Curriculum design competencies for school librarians

Znt. Libr. Rev. (1980) 12, 343-357

Curriculum Design Competencies for School Librarians

EMMA R. CHRISTINE*

FOREWORDI

Often one wonders if educational change really ever touches upon the learning process of a young child. It is encouraging to note that the study and curriculum in this report does show the direct benefits the competencies of a library media specialist have upon students and teachers in learning environments.

The teaching and learning process cannot be the same for all indi- viduals. Each student’s needs must be met by a creative teacher whose instructional skills and knowledge of resources effectively direct an inquiring m ind toward understanding. That the role of a library media specialist is essential to the successful teaching team and development of curriculum is easily seen in the results of the study.

Building upon behavioral objectives identified by the School Library Manpower Project and its published Behavioral Requirements Anal_vsis Checklist, the curriculum developed and described in this report achieves results in developing competencies library media specialists must possess to be actively involved in determining learning outcomes. It is refresh- ing to discover the depth, perception and imaginative use of variables the library media specialists and teacher have developed in a CO- operative approach to curriculum development.

INTRODUCTION

In the recent past, education for school librarianship has been geared too infrequently to the actual competencies required by personnel once on the job. Course content has traditionally dwelt on such basics as cataloguing, history of books and libraries, reference materials and

* c/o Michael A. Christine, 4202 North 55th Place, Phoenix, A2 85018, USA. 1 Robert N. Case, author, Behauioral Requirements Analysis Checklist, upon which this study

is based.

002O-7837/80/040343+ 15 %02.OO/O 0 1980 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited

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selection, evaluation and processing of library materials. While not denying the applicability and necessity of those subjects, it is also apparent that more emphasis is merited by such crucial topics as school library management, personnel relations, task analysis, materials’ design and production, and effective utilization of instructional materials. For success in today’s mediated school libraries, emerging professionals must possess a thorough grasp of these competencies as well.

CURRICULUM RESPONSIBILITIES OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS

Competency-based professional education received major study and experimentation in the United States as part of the five-year Knapp School Library Manpower Project. Several documents1 emerged from that project which have heavily influenced subsequent United States and international library development in areas of staffing, standards, task analysis, and professional education for administration.

Of particular relevance is the Behavioral Requirements Analysis Checklist2 known familiarly as BRAC, which set forth competency-based job functions and task statements for school library media personnel result- ing from the compilation and analysis of data received through various project-initiated surveys. Several sections in BRAC refer to specifically identified responsibilities of the school librarian insofar as instruction and curriculum design are concerned.

In the area called “Learning and Learning Environment”, Function 1: To apply the principles of learning and learning theory to assist the learner in his pursuit of individual and group search and inquiry, especially Task 1, “Plan learning experiences to reinforce the practices of accepted learning theories”.

Function 2 reads: To participate, as a member of the educational team, in the design and construction of the curriculum for the educational program, especially Task 2, “Communicate the role and poten- tial of the media program to achieve curriculum goals” and Task 7, “Assist individual faculty members to plan curriculum and select appropriate resources.”

Function 4 reads: To plan learning activities and opportunities to enable each student to assume an increasing amount of responsibility

1 American Library Association. School library personnel task analysis survey. A.L.A. (1969) l-ask analysis survey instrunznt. A.L.A., 1969; Occupational definitions for school library media

@rsonnel. A.L.A. (1971) and Mary Gaver. Services of secondary school media centers; evaluation and dwelopnent. A.L.A. (197 1).

2 Robert Case (1976). Behavioral Requirements Analysis Checklist: A Compilation of Competency- based job Functiotrs and Task Statements for School Library Media Personnel. Rev. ed. American Library Association.

CURRICULUM DESIGN COMPETENCIES 345

for planning, undertaking and assessing his own learning, especially Task 4, “Involve the student in the development of his own learning activities,” Task 7, “Plan and guide the integration of appropriate media to support specified learning experiences,” and Task 8, “Supple- ment the media center resources with a variety of community resources to extend the learning environment”.

Function 6 reads : To participate in a continuous program of curriculum assessment and evaluation based on the stated curriculum objectives, especially Task 5, “Design, test, and evaluate instructional materials in reference to the achievement of instructional objectives”.

