Statement of Competence
When attempting to master a new skill or understand a lesson, people learn in different ways. It is important for anyone teaching a class to realize this so that they can cater to several different learning styles. This will result in the most students understanding the lesson. Three major learning theories that are currently used in all kinds of classrooms are Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism. Library and information science specialists working in public libraries need to stay updated on current research having to do with learning principles and theories because libraries offer programs of all kinds to patrons of all ages.
Behaviorism is a learning theory based on changing the student’s behavior. The aim of behaviorism is to change a student’s behavior in teaching them the lesson. If the student’s behavior changes based on the lesson, it is considered successful and learning is considered to have occurred. The theory of behaviorism is based on B. F. Skinner’s belief that “knowledge exists independently and outside of people,” and so a development in stimuli results in a change in behavior (Learning Theories, n. d.). A library programming example of behaviorist learning theory sometimes occurs during children’s programming such as storytime. The leader of the program introduces a stimuli, for instance a song and dance, and in response the children’s behavior changes; they imitate the leader’s movement. As time goes on, the children learn to repeat this behavior every time they hear the particular song. At their first storytime they might not put their “right foot in and shake it all about” as soon as they hear “The Hokey Pokey,” but after attending the class for several weeks it becomes second nature. The student’s behavior has changed based on the lesson.
Constructivism is almost the exact opposite of behaviorism, and therefore an opposing theory. The theory of constructivism states that students construct their own ideas based on their participation in learning experiences. This means that instead of simply conducting a lesson, the teacher might lead a discussion and ask open-ended questions in order to engage and involve students. This might also include a STEM or STEAM activity where students experiment and come to their own conclusions, thus broadening their view of the subject at hand. In a library, one type of programming that adheres to the constructivist theory of learning is a book club. After everyone in the club reads the book they come together to discuss. There is usually one designated leader, but the group discusses freely and does not stick to one designated subject. Each person is given ample time to make points about what they liked and did not like in the book, characters with whom they identified, and how certain plot points made them feel. The leader allows each participant to construct their own ideas about the book everyone read, based on participation in the group activity of a lively and wandering discussion. In these ways the teacher is creating a well-rounded learning experience and encouraging students to construct ideas about the subject from their own heads, instead of aiming to alter the students’ behavior by teaching a lesson that includes little room for discussion.
Cognitivism is “based on the idea that humans process the information they receive, rather than merely responding to stimuli” (Learning Theories, n. d.). This learning theory means that when students receive a stimuli they do not only change their behavior in reaction. Their behavior changes because they have internally processed the stimuli in their head and that processing results in the behavioral change. In a public library setting, a service based on cognitivism is creating a book display on a certain subject. Patrons are given a stimuli, a nicely organized set of materials. The stimuli creates a mental process inside the patron’s head, in which they consider the materials displayed and possibly even check out or read one. The idea to check out the materials was suggested by the display, but the patron came to the decision independently. Because of the mental process, an outwardly observed behavioral change can be observed: the patron checked out some books they might not normally have considered reading. The behavior might even be permanently changed if exposure to the new genre or author is something they enjoy. The next time they visit the library that patron might display the same behavior again by checking out another, similar book. In a way, cognitivism is a combination of behaviorism and constructivism.
These three learning theories are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to analyzing the way program leaders teach and the way participants learn. Public library programs and services are all applicable to learning theories, and it is up to the librarian themselves to decide which theories they wish to employ in order to ensure their patrons get the most they possibly can from the programs they choose to attend.
Learning Theories. (n. d.). The Peak Performance Center. Retrieved from http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/theories/
Evidence
Transformation A: LGBTQ Evolution in Public Schools
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Description
These three assignments were completed during INFO 250: Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals in the Fall 2016 semester. Transformations A and B were two parts within the larges lesson of Module 2, and Module 3: A Co-Taught Learning Experience was its own section in the class. All three of these assignments were completed with a partner, whose permission I have to share her name in this portfolio when showcasing our work.
Transformation A uses a “think model” to transform a traditional instructional unit into a well-rounded learning experience. This being the main idea, my partner and I designed a Google Site using the template provided by our professor and filled in the home page and “Lesson Plan” tab with information about our lesson. The main questions we attempt to answer through our lesson is how young adult fiction authors have attempted to bring representation to the LGBTQ community over the decades. The lesson we devised is comparing Annie on My Mind, a YA novel published in 1982, and What We Left Behind, published in 2015. The old method we attempt to change involves the simple writing of a compare and contrast essay on the subjects of the two books themselves, and a wider look at how schools handled LGBTQ in past decades compared to present day. Using Think Model #5: Compare and Contrast from our textbook, my partner and I worked together to write goals and objectives for our fictional teen students. After that we devised a ten day lesson plan based on Think Model #5 and our learning objectives, all culminating in a “Big Think” culminating activity. The end result is a much more interactive learning experience than the simple writing of a compare and contrast essay, in the form of a lesson that reflects the Constructivist learning theory.
