Read ahead: Dylan Wiliam on assessment

As you know, Dylan Wiliam is coming to the East campus next week.

We have some of his books in the libraries (click here for a list), but as there aren't enough copies for everyone to read at once, why not read some of his key articles?

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Black, Paul et al. “Working Inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom.” Phi Delta Kappan 86 (2004): 8. Print.

Black, Paul, and Dylan Wiliam. “A pleasant surprise.” Phi Delta Kappan 92 (2010): 47+. Print.

---. “Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment.” Phi Delta Kappan 80 (1998): 139+. Print.

---. “Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment: formative assessment is an essential component of classroom work and can raise student achievement.” Phi Delta Kappan 92.1 (2010): 81+. Print.

Clymer, Jacqueline B., and Dylan Wiliam. “Improving the way we grade science.” Educational Leadership 64 (2006): 36+. Print.

Wiliam, Dylan. “Changing classroom practice.” Educational Leadership 65 (2007): 36+. Print.

---. “Feedback: part of a system.” Educational Leadership 70 (2012): 30–34. Print.

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You can read all the Phi Delta Kappan articles online or have them emailed to yourself using our new InfoTrac subscription.  It's an online database of 250 magazines which we are trialling on both campuses.  If it doesn't contain a magazine you're interested in, let me know.  We'll definitely be adjusting the titles available.

Click here to go to our new InfoTrac Magazines Online & access these articles by Dylan Wiliam 

If you are on campus, the link should put you directly into InfoTrac.

If it doesn't, you'll have to enter a password. Click here to open a Google Doc -- http://bit.ly/accessuwc -- that gives them all to you (or, rather, to anyone with a @gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg account).

Click here for a PDF that shows you step-by-step screenshots for articles in Phi Delta Kappan (as that is full-text complete in Infotrac).  It's a Google Doc accessible by anyone with a @gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg account - as I show you the password to Infotrac.

In the case of you finding an article for which Infotrac doesn't have the full-text, then we have other avenues.  E.g., for ASCD's Educational Leadership, you need to go to the website and know our institutional login.  Click here for the Google Doc where we are collecting such logins/passwords.  It is shared only with @gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg in the "allteachingstaff" list for Dover & East.

If you want to search ASCD's Educational Leadership for Dylan Wiliam articles, click here and login.

Films, movies, DVDs, iTunes on iPads, etc.

The library is slowly building up its collection of films and documentaries to support the curriculum -- and the boarding house "home collection".

Click here for a list of all films, DVDs, and iTunes downloads on the library iPads in the Secondary Library.

Note that when you look at a particular title, you need to check its "Location".  Some are physical DVDs in the library or in particular departments, while others are via iTunes - so you need to use one of the library iPads to view it.

Click here for a list of all the iTunes films we have on the iPads.  Right now we are allowing teachers to check iPads out of the library for their own viewing/use, but students are expected to use them only in the library under your supervision.

To book the 12 iPads, create a Google Calendar event and invite libraryeast@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg -- and specify iPads in the event description.  Once you do that, we will accept your invitation -- and it will show up on our Events page of eastlib.uwcsea.edu.sg, e.g.,

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Not all the films will fit one iPad, so you should tell us in the event booking which films you want loaded.  This may take a bit of time - so please book at least one day in advance.

And don't hesitate to request a particular film....

Bonus point:  Our iPads are individually named, to make it easy to tell them apart.  Do you know why we chose these famous people for our devices?

Professional Learning Resources: here, online, and to come

I hate it when one of you gets up and recommends a book -- and I can't say I already have it in the library.  I really do feel responsible for having the best of everything at our fingertips.  Save me the shame by letting me know ahead of time, so I can at least get it on my order list.  (Better late than never....)

That's the case with Nick Alchin's professional learning talk from last Friday.

I don't have the Daniel Willingham book -- Why Don't Students Like School? -- yet, but it will be in the library within a couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, you can check out Daniel Willingham's website -- with links to his articles, videos, and blog.   I first heard of Willingham when he posted his video, "Teaching Content is Teaching Reading" -- and the connections to the library are obvious.

NB:  This past Monday Willingham had an article in The Atlantic called "What Does Science Tell Us About Teaching Kids to Think?" 


Re the other book -- How People Learn -- I don't have it yet, but -- almost as good -- it's available free online in PDF form and as an MP3 podcast.  Yes, the National Academies Press makes all their publications freely available as long as you register for an account.  What an amazingly generous institution!

Nick is going to organize some reading/discussion groups.  Watch for an email from him.  Meanwhile, get reading or listening.

A reminder as the holiday approaches:  Both our libraries have growing professional learning collections.  Come in and browse.  Here's a link to a list of just some of the Professional Learning books in the Secondary Library.

Register NOW for Hands on Literacy

Register now for Hands on Literacy,  Saturday, November 17th -- a one-day conference run every two years by the international school librarian network here in Singapore.

