Cultivating an inquiry based community around Roblox Studio in the elementary library has been demanding but in every way extremely rewarding. Our first focus was to find ways for students to have frequent access to laptops. This sounds simple but access and the freedom to play have been essential to establishing a student-led Roblox Studio game design community. For adults – parents, teachers and guardians – who are rightly concerned about student welfare in gaming environments, it has also been important to provide clear information so they can understand their role in ensuring student safety.
Continue reading ROBLOX STUDIO : inquiry and learning through playCategory Archives: Participatory culture
A BigBookSnap : “A Blueprint for Tomorrow” by Prakash Nair
“Six Educational Strategies That The Design Principles Should Support”
From “A Blueprint for Tomorrow : Redesigning Schools for Student-Centred Learning” by Prakash Nair
Inspired by our secondary students who have been using Booksnaps over recent weeks, I decided to make my own. The problem is that my #Booksnap grew to become a #BigBookSnap. I am definitely biased here but it often seems that the school library is an obvious place to support student centred learning through collaboration, supportive environments, technology, flexibility and opportunities for connection, since these have long been the core functions of the school library. This BigBookSnap picks up on some of Nair’s strategies and connects them directly with the library. This is not really in the spirit of the concise booksnap but here it is anyway.
What is research anyway?
It is frequently the experience of librarians that a request is made to engage with a class in the process of research, either for a specific inquiry or to learn about a new database, to explore a new searching skill or simply to gain some research tips and tricks. This is the perfect time to stop to consider what this idea of “research” is. Why would we bother teaching it when access to information seems to be easier now than it ever was? Is it a passing skill and are other priorities taking it’s place? Continue reading What is research anyway?
Library curriculum integration through a Complex Systems approach.
The challenge of mapping library integration into the curriculum
(2500 words) Authentic and meaningful integration throughout the curriculum and the learning context for students is a perennial challenge for school libraries. Learning is non-linear, therefore, while mapping specific library lessons across the curriculum in a linear format is an enticing solution it is at risk of becoming disconnected from student learning. Continue reading Library curriculum integration through a Complex Systems approach.
Proxemics and The Embodied Mind: The hidden dimension of learning.
(1500 words)
There are two fields of study that I would like to bring together to create a deep but accessible framework to examine the impact of the environment on student learning. Of particular interest to me is the impact of the presence books on learning in combination with other technologies however this framework could be applied to many other aspects of the learning environment.
- Proxemics
- The Embodied Mind.
Continue reading Proxemics and The Embodied Mind: The hidden dimension of learning.
Academic Honesty lessons using a complex systems approach
(3500 Words)
Complex systems thinking provides a holistic framework for discussing Academic Honesty with students. Complex systems thinking leads us away from hierarchical structures of power and authority toward an emphasis on connections, dialogue and individual autonomy. Complex systems thinking embraces individual identity and diversity where students construct their own meaning through respectful and meaningful interactions with their peers. Rather than attempting to homogenise student understandings of academic honesty, a complex systems approach provides a rich context for individual and shared understandings to emerge by fostering interactions, collaboration and iterative feedback.
The imperative from the class teachers: “We are concerned that academic misconduct may be on the rise and while teachers have discussed this with students having someone different to lead some sessions with this grade level may help them to understand academic honesty better and understand the importance of academic honesty with the hope that their behaviour will improve”. So the librarian was invited to take two sessions with this grade level which included 29 students.
Purpose of the lessons:
Continue reading Academic Honesty lessons using a complex systems approach
Complex Systems Pedagogy & the school library
(3500 words)
How can a complex systems pedagogy enhance student learning?
How is a complex systems pedagogy relevant to the classroom and school library?
This article will explore the theoretical ideas that underpin an understanding of complex systems.
We will inquire into the relevance of an understanding of complex systems in education.
We will apply these new understandings to examine the impact of a complex systems on the library, teaching and learning.
I owe a great debt to the book edited by Mason, Mark, “Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education”. While I have explored complex systems in many fields over the years this book was a great help in applying these concepts in the education setting. I have included further reading at the end of this post.
Introduction
I am going to begin with a sceptical note. Complex systems theory has experienced an increasingly rapid rise in popularity in the social sciences and by extension is also gaining significant traction in education. In the milieu of fads and trends in education there are a plethora of claims made for the effectiveness of a particular approach that can yield the learning outcomes we are all in education to achieve. I am always cautious of a new programme packaged by the large learning corporations or promoted by individuals whose income depends on the adoption of a particular approach so in presenting complex systems in education I ask that you employ the greatest level of critical analysis and sceptical inquiry. This presentation is designed to challenge assumptions, open our minds and give us a more holistic view of our classroom and library practices. The value I see in a complex systems approach is that implicit within the theoretical framework is an open and holistic view of students and the educational context we are part of creating for them. Any theoretical framework that seems to lead to an unbalanced focus on single elements or purports to be a panacea is highly suspect because education is not simple. There is an undeniable complexity to the task we have as educators. When you consider the diversity of students within a single class, the thought that a single approach will meet all their individual needs instantly appears ridiculous. Herein lies the strength of a complex systems approach because at it’s very core is the embracing of the complex, the dynamic, the unpredictable, the intangibles and the challenges of working with children who bring a vast array of prior experiences, expertise and characteristics that come together to make them a collection of unique individuals.
What is a complex system?
Continue reading Complex Systems Pedagogy & the school library
Theoretical concepts behind the role of technology & libraries
The role of technology requires some deep theoretical underpinnings to guide our thinking.
Participatory Culture (Henry Jenkins)
https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/confronting-challenges-participatory-culture
Participation empowers us for civic engagement, moving us from being information consumers to becoming creative contributors & sharers. Librarians as information specialists (this has always been the key role of the library) are now (should now) be in the thick of this new diversified information landscape that provides opportunities for engagement and participation.
Connectivist theory (George Siemens)
http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
Knowledge, now more than ever, is based on our ability to connect, collaborate & network with knowledge when we need it rather than storing knowledge just in case. The skills AND knowledge required of us & our students to navigate our increasingly connected information landscape are continually adapted & refined. Having a staff member whose role is (and has always been) devoted to understanding & building capacity in information literacy is vital in any community or organisation.
Multiliteracy pedagogy (Jim Cummins)
Technology provides immense possibilities for information specialists to support diversity and student identity through engaging and supporting a rich multilingual environment. It is a profound challenge for librarians to provide connection to resources that recognise the broad cultural diversity in our schools. Supporting multilingual pedagogy (Jim Cummins) is fundamental for student engagement in globally connected education environment.
The Library Element 