In the area called “Media” Function 4: To evaluate and select teaching and learning resources to support teacher and student objectives with reference to specific learner characteristics within specific learning environments.

Function 12 : To guide faculty in the appropriate use of media equipment and services of the media center to meet identified instructional objectives.

Function 13 : To assist faculty in the selection of appropriate media to support curriculum objectives; and

Function 25: To produce instructional media related to given topics to meet prespecified instructional objectives.

Yearly m illions of dollars and countless hours go into educational research. One may question how often research results are given opportunities to influence teaching practices. On the assumption that it makes professional good sense to take advantage of such research results, courses such as the one to be described here have been designed and instituted.1 Content was formulated to build competencies in candidates preparing for careers in school librarianship, as well as to increase the capabilities of personnel already in the field. Participants enrolled in the course described here were in the latter category.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Titled “School Library Resources II : Instructional Unit Construc- tion”, the course description declared : “In order to function fully in today’s expanded school library media center, the librarian must build competencies in curriculum design, both as an innovator and as a

1 Designed by this writer and used initially in the Knapp School Library Manpower Project and described fully in A Curriculum Outline for Training School Library Media Spccialisls. Department of Educational Technology and Library Science, Arizona State University (Tempe), 1973. Sincere acknowledgement is given to those creative members of the school librarianship class, Townsville College of Advanced Education, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, from whose curriculum units excerpts have been used for discussion in this paper.

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professional teaching colleague with classroom teachers. These competencies will be practiced as the primary emphases in this course.”

Course objectives were listed as: (1) candidates will demonstrate competence in extensive search, location, and discriminating selection of print and non-print materials for inclusion in specific instructional units; (2) candidates will practice and sharpen production skills related to a variety of non-print materials suitable for inclusion in specific instructional units, and (3) candidates will present units of instruction they have prepared including introductory statements, objectives stated in desired pupil outcomes, precis of unit content, specific instructional materials with rationale for their inclusion, library skills taught or re- inforced, learning activities, and identification of facilities/supplies/ equipment necessary to implement the unit identified. Evaluative measures to be administered at the units’ conclusions were also to be listed.

Six units of instruction appropriate to the level of each librarian’s school and based on a specific subject were to be constructed, utilizing all types of library materials and including at least three originally designed and produced items. Subjects for four units were to be selected from social sciences, science, reading, and library skills/resource utilization, with two optional selections allowed from any other field represented in normal school curriculum patterns. Class members were advised to examine curriculum guides, school syllabi, course outlines and similar educational materials’ collections in order to be fully con- versant with curriculum content and current methodology.

Unit design differed significantly from what once was known as the “lesson plan” in that objectives were to be stated in terms of learning outcomes behaviorally phrased rather than in teaching goals geared to subject matter specifics. Also, resource selection was to be made with definite contributions to the unit foremost rather than the traditional shotgun “list anything which may be on the subject” (useful or not) approach. Deliberate attention was to be given to involving students in the learning plan at all levels, including where possible the formulation of objectives, activities, evaluative measures and appropriate resource selection. Another difference was the inclusion of many instructional avenues instead of heavy dependence on textbooks or teacher-oriented presentations. Efforts toward student production of learning materials as integral parts of the lessons, rather than only as optional activities, characterized the plans. Involving the student in this aspect of his learning rather than forever dooming him to the role of passive recipient of “teaching” led to a special emphasis on student planning and production of instructional media. A corresponding emphasis on l ibrarian production of instructional materials was also made.


Course textbooks were James W. Brown’s AVInstruction: Technology, Media and Methods,1 a distinguished educational source especially valu- able in its delineation of the contributions of all instructional media, innovative methodology, and objective criteria for effective utilization, and Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives2 which set forth the philosophy and practical application of this educational planning compo- nent. O ther reading was assigned in works by theorists such as Klascks and Gagne4.

Subject delimitation Ability to limit subject matter capable of being covered with designated resources in a specified time and geared to identified learning outcomes is an essential competency for the curriculum designer. Librarians com- posed such limiting statements as a further refinement of the selection problems inherent in unit construction. Some paraphrased statements are given here:

This unit is intended primarily for senior students to accompany an English elective on mass media. It could also be used with high ability grade 10 and adapted for grade 9 who also study mass media. The students will be given a series of extracts from various media and through class discussion and written work, as well as their own productions, be made aware of the purposes, intended audience, method and content of the extracts, and the different approaches made by the media to the same topic.