This November Hands on Literacy will be hosted by the Australian school and two fabulous guest speakers have been lined up:  Dr. Joyce Valenza (USA), winner of an Edublogs Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and Judy O'Connell (Australia), a course director at Charles Sturt University and educational technology specialist.

Sessions range from Infants to IB Diploma level -- in a number of strands:  Digital Literacy  /  Engaging with Print  /  Visual Literacy & The Arts  /  Research & Inquiry  /   Librarianship

Click here to go to the conference website.

Click here to view all the workshop offerings in a PDF.  (Our own Keri-Lee Beasley & Louise Phinney are offering a session on "Learning Stories".)

Click here to directly access the Registration program.  NB: the Registration Program expects you to create an account (email + password) before you can go back in and actually choose sessions to attend.  Don't hesitate to ask me for help -- the program isn't the most intuitive.

UWCSEA usually pays for everyone who wants to attend Hands on Literacy (and Teach IT).  So when you register, choose the option that says, "Bill my school" or whatever.  Then go to the East Professional Learning site and fill out the application form.

I know you should apply for permission first, but I'm more concerned about you not getting into the workshop of your choice if you wait.  There were some glitches in the registration program so I have waited to push you to sign up -- meanwhile other schools have been pushing their teachers.  Now I worry that some sessions might be filling up.  So hurry!

Last Call! for Hands on Literacy papers - one-day conference at AISS, Sat, Nov 17

You have until August 31st to submit your presentation proposal for Hands on Literacy,  a one-day Saturday conference run every two years by the international school librarian network here in Singapore.   The model is the same as the IT Directors' biennial conference, TeachIT (with which we alternate years) -- where teachers offer workshops for other teachers -- peer-sharing professional development.

This November Hands on Literacy will be hosted by the Australian school and two fabulous guest speakers have been lined up:  Dr. Joyce Valenza (USA), winner of an Edublogs Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and Judy O'Connell (Australia), a course director at Charles Sturt University and educational technology specialist.

Sessions range from Infants to IB Diploma level -- in a number of strands:  Digital Literacy  /  Engaging with Print  /  Visual Literacy & The Arts  /  Research & Inquiry  /   Librarianship

The definition of "literacy" is in the broadest sense.... from traditional, Readers/Writers Workshop, to digital storytelling....

Click here to access the Google Form where you can submit your workshop proposal -- or go to the Hands on Literacy website.

To see what the workshop offerings were two years ago, go to the archived 2010 website.

Registration to attend opens September 15th.

The tradition (for both Hands on Lit and Teach IT is that the cost for all teachers and teaching assistants who want to attend is willingly paid for by UWCSEA.  (Nick/Mike/Mary, I'll be in touch....)

To book the secondary library or teacher-librarian...

Simply "invite" libraryeast@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg to a Google Calendar event.

Current bookings for the Kishore Mahbubani Library can be viewed on the "Bookings & Events" page of the library website ( eastlib.uwcsea.edu.sg ).

Please try to indicate what the purpose is (e.g., general book borrowing, textbook checkout,  lesson, presentation) and desired location (e.g., downstairs, upstairs, stage area, Think Tank, The George Orwell Room, The Emily Dickinson Room, The Pablo Neruda Room).

If you say "borrowing" or "checkout", then we know library counter staff need to be available.

To book Katie Day, the secondary teacher-librarian, include her (kda@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg) in the invitation.

To arrange for any special furniture set-up or catering, use the UWCSEA East Calendar and Venue Booking Form -- after your initial invitation is accepted.

Magazines, Memberships & Digital Subscriptions

Here is an editable (to anyone logged into their UWCSEA Google Apps account) Google Doc spreadsheet which the librarians from both campuses are using as a working document to collect desired:  Magazines, Memberships, & Digital Subscriptions (i.e., databases).

Magazines have been the poor cousins over the past four years, in favor of building up the book collections.  But now we are actively trying to fill those gaps.

Have a look at the tentative magazine list -- and feel free to add any titles -- or to highlight any priorities (using the Insert / Comment function).  We will be investigating the cost/benefits of online digital access and/or print editions.

Professional memberships are another area which needs attention.  Are there professional memberships you (want to) subscribe to which come with online access or print magazines of interest?  Feel free to add any there -- with whatever information you have.

Re databases:  I'm pleased to announce we have recently subscribed to four of the ABC-Clio databases (the ones we were trialing earlier this year):  The World at War, World Geography, World History - Modern, and Issues: Understanding Controversy & Society -- which are well suited to middle/high school students -- as well as Project Muse, which will be more of an IB-DP and teacher resource.  These new ones will be available as of 01-Aug-12.

Do have a look at the databases available FREE via the National Library Board of Singapore.  (The ones most relevant to our students are listed on a separate tab in the spreadsheet -- to see the complete list go to: eResources.nlb.gov.sg .)  Note that there are several geared at educational research -- for those of you pursuing further education.