

students

“All alo

ne am

I…”Bren

da Lee

Find a way to make yourselfindispensable…

Provide solutions…Build Trust

Demonstrate your Relevance

Presentation to

Heads’ Council

All too often… submitted assignments:

are not focusedlack depthuse questionable sourcesintentionally or unintentionally

plagiarizeare referenced incorrectly, if at all

A further problem… Inconsistency

• Teachers have different expectations, different levels of awareness, or assume that students know (…they don’t!)

• Teacher-librarian may work collaboratively with some teachers in some subjects, teaching some students some of the skills….

• If we slow down and concentrate on the process, the students will ultimately achieve more

• We need to build understanding, competency and comfort levels through repetition and consistency across subject areas

The Answer…

The Win…?Student research projects are: focused, creative, deeper, accurate and referenced appropriately

Plagiarism concerns are alleviated

Students have core information skills that will help them to achieve success…now and later

Seize opportunities!

Scare yourself…often!

Build a team that is forward-

thinking, enthusiastic…

Be flexible, open to possibilities…

Be willing to dig in and do the necessary work!

Branching out…

Learning

Skills

Conference

Research

Projects

Scaffolding Strategies

Tool-kit

Staff P.D. Event

Skills

Development Checklist

Anita Brooks

Kirkland

presentation

Learning SkillsConference

Grade 9 Applied Level

•introduce common, transferable information skills

√to get them started on the right track√to help them succeed in all subject areas

•contribute to feelings of importance

and sense of belonging

Learning Skills Conference Rationale

To mimic a ‘grown-up’ conference

with

registration tablesession materials in a conference bag

festive, fun atmospherefree stuff, including draws

FOOD

Learning Skills Conference

Our Mission

Learning Skills Conference The Organization

Session location

s?

Who will teach?

Prepare content Peer helpers?

Arrange food

Date?

Set up facility

Donations?!

Notify office/teachers

Prepare packages

Nametags

Designevaluatio

n

It’s all in the details!

Preconference hype

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Registration

Pizza and Cookies Library Seminar Room

Display of Draw Prizes Library Rotunda

11:00 – 11:15 Washroom Break

11:15 - 11:30 WelcomeLibrary Rotunda

11:30 – 2:15 WorkshopsSession #1: 11:30 – 12:05Travel time: 12:05 – 12:10Session #2: 12:10 – 12:45

Washroom break: 12:45 – 1:00Session #3: 1:00 – 1:35Travel time: 1:35 – 1:40Session #4: 1:40 – 2:15

2:15 – 2:45 Wrap-up and Draw PrizesLibrary Rotunda

Learning Skills Conference Agenda

Research StrategiesPlagiarism and Paraphrasing

Evaluating Web SitesIntroduction to Smart Ideas

Learning Skills Conference Sessions

Registration

Conference handouts

Pizza & cookies

Welcome

Some of the draw prizes on display for students to check out before the sessions

begin

Students at work!

Bullying Activity

I am so very appreciative of the opportunity to visit your "Learning Skills Conference". What a great opportunity (on so many levels) for students. …The content was brilliant ... and all done with enthusiasm, joy

and energy.

Your efforts to connect and provide foundational study skills are exemplary….I am inspired and very proud of your work ...hope that you are able to spread the good news to other schools...

Learning Skills Conference Accolades from our Superintendent

From Confused to Confident

“Research Strategies for Student Success”

Anita Brooks KirklandLibrary Consultant, ITS, Waterloo Region District School Board

Wiggins and McTighe. The Understanding by Design Handbook.1999

Worth being familiar with

Important to know and do

“Enduring” understandi

ng

Traditional quizzes and tests

paper-pencil selected-response constructed-response

Performance tasks and projects

open-ended complex authentic

Assessment Types

The well-designed research assignment

Instructional Context

Inquiry helps students to:

• strengthen question strategies to explore and deepen ideas

• share feelings, findings, and perspectives with different audiences

• examine information for validity, authority, bias, and relevancy

• think creatively and critically to solve problems and make decisions

• reach personal and collective understanding in diverse contexts

• develop competence in both particular disciplines and the inquiry process itself

OSLA. Together For Learning: Transforming School Libraries in Ontario. Draft, 2008.

