The new year always forces me to look forward and realize that our current school year is almost half over! There is so much left to be done, to be taught and to be learned, to read and to experience. It is enough to raise my anxiety level! That's what makes it the perfect time of year to change a few things about instruction in the LMC.
Starting the second week of January, we will move to a more project-based approach to learning through the LMC. I will be working directly with classroom teachers to create, schedule, and complete projects that support the classroom goals while allowing students to use research and technology to learn and communicate. An example of this would be a project with Mr. Pederson where students will use LMC resources and the web to learn about the life and discoveries of important scientists. They will then share this information through podcasts and PowerPoints. To accomplish this, Mr. Pederson has scheduled time in the LMC and the labs for a number of consecutive days and will use his weekly LMC time for book checkout. This way, the students will maximize their learning and research with both Mr. Pederson and me to assist but will not lose any time for exploring their own interests through their independent reading. I hope to complete at least one such project with each class before spring.
This means that the beginning schedule of weekly lessons will be compacted and changed. Students will still come to the LMC weekly to exchange books but will not have a lesson planned and taught by me at that time. If I am available at that time, I will share authors and series with them in an effort to motivate more independent reading. Instruction in research and technology will occur through the projects. This approach will actually result in more time with me and in the LMC and the labs than a weekly lesson provides. The end result, we believe, will be students who are more independent and capable in their use of the LMC and its resources.
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