After looking at both the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and the Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model (SAMR), I definitely feel that they are useful tools in assisting teachers to develop their practice in relation to teaching research skills in the classroom. I have looked at two teachers to see how these models could help them in their growth as educators.
Teacher 1-
Mrs. Smith is a veteran teacher who has been teaching for 24 years. She is not comfortable with technology and has just recently begun to use a document camera to aid in her classroom teaching. Mrs. Smith does a major research project each year with her grade 4 students. They are to choose a Canadian animal and research it using a given outline. They are taught how to create a bibliography and the end product is a trifold display backboard and a habitat diorama. This project is completed by both grade 4 teachers in the school.
Personal photo of a student research project
The 2 teachers sign all of the non-fiction books about Canadian animals from the library and borrows the set of encyclopedias. Students are able to research online at home for homework and use that information in their projects as well.
Mrs. Smith wants all of the research to be written on paper in a package that she has handed out with a page for each topic within the project (habitat, diet, appearance, etc…). When completing the final presentation, students are allowed to either type their work at home or handwrite their work to put on the display board. She has done this project every year for the past 15 years and is comfortable with its familiar layout.
The Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) describes 8 levels of use when evaluating an educator’s current use of a new skill. Mrs. Smith would be in the ‘orientation’ level on this scale. She is familiar with some of the new technology but puts it off to learn in the future.
The CBAM also lists 7 stages of concern that teachers may have when starting to use a new and unfamiliar innovation. Mrs. Smith would be in the 2nd and 3rd stage of concern. She is worried about how a new tool will affect the project she has successfully done for years, and also about how much time it will take her to learn a new program and teach it to her students.
When looking at the Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) model as defined on the “Technology is Learning” website, Mrs. Smith would belong in the ‘substitution’ level. She prints off papers for students to fill in and hand in to her. A goal for Mrs. Smith would be to move ahead into the ‘modification’ level. To do this, she could start small and have her class compile their research into a document on a word document that is saved on a memory stick or saved on our school server. She could also increase her level of technology use by introducing her students to the BC Digital Classroom ERAC suite. The World Book Student and the World Book Classroom Science Power resources would be great paces for her students to start.
I feel that in the case of Mrs. Smith, it would be best for me to start the process with her students first. Students at this age are quick to learn new technology and ideas. If they are already comfortable using a program when Mrs. Smith is introduced to it, the students may not need as much assistance and may even be able to help her, which will reduce her stress by a lot. It makes sense to start there, because as stated by Riedling, “The Learning Commons is a place to engage in inquiry activities with guidance from information specialists.” What better place to begin!
The plan for Mrs. Smith to advance along the continuum of the SMAR model will be:
1. I will introduce Mrs. Smith’s class to the BC Digital Classroom during their weekly library time. The first class will be a teacher demonstration as we search for some information together.
2. The next class will be individually searching for information about a topic of their choice.
3. We will complete a basic research project together during library instruction time each week in order to familiarize the class with the layout of these websites.
4. By the time Mrs. Smith starts her animal project in the spring, her class will be able to work independently on the research sites. At this point, I can introduce the websites /procedures to Mrs. Smith and walk her through how they can be used.
By starting the process with a class that are already fluent users of the research websites, it will help to reduce the technology troubleshooting issues that Mrs. Smith is concerned about. She can focus more on the research with her students and less on the ‘how do I log in?’ problems that generally occur with students. Hopefully this will increase her confidence in using new systems, and then she will be able to start the process herself the next year. The CBAM model does state that this is a process that may take years, it does not happen overnight.
Teacher 2-
Miss Jones embraces technology in her classroom, but usually sticks to what she knows without trying new things. She teaches grade 5/6 and her class always does a research project on product marketing. She loves the idea of using technology to research and introduces her students to a variety of websites to safely research at school. She also teaches her class how to find and save photos of the product they are researching. Miss Jones has used PowerPoint with her class and would like to try a new presentation method, but unsure how to do so.
On the CBAM levels of use scale shown above, Miss Jones would be in the ‘routine use’ category. She is comfortable with certain tools and sticks with them year to year. Because she is excited to try new programs, I think she would belong in the ‘collaboration’ category on the stages of use table. She wants to learn new things and work with other teachers at her grade level.
Miss Jones is already quite proficient in using online tools for the research process. In the SAMR model, she would fall mostly into the ‘augmentation’ level. She is ready to move on to use new technology for her students to present their research findings.
She would like to focus on the creativity aspect of presenting their information. This correlates well with the goals for a Learning Commons as stated in the Leading Learning document published by the Canadian Library Association. The ‘Focus on Creativity’ area states that the Learning Commons is “naturally positioned to provide learning experiences that take critical thinking to the next level through creativity”. The ‘Focus on Innovation’ area describes the Learning Commons as “a place where kids and adults can take risks and experiment with new ways of doing school”.
Because Miss Jones and her class are already familiar with online research resources that are available to our school, the plan for her to advance along the continuum if the SAMR model will be:
1. Suggest a few new ways she can have her students present their research. Some ideas that come to mind for me are Flipgrid, Prezi, or Adobe Spark.
2. Once she has looked over the options and chosen one to work on, we can arrange some time after school to go through the program together and create an example.
3. I can work with her students on their projects during their library time to provide any help or support that they need.
Hopefully these steps will help Miss Jones develop a strong comfort level with a new program, and maybe next year we can choose a new one to learn!
As a Teacher Librarian, any way that I can help teachers develop new skills to aid in their teaching and learning is a positive step forward. The CBAM and SAMR models are a good way to measure where teachers are starting and allows us to set a goal for the future.
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Admin. (n.d.). BC Digital Classroom Access. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://bcerac.ca/bcdc-access/
Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://sedl.org/cbam/
Flipgrid. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://info.flipgrid.com/
Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada,. (2014). Canadian Library Association.
Make Social Graphics, Short Videos, and Web Pages To Stand Out-In Minutes: Adobe Spark. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://spark.adobe.com/
Presentation Software: Online Presentation Tools: Prezi. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://prezi.com/?click_source=logged_element
Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Pg 106. In Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
SAMR Model - Technology Is Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model
Hi Jodi,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about how you mapped out the process for each of the two teachers. It is great how you considered the developmental levels of the students and also connected with the teacher’s workload for success. Very nice connections to the Leading Learning document.
Sounds like you have a great plan for helping both teachers. I like that you're supporting the first teacher's learning by lessening the load. Getting kids to sign in is such a process alone. Plus supporting them in using a new site, while developing their researching skills is a challenge. Starting them in this process, during their library time, is a great idea! Working collaboratively with the classroom teacher is a great way to support their learning and the students.
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