Assignment Two - Collaboration and Change

Courtesy of Nancy Baker 

Teacher-Librarian and Classroom collaborations have not been plentiful at my school for a number of reasons; we have a TL for only 0.4 time and we do not have a library clerk (all library clerical and managerial duties fall to the TL), teachers filling TL blocks have had little to no training, and most significantly, our school was without a teacher-librarian for nearly ten years. Being without a trained librarian for such a long time has resulted in some very old print resources and a changed culture of library use.  Teachers at our school have forgotten what a librarian and a fully functioning school library program can provide for them.  Furthermore, the rise of internet technology has also brought about a decreased reliance on library resources for information.  Students and staff alike are in the habit of using Google to search for information.  While our district provides access to several high-quality data bases very few of our teachers and students make use of these digital resources.  

As I receive training (I am in my third LIBE course), my capacity to effectively collaborate and transition our space into a Library Learning Commons has increased.  I have been working to build relationships with colleagues, our PAC, and administrators to change attitudes toward the library, to build capacity, and to open opportunities for collaboration. While our staff is unaccustomed to collaboration with a teacher-librarian, they are engaged and willing to implement BC’s new curriculum with its emphasis on inquiry, project and place-based learning, and First Peoples Principals of Learning.  I understand that a change in library usage will come about gradually through both building relationships and educating students and staff.  This paper will outline steps I’ve taken to support two teachers at my school in the development of pedagogical practices which effectively make use of reference resources and teach literacy skills, thereby positively impacting students.  I will use the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and the SMAR model to show how each teacher’s levels of comfort and focus changed regarding their use of technology and reference resources. 

The CBAM recognizes that “learning brings change, and supporting people in change is critical for learning to ‘take hold’” (The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals).  This model demonstrates the process individuals go through when implementing change.  The initial stages are characterized by expressions of concern which are personal in nature.  Over time these concerns become more task-oriented and then later focus on the impact of the change:

Typical Expressions of Concern about an Innovation/ Table 3.

Stage of Concern	Expression of Concern
6. Refocusing	I have some ideas about something that would work even better.
5. Collaboration	How can I relate what I am doing to what others are doing?
4. Consequence	How is my use affecting learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?
3. Management	I seem to be spending all my time getting materials ready.
2. Personal	How will using it affect me?
1. Informational	I would like to know more about it.
0. Awareness	I am not concerned about it.

The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model (SAMR Model) presents a way of

seeing how computer technology may impact teaching and it shows the evolution an individuals passes through "as they progress teaching and learning with technology" (Technology is Learning):

Teacher Number 1:  Mr. B.

Mr. B. is an older teacher who has worked at the school for more than twenty years.  He teaches Core French but because he is fluent in French and our school's French Immersion program is growing, he is now teaching the grade eight French Immersion sciences humains.  He does not voluntarily attend professional development and is somewhat resistant to change.

A few weeks ago Mr. B. was present during the staff meeting in which I gave a presentation on our the digital databases offered by our district.  At the end of the presentation Mr. B. approached me to ask if I might know of an internet resource in which students could read stories in French and then click on the words if they needed an English translation.  He explained how he used to use this internet resource for his core French classes, but when the computers were upgraded all of his book marked sites were erased and he was never able to find it again.  I said that I did not know of this site, but that I would do some research to see what I could find.  A couple of days later I was able to direct him to a number of free on-line resources which provided similar types of support for French language learners.  I had discovered a couple of blogs which had compiled a number of free digital resources.  I checked these out in advance to make sure they did not require the personal information of students.  I printed a list of resources for Mr. B. to explore.  He was delighted to have the list in hand.

A few days later I learned that Mr. B.'s French Immersion Social Studies students were about to embark on a research project comparing Taoism and Confucianism.  I approached Mr. B. and asked if he would like to collaborate on the project.  I suggested that I could teach his students how to use l'encyclopedie decouverte, which is the Worldbook for French language learners.   He was open to working together.  We arranged a time to meet and I showed Mr. B. how to use this data-base as well as how to use Ebscohost.  He asked me if these databases were what I was referring to when I had talked about the "deep web" which contains far more information than what a Google search can provide.  I explained that the data-bases were a part of the deep web.  He was thrilled to see what students could find using the World Book and Ebsco databases and he asked a lot of questions as he explored by trying a number of searches using key words. He wanted to know if Ebsco or
other databases would offer resources in French. 

Typical Expressions of Concern about an Innovation/ Table 3.