It is planned that this unit on the use of encyclopedias will take three, half-hour periods in the library. Children will be shown the different types of encyclopedias, how they are arranged, inside and outside guides, the use of the index with sub- headings and cross-references, and any special study guides or references for further reading.

This unit supports the grade 6 social studies unit on mineral resources of Australia. An integral part is the field trip to two towns which were important centers for gold in our immediate area. The students will study and discuss the history of gold and its uses, lifestyles in the gold fields, how gold is mined, television programs and literature relating to that period.

The study of myths and legends can give pleasure, an understanding of our past and present world and of the cultures of other people. The length of this unit will depend on the enthusiasm with which the children respond. Children will be exposed to a number of myths and legends through print, audiovisual media and resource personnel and be directed to specific reference books such as dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases to investigate questions of meaning and location.

This unit is designed to teach necessary basic research skills to grades 5, 6 and 7, taught by the librarian during the first term of the year, in order to facilitate

1 J, W. Brown, R. B. Lewis and F. Harcleroad (1977). AV Instruction: Technology, Media and Methods. 5th ed. McGraw.

s Robert Mager (1975). Prejaring Instructional Objectives. Fearon. 3 C. B. Klasck (1972). Zn.rtrwtional Media in the Modern School. Prof. Ed. Pub. 4 R. Gagne (1974). Principles of Zmtmtional Design. Holt.

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independent work. Topics will include parts of a book, using the table of contents and index, making notes, and methods of illustrating a report.

The delimiting statements are particularly important when units are seen as instruments to be issued directly to students as operational guides to their work. By clearly informing students what is to be covered as well as in what depth and to what degree of excellence, there is great probability of clear understanding and thus more successful completion of tasks.1

Behavioral objectives This same consideration is also present in the preparation of behavioral objectives. Writing these and other types of educational objectives is a difficult exercise requiring thought and practice. Since clearly stated objectives describe what the learner should be able to “do/construct/ identify/name” at the conclusion of his effort, it behooves the librarian to master the techniques necessary for their construction. Successful objectives, however, are not written in a vacuum-they rise out of a thorough understanding of subject matter, of available resources, of children’s learning styles and abilities, and educational goals to be achieved. These imperatives operate for the librarian in library learning situations just as for the classroom teacher. Thus, in the preparation of curriculum units at the request of or in conjunction with a classroom teacher, or in the formulation of original units by the librarian, mastery of the skills of objectives’ composition is a requisite competency. A few examples prepared by the class are given:

When shown the printed form, the child will recognize and say instantly all of the 25 nouns shown.

After viewing slides on weathering, the students will be able to answer five questions on the causes of weathering.

Students will make an overhead transparency on one of the following topics and explain the significance of its parts.

Given any non-fiction book and any research topic, the student will use the index to locate the pages on which that topic is found.

After observation of slides, charts, and books, children will demonstrate competence in visual skills by identifying five locally found shells and by naming from pictures five locally common fish.

After a period of research and given a prism, a light source and two thermometers, each student will demonstrate the existence of both ultraviolet and infrared radia- tion by placing the thermometers in the correct position.

Child will correctly label items displayed by resource person and discuss the slide/ tape presented by that person.

1 Pioneer work with this technique was done by Dr Samuel Postlethwait of Purdue University (Indiana) and is described in his The Autotutorial AHroach to Learning Through Indefmdmt Study and Intcgratcd Ex~erimces. Burgess Pub., 1972.


Pre-testing The desirability of pre-testing student entry skills before instruction, a technique especially important in programs geared to independent pursuits, was reflected particularly in the library skills units prepared by the class. In two programs planned for new students, pre-tests served both as review and as a method of revealing gaps in students’ knowledge of basic library skills and materials. One pre-test was in kit form containing librarian-produced overhead projectuals, booklet, tape cassette and question sheets. Successful completion required students to use practically all resources in the library including the librarian! Another library skills unit began with a pre-test made up of a general knowledge question sheet which had to be completed correctly before anything else could be attempted. Another unit dealt specifically with card catalog use, with copies of various types of catalog cards and exercise sheets. After a slide/tape presentation on the location of library materials, students were given three different cards and requested to locate the specified materials. If the student could do it, fine; if not, remedial instruction was given forthwith.

