Resource Based Project

Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning can easily be used as models for implementing resource-based learning in the classroom. Resource-based learning begins with clearly identified instructional goals. The teacher and media specialist decide on acceptable student-generated products. They divide the teaching responsibilities and gather varied resources. A timeline is created and the media center, computer lab, guest speakers and other resources are booked. Rubrics are designed and the students begin their quests. The teacher, often with input from the media specialist, evaluates the student produced artifacts. Finally, both the teacher and media specialist assess the success of the instruction itself, making adjustments for future implementations of the unit.

These are the steps in implementing a resource-based learning unit:

• Identify the goal or goals.
• Determine acceptable student produced artifacts including, but not limited to timelines, electronic slideshows, dramatic readings, videos, debates, postcards, reports, diaries, hierarchal web-based documents, or poster-board presentations.
• Collaborate with the media specialist to plan the unit. Divide the responsibilities.
• Select resources in a variety of formats which can include diaries, WebQuests, original documents, newspaper articles, magazine articles, games, poems, reference books, nonfiction books, experts, videos, museums, maps, charts, the Internet, works of art, plays, CD-ROMs, musical compositions, costumes, exhibits, PowerPoint presentations and field trips. This list is neither exhaustive nor static. But, rather, it is a dynamic list that will grow and change as new technologies emerge. The idea is to enlist a multitude of quality resources that will help students gather information, create knowledge and increase understanding and skill (Thompson & Henley, 2000).

 

• Create a timeline for implementation of the unit.
• Schedule the media center, computer lab, guest speakers and field trips, if applicable.
• Create rubrics used to evaluate student artifacts.
• Evaluate student products using rubrics.
• Collaboratively evaluate the effectiveness of the unit and revise appropriately.

Determine unit goals. Because resource-based learning takes a great deal of time, teachers and media specialists must be sure the goal reflects higher order thinking skills and problem solving abilities. In the scenario, Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell met in the media center to clarify the learning goals and objectives for the Civil War resource-based learning unit. The goal, a deeper understanding of an aspect of the Civil War, was reflected in student produced PowerPoint presentations.

Determine acceptable student artifacts. The teacher should require a product that is challenging but realistic for the student. Ms. Russell wanted her students to integrate their newly acquired technology skills into the Civil War unit.

Thoroughly plan the unit. The teacher and media specialist outline the unit. To ensure complete planning, responsibilities and tasks for the teacher and media specialist should be determined. Generally, the media specialist is responsible for locating appropriate resources; the teacher provides guidance and feedback to students during the research process and is involved in student assessment. In our scenario, Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell met to plan the unit and determine their individual tasks and responsibilities. Together, they brainstormed to select resources such as re-enactors, speakers, videos, databases, texts and Internet sites.

Gather resources in a variety of formats. Mr. Hartman was familiar with the many resources available in the media center. He gathered biographies of famous people of the Civil War. These biographies ranged from low to high reading levels. He included books containing primary documents and books about Civil War issues. He found Internet sites and produced his own WebQuest on the causes of the war. He reserved videos from the county instructional resource department and contacted the librarian at the public library for additional resources.

Generate a timeline for the unit. Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell mapped out the timeline for the four-week unit. They set realistic dates, making allowances for technical difficulties.

Schedule research time. The unit designers must be sure the media center, computer lab and other resource sites are available. Guest speakers, field trips and other events must be arranged. A calendar noting each lesson within the unit is prepared.

Develop a rubric assess student artifacts. The teacher designs a rubric that clearly states the requirements for the end product. In the Civil War scenario, Ms. Russell determined that a rubric would be the best way to evaluate student performance. She designed it during the planning phase of the unit and distributed it on the first day. Students began their work knowing what was expected. With the rubric to guide them, they were able to choose a topic, research it, and finally create their products.

Evaluate student performance. Using the rubric, the teacher judges the student- generated product. In the Civil War scenario, Ms. Russell observed the PowerPoint presentations. In evaluating them, she used the rubric to ensure that the presentations had all the required elements.

Evaluate the unit. At the completion of the unit, the teacher and media specialist meet to assess the success of the unit. They make recommendations and changes for future use. Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell listed the strengths and weaknesses of the unit and reflected upon how they could modify and enhance the unit for future implementations.

What is Resource-Based Learning?

The Civil War unit planned by Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell, with its multitude of available resources, is the epitome of a Resource-Based Learning (RBL) unit. However, resource-based learning is not tied to a single learning theory or to any specific pedagogy (Hill & Hannafin, 2001; Ling, 1997). Nor is it new to teaching and learning.

