Beyond the Basics: Differentiation Strategies for Online Information Literacy Instruction

Beyond the Basics: Differentiation Strategies to Enhance Online Information

Literacy Instruction

Brandon West, M.Ed., M.L.S. Online Instruction/Instructional Design Librarian

Penfield Library, SUNY Oswego

June 29, 2014 ALA/LIRT Conference Program

Differentiation

• Bloom’s Taxonomy

“Bloom’s New Taxonomy.” (2013).

Maine Dept. of Education.

www.maine.gov

Differentiation

• Learning Styles / Multiple intelligences (Gregory & Chapman, 2007)

• Differentiation is an approach to instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies to address: • What students need to learn (Content)

• How students learn about a topic (Process)

• How students demonstrate what they learn (Product) (De Jesus, 2012)

My Online Teaching Journey

• Last fall, I taught information literacy online for the first time as an embedded librarian.

• EDU 516: Research Methods in Education

• Teaching faculty: “My students need to use the library to find research articles.”

Content Process Product

Content = What the students need to learn.

• The students in EDU 516 need to learn how to use ERIC for their education research to locate 6 to 8 research articles and 1 dissertation or thesis.

• This information would be used by students to craft a literature review.

Content Process Product

Then…

• I posted an ERIC web tutorial available on Penfield Library’s website in Angel, our learning management system.

Content Process Product

Web tutorial Video tutorials Quick Guide Document

• Now…

Content Process Product

• Podcasts

• Wikis

• Blogs

• PDFs

• Articles

• Videos

• Tutorials

• Screencasts

• LibGuides

• Slideshows

Provide students with content choices. Select options that appeal to a

variety of learning styles and ability levels.

Provide students with optional links/materials to allow them to delve more deeply into topics.

Content Process Product

Process = How students will learn the content.

Then….

• The students would complete the tutorial, then search for articles. I also hosted a discussion board to answer questions.

Content Process Product

Now…

• Students complete a tutorial of their choosing.

• Students independently develop a search strategy; they can post their questions to the discussion board as questions arise.

• Small groups of 2 or 3 students review each other’s strategies.

Content Process Product

Consider the structure of learning activities and the types of interactions students will have with their peers, the content, and the librarian.

• Asynchronous vs. Synchronous activities/interactions (Mackey & Jacobson, 2011)

• Provide tiered activities: beginner, intermediate, advanced (Cash, 2011)

• Incorporate opportunities for individual and small group work into activities

Content Process Product

Product = How students demonstrate what they have learned.

Then…

The professor had a “Library Visit” assignment that asked them to submit a list of their 6 to 8 articles and 1 dissertation or thesis.

Content Process Product

Now…

The students need to:

• Provide APA citations for their selected resources

• Evaluate how the sources benefit their action research project

• Analyze themes in found the literature

• Options for assignment:

Write an annotated bibliography OR Create a presentation

Content Process Product

Assignment Criteria 0-4 pts– Few requirements

met

5-9 pts– Most requirements

met

10 pts– All requirements

met

6 to 8 articles provided

in APA format

Less than 6 to 8 articles;

more than 5 APA

citation errors

6 to 8 articles, but more

than 4 APA citation

errors.

6 to 8 articles; 2 or less

errors in APA format.

1 dissertation or thesis

provided in APA format

No dissertation or thesis

provided

At least 1 dissertation;

less than 2 errors in APA

citations.

At least 1 dissertation or

thesis, 1 or less errors in

APA format. Explanation of why

article/dissertation will

benefit your research.

No explanations

provided

Explanations are

provided for ½ of

resources

Explanations are

provided for ALL

resources.

Provide 4 themes that

seem to run throughout

the literature.

No themes in literature

are discussed

Only 3 or fewer themes

are discussed

4 or more themes are

discussed

Content Process Product

Examples of possible products in online courses: • Discussions • Annotated bibliography • Present synchronously • Contribute to wikis • Develop a multimedia object using web tools • Blog/Journal entries

These products help the librarian assess student understanding.

Considerations

•Time

• Start small & incorporate differentiated instruction elements over time.

•Accessibility – Section 508

•Student learning profiles

• Self assessments

@bwestlibrarian

brandon.west@oswego.edu

Presentation available at:

www.slideshare.net/bwest2

Interesting Reads & Other Sources

Akdemir, O., & Koszalka, T. A. (2008). Investigating the relationships among instructional strategies and learning styles in online environments. Computers & Education, 50(4),1451-1461. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2007.01.004.

Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design, AACE Journal, 16(2), 137- 159.

• Carol Tomlinson – An expert in Educational Differentiation

• Consult teaching literature available in Curriculum Material Libraries

References

Cash, R. (2011). Advancing differentiation: Thinking and learning for the 21st century. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

De Jesus, O. (2012). Differentiated instruction: Can differentiated instruction provide success for all learners?. National Teacher Education Journal, 5(3), 5-11.

Gregory, G., & Chapman, C. (2007). Differentiated instructional strategies: One size doesn’t fit all. London, UK: Corwin Press.

Mackey, T. P., & Jacobson, T. E. (Eds.). (2011). Teaching information literacy online. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers.