Professional Reading Reviews

Volume 29, Number 5, June 2002

With Ken Haycock

Reviews:

Assessing student learning: A practical guide. / Kent Seidel, editor.

The career advancement portfolio. / Beverly Irby & Genevieve Brown.

Curriculum partner: Redefining the role of the library media specialist. / Carol Kearney.

Teaching information and technology skills: The Big 6 in secondary schools. / Michael Eisenberg and Robert Berkowitz with Robert Darrow and Kathleen Spitzer.

Plus: New titles worth a look

Assessing student learning: A practical guide.
Kent Seidel, editor.

Reviewed by Ken Haycock

This CD is the “first large scale effort to compile practical guidance from nationally recognized authors” on student assessment. Every subject area is included, listing the key knowledge and skills of each discipline and suggesting appropriate and authentic assessment strategies. These methods are referenced across subject areas.

Almost thirty chapters are included, from the general use of data, to standards and methods of different subject areas, to assessing special needs students with disabilities or English as a second language. The chapter on Information Literacy (chapter 24) was written by Jean Donham (University of Iowa) and Vi Harada (University of Hawaii) two of the principal writers/editors of Information power. Julie Walker, executive director of AASL, was a reviewer for the full text.

The strengths of the CD include bringing together the learning standards of different subject areas with preferred assessment methods and cross-referencing and linking commentary on these methods. The weakness is the resulting superficiality in some areas through duplication. Nevertheless, there are good and sufficient examples of less common strategies such as learning logs, journals, process portfolios and rubrics.

A few minor irritants were the inability to navigate easily throughout the CD without following specific links, and parts of each document coming through the printer as gibberish. Direct links to “valuable in-line supplementary resources” were not possible when reviewed as the ACR home page was inaccessible. One might also hope that a second edition would integrate more of the common elements such that “information literacy” need not stand solely on its own but be weaved through the various subject areas. It is too discouraging to read a section on problem-solving or decision-making or use of resources in different subject contexts, and see no reference to the library or teacher-librarian except in chapter 24.

In spite of these shortcomings this is a resource which will provide teacher-librarians with knowledge and insight to assessment in different curricular areas in a way that will enable them to make thoughtful and relevant suggestions to teacher colleagues while planning together. (Alliance for Curriculum Reform, 2000. PDF on CD-ROM. For members of an ACR affiliate, including AASL: $32 single use; $160 for network use; otherwise prices are $40 and $200.)

Bottom Line: The second edition should be even better.

The career advancement portfolio.
Beverly Irby & Genevieve Brown.

Reviewed by Ken Haycock

Interesting how we have started to develop portfolios for students but tend to use them less with teachers and administrators. Here the authors present the case, and many examples, of the career advancement portfolio as a tool for district administrative and consultative positions but make it clear that it would be useful for any job application or professional growth plan.

The appearance, organization and structure are reviewed as well as how to select and use artifacts, reflections and accolades. When used for an application, comments are included on the cover letter and resume and how to incorporate the portfolio in an interview. Each portfolio also includes a “leadership framework” with statements on philosophy, vision, professional growth and method of vision attainment. Professional goals and leadership domains are specified and evidence provided of achievement or growth. Career portfolios would be very useful for those applying for positions as a teacher-librarian in another school or for a district or administrative position. (Corwin, 2000. 88 pp. $24.95. 0-7619-7542-X.)

Bottom Line: A useful professional growth and application tool

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Curriculum partner: Redefining the role of the library media specialist.
Carol Kearney.

Reviewed by Ken Haycock

Simply stated, this is a book that I would have liked to have written. It is important for practicing professionals and graduate students. Were I a district coordinator I would organize a discussion group around it. Were I teaching a course in teacher-librarianship it would be one of my texts. Kearney has been a teacher-librarian at all levels, including district coordinator, and has an exceptional ability to meld current theory and research with tools and techniques and a real story by way of example, in a teacher-librarian’s own words. Here work is firmly grounded in the principles of Information power (AASL, 1998) with extensive documentation, including conference presentations not found elsewhere.

Beginning with the necessity of leadership by teacher-librarians, the author incorporates the importance of interpersonal skills, building influence and developing power bases. Yet she places this all within the grasp of the committed, dedicated TL. She then moves to explain carefully the role that principals play in implementation of programs and how to engender support. The change process does not gloss over the issue of resistance but it is placed in a context of natural steps. Involving administrators and faculty in visioning and goal-setting is explored as a context for collaborative planning, implementation and assessment. Kearney provides context, a research base, examples of “how-to-do-it” and success stories. Playing a formal and informal role in staff development and advocacy round out the work.

You won’t find worksheets or planning forms here but you will find the best of a professional book: practical suggestions reflecting the world of work but firmly grounded in evidence and example. (Greenwood, 2000. 180 pp. $39.95. 0-313-31025-4).

Bottom Line: Buy it, use it, and share it

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Teaching information and technology skills: The Big 6 in secondary schools.
Michael Eisenberg and Robert Berkowitz with Robert Darrow and Kathleen Spitzer.

Reviewed by Ken Haycock

There are many information process models based on the pioneering work of the British Library in the 1970s. The most popular of these is the Big6, although others are also well-known, particularly the work of Ann Irving, Terence Brake, Carol Kuhlthau, Jamie Mackenzie, Judy Pitts, Barbara Stripling and variations by school districts and provincial/state departments of education around the world. The steps are similar for students: what do I need to do? where can I go and when? how can I get at what I want? which shall I use? how shall I use them? what should I make a record of? have I got the information I need? how should I present it? how have I done? Over time, the importance of framing essential questions and teaching synthesis, analysis and evaluation have been emphasized as well. Models have evolved as recursive rather than linear, with the best examples of implementation coming from school-wide efforts to identify local needs and agree to common approaches and consistency across grades and subject areas.

For those unable to develop a school-determined information process, the Big6 offers a very good off the shelf resource. “Big6ers” speak their own language and find that six steps offer them what they need in their instructional programs. The authors take pains to note that integration with classroom instruction is critical to success; if teacher-librarians gain school-wide acceptance of a commercial model like this one, reinforcement of a learned approach to information-based problem-solving will prove helpful to students.

As one of many Big6 publications, this title offers suggestions for curriculum integration for TLs. There are sample forms for curriculum mapping, and suggested criteria for entry points for collaborative planning. The book is replete with tested worksheets. It is interesting, however, that the singularity of focus on the Big6 brings innumerable TM reminders that the name is registered, but the one example, over four pages, of I-Search, another approach, does not include so much as a citation let alone suggested readings, and the entry is misplaced in the index.

This is a practical work. While current in its applications one is reminded by example of how the Internet is changing: published only eighteen months ago, the search engine examples are already “pre-Google”. (Linworth, 2000. 204 pp. $39.95. 1-58683-006-6.) A companion piece for elementary schools is also available (Linworth, 1999).

Bottom Line: Good examples applicable to many models.

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