Standard 2:

Teaching and Learning

My Mission: "To inspire in each student a lifelong quest for knowledge and literature, instilling the tools needed for success in an ever-evolving academic world.”

My Reflection on Knowledge of Learners and Learning

Pyramids of Egypt, Genscope, Biomes of the World,

Curriculum Chart, Mrs Bailey's Web Site, My Media Web Site

A media specialist must possess very diverse learning strategies since they serve such a variety of students each year. With multiple strategies, success rates are higher in student academic achievement. Research has repeatedly shown that the quality of a school media center positively reflects on student academic achievement. Part of that picture is the access by students to the media, as discussed in Standard 1. Strategies used by the media specialist to instill lifelong reading habits and information skills will also have a positive impact on student academic achievement. I have created many artifacts that represent this use of multiple strategies. The Pyramids of Egypt allow students to explore the interior of pyramids as well as the artifacts found inside. Students then complete a pathfinder to expand their knowledge of Egyptian pyramids and mummies. This activity integrates media curriculum with the Social Studies curriculum. The Biomes of the World artifact is an activity developed in coordination with the Science curriculum to expose students to several types of biomes and then use critical thinking skills to compare and contrast the qualities of the different biomes. An additional science project is Genscope, which integrates the student's knowledge of genetics and DNA into a program that allows them to apply their knowledge. The students can examine dragon DNA and then mate the dragons and produce offspring. By creating these cross-curricular activities the media specialist intertwines the media curriculum with other curriculum objectives in their school community. With this coordination, media specialists can become an active partner within the different classrooms. I created a curriculum chart that merges the Howard County Curriculum Goals and Objectives with the ALA/AASL Literary Objectives. This chart will simplify the synthesis of media and subject curriculum. Additionally, I simplified the chart further for parents. It is important to inform parents of classroom goals and to maintain open lines of communication with parents. As a science teacher I created a web site that allows parents and students to keep track of their classroom and homework assignments as shown in my artifact, Mrs. Bailey's Web Site. I will create a web site for my media that will serve the school community. I demonstrated this in My Media Web Site. With open lines of communication between teachers, students and parents, the media specialist can positively affect the overall academic success of all students in their community.