mrshaberman

toc media type="custom" key="7819525" align="left"MEET MRS. HABERMAN

INTERESTS AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES K-12 Education Children's Literature Young Adult Literature Electronic Sources