Stage of Concern	Expression of Concern
6. Refocusing	I have some ideas about something that would work even better.
5. Collaboration	How can I relate what I am doing to what others are doing?
4. Consequence	How is my use affecting learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?
3. Management	I seem to be spending all my time getting materials ready.
2. Personal	How will using it affect me?
1. Informational	I would like to know more about it.
0. Awareness	I am not concerned about it.

Stages: 

Self Oriented (Awareness/Informational/Personal)

Up until a few weeks ago Mr. B. had never made use of my services as a teacher-librarian.  His students typically had booked out the computer cart and used Google to conduct research for topics in Social Studies.  He had never before accessed the district's digital resource page and his students typically did all of their research in English.  He did not know he had access to so many digital databases.  He had heard of Ebsco but he had not ever checked it out and had shown no prior concern about it.  Mr. B. started out unaware and through collaboration moved through the next two levels of concern, information  - wanting to know more about it, and personal - wondering how it would affect him.  

Task Oriented (Management)

Mr. B. and I made a plan for his students to come into the library for a series of mini-lessons related to research skills.  Most of Mr. B.'s concerns were related to areas of management such as scheduling issues and booking computer time.  We met two times and began each meeting with a couple of mini-lessons such as using the reference section to answer ready reference questions (starting with quick definitions using print or online dictionaries), navigating databases and creating a bibliography.  Students were quick to find their way around the databases.  World Book Advanced and l'encycolpedie decouverte were very popular sources.  

Impact Oriented (Consequence/Collaboration/Refocusing)

Mr. B. noted that students experienced success finding information using databases and commented on the fact that students did not waste as much time sifting through a lot of potentially unreliable sources of information with a Google search.  We also observed several students had difficulty putting information into their own words and many were unfamiliar with giving credit to their sources within the text of their compositions (in-text citations).  While Mr. B.'s schedule did not permit us to collaborate any further on this project, we agreed to come together for a future inquiry project whereby I would provide mini-lessons on note-taking (what is plagiarism and ways to avoid it by summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting), and on using in-text citations.  These observations marked a shift toward consequences - How is my use affecting learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?

Courtesy of Jerry Nance

Levels of Use of the Innovation: Typical Behaviors

Levels of Use	Behavioral Indicators of Level
VI. Renewal	The user is seeking more effective alternatives to the established use of the innovation.
V. Integration	The user is making deliberate efforts to coordinate with others in using the innovation.
IVB. Refinement	The user is making changes to increase outcomes.
IVA. Routine	The user is making few or no changes and has an established pattern of use.
III. Mechanical	The user is making changes to better organize use of the innovation.
II. Preparation	The user has definite plans to begin using the innovation.
0I. Orientation	The user is taking the initiative to learn more about the innovation.
0 . Non-Use	The user has no interest, is taking no action.

The above chart outlines a six point behavioral change.  Mr. B.s actions and comments show movement from level 0 (non-use) through levels 1 (Orientation) to mostly level 4 (Routine) and touching 5 (Refinement).  He took some initiative to learn more about our districts digital offerings, made plans to begin using the innovation, made further plans to organize lessons and schedules, established a pattern of use, and he began to think about changes to increase student outcomes. 

Looking at the project through the lens of the SAMR Model, the use of computer technology allowed students to find information more efficiently - faster and with greater comfort and ease than was possible before the use of computers and online databases.  Databases also gave students results which were easier to navigate and more reliable than those they might have found using Google.  For this reason the technology used lead to an "augmentation" in pedagogical practice. 

Courtesy of Foster and Foster

There was some functional benefit to using the databases over searching for information using the library catalogue and print sources and over reliance on Google, though the final task, typing out reports which showed a comparison between the two philosophies, showed not much functional change.  The use of computer technology for this task represented only a "substitution" because the technology was used to preform the same task as was done before the use of computers.  There was not any functional change in teaching or learning for this part of of the task.  

To conclude:

Initially Mr. B. had imagined the students doing the bulk of their research using Google.  Our collaboration allowed for a discussion on the limitations of Google and allowed Mr. B. to begin the integration of a wider range of reference resources into his classroom teaching.  With support Mr. B. was willing to try something he had never before attempted because the collaboration lessened his concerns around using search methods he was not yet fully comfortable using himself.  He was able to focus on directing students toward the task of comparison and showing their results using a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer while I was able to address the development of some initial research skills.  Most importantly, this collaboration allowed Mr. B. and his students to realize the number of reliable reference resources available in various formats through our library.  While the use of computer technology to write the final report did not represent a significant change in teaching or learning over what might have happened without computer technology, the use of online databases for doing research marks an augmentation in teaching and learning.  It positively changes teaching and learning practices. 

