Instructional Partner
Reflection and Artifacts
It truly takes a village for the Media Specialist to be an Instructional Partner. In FRIT 7231, Instructional Design, I learned the principles teachers utilize when creating a lesson plan. In the first blush of this process, it seems very easy to sit down and create a lesson plan. I have realized that this is a common misconception. Crafting an effective lesson is incredibly time consuming and requires an inordinate amount of thought and time.
Taking the skills and knowledge I gained from FRIT 7231, I created a collaborative lesson with an English teacher during and my professional development unit during FRIT 7765, Clinical Practicum. There were initially several challenges and setbacks, mostly on my part as a newbie to the educational world.
As part of the preparation process, I wavered with regards to creating a topic. I finally settled on teaching teachers about GALILEO—hands down one of my favorite tools. I utilized my knowledge gained through both my Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Education in School Library Media coursework to teach about effective search techniques and also about pairing sources with specific lessons and grade levels.