Assignment
The assignment dictates the task for the student. It also defines the parameters and identifies what will be valued.
The school library media specialist plays an important role in working with teachers to design effective activites that help young people acquire and apply subject area knowledge as well as essential inquiry skills.
Increasingly, teachers are concerned about student cheating particularly with technology. A quality assignment can eliminate these worries.
In the chapter Empowered Learning in Curriculum Connections through the Library edited by Stripling and Hughes-Hassell, Violet H. Harada (2003, p. 54) describes the work of Wehlage et al (1996) indicating that learning environments that result in significant achievement contain the following three attributes:
- Construction of Knowledge: students have guided practice in acquiring the skills and knowledge they need in the adult world. This involves constructing rather than simply reproducing knowledge. Students 'produce original conversation and writing, repair and build physical objects, perform artistically.'
- Disciplined Inquiry: students develop an in-depth understanding of a problem rather than shallow exposure to isolated bits of information. While past knowledge is a fundamental component of learning, students are challenged to push beyond this knowledge 'through criticism, testing, and development of new paradigms.'
- Value Beyond School: student accomplishments have an impact that extends into the real world. Students wrestile with situations and issues connecting their learning with largers public problems or with personal experiences.
Some students aren't aware of the direct connection between their efforts on assignments and learning. It's important to reinforce effort.
Read Reinforcing Effort from NETC.
Read Student Cheating with Technology by Elizabeth Marcoux in Teacher Librarian (October 2010). IUPUI login required.
Read Key Word: Assignment in THE BLUE BOOK by Callison and Preddy, 279-284.