Teacher Number 2:  Mrs. C.

Mrs. C. is an English and Social Studies teacher in her early 40s. She has been teaching around fifteen years and is in the middle of her career.  She has many years of experience teaching English and Social Studies content.  She is a highly motivated teacher and appreciates professional development, but she is also busy with a family and is not extremely comfortable with new computer applications.  She does use the computer for tasks such as word processing, email, using YouTube videos in the classroom, and searching for information using Google.  She has not spent much time getting to know our school district's Scholantis portal package or digital databases.

Teachers frequently come into the library to book out the portable computer lab.  One day when Mrs. C. was booking out the lab we struck up a conversation about some of the challenges in regard to competition for the computers cart.  I expressed my own wish to increase the number of computers available now that teachers were beginning to use the portal more for discussion groups and blogs.  Mrs. C. expressed an interest in learning how to use blogs and imagined doing an inquiry project using blogs with her Grade 8 English class.  She asked some questions about my own use of the portal and I suggested we collaborate to make her idea a reality.   Mrs. C. was in her prep period and she told me that she taught her Grade 8 class during a time that happened to be my own prep period.  We decided to switch my library and prep periods around on the days when I would work with her class.  I made a note to send this information to other teachers so they would know I was not available in the library at those times.
Stages: 

Self Oriented (Awareness/Informational/Personal)

Before collaborating Mrs. C. already had an awareness of the portal, of our school district's digital databases on the portal and of blogging, but she had not yet made use of these technologies because she did not have the time to learn how to do it and her comfort level with new computer applications was not strong. In our initial conversation she expressed interest in making use of the new computer applications available through our school district's portal.   She was open to collaboration.  Our conversation revealed Mrs. C. was already past the awareness stage and into the informational stage. We set up a time to meet during her prep period when I was in the library and we made a plan which would span a series of lessons.  I learned that Mrs. C. wanted students to select topics for their blogs based on an area of personal expertise or interest.  She said she would like them to learn how to write a blog.  She said she also wanted them to learn how to do research and how to properly cite sources.  I showed her a couple of inquiry models - The Five Points of Inquiry and Research Quest and suggested using one of the models (or a hybrid) to guide students in their research.  Mrs. C. liked the Five Points of Inquiry model, but she also liked some of the questions in the Research Quest.  We decided to use the Five Points of Inquiry but to add questions from R,Q..  Initially Mrs. C. had planned to have students do their research using a Google search, but when I suggested teaching them how to use some of the digital databases provided by the district Mrs. C. was happy to incorporate their use into the inquiry project.  She said she hadn't yet used these herself and was glad to have the opportunity to try it.  Much of our first and second conversations indicated Mrs. C was in the information gathering stage although she quickly moved to the personal stage as she talked about how it would be great to learn for herself which databases would be most useful for this type of research.

Typical Expressions of Concern about an Innovation/ Table 3.

Stage of Concern	Expression of Concern
6. Refocusing	I have some ideas about something that would work even better.
5. Collaboration	How can I relate what I am doing to what others are doing?
4. Consequence	How is my use affecting learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?
3. Management	I seem to be spending all my time getting materials ready.
2. Personal	How will using it affect me?
1. Informational	I would like to know more about it.
0. Awareness	I am not concerned about it.

Task Oriented (Management)
Mrs. C. wondered if it was going to be difficult to book the portable computer lab for all the periods she would need.  We decided that if the cart was not available we could bring the students into the library and divide the class into two groups - one group doing research while the other group has a mini-lesson on research skills. We would then switch so that each group would have both the mini-lesson and use of computers.  We talked about some of the management benefits of having students submit work online where it could be viewed by the teacher using a computer at any time without having to collect papers from the students.  We also talked about how this technology would impact the process of peer conferencing. We decided students could swap computers and make comments on the work in another color of font when it came time for peer conferencing.  Many of Mrs. C.'s concerns were related to management as she wondered about scheduling computer time, how many mini-lessons we would need to organize, how much time to schedule for the project, how to incorporate the writing process, and how to eventually assess the student work. I shared with her a rubric I had used when I assessed the blogs my students had written in English 11.  Mrs. C. decided she would use most or the rubric but modify it slightly to reflect expectations for English 8.       

