Update: MLA Instruction

For my goals project, I am conducting a short MLA instruction.  I have designed this lesson to encourage students to research and access information independently, which is something collaborating teachers have told me is a huge area for improvement. Finally, I have been able to meet with the collaborating teacher to place the finishing touches on the Goals Project.

The Junior-level students are required to write a research paper on a career of interest to them. This research paper acts as the first component of their Senior Project, and before now, they have never been instructed on educational research and have only touched on writing in MLA format.  When I met with Mrs. Young, she was highly concerned about these research papers.  The essays she’d assigned previously this semester were written poorly, and she assessed that all three of her classes were behind regarding writing in MLA.  In the process of planning my goals project, I knew I would be teaching MLA, basic research skills, and information access, but meeting with Mrs. Young allowed me to highlight areas where there was additional need.

To the instructional lesson we added evaluating resources, choosing appropriate websites, and quoting/paraphrasing. I curated materials on Pinterest, naming the board [School] Resources, and also included my assessment survey for the students to complete at the end of the lesson.  Finally, Mrs. Young added the board to her class website, where the students could access it at anytime throughout the project process.  We hope this will encourage students to access information on their own, use technology tools, and become independent researchers.

I’m still waiting on the results of the survey. The students have until the end of May to complete their projects, and they can access the Pinterest Board as often as needed. Hopefully, I will understand the overall effectiveness and impact of my goal’s project by the close of the semester.

 

A Middle School Media Center

What a day it was visiting a middle school Media Center!  I just happened to visit on a day when there were multiple functions going on in the library.  First of all, the Book Fair was that week, so students were in and out throughout the day.  It was nice to see students coming into the library excited to look through the Book Fair merchandise and purchase new books for pleasure reading. I was impressed by the amount of traffic the Book Fair received.  Second, some Counselors from the high school came to talk to the eighth graders (rising freshmen!) about registering for high school classes.  Each eighth grade English teacher brought their group of students to the Media Center where, on their computers, they followed the School Counselor through the process of registering for classes, and they listened to a presentation on different courses of study and class requirements.

During these activities, the librarian, Ms. S, wasted no time jumping between working with me, teachers, the counselors, and students.  I noticed she had excellent multitasking skills, and she was attentive and supportive to her patrons and me.  She gave me an overview and specific examples about budgeting, explained to me what it was like to be new in the library field, gave me advice on managing time and a “new” library, and told me about technology, technology repair, circulation, new books, cataloging and much more.

Another especially meaningful conversation I had with Ms. S dealt with the Principal’s support of the Media Center.  Ms. S explained how lucky she was to have a Principal who valued the Media Center and understood its invaluable role in the school.  I felt I learned so much during the few hours I spent at the middle school, and I hope to volunteer there in the future if possible!