A unit for fourth grade science used a pre-test of multiple choice questions, including a bit of welcome humor: “Photosynthesis is: (a) dead plants rot if kept warm and damp, (b) the process by which plant food is made in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll, or (c) a new method of taking photos.”

Resource selection It is one thing to assemble a bibliography of multimedia materials; it is quite another to assemble such mediagraphies with discernible instructional relevance. The educational justification of particularly selected instructional media requires a thoughtful application of selection criteria combined with a thorough knowledge of curriculum content and learning objectives. Complete awareness of the characteristics of each type of material and the possible inter-relationships among those selected1 is also important.

Numerous methods of resource analysis were employed by the class members. Recognizing the necessity of such analysis for the most efficient utilization not only of content but of format most appropriate to the learning situation,2 one librarian specified a particular pamphlet as “containing detailed verbal and graphic description of the milling process,” a useful chart as “showing the step by step process of sugar production . . . which will, give students an idea how to do their flow chart,”

1 L. Asheim and S. Fenwick (1975). Dz&ventiating the Media. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

2 J. W. Brown et al. (1973). AV Instruction: Technology, Media and Methods. 4th ed. McGraw.

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and an informative slide/tape program as being “useful as an introduction to the unit”. This concept was,also well illustrated in another unit when the librarian suggested using particular charts “to enable the teacher to elicit a short story from the class to be written directly on the chart, then read by the children, thus providing a constant visual re- minder of the story content,” using a filmstrip “as a stimulus for oral pre-test,” and using a taped story “with questions as practice in listening skills”.

In one unit based wholly on activity card completion, resources were clearly identified as to what purpose they would serve under such categories as “Books used to find answers . . .,” “charts for general interest and to supply answers,” and “tapes used to supply essential information.”

Some librarians even referred to specific pages or portions of materials as being pertinent: “Read page 7 of. . . and answer this question” and “look at the picture on page 62 of. . . and explain . . .” Others gave a thumbnail analysis of content useful both to teachers and students. For example, on a list of resources for a science unit, the librarian alerted his users to filmstrip content by saying “both these show cause and effects of soil erosion,” about a fiction selection, “shows the concern of a nature lover for wild animals threatened by the inroads of civilization,” and about a non-fiction title, “gives the story of extinct animals and birds . . . pp. 22-28 could be read to children as an excellent account of how man has threatened animal life”. This sort of content pinpointing leads to more efficient utilization of selected resources, thus to more efficient learning in terms of educational goals.

Community res0urce.t Personnel. Several librarians tried to utilize community resource persons in addition to parents as integral parts of units. With the currently increasing emphasis on school/community programs, these efforts were seen both as educationally valid and as positive public relations. Among guests specified in units were a government official, an historian, a beekeeper, an Aboriginal craftsman, a marine life expert, another teacher well versed in myths and legends, and local residents from Indonesia and New Guinea.

Parents were welcomed not only as providers of transportation for field trips but also as recipients of meals and programs prepared as culminating class activities. One such unit saw parents eating Indonesian curry prepared by students, while another had them sitting on the floor of a re-created Arab tent eating dates, scones and drinking simulated black coffee. Although not specifically mentioned, in those units dealing with live insects and animals, the assistance of parents in capturing and caring for these specimens was implied !


Field trips. Several units were built around the use of field trips as instructional media. While familiar teaching devices, benefits of field trips are frequently underutilized due to insufficient pre-trip preparation or inadequate follow-up.1 Strict attention was paid to these aspects, with librarians employing such techniques as the composition of check- sheets to be filled out at the various locations, pre-reading to be done, questions prepared in advance to be asked of experts visited, discussions of safety factors involved or any other special regulations to be observed, visual review of places, persons, or things to be seen once at the site. All served to better prepare students for a guided learning experience.