The Transformation B assignment is along the same lines as Transformation A, but students were asked to get more detailed in their transformation of a lesson from “old” to “new” teaching methods. In this assignment we utilized more tabs on the Google Site template than we did in Transformation A. My partner and I entitled our lesson plan “The World Needs More Superheroes,” referring to those who work to end discrimination and fight for the inclusion of all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Using the Problems/Possibilities Jigsaw Puzzle Model, the old method we updated was assigning one of the books about tolerance to each group of students and then instructing them to complete an oral presentation book report for the class. We updated this method by including the use of technology while students answered essential questions and engaged in open-ended discussion. The culminating activity for this assignment is the creation of new, positive posters to replace the ones hung around the classroom and appearing on the homepage of our Google Site. This would solidify the main idea of the lesson in students’ heads in a Constructivist way.
Module 3: A Co-Taught Learning Experience is entitled “Kindness and Generosity.” It asks students to think about the difference between negative human acts such as discrimination, and positive human acts such as being kind and generous. My partner and I grew technologically over the semester, and Module 3’s Google Site is 100% complete. Each tab contains information relevant to the lesson plan transformation. Like Transformations A and B, the aim of this assignment was to take an old lesson and transform it into a new one using think models and Constructivist theories. For this assignment, my partner and I filled every tab on the Google Site and fleshed out our idea for a transformed lesson completely. Additionally, we planned the way the lesson could be delivered as a co-taught experience between a teacher and a teacher librarian. The old method was a class discussion followed by a reflective journal entry. We transformed it using Think Model #2: Visualizing/Reconceptualizing. The culminating activity allows students to exercise their technological savvy as they use the FACES 4.0 EDU software to realize that all people are the same under their skin.
Argument
Each of these assignments individually reflects my understanding of Competency K. Together with a partner, I designed three instructional programs based on learning principles and theories. In each transformation, the old method reflects a Behaviorist point of view where the students are given a stimulus and expected to change their behavior based on it. Transformation A’s old method stimulus is two novels to compare and contrast. Transformation B’s stimulus is also a novel, which the students need to learn well enough to orally report on. Module 3’s stimulus is a class discussion, after which the desired behavior is the production of a journal entry. In each of these three lessons, our change using think models allows students to switch to a more Constructivist way of learning. They are encouraged and lead by the instructor(s), but are exposed to a much more hands-on type of lesson that fosters more creative thinking. This aspect of the three lesson transformations demonstrates my ability to effectively employ contemporary learning theories such as Constructivism in the construction of an original lesson plan.
The three lesson plan transformations combined also adequately demonstrates that I have mastered the principles detailed in Competency K. We created an entire body of work on the subject of tolerance and acceptance, while adhering to educational guidelines and basing our lesson plans off of documented teaching models and methods which have been proven to provide positive results. These three lessons are designed to be taught in succession to a class of middle- or high schoolers, and would be effective as one cohesive lesson. At the end of the series, students would have participated in three Constructivist learning experiences where they created their own ideas about the subject at hand based on leading instruction given by the teacher or teacher librarian. Because of the seamless transition it is possible to make between these Constructivist lessons until the class has participated in all three, these assignments demonstrate my understanding of and ability to apply relevant learning theories in any information environment, from public library to middle school classroom.
Transformation A, Transformation B, and Module 3 are each original lesson plans based on a documented think model and created to rise from the ashes of an “old” method of teaching. Each lesson plan transforms a stimulus-driven Behaviorist lesson into a Constructivist learning experience that is self-guided by the student themselves. By designing these lessons to include current technology and adhere to self-guided philosophy in which the student is also the teacher shows that I am capable of designing instructional programs based on learning principles and theories. Because of this, I believe that the combination of these three assignments adequately demonstrates my mastery of Competency K.
Conclusion
My intended path in library and information science is that of a public services librarian, not a teacher librarian. I have never planned to teach any grade level or work at a school in any capacity. However, intentions change and unexpected opportunities often arise. For this reason, I am glad that I took a class that helped me understand different teaching and learning methods. It opened me up to a world of which I was not previously aware, and allowed me to consider other career paths within the information science field. Also, in my current position at a public library I am occasionally called upon to make lesson plans appropriate for a certain age level for storytime or special events. In most libraries, the existence of teaching in some capacity is a fact of life. It is entirely possible that my experience working with children coupled with my knowledge of teaching methods from SJSU might lead to work in a school library later on. With this knowledge, I am able to keep my options open.
Description
These three assignments were completed during INFO 250: Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals in the Fall 2016 semester. Transformations A and B were two parts within the larges lesson of Module 2, and Module 3: A Co-Taught Learning Experience was its own section in the class. All three of these assignments were completed with a partner, whose permission I have to share her name in this portfolio when showcasing our work.
