Module 4: Meeting Learners' Needs

Module Objectives

  • Identify learners needs and develop strategies for the library to help address those needs.

Think

Chose one or the more of the following:

Create

Continue working on your professional growth plan.

If you plan to do an instructional activity, please complete Step Six, otherwise only complete Step Seven, and then submit the following.

Step Six: Instructional Activity

Step six only applies if your activity has an instructional nature (i.e., if you will be teaching learners or fellow educators). If you are not engaging in an instructional activity, you may skip this section.

All good instructional begins backward. You must first decide what you want learners to know and be able to do, how they will demonstrate that, and how you will assess it. This product will then inform your instruction. If learners need to be able to write a research paper, what skills do you need to teach (accounting for their prior knowledge) for them to be able to do that?

You must start here, but remember this is an iterative process, you are welcome to modify any section of this packet at any time as you discover the need to adjust and refine.

  • What learner competencies from the National School Library Standards will you address?
  • What are the learner outcomes? In other words, what will your learners do to demonstrate they have met the competencies?
  • How will you assess the learner outcomes? Provide a rubric, checklist, observational protocol, etc.

Step Seven: Developing the Details

This step of the process will be very personalized and dependent upon the needs of your project. What you are doing here is developing whatever products or processes are needed to conduct your project. In essence, think of this as your activity plan, stage two. Some examples to help you visualize:

Sarai’s project is to design a makerspace for her elementary school library. Her final product will be a physical makerspace that learners can use during their library time. For this stage, she must research what makes a good makerspace, the types of supplies she needs, how she will organize them, etc. She will turn in a draft plan for her makerspace that outlines each of those components. The purpose of turning this in is so that her mentor and faculty facilitator can aide her in making good decisions and offer her constructive advice. 

Chris’ project is to run a coding club in collaboration with the computer science teacher at their middle school. The final product will consist of the coding club itself, where learners will gather during lunch one day a week for 6 weeks and learn basic coding skills. For this stage, Chris will meet with the computer science teacher to outline the process for learners to sign up, the expectations for their time together, and the lesson plans for the coding club. They will turn this in so their instructor and mentor can offer input.

Sean’s project is to conduct a diversity audit of his school library’s picture book collection. The final product will be a report of the results of the diversity audit, along with purchasing recommendations to shore up gaps in the collection. For this stage of the project, Sean will outline the steps he plans to conduct the diversity audit, including how he will manage his time, the technological tools he will use, and the categories he will be considering and why those were chosen. 

  • What will your final product be?
  • Detail your plan for developing your final product.
  • Refer to your SMARTIE goal. How will you know you’ve achieved it?

Share

In the Module 4 forum, add to the discussion around the following prompt. Do not create a new thread, but rather continue the discussion your classmates have started. You may still reply to a specific classmate. 

  • What do you see as areas of learner need in your community? Explain your evidence. How can the school library lead and empower the school community to address those needs?

In the Resource forum, share the item you explored from the Think and then reflect on your choice by answering three of the following questions.

  • How has my prior experience and personal values influenced my understanding of this topic?
  • What are other theories of this topic that might provide me with a different viewpoint?
  • How could my education colleagues support me or collaborate with me in learning more about this topic?
  • What new information did I learn? What questions do I have?
  • How could I apply this information to my practice?
  • If you disagree with the information presented, how so? Why?
  • What opportunities / challenges could this information lead to?

Respond to three or more of your classmates in either discussion forum.

Grow

None.