Displays of photographs taken, playing of tapes made, completion of workbooks, work sheets or activity cards using information gained from the trip, production of such artistic creations as posters, murals or collages reflecting information learned, setting up replicas of the places visited such as a grocery store-all served to solidify the trips’ benefits.

Librarians’ original materials An “AV Proficiency Checklist” had been completed by each class member at the beginning of the semester with the suggestion that as many of the low competency areas as possible be upgraded during the units’ preparation. The self-produced materials generated by this re- quirement showed much ingenuity. For example, one librarian wishing to prepare a unit on Dolch common nouns and faced with a conspicuous lack of materials, designed an entire unit of original word/picture charts, flash cards, games, transparencies, reading charts, stencils, tapes and slides !

Lavishly produced overhead projectuals with overlays, color transfers and professional lettering, mounted in booklets and accompanied by appropriate texts, taped commentaries or other contents notes, were numerous. Many posters and charts of an illustrative, inspirational, or instructional nature were produced, often with intricate moving parts. Well-planned flash cards and displays combined content with art, while language master programs concerned themselves with text. Various types of pictures were mounted, labelled and often laminated. Design and composition of work sheets, activity cards, stencils and other instructional vehicles to accompany non-print materials strengthened yet another necessary skill. Collections of realia, specimens and artifacts were made; pamphlets and newspaper clippings were collected, bound or otherwise prepared for circulation. Almost everyone tried his hand at some form of photography, color or black and white, with a few extending their techniques to 8 mm filmmaking and filmstrip production. Several video tapes were also done, as were multimedia kits

1 The best discussion of educational uses of field trips and related community resources is to be found in the editions of Brown op. cit.

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containing slides, tapes, booklets, games, photographs or other types of pictorial media and study sheets. One librarian established an aquarium and a vivarium, stocking them with small animals and insects. Class members came to know, if not to love, “Fred,” the ten-inch blue- tongued lizard who displayed an unusual aplomb when introduced as part of an oral presentation.

Many synchronized slide/tape presentations on subjects ranging from library orientation to folktales were prepared, usually with study sheets or companion booklets. Often the slides had been developed and mounted as well as photographed by the class member. One of the most original slide/tape programs was about characters from myths with explanations of their origins, . another used slides made from stills of an original 8 mm film with accompanying tape ; another made slides of words and letters with a taped pronunciation of each. Drama enact- ments, story telling and poetry interpretations with appropriate back- ground music or sound effects were popular products also.

It was probably in the area of game formulation, however, that most of the class found an unexpected outlet for their creativity. As anyone who has ever attempted it can testify, devising a successful game with the necessary rules, logical progression of steps, and inherent fun in playing is mentally taxing. And when one is also required to make it “educational,” the difficulties are compounded. Games were created around the use of flashcards, game boards, cut-out letters and pictures, variations on “bingo” and “scrabble”, letter and sound recognition, and matching words to spots on a game chart.

Student use d audiovisual materials and equipment Practicing the philosophies they preached in their own libraries caused the librarians to design student activities and assignments necessitating student use of audiovisual materials and equipment. The usual tasks of “listening to tapes” were carried to the utilization of tape content to fulfill a learning objective, and “looking at transparencies” on to the preparation of the students’ own originals. Some non-print resources- based assignments included setting up and completing experiments, looking at slides, looking at 16 mm films and photographs (as well as taking them), working with maps and globes, pictures and filmstrips, playing games, constructing working models, making costumes, looking at slide/tape programs, cooking food, and collecting specimens. Those units built around the care and feeding of live animals (bees, lizards, koala bears, grasshoppers and butterflies) leaned heavily on observation and interpretation of data. None of these audiovisually-oriented tasks operated passively, however, as all included such feedback avenues as the completion of work sheets, stencils, workbooks, activity cards, and


the preparation of work sheets, transparencies, tapes, oral and written class or small group reports, and student-teacher conferences.

