How Do You Navigate Change?

         In a world that has experienced dramatic change since the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital for teachers and others to raise awareness that there are seven stages of concern when making changes.  We often feel these feelings within us but are unaware that, just like the stages of grief, there are also stages to change. One model to explain these stages is the Concerns-based Adoption Model (CBAM) “The model (and other developmental models of its type) holds that people considering and experiencing change evolve in the kinds of questions they ask and in their use of whatever the change is. In general, early questions are more self-oriented: What is it? and How will it affect me? When these questions are resolved, questions emerge that are more task-oriented: How do I do it? How can I use these materials efficiently? How can I organize myself? and Why is it taking so much time? Finally, when self and task concerns are largely resolved, the individual can focus on impact. Educators ask: Is this change working for students? and Is there something that will work even better?” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1). Understanding these stages is essential for those going through change and those who are supporting or leading others through change.  Failure to do so can affect the positive outcome of successfully making the change or simply giving up.   I felt this very deeply as the COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers who were used to classroom teaching were suddenly forced to move all of their teaching online.  As a person who needs time to make changes and figure out how I will successfully transition, this was a very nerve-wracking time.  Luckily, I have many years of experience that allows me to pull from a wide range of strategies I have used in the past and a multitude of online resources that I already had experience with.  I feel the greatest link missing from the equation at this time was the ability to collaborate with other teachers, and this has stayed with me as I attempt to help other teachers through these stages.

As a first-year teacher librarian, our upcoming Science fair has allowed me to assist teachers through this process.  “Owen,” is a second-year teacher teaching grade 3.  The students in this class have missed crucial time with guided skills practice due to the pandemic and, as a result, lack many of the needed writing skills and experience with non-fiction reference materials to know how to produce a science fair project.  Owen has never taught these critical skills and was unaware of the best approach to teach his students how to use reference resources.  We decided to collaborate to teach this area of the curriculum.  Owen and I would meet in advance to create a plan, and then we would each help guide students through the process.  As stated in the article, my role during this time will be to “point out the importance of attending to where people are and addressing the questions they are asking when they are asking them” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1).

Using the CBAM approach, we began with the stage of Non-use.  Until this project, students had no genuine interest in reference materials, and many chose fiction books for their reading pleasure.  Owen began reading nonfiction books during his read-aloud during lunch hour, and I also read nonfiction books during book exchange. This helped move the class to the next level of Orientation.  Students were now introduced to nonfiction books as a text type and became interested in reading them during their leisure time. 

We now narrowed down the tasks needed to prepare students to produce a science fair project.   As I had several projects already completed from former years, I brought them to Owen’s class and showed them to the students.  We discussed how these students had been interested in these topics and chose to do a project to help others understand the subject.  Students were then asked to brainstorm topics they felt they were curious about or were experts in that they would like to teach others about.  Students had some independent work time followed by meeting with friends to share their selected topics.  

Several days later students had selected their topics and came to the library to search for reference sources that may be useful.  I introduced them to encyclopedias and their format, as they had not had the opportunity to use them before.  We discussed how encyclopedias have many authors for their articles and asked them to note this in their notes. Owen had prepared a graphic organizer for them to start finding and recording information from the encyclopedia.  Students spent the rest of their time getting used to using the encyclopedias and preparing their notes.  

The following day, we reserved a chrome cart for use in the classroom.  Students were taught how to use the online library system KOHA to search for books in our library.  Next, we discussed how keywords could help us find information on our topic.  For example, if we are looking for what a cheetah eats, we could also use the keywords food, or nutrition.  Students then searched and recorded the Dewey decimal library location numbers for the books they were interested in. 

Our next lesson discussed how the Dewey Decimal system works in the library, how it is organized and the importance of keeping books in their rightful place.  When I felt this was clear, I began taking several students at a time to the library to find their books.  Books in hand, they would return to the classroom to work on their projects as I helped the next group of students.  Owen had organized several graphic organizers that could suit the range of topics students were working on to keep them focused. 

This was the end of my involvement with the group.  They are currently working on their projects, and I am anxious to see how they will turn out. I plan to meet with Owen in the following weeks to see how he felt our time together met the class needs and how he navigated the final levels of the CBAM.  It will be important to discuss that “ We know that management concerns can last at least a year, especially when teachers are implementing a school year's worth of new curricula and also when new approaches to teaching require practice and each topic brings new surprises.”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1).  I will continue to check in on Owen and offer to help at any time should he need it, as ongoing communication with other teachers is an essential part of the job and, as our text stated, “help over time is necessary to work the kinks out and then to reinforce good teaching once use of the new practice smoothes out” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1).

References

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1996). ‘The concerns-based adoption model (CBAM)’ FROM “professional development for science education a critical and immediate challenge”. https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/731/2015/07/CBAM-explanation.pdf.

The Top Five Reference Choices for My Elementary School’s Library

The selection of 5 reference tools for my school library learning commons was a somewhat difficult task however, given budget constraints, it was a very necessary one.  There are many intriguing types of resources to purchase, but given their shelf life, one must make some educated decisions to best curate a collection that is not only useful but is curriculum-based and worth the money spent on it.

Encyclopedias- Preferably, I would purchase the online version of the resource.  This would allow students to explore a large database of knowledge that has videos and other pertinent links embedded in the document.  It would also allow students to use the resource anywhere they can access a computer, whether that be at home or back in their classroom.  The ability to quickly access bibliographic information is an incredible convenience for those researching. Internet search engines also have a large role to play in research.  There are many excellent resources available to broaden the scope and breadth of a research topic, which may have been originally found in an encyclopedia entry.

Dictionaries-  Several levels of dictionaries would be helpful as reference materials.  Picture and children's dictionaries provide text types and visuals that are useful for these types of learners.  Learning the skills of researching by alphabetical order is extremely worthwhile as this is the format used in many books.

Atlases- Up-to-date atlases can be a source of information of many types of information, not just the location of countries. Several recent atlases I have seen will feature a particular area or country on a separate page.  This allows them to show the geography of the area but also to give pertinent information that may also be needed.

Thesauri- These are helpful for writers to expand their knowledge of vocabulary that would be appropriate for their reports. References with synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms would also help writers expand the vocabulary used.  This is especially helpful as students tend to stick with vocabulary that they are familiar with rather than pushing themselves to raise the level of their vocabulary.

Yearbooks- Yearbooks detailing current events in sports, history, politics, and other world events are often fascinating for students and are one of my most requested resources.  You could also add the school yearbooks past and present, as students have a clear connection to this information.

Although a difficult task, reviewing budgets and reference materials for this assignment was a small project for which I deeply appreciated. I felt as though this was a daunting yet necessary endeavour to complete for my school’s library learning commons, and I am glad that I was able to sit down and compile this shortlist. As mentioned previously, there are many intriguing types of resources which are available to purchase, but keeping in mind the relevancy in years to come and the budgetary constraints, I believe that I have curated an appropriate list of resources that will not only apply toward school curriculum but that will also be interesting for students to interact and learn with.

The Cost of Knowledge

    While several publishers produced encyclopedias in the past, this is no longer the case.  World Book Encyclopedia has been published since 1917 and is now “the only general reference encyclopedia still published today” (World Book Inc, 2024). The encyclopedia is designed to cover significant areas of knowledge uniformly, although “Filling 22 volumes, this specific-entry print reference work emphasizes geography and biography and gives broad treatment to such subject areas as business, psychology, government, energy, ecology, and criminology” (Britannica, 2016).  Given that it is the last print encyclopedia, one must wonder if value still exists in printing volumes or if digital copies are the best use of time, space, and financial resources.

In order to evaluate this question, we can consider the work by Riedling (2013) in Reference Skills for the School Librarian. “One must consider the following: Content Scope; Accuracy, Authority and Bias; Arrangement and Presentation; Relation to Similar Works; Timelessness and Permanence; Accessibility and Diversity; and Cost” (Riedling, 2013, p.22-23). Similarly when evaluating an encyclopedia, Harber recommends the careful consideration of the following criteria: “the work must be up to date, frequently and systematically revised according to high standards of scholarship and authority; easy enough to read for students to use it; little to no evidence of bias or prejudice; and that physical appearance of the volumes and the layout of the pages are important (Harbar, 1988, p.20)” (DeWith, 2017).

According to Riedling, reference resources should regularly be evaluated and replaced every five years.  Consideration should be given to new resources, including digital copies of printed materials.  To do a proper evaluation, one should use a rubric to compare materials fairly. In order to achieve this, I created a rubric based on the criteria outlined in pages 71-74 in Riedling’s (2013) book “Reference Skills for the School Librarian” The rubric I created can be found in the appendix. The following organizer is a table which showcases my comparison of the World Book Encyclopedia’s print and online resources and their overall effectiveness.