Traditionally, resource-based learning has been used to supplement more instructivistic teaching methods. However, the volume of information available and the ability to transmit that information in multiple formats has refocused attention on the potential of resource-based learning (Hill & Hannafin, 2001) to support emerging inquiry-based models.

Renewed interest in RBL has been spurred by the emergence of pedagogical constructs such as Blended Learning and Flexible Delivery. Orey (2002) defines blended learning from the perspective of the learner as "...the ability to choose among ALL available facilities, technology, media and materials matching those that apply to my prior knowledge and style of learning as I deem appropriate to achieve an instructional goal." Caladine defined flexible delivery (2002) as including "various types of mediated instruction including print, audio-visual, computer assisted or on line delivery as well as traditional instructional formats such as lectures and tutorials." In both instances, the teacher or designer of the experience locates and makes available resources for achieving particular educational goals. It is therefore useful to view Blended Learning and Flexible Delivery from the RBL perspective.

What, then, is resource-based learning? Resource-based learning is an educational model designed to actively engage students with multiple resources in both print and non-print form. Ideally, the classroom teacher and media specialist collaborate to plan resource-based units (California Media and Library Educators Association [CMLEA]). Learners take responsibility for selecting resources, human or otherwise, that appeal to their own learning preferences, interests and abilities. Thompson and Henley (2000) provide a comprehensive list of resources ranging from traditional reference books to the Internet, as well as innovative games. Resources incorporated into planned, authentic tasks afford students opportunities to develop the skills and techniques necessary to become autonomous, self-directed learners and effective users of information (Doiron & Davies, 1998; Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation, n.d.). Resource-based learning units often culminate in student products or artifacts, which are presented to an audience (Bleakley & Carrigan, 1994).

Teachers often teach lessons or units using a variety of media, including guest speakers, videos, or hypermedia presentations. Because teachers select content and mode of delivery, such instruction is more aptly deemed resource-based instruction (Doiron & Davies, 1998), a pedagogy that is more teacher-centered. Resource-based learning is predicated upon the principle that individual learners will be drawn to the media and content which best match their own processing skills and learning styles (Farmer, 1999). The learning focus shifts from teachers using resources to facilitate instruction to students directing the choice of resources. In a continuum between teacher-centered and student-centered learning, resource-based learning occurs somewhere in the middle. When the constructivist educator uses resource-based learning, instruction is teacher-planned, but student-directed. This was evident in Ms. Russell's classroom.

Educators adhering to more didactic or expository pedagogy may also employ resource-based learning. For example, Ms. White used several resources to teach the same unit. Her instructional design, however, relied heavily on teacher directed supports, such as quizzes and choreographed discussions. Her students read the same historical novel, which eliminated "stray" learning and gave her more control over the facts disseminated to the students. Clearly, both resource-based teaching and resource-based learning access and use materials in diverse formats. Although Ms. White planned this unit around resources, her students had little opportunity to direct their own learning. Although the resources probably enriched the unit and raised the interest level of many students, Ms. Russell's Civil War unit is a better example of resource-based teaching. The remainder of this chapter will address resource-based learning at the more student-centered end of the continuum.

The Association of College and Research Libraries [ACLR] and the American Library Association [ALA] (1989) strongly endorse resource-based learning schools. They envision a more interactive environment in which students pursue questions of high personal interest. To that end, students collaborate with their peers, teachers, and communities, to find answers with enormously varied information resources. In the Civil War example, Ms. Russell's class had available databases such as the History Resource Center, where they can access primary source documents to answer open-ended questions about the war. They might also find historical images that will spark their curiosity and help them better understand the era. By accessing Civil War-era diaries, students are transported to the nineteenth century, where they gain insight into the feelings, fears, hopes and dreams of a war-torn nation.

In a resource-based learning school, students become more self-sufficient. They ask productive questions; they synthesize, analyze, interpret and evaluate information. Libraries and databases all over the world can be accessed almost instantly giving students access to an enormous amount of information from a variety of sources.

The nature of resources has changed as a result of technological developments and the ability to catalog and classify digital media. Considerable opportunities are now available to teachers and students. Metadata--data about data--provides information about documents that can be retrieved by searching for the author, creation date, or content (Hill & Hannafin, 2001). Technology allows teachers or students to use those parts of resources that will satisfy their curiosity or educational needs. The boundaries that once separated teachers and students from resources are virtually gone.