Transformation A uses a “think model” to transform a traditional instructional unit into a well-rounded learning experience. This being the main idea, my partner and I designed a Google Site using the template provided by our professor and filled in the home page and “Lesson Plan” tab with information about our lesson. The main questions we attempt to answer through our lesson is how young adult fiction authors have attempted to bring representation to the LGBTQ community over the decades. The lesson we devised is comparing Annie on My Mind, a YA novel published in 1982, and What We Left Behind, published in 2015. The old method we attempt to change involves the simple writing of a compare and contrast essay on the subjects of the two books themselves, and a wider look at how schools handled LGBTQ in past decades compared to present day. Using Think Model #5: Compare and Contrast from our textbook, my partner and I worked together to write goals and objectives for our fictional teen students. After that we devised a ten day lesson plan based on Think Model #5 and our learning objectives, all culminating in a “Big Think” culminating activity. The end result is a much more interactive learning experience than the simple writing of a compare and contrast essay, in the form of a lesson that reflects the Constructivist learning theory.
The Transformation B assignment is along the same lines as Transformation A, but students were asked to get more detailed in their transformation of a lesson from “old” to “new” teaching methods. In this assignment we utilized more tabs on the Google Site template than we did in Transformation A. My partner and I entitled our lesson plan “The World Needs More Superheroes,” referring to those who work to end discrimination and fight for the inclusion of all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Using the Problems/Possibilities Jigsaw Puzzle Model, the old method we updated was assigning one of the books about tolerance to each group of students and then instructing them to complete an oral presentation book report for the class. We updated this method by including the use of technology while students answered essential questions and engaged in open-ended discussion. The culminating activity for this assignment is the creation of new, positive posters to replace the ones hung around the classroom and appearing on the homepage of our Google Site. This would solidify the main idea of the lesson in students’ heads in a Constructivist way.
Module 3: A Co-Taught Learning Experience is entitled “Kindness and Generosity.” It asks students to think about the difference between negative human acts such as discrimination, and positive human acts such as being kind and generous. My partner and I grew technologically over the semester, and Module 3’s Google Site is 100% complete. Each tab contains information relevant to the lesson plan transformation. Like Transformations A and B, the aim of this assignment was to take an old lesson and transform it into a new one using think models and Constructivist theories. For this assignment, my partner and I filled every tab on the Google Site and fleshed out our idea for a transformed lesson completely. Additionally, we planned the way the lesson could be delivered as a co-taught experience between a teacher and a teacher librarian. The old method was a class discussion followed by a reflective journal entry. We transformed it using Think Model #2: Visualizing/Reconceptualizing. The culminating activity allows students to exercise their technological savvy as they use the FACES 4.0 EDU software to realize that all people are the same under their skin.
Argument
Each of these assignments individually reflects my understanding of Competency K. Together with a partner, I designed three instructional programs based on learning principles and theories. In each transformation, the old method reflects a Behaviorist point of view where the students are given a stimulus and expected to change their behavior based on it. Transformation A’s old method stimulus is two novels to compare and contrast. Transformation B’s stimulus is also a novel, which the students need to learn well enough to orally report on. Module 3’s stimulus is a class discussion, after which the desired behavior is the production of a journal entry. In each of these three lessons, our change using think models allows students to switch to a more Constructivist way of learning. They are encouraged and lead by the instructor(s), but are exposed to a much more hands-on type of lesson that fosters more creative thinking. This aspect of the three lesson transformations demonstrates my ability to effectively employ contemporary learning theories such as Constructivism in the construction of an original lesson plan.
The three lesson plan transformations combined also adequately demonstrates that I have mastered the principles detailed in Competency K. We created an entire body of work on the subject of tolerance and acceptance, while adhering to educational guidelines and basing our lesson plans off of documented teaching models and methods which have been proven to provide positive results. These three lessons are designed to be taught in succession to a class of middle- or high schoolers, and would be effective as one cohesive lesson. At the end of the series, students would have participated in three Constructivist learning experiences where they created their own ideas about the subject at hand based on leading instruction given by the teacher or teacher librarian. Because of the seamless transition it is possible to make between these Constructivist lessons until the class has participated in all three, these assignments demonstrate my understanding of and ability to apply relevant learning theories in any information environment, from public library to middle school classroom.
Transformation A, Transformation B, and Module 3 are each original lesson plans based on a documented think model and created to rise from the ashes of an “old” method of teaching. Each lesson plan transforms a stimulus-driven Behaviorist lesson into a Constructivist learning experience that is self-guided by the student themselves. By designing these lessons to include current technology and adhere to self-guided philosophy in which the student is also the teacher shows that I am capable of designing instructional programs based on learning principles and theories. Because of this, I believe that the combination of these three assignments adequately demonstrates my mastery of Competency K.
Conclusion
My intended path in library and information science is that of a public services librarian, not a teacher librarian. I have never planned to teach any grade level or work at a school in any capacity. However, intentions change and unexpected opportunities often arise. For this reason, I am glad that I took a class that helped me understand different teaching and learning methods. It opened me up to a world of which I was not previously aware, and allowed me to consider other career paths within the information science field. Also, in my current position at a public library I am occasionally called upon to make lesson plans appropriate for a certain age level for storytime or special events. In most libraries, the existence of teaching in some capacity is a fact of life. It is entirely possible that my experience working with children coupled with my knowledge of teaching methods from SJSU might lead to work in a school library later on. With this knowledge, I am able to keep my options open.
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