ID_+Thought+Provoker+2

Discussion Prompt -- Thought Provoker 2

**Chapter Overview**

The thesis of the Helping Teachers Teach book is "that school library media specialists can help their teachers teach by serving as an instructional consultant at different levels" (Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 14). A too-complex ID process combined with media specialists' already having full plates are the two factors that have kept this arrangement from happening in most school settings. The authors argue that in order to succeed at the necessary instructional consultation role, the ID intervention "will commonly be of a less drastic nature" (Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 15) than what might be found in military or postsecondary settings.

In helping teachers teach, it's helpful if the instructional consultant is familiar with a given teacher's "practical theory," or the "system of knowledge, experience, and values" (Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 17). The levels approach to instructional consultation is simple. Across the 8 steps of the instructional design process (i.e., needs analysis, learner analysis, instructional objectives, assessment of student performance, strategies and activities development, materials selection, implementation, and evaluation), the instructional consultant may assist teachers at one of three levels: initial, moderate, or in-depth. The authors recommend beginning with initial levels and moving upwards to build necessary support infrastructure, rather than beginning at the in-depth level where no prior consultation might have taken place. Starting small may have the effect, too, of building teacher trust and confidence in the instructional consultant's ability to deliver a worthwhile intervention.

**Describe how teachers, media specialists, and technology specialists can work together to gain insight into the value of identifying the desired results of instruction before planning specific instruction.**

As a potential instructional consultant (from the technology specialist perspective), this is a question I keep asking myself as I read through the book. As a high school teacher, I did not avail myself of such relationships, so I have not personally "lived" this scenario from the teacher perspective. At this point, I can see myself acting as a university-based instructional consultant to a Georgia middle school (blended with students on computer every day using a learning management system) with which I have already done some work. One thing the principal has suggested is that his teachers need training on technology integration, as their site-based technology specialist was moved to the central office last year. As I have read through the //Helping Teachers Teach// book, it has occurred to me that one person I might try bringing to the table if we do indeed try to deliver professional development is the media specialist. If she is interested in helping, she may be a good partner in building consensus and maintaining a personal line of communication.

If we move forward with the in-service professional development model, one way we can all work together to work with the end in mind is to survey the teachers on what they think they need to be able to do and understand better to function in the blended teaching environment. What are the daily frustrations they experience working with technology? What are some applications they think they might like to learn about but haven't found the time to self-teach? What do they want their students to be able to do? Etc. We need to solicit their input and design for their needs as possible. And we don't want to waste their time surveying them and then completely ignoring them. Teachers "can be unforgiving of those who waste what little [time] is available to them" (Turner & Riedling, 2003, p. 49), and by planning instruction based on what they can leave the session doing and understanding, it is more likely to have an impact. The teachers at the school may then be more receptive to future such sessions.

**Describe your own interpretation of the difference between knowledge and understanding as presented in Chapter 2 of //Understanding by Design//.**

Knowledge is discrete facts, things held to be true, etc. Understanding is seeing meaningful patterns or relationship among the discrete bits of knowledge. I loved the analogy of the tile floor. If knowledge is the individual tiles, then understanding might be the patterns we see on the tiles. (I took this picture of a church floor a few years back.)

I have been thinking about the idea of "understanding" a lot lately as my younger two children are growing up quickly, and I wonder what lasting gifts I can give them before they fly this coop. I believe that parents must give their children a framework (or multiple ones) by which to understand the, so that when they encounter new information, they might find a place to hook things. When, for instance, they come across the concept of **mean person**, they don't just freeze up and wonder, //what do I do now? This scary person is throwing obstacles in my path!// With an evolving, expanding framework, the child could say //Hmmmm, mean person. Have I seen this before? Yes! Aunt Matilda is mean. But we still love her, and if you just try talking to her in a calm fashion, she cooperates.// (Example of using framework to work with others). I am looking forward to transferring my understanding of big-ideas planning gleaned from //Understanding by Design// to helping my own children build their own frameworks of understanding.

Certainly, I am super-excited by what this will do for my own instructional designing as well. In Texas, where I did most of my K-12 teaching, we did not use "backward design," and while what we used is similar, I think some of the differences are key. Plus, I was trained as a teacher 10 years ago. At that point, I didn't see the relevance of what I was learning (pre-service) as much as I do now. As I read this book, I am getting very excited that Wiggins and McTighe are speaking to a lot of design issues I have struggled with. I look forward to putting this into practice this semester and getting better at this teaching thing. :)

Kim

**References**

Turner, P. M. & Riedling, A. M. (2003). //Helping teachers teach: A school library media specialist’s role//. 3rd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). //Understanding by design//. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.