Courses

This course examines social constructivist learning theories, information/digital/media literacies, curriculum standards, principles of instructional design, outcomes-based education and evidence-based practice. Participants will learn how to design and implement inquiry-based learning programs for K-12 students that support cultivation of young people's information and technology dispositions, practices and expertise, as well as their information/digital literacies.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Design and implement and inquiry-based learning unit that engenders social constructivist learning theories, the stages of guided inquiry design, methods of evidence-based practice, and strategies for formative and summative assessment.
• Develop instruction for information literacy skills and practices and integrate information skills into guided inquiry activities so that young learners gain information seeking and search expertise while experiencing their own learning and knowledge building.
• Incorporate knowledge of curricular standards documents into instructional design, as well as information literacy standards targeted towards school library practitioners.
• Interpret scholarly education evaluation research findings on the effectiveness of various learning technologies, and make sound evaluative decisions about their implementation in the school library context based on research evidence.
• Integrate their knowledge in the Information Search Process into their own personal research practices on assignments, along with the application of this knowledge in their teaching practices and pedagogy.
• Discuss curriculum issues as they relate to diverse groups of young people, and as they relate to the teaching and learning functions of the school library and diverse student populations.