	Printed Editions	Online Editions
Currency	With the current 2024 World Book Encyclopedia set costing $1,199.00 US, it would be difficult to afford to purchase the set, let alone keep your collection within the 5-year limit as suggested by Riedling. However, it is evident that you will receive a quality product that would be a fantastic resource for any home or school.	The world book is also available in online format.  Currently, a subscription for a single person is $250.00. This online format allows the publishers to produce a product as impressive as the print version but with many other embedded tech supports.  However, being tech-based can also be a hindrance to the young or anyone not quite as familiar with the ways in which web pages work.  Some may be afraid to select buttons with which they are unfamiliar or find all the choices overwhelming.  That said, the World Book online version may be a better option for several reasons.
Relevancy	Content is well-defined.  The articles are thorough and explain the topic well.  However, the content would be challenging for younger children to follow as it is written for those aged nine and up.	Content is well-defined.  The articles are thorough and explain the topic well.  The online format allows users to select a level of reading appropriate for their age.  Articles are able to be read aloud, and additional videos are possible in this format. Videos add another level of interactivity for students, especially those with learning disabilities.
Authority	All content authors are experts in their fields -Well-known publishing company	All content authors are experts in their fields -Well-known publishing company
Accuracy	Content is fairly well organized. Approximately 4000 experts write articles and then revised them for clarity and understanding by staff editors.	Content is fairly well organized. Approximately 4000 experts write articles and then revised them for clarity and understanding by staff editors. The online option allows for instant updates as new information is found. Print edition updates would have to wait for the following year to be published.
Purpose	I found that World Book did have a clear purpose to inform and teach. According to the company, the latest edition, World Book Encyclopedia 2023, contains more than 14,000 pages distributed in 22 volumes and over 25,000 photographs.	World Book Online did have a clear purpose to inform and teach. More tools are embedded to allow for greater accessibility for all as well as “Rich multimedia, including nearly 700 videos and original animations and 17,000+ photos and illustrations.”
Format	Print and pictures are fairly clear and easy to follow. However, some articles are more prominent than others. “World Book editors lay out major articles distinctly, often starting them on a page of their own, perhaps with a two-column heading.” (World Book, 2024). While this allows a lot of information to be placed on one page, it is sometimes hard to skim to see the information you are looking for.  This is mitigated somewhat by using bold type and photos, but many other text features and larger print would help to skim pages quickly.	Print and illustrations are clear and easy to follow. Students begin by doing a search for their subject and are directed to the required resources.  Other articles, videos, etc.. of interest are flagged and offered as choices. While the page setup is similar, you have the ability to enlarge the print, change the language, view videos, and have the ability to use Google Suite products to enhance your notetaking. Citations can be easily done within the web page and cut and pasted into your bibliography.
Curricular	World Book offers information on a wide variety of topics that would interest students as they pursue inquiry projects. A comprehensive index is included, details of the subject presented are fairly adequate, and topics cover a broad cross-section of relevant disciplines, with approximately 100 articles being added each year and thousands of articles thoroughly revised each year.	World Book offers information on a wide variety of topics that would interest students as they pursue inquiry projects. A comprehensive index is included in each article, and details of the subject presented are quite appropriate, given that additional links to other articles, videos, and e-books are available. The website also provides distinct areas for early learning, kids, students, advanced, timelines, and much more. In addition, topics cover a broad cross-section of relevant disciplines, with approximately 100 articles being added each year and thousands of articles are thoroughly revised each year. Unlike the print version, this can happen in a timely fashion when the content is online.

Despite a few drawbacks, I would select the World Book Online following this analysis.  It has many advantages over the print copy, such as: the ability to select appropriate resources according to age level, having search tips available, results that are easy to view with a clear layout and images to click, and articles which reveal a Table of Contents for quick search of relevant information. In addition to these advantages, there are also options such as accessing citations in several formats, videos and extra links to additional articles, accessibility tools such as text to speech and language translation, the fact that information can be readily updated and also access to these resources can be 24/7 for its users. However, cost is a factor that could be hard to swallow when searching for information on Google seems to be sufficient in most cases. 

Appendix

Article 1: Rubric for evaluation of print and online resources

	Level1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Currency	-Sources listed are greater than five years old -No revisions since the last edition	-Sources listed are three/four years old -Some revisions since the last edition	-Sources listed are two years old - Many revisions since the last edition	-Sources listed are less than one year old -Considerable revisions since the last edition
Relevancy	-Content is unclear -content is reading level is difficult  for intended audience	-Content is somewhat defined -content is reading level is somewhat appropriate for intended audience	-Content is fairly well-defined -content is reading level is fairly appropriate for intended audience	-Content is well-defined -content is reading level is appropriate for intended audience
Authority	-Content author's credentials are unclear. -Publishing company is unknown	-Some content authors are experts in their fields -Somewhat well-known publishing company	-Many content authors are experts in their fields -fairly well-known publishing company	-All content authors are experts in their fields -Well-known publishing company
Accuracy	-Content is not well organized	-Content is somewhat organized	-Content is fairly well organized	-Content is well organized
Purpose	-No clear purpose to inform and teach -Content is not advertising and bias-free	-Somewhat clear purpose to inform and teach -Content is somewhat free of advertising and bias	-Fairly clear purpose to inform and teach -Content is fairly free of advertising and bias	-Clear purpose to inform and teach -Content is advertising and bias-free
Format	-Print and illustrations are not clear and easy to follow.	-Print and illustrations are somewhat clear and easy to follow.	-Print and illustrations are fairly clear and easy to follow.	-Print and illustrations are clear and easy to follow.
Curricular	-A comprehensive index is not included in each volume -detail of the subject presented is not adequate -topics do not cover a broad cross-section of relevant disciplines	-A comprehensive index is included in some volumes -detail of the subject presented is somewhat adequate -topics cover a somewhat broad cross-section of relevant disciplines	-A comprehensive index is included in many volumes -detail of the subject presented  is fairly adequate -topics cover a fairly broad cross-section of relevant disciplines	-A comprehensive index is included in each volume -detail of the subject presented is adequate -topics cover a broad cross-section of relevant disciplines

References

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2016, January 26). World Book Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-World-Book-Encyclopedia

DeWith, Y. (2017, November 21). Evaluation and Selection of a Reference Resource. Experience Learning. February 6, 2024, https://ydewith.wordpress.com/ 

Reidling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference Skills for the School Librarian (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

World Book Inc. (2024). Encyclopedias. World Book Encyclopedias. https://www.worldbook.com/encyclopedias.aspx