Students’ original materials Desire to get the students thoroughly involved in the production and utilization of less customary instructional materials resulted in many challenging assignments by the librarians. These included the use of a sand tray to which items were added daily as children learned more facts about the Arab world they were replicating, the preparation of originally scripted and produced tapes, including interviews with guest resource people, the taking and sometimes developing of photographs, the devising of original questions to discover important facts (and then having to answer those questions made up by other students), making of models to demonstrate understanding of concepts, preparation of overhead projectuals, compilation of multimedia bibliographies and establishing habitats for a variety of living things. Planning and preparation of flannel board story characters, following recipes to cook food, working crossword puzzles, holding mock elections, viewing television at home and analyzing content, making costumes, and collecting and identifying rocks, plants, and other realia were other activities involving student creation as a basic ingredient. It was not unusual to find a librarian requiring student production of a set of slides, a set of transparencies, and a taped commentary as end products of a unit’s work.

Library skills emphasis A mandatory section of each curriculum unit to be prepared by the librarians was an identification of the library skills to be introduced or continued in it. Thus, students might be expected to “check facts, evaluate sources of information, check reliability of information”, or to “concentrate on location and familiarization with resources, use ofaudio- visual hardware, and production of audiovisual software”, or to “use subject catalog, locate materials and take notes, use table of contents and index effectively, use atlas, yearbook, directories, and encyclopedias”, and “use slide projector and cassette player”, to list a few of the requirements made by librarians of students.

“Starting all the media on the same foot”1 in the practices of students using libraries is of increasing importance as school library collections become more varied and rich in selection possibilities. Inclusion of non- print materials as central rather than peripheral parts of a learning program required attention to the corresponding skills needed by students to fully utilize their contents. 2 Thus, in the library skills section

1 Ash&n, op. cit. s E. R. Christine. Multimedia library skills for today’s child; a suggested sequence.

Califmia Media and Library Educators’ Association Journal. Winter, 1978.

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of the curriculum units, frequent mention was made of such instructions as:

“After instruction, practice using slide projector and tape recorder.” “After instruction, practice using overhead projector and cassette recorder.” “Emphasis on skills of interpretation and evaluation of pictures.” “Sharpening listening skills by using taped stories together with printed material.” “Learn to use the poloroid camera.” “Learn to record voice on tape” (grade one). “Learn to use the Study Vue for slides and filmstrips.” “Learn to follow directions given on tape, practice stopping tape, writing answers, then restarting tape.”

Learning modes Self-paced, independent learning techniques characterized several assignments. Activity or work cards outlining tasks to be performed either sequentially or randomly selected were popular vehicles for these. One example of the first type was the basis of a science lesson for grade 6 and stated: “Working in groups of three, the students will demonstrate their understanding of the properties of air by performing the experiments as designed on the activity cards.” Another unit directed students to the work cards instructing, “These are the starting point for all the activities in the unit. They tell you what to do, how to do it, and where and how to get the information.” An example work card from this unit read: “Draw flow chart showing all the indicated steps of one of the following sugar processing stages : (a) growing, (b) milling, (c) transporting and (d) refining.” Another program using activity cards was set up for independent work to be progressed through as student ability allowed, and with fewer “hints” provided. One unit teaching the use of various directories based instruction on material presented on overhead transparencies. After viewing, students moved from station to station examining and answering questions about the particular type of directory in each learning station. Such resources as bus and airline timetables, telephone directories, and local street maps were studied in this manner, with students able to work in any unoccupied station. Another program used a sequential group of reading and word recognition games, increasing in difficulty from station to station. Directions for playing each game were on tape at each station.

The successful teacher latent in every successful librarian was discernible in the heavy attention to critical thinking and reasoning built into the learning tasks devised for the units. In one unit on Australian minerals, students were required to “find examples of developments which have not gone ahead or examples of mines that have closed, identifying reasons why”. Another task in this unit told students to select a mining venture and to prepare a case for or against that particu-


lar development. Students were admonished to use “rational docu- mented arguments” in replies and not their personal unsupported opinion. An excellent social science unit on New Guinea forced students to marshal1 their visual literacy skills when they were asked to “identify cultural changes shown in pictures of early and current culture of New Guinea” and to “back up answers with reasons”.

In a science unit, students were requested to “observe the radiometer under at least three varied light sources and, through deduction or research, explain the speed variations correctly”. This type of assignment recognized the truism so dear to the heart of a multimedia librarian’s philosophy that the “right” answer may be found through more than one avenue. Another unit engaged students in media analysis as a reading interpretation lesson, doing such tasks as “looking at the treat- ment of an event such as a protest march in several media”, “following one event in media reports given at spaced periods of time after the event”, “note any differences in comments made on the same event in different media aimed at different audiences”-all these helped develop discriminatory skills in students as well as involving them with a variety of media.

