University of Georgia
Instructional Technology
School Library Media

Master's Portfolio
Summer 2006

Collaborative Units (Unit 1, Unit 2, Log and Reflection .doc)

For this assignment, I collaboratively planned two research units. The first was for a 7th grade science class's study of biomes, whcih had its origins in a previous curriculum mapping project. The teacher and I:

• analyzed the curriculum standards
• identified information literacy and content components
• prepared a list of unit goals
• described a product that would demonstrate mastery of unit goals
• developed an assessment rubric
• identified skills and knowledge necessary to complete of the task
• divided teaching responsibilities based on individual expertise
• determined benchmark assessments for students
• developed a process evaluation questionnaire
• placed students into cooperative learning groups to research their biomes and prepare their final products

We elected to use the Kuhlthau Information Search Process model, which focuses on identifying emotions at each stage of the research process and developing appropriate interventions to help students overcome hurdles.

For the second collaborative effort, I worked with a colleague to develop a unit on human rights violations in Latin America for a Spanish V class. The teacher, who regularly implemented research units during the course, was frustrated by her students' inability to analyze and synthesize information, by their tendency to use Internet resources indiscriminately, and by plagiarism. I recommended that we use the I-Search process model because it seemed to be ideally suited to the problems and needs of the class. As part of the instruction, I developed and taught lessons on using the double-entry draft system of note taking and evaluating Internet resources. Additionally, we developed a final assessment product that motivated students because it allowed them to choose its format. After implementation of the unit, the teacher was exceptionally pleased with the results. "We're a learning focused school," she said, "but too often students lose sight of the focus when they do research. This method puts the essential questions front and center, and the students are given the tools to answer them."

Both of these experiences allowed me to see the significant impact that the media specialist can have on the overall academic success of students by providing information literacy instruction that is integrated with classroom content. I was also convinced of the value of the teacher-media specialist partnership for planning and implementing instruction. By combining the expertise of two teachers, we supported and learned from one another and students benefited.

The I-Search model drives students' learning by engaging their interests, passions, and needs. I experienced this first-hand as I participated in my own I-Search to develop a travel itinerary and identify fiction, non-fiction, and web-based resources that would help my niece and me better appreciate our destination. I was especially motivated by the ability to choose the format of my final product -- it did not have to be a formal research paper. I could potentially use personal strengths or talents to synthesize my knowledge and answer my research questions. Moreover, the final product, research logs, and journals were written in first person, which ensured that I made personal connections to the topic.

Participation in the I-Search activity gave me the confidence to suggest incorporating this process model into a unit I planned collaboratively with a colleague (described above). I was anxious to see how the I-Search's inherent focus on selecting a topic of personal interest worked when placed in the context of a content curriculum unit. I found that students were just as motivated as I was by the strong emphasis on making personal connections to information and by the ability to choose a final product format, even though their choice of topics was somewhat limited.