In its explanation of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model the National Academies writes that "management concerns can last a least a year" and that "new approaches to teaching require practice."  This is why "help over time is necessary to work the kinks out."  Working alongside a teacher as he or she is implementing a new practice provides help over time and is one of the reasons co-teaching and collaboration can be very effective. We planned for five classes of collaboration, though the first two collaboration times would be for only 30 minutes.  To begin each session I provided mini-lessons which covered such topics as the Five Point Inquiry Model, avoidance of plagiarism through effective note-taking skills such as summarizing, paraphrasing, and direct quoting, using in-text citations and a bibliography, using digital databases and online reference resources such as Worldbook, Ebscohost, and Gale, and tips for searching using "Google."   I also gave mini-lessons  on evaluating sources for reliability and "Exploring the Deep Web." I  explained why information via databases is often more reliable and sometimes easier to use than using "Google."  Mrs. C. was already very comfortable with teaching note-taking strategies, but I was able to introduce her to a power-point presentation and workshop to help students practice these skills.  We were also able to co-teach.a workshop on how to use in-text citations and a bibliography or work cited page.   

After the research was complete, Mrs. C. continued classes of instruction with students on composition skills and teaching about common features of a blog.  They studied differences in style between a formal essay and a blog, which is much more conversational and more informal in its word choices and organization.  Mrs. C. and I organized another meeting to debrief on the process so far and to plan a little more collaboration time to help students create their first blog posts.

Impact Oriented (Consequence/Collaboration/Refocusing)

During the meeting in which we reviewed the process to date, Mrs. C. expressed that she was especially pleased to see how we were able to use some of the databases such as Worldbook for Kids to provide resources for students who struggled with reading.  As well, in planning for the use of blogs in the classroom Mrs. C. mentioned her concern about students breaking copyright when they borrowed images and video clips for their blogs.  I was able to reassure her that student use of images found on the internet fell under what is referred to as "Fair Dealing" in Canada and I suggested that I do a mini-workshop on copyright law in Canada before students began working on their blogs.  I also suggested a mini-lesson on the etiquette of blog comments. We planned for two more co-teaching periods.

During the meeting I also helped Mrs. C. to create her class site using our school district's Scholantis portal and I showed her how student blogs were already integrated into the capabilities of the site.  I also shared with Mrs. C. a handout I had made with instructions for students on how to begin setting up and publishing on their blogs.  While some of this part of our collaboration still focused on management, some of Mrs. C's concerns were shifting to consequences.  She was beginning to reflect on the impact of the research strategies on her students and she was making predictions about future impacts of the new technology, such as the need to know about the rules of copyright.

Through the introduction of blogs Mrs. C. was able to learn about and introduce students to a selection of Web 2.0 tools which they can use for the purpose of sharing their learning with others.  These skills along with many of the other skills practiced through this inquiry blog project specifically address the goal of developing digital literacy skills and are at the foundation of 21st Century Learning and BC's new curriculum.  The blogs were a way for students to reflect on and share what they were learning.  Students were still able to practice many of the traditional skills and processes of written composition.  The comments feature of the the blogs provided an authentic audience and also allowed for an interactive experience whereby students could learn from each other.

I feel confident that Mrs. C. and her students now feel more comfortable using our school district's digital databases, the Scholantis provided district portal, and Web. 2.0 tools for student work with blogs. Mrs. C. was able to move from informational concerns to consequencs csoncern on the CBAM Model.  She did not express concerns connecting to the practices of others (collaboration) and she was not yet able to think about ways to make the process work even better (refocusing). These will come with more time and practice implementing the changes to her instructional practices.    

Levels of Use of the Innovation: Typical Behaviors

Levels of Use	Behavioral Indicators of Level
VI. Renewal	The user is seeking more effective alternatives to the established use of the innovation.
V. Integration	The user is making deliberate efforts to coordinate with others in using the innovation.
IVB. Refinement	The user is making changes to increase outcomes.
IVA. Routine	The user is making few or no changes and has an established pattern of use.
III. Mechanical	The user is making changes to better organize use of the innovation.
II. Preparation	The user has definite plans to begin using the innovation.
0I. Orientation	The user is taking the initiative to learn more about the innovation.
0 . Non-Use	The user has no interest, is taking no action.

In terms of Levels of Use of the Innovation, Mrs. C.'s behaviors showed her moving from level 0 (Non-Use) to level 4 (Routine) with the implementation of some instructional practices (use of database, the portal, and blogs), and she demonstrated a shift from level 4(A) (Routine) to level 4(B) (Refinement) and level 5 (Integration) of other instructional practices (teaching research skills such as note-taking and use of citations using a collaborative workshop model).   