Student development of not only his own instructional materials and learning activities but also the objectives to be achieved represents the apogee of curriculum unit planning. One unit1 for a grade 6 science class was predicated on this belief and opened with this statement:

For this unit, the teacher and librarian will act as advisors only. The unit will be almost totally research-oriented. Children are to operate as much as possible on their own initiative, but teachers may subtly influence discussion to ensure that a comprehensive coverage is achieved. Time will be flexible but . . . should occupy approximately five weeks. The bibliography of sources will not be made available to the children unless their library skills prove inadequate.

Further, “each group of students will write at least six objectives giving comprehensive coverage and . . . demonstrate knowledge of content . . . and produce a variety of results”. Three of the six objectives were to be for the group and the rest for independent achievement. One of the objectives was stated firmly as “. . . children will accomplish the objectives they have planned”. In preliminary talks, the librarian had alerted students to the need to devise a method of evaluation based on group assessment of products and including an assignment of a numerical mark, Criteria for this evaluation and the method of recording results were to be determined by each student group.

1 Harvey Low, Minerals in Australia. Unpublished instructional unit developed in a course in the Graduate Diploma of Teacher Librarianship, Townsville College of Advanced Education.

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Evaluation techniques

E. R. CHRISTINE

Evaluative methods to measure achievement of objectives, traditionally limited to pencil and paper tests, received special effort by the librarians, with checklists of task completion proving popular. These did not always include a value designation such as A, B, or C for the degree of successful completion. One teacher-oriented checklist included spaces for grades on completed experiments and more difficult areas to mark as “ability to follow instructions” and “ability to formulate conclusions”. Another checklist utilized the completion of a lesson segment and another column to record remedial areas to be pursued. This was used as evaluation of a unit built around a word game wherein a checkmark was placed to indicate a game having been played, but the words still causing trouble and needing additional practice placed in a second column.

With young children, oral questioning was often used, as were draw- ings and oral reporting either individually or in small group sessions. Other units based their evaluation on the successful playing of games constructed around mathematical concepts or idea association. In one unit for secondary students, evaluation was dually geared to successful completion of various work cards marked by the teacher, and successful performance in a variety of such self-selected supplementary activities as preparation of models, displays, tapes, or dramatic productions to be judged by the student’s peers.

Evaluation and completion charts to be filled out jointly by student and teacher were also developed. One such form for a grade 4 science unit used a graduated scale of points from 5-O with items to be checked from performance on a pre-test, on each of four major subject concen- trations, and performance on a post-test.

Avoiding the trap of a student’s entire grade resting on the “one big fact test” at the end was well represented in the thoughtful formulation of evaluative techniques designed by the librarians. One such scheme included the teacher keeping a checklist of each student’s individual contributions to a class project, assigning a written grade to written reports, evaluating each student’s oral participation in panel discussions, and talking over a student’s work with him to reach a mutual evaluation of the total effort.

In those units featuring the care and feeding of a live specimen, the evaluation was obvious-did it live?

CONCLUSION

As school library personnel continue to enter the field more adequately prepared in curriculum-related competencies, the reticence to accept


either the concept or the actuality of the librarian as a curriculum designer exhibited by some educators (including some librarians) will be overcome. Indeed, in this age of accountability, it is not inconceiv- able that informed administrators will expect such performance from those staff members charged with responsibility for curriculum materials and their most effective utilization, namely, the librarians. Properly prepared, they can do it. Demonstrable evidence supporting this statement lies in the fact that, with few exceptions, the curriculum units produced by librarians and described herein have been used in schools or are specifically included in advanced planning for future semesters.

Words, however golden, will not change entrenched role perceptions and practices. As has ever been true, the proof of any principle is in its performance. These librarians and others like them are performing in their role of curriculum designer to the benefit of all concerned-their faculties, their students, and not least themselves as fully operational professionals.

May their tribe increase.

Documents

Curriculum design competencies for school librarians