• Represent a big idea having enduring value beyond the

classroom.

• Reside at the heart of the discipline (involve “doing”

the subject).

• Require uncoverage (of

abstract or often misunderstood

ideas). • Offer potential for engaging students.

“Enduring” understanding

Wiggins and McTighe. Understanding by Design.1998

Well-designed research units get to the heart of the matter.

Boredom

Confusion

Poorly-designed research activity:

Shallow Understanding

Well-designed research activity:

MotivationEngagement

Enduring Understanding

S

Helping Our Students Improve Their

Research Strategies

Improving Our Own Teaching Practice

Kicking it up a notch @ WCI

Take a critical look at your research units.

Does your key question foster critical thinking and enduring understanding?

Does the culminating task foster creativity, critical thinking and enduring understanding?

Have you provided an instructional scaffold to help all students develop process skills?

Does your assessment strategy include formative and summative components? Are you assessing process as well as product?

Are you collaborating with each other and with your

teacher-librarian to providethe best learning experience

for your students?

Research and Inquiry Skills

Scaffolding StrategiesTool-Kit

KICK IT UP A NOTCH!

Works Cited Source Logs

Research and Inquiry SkillsWhat Resources Do I Need? Organizing My Research

Note-taking SheetsBook Source Encyclopedia Source

Note-taking SheetsDatabase Source Website Source

MLA Style Guide for Works Cited

Research and Inquiry SkillsWaterloo Collegiate Library Web Site

Research and Inquiry Skills Development

Checklist

By the end of grade 9, students should be able to:

use visual organizers

evaluate web sites

understand plagiarism, and ways to avoid it

paraphrase and

summarize

understand that learning is transferable

use source logs and research worksheets

use online library catalogue

Subject-specific research assignments

that embed process skills

Reflect and Rework…a few of the comments by teachers

“Possibility of plagiarism virtually removed because the

students were included in the process each step

of the way.”

“Process evaluated as well

as the product.”

Students more invested in their project; clearer understanding of their focus.”“Students appreciated the

research steps with due dates.

They felt more organized, and it kept them on task.”

“Students used better, more

scholarly resources and products reflected this

depth.”

P.D. Day for Staff“Optimizing Instruction for Today’s

Student”

April 2008

Higher order thinking skills

P.D. Day for StaffRationale

Kicking assignment

s up a notch

differentiate

instruction

increase the

learningincrease

engagement

Staff P.D. DayAgenda Session Choices

Feedback From Staff PD Day

High energy!

A great learning

opportunity!Why can’t all our PD days

be this useful?!Just like a

REAL

conference!

Can we do it again

this year?

Did it Work?!

Are we relevant to student learning?

Do we align with School and System

Goals?

Were the student success strategies successful?

Where is the evidence?

Evidence-Based

Practice

Qualitative Data

Learning Skills Conference

Formative AssessmentCritical ongoing assessment of student work

against relevant, desired outcomes.

Assessment Data Evaluation Rubrics linked directly to specific, measurable, achievable goals.

“Now this is not the end.

It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Winston Churchill

Cross-Curricular Connections Team 2008 - 2009

Continue Learning Skills Conference (grade 9 applied level students)

Target development of non-fiction writing skills

Develop PD session and materialsIntervene with ELL classes to develop process

skills

"A SHARED VISION is not an idea...it is rather a force in

people's hearts… a force of impressive power.

It may be inspired by an idea, but once it goes further - if it is

compelling enough to acquire the support of more than one person

- then it is no longer an abstraction. People begin to see it as if it exists. Shared visions derive their power from

common caring. Shared vision is vital for the learning

organization because it provides the focus

and energy for learning.“ Peter Senge

Johnson, Doug. The Indispensable Librarian: Surviving (and Thriving) in School Media Centers. Linworth Publishing Inc., Worthington, Ohio.1997.