Looking at the collaboration with Mrs. C. through the lens of the SAMR Model, the use of computer technology again allowed students to find information more efficiently - faster and with greater comfort and ease than was possible before the use of computers and online databases.  Databases also gave students results which were easier to navigate and more reliable than those they might have found using Google.  The use of databases lead to an "augmentation" in pedagogical practice, while the power-point presentation to teach and workshop note-taking skills (summarizing, paraphrasing, and direct quoting) as well in-text citations lead to a "modification" in pedagogical practice.  It allowed students to see the unfolding of examples of poor note-taking (plagiarism) with slides which highlighted examples of both effective and ineffective note-taking comparing examples of student writing to an original article.  There were over 100 slides, which would not be practical with paper.  The slide included graphics and color and provided step by step instruction for practice.  The use of blogs, on the other hand, lead to "redefinition."  This technology allowed for student centered learning.  Students learned content related to personalized interests and they learned research and other digital literacy skills as they pursued the challenge of creating a professional looking digital documents.  The use of blogs allowed for the integration of multi-medial (images and video) for an authentic audience.  It also allowed for an exchange of ideas because students could comment on one another's work.  

In conclusion:  

Through the process of mini-lessons, co-teaching, and guided practice for students, there was a shift for Mrs. C. and her students to using a wider range of reference resources, the development of research skills and Web 2.0 tools in service of student centered learning. Through our collaboration Mrs. C. was able to overcome worries about learning how to use the new technologies.  She was not afraid to try these out in the classroom knowing she had the support of someone who was comfortable with the technology.  She could attend to guiding students with their topics and could refine her instructional practices around teaching note-taking skills, citation skills, and other research skills.  She also improved her own understanding of copyright law and the "deep web." She and her students learned how to link to web pages and embed video and images within the text of their blogs. Students were able to write for an authentic audience and to interact and respond appropriately with the ideas and content of their peers. 

Assessment of Library Services Provided:

The Leading Learning:  Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada document from 2014 outlines indicators of student and teacher growth for instructional leadership, instructional partnerships and engaging with inquiry approaches.  The cooperative approach used with Mr. B. falls within the "Emerging"  growth indicator under these themes.  The collaboration helped to "apply informational literacy instruction to the design of resource based learning experiences".  It enabled learners to "work effectively with information and ideas" and it  "[gave] students research experience".  The collaboration with Mrs. C. fell within the "Established" to "Leading into the Future" growth indicators.  For instructional leadership  and instructional partnerships it was "Leading into the Future" because it "empowered personal professional learning of inquiry approaches, and it "fostered student and teacher technological capacities and digital literacies. For the theme of engaging with inquiry approaches, it fell within the growth indicator of "Established" because it provided "learning experiences which are designed to engage students in choice of topics they care about" but it was not "co-designed and planned with students."  Both collaborations moved our school along the continuum even though the second collaboration was closer to meeting BC's new curricular goals.  Both collaborations improved teacher pedagogical practices in support of student learning.

Work Cited

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Mueller, A. "Evaluating Reference Services" LIBE 467, Theme 2:  Lesson 7. Web. Accessed 25 February 2019.

Nance, Jerry.  “Poster about Change in ‘What is Teen Challenge’s Theory of Change?’” Global Teen Challenge.  Globaltc.org, 20 March 2015. Web. Accessed 25 February 2019.

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Riedling, Ann. Reference Skills for the School Library Media Specialist: Tools and Tips. (Third Edition) Santa Barbara, LA: Linworth, 2013. 

School District No. 5. (Southeast Kootenay). "District Resource Center." Sd5.bc.ca. Web. Accessed 14 February 2019. 

Steering the Course Committee & Teacher-Librarians of the Greater Victoria School District. "The Role of the Teacher-Librarian in the Greater Victoria School District." LIBE 467, Theme 2:  Lesson 6. Web. Accessed 25 February 2019.

Spenser, John. "SAMR." Online Video Clip. You Tube. 3 November 2015. Web.  Accessed 25 February 2019.  

“The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals.” Nationalacaemies.org, 2017. Web. Accessed 25 February 2019.

"The Points of Inquiry." BC Teacher Librarians: British Columbia Teacher Librarian Association. bctla.ca, 2019.  Web. Februrary 2019.