Australian School Library Association > Professional Development > Online 2006 > ASLA Online II -- Powerful Pedagogy Abstracts

ASLA Online II: Visions of Learning Abstracts

The presenters and their biographical information are correct as at 29 April 2006. The organisers of ASLA Online II reserve the right to alter or delete this information.

Powerful Pedagogy - abstracts

Mrs Judy Anastopoulos (Head of Information Services, St Philip’s Christian College, NSW, Australia)

Judy has worked as a Librarian with the Newcastle City Council, an Audiovisual Librarian in London at ATV House, a School Librarian for Campion International School in Athens prior to her position at St Philip’s Christian College. She has also been a part-time Lecturer in the Faculty of Education with the University of Newcastle.

Productive pedagogy and the Higher School Certificate English syllabus
The Quality teaching in NSW public schools discussion paper (New South Wales [NSW] Department of Education and Training 2003) presented a need to examine plans for curriculum, pedagogical practices in the classroom, and assessment. The Productive Pedagogy Model, outlined in the discussion paper, was used as a reflective tool for teachers to address the specific requirements of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) English syllabus in meeting stage-six outcomes. A quality approach to both teaching and learning required a restructuring of the classroom. English classes were restructured according to gender, giving students the opportunity to study texts that would be more relevant to their social and personal context. This was particularly important when considering Module A – Comparative study of texts and contexts – in advanced English. This module requires the students to compare texts in order to explore them in relation to their contexts. It develops understanding of the effects of context and questions of value. The NSW Board of Studies prescribed text list gives options for the selection of appropriate texts to meet the needs of students. Gender classes provide the opportunity for boys and girls to study texts that are relevant. Relevance is an important element in the pedagogical model. Restructuring classes into gender groups presented teachers with the challenge of developing imaginative, interpretive and analytical experiences that would connect the students to the world beyond the classroom.

A quality teacher is one who makes student learning purposeful, effective and efficient. Promoting deep knowledge, deep understanding, problematic knowledge, higher-order thinking, substantive communication and meta-language in carefully designed tasks is essential for powerful pedagogy. Module B – Critical study of texts – in the advanced English course requires students to explore and evaluate a specific text. Students explore the ideas expressed in the text through analysing its construction and content. Students examine how particular features of the text contribute to textual integrity. They research others’ perspectives of the text and test these against their own understanding and interpretations of the text. Students are required to use the support structures of the school, such as the information resource centre (IRC), to explore the ways in which different media present information and ideas.

This paper is based on the application of the Productive Pedagogy Model into the HSC English classroom and evaluating the impact of the model on student learning outcomes.

Reference
NSW Department of Education and Training 2003, Quality teaching in NSW public schools discussion paper, Sydney.

Barbara Combes (Lecturer, School of Computer and Information Science, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia)

During 2001-2002 Barbara worked as the teacher librarian at Sevenoaks Senior College. In this role she managed the library and information centre, acted as webmaster for the College, and was the WebCT and HarvestRoad administrator. Another aspect of her role involved working closely with teaching staff to develop online curriculum and courses to support teaching/learning programs at the College. Prior to 2001, Barbara worked as an evaluation officer and webmaster for Curriculum Materials Information Services (CMIS) Evaluation, Department of Education and Training, Western Australia.

Barbara's research interests include the role of teacher librarians in education, plagiarism, online learning and the online experience in distance education, particularly for first time users, information literacy, library policy and planning. She is currently completing her PhD and looking at the role of the library and teacher librarian in preparing information literate students for tertiary study.

Connected conversations: integrating information literacy into online literature circles
Literature circles can be used across a range of levels to encourage young people to read widely, to become proactive and discerning readers, and to develop higher-order literacy skills. Transferring this methodology into an online environment allows teachers and teacher librarians to work together to create additional opportunities for students to develop information literacy, communication and teamwork skills while developing technology skills in a relevant context. The online literature circles module is designed to create a seamless, student-centred learning environment that encourages the development of literacy skills and a reading culture across the school.

Linda Gibson-Langford (The King's School, North Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia)

Linda Gibson-Langford is an Information Literacy teacher in The Centre for Learning and Leadership at The King's School, Sydney, Australia. She is part of an award winning team known for their innovative approaches to integrating information literacy and information and communication technology (ICT) into learning and teaching. Currently, the secretary of ASLA (NSW) Inc., Linda has a PhD in the field of Knowledge Management and has delivered papers in this area both nationally and internationally.

Knowledge-rich kids: innovate and be bold!
How will we engage our students in their multimodal world where making meaning involves multisemiotic decoding as well as the full range of higher-order thinking skills required to deconstruct information presented in all media? How do we help the learner and the teacher to become savvy, multiliterate producers of knowledge?

This paper suggests that powerful pedagogy transforms a learning environment into an exciting, interactive and stimulating environment where opportunities for multimodal, multi-semiotic and multiliterate experiences are the norm.

Acknowledgements
The author thanks her colleagues Mark Kelly, Adele Falconer and Debbie Leatheam for their innovative ideas and deep interest in e-learning. Through a philosophy of innovative pedagogy, we continue to ask 'what it ..?'

Lyn Hay (Lecturer in teacher librarianship, School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia)

Lyn's teaching and research interests include: teacher librarian and principal roles in supporting information literacy and services; integration of ICT in organisations; information leadership and information policy issues. Lyn has recently completed a research project exploring the impact of school libraries on student learning in Australia, and is also conducting research, which examines information use in schools using frontier technologies.

Are Internet–savvy kids@home the new information poor? Rethinking the digital divide
As more kids ‘get connected’ at home, it is the teacher librarian’s challenge to ensure that the school library program provides access to information beyond the physical confines of normal school hours and facilities of the school precinct. A recent study of 46 public schools in Queensland and Victoria found that students with a personal computer (PC) and Internet at home did not rate assistance provided by their school library as highly as those students without a PC or Internet access in the home. This suggests that connected@home students perceive school library support as contributing less to their learning compared with students without such access. This paper presents a comparative analysis of survey responses from the teachers, teacher librarians and connected@home students, and discusses the implications of these results. It examines the needs and expectations of Internet-savvy kids and how these are currently not being met by schools. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways the school library may be able to bridge this digital divide.

Mrs Sue Inglis (Director, Sunshine Coast Grammar Community Preschool and Kindergarten, QLD, Australia)

Sue is an early childhood educator and studying for a Masters in Early Childhood Education as the University of Southern Queensland. She has spent the past fourteen years teaching young children in a range of settings and also lecturing at TAFE as a Child Studies Teacher. Sue has a keen interest in building relationships between early childhood staff and families. More recently, she has been fortunate enough to be involved with Kaleidoscope Early Childhood Development Specialists and has been actively involved in the creation of an innovative software program that enables educators to create digital portfolios.

Children casting their own critical eye! Why use multimedia in the literacy curriculum
What really motivates young readers in the modern classroom? What strategies do educators employ to continue to capture children’s love of literature? How can professionals, in an ever-changing educational setting, possibly link multimedia education with that of books, without undermining the value of the book itself? These questions are but a few that teachers of literature are finding themselves faced with in a world of increasing pressures to compete with television screens and other media while continually hearing the ever-present concerns about children’s literacy levels. This paper discusses the educational value of the use of new technologies within the literacy curriculum and, in particular, the pilot of a new digital-portfolio software program, Daisy, which has been specifically designed for educational settings. It has become apparent, due to its intentional flexibility and simplicity, that Daisy has valuable applications in school classrooms and libraries, allowing children to reflect on literature and other educational experiences and to cast a critical eye over their own progress. The software gives children the chance to creatively compile, using multimedia, their own critical, ongoing portfolios.

Geraldine McNulty, Information Services Co-ordinator, Merici College, Canberra, Australia

Geraldine has worked extensively in both primary and secondary libraries in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Her dedication to the profession has been marked by her leadership as President of the Catholic Primary Teacher Librarian Association in NSW and as President of the Australian School Library Association (ACT). She has been noted for her ability to visualise the “big picture” by ensuring that the library and information services are at the cutting edge of curriculum and are relevant to both staff and students.

Dr. Colleen Spence, Powerful Learning Project Officer, Merici College, Canberra, Australia

Colleen has lectured in science in universities as well as teaching science in secondary school. Aside from science, her principle interest is the implementation of educational theories in the classroom. Her recent focus has been staff development and middle school education. She currently holds the position of Powerful Learning Project Officer at Merici College, which incorporates staff training and support in information and communication technology (ICT) skills and innovative teaching, and project development.

Coupling a voluntary laptop program with principles of powerful learning and productive pedagogies
Merici College, a Catholic girls' school for years seven to twelve, introduced a voluntary laptop program in 1994.  The program, which is very popular with students and parents, has grown during the past decade to involve about 70 percent of students in years seven to nine in 2006.  Initially, a select group of teachers with good computer skills taught laptop classes.  During the 11 years of the program, various staff professional development strategies have been implemented to improve teacher computer skills so that now all teachers are involved with the laptop program.  The overal ICT profile of Merici has risen as direct result of the laptop program and, coupled with the improved teacher ICT skill base, has resulted in innovative teaching and routine use of multimedia applications by students and staff.  In recent years, the laptop program has been strongly coupled with powerful learning and productive pedagogies through college initiatives that include a set of principles that were developed by the staff and provide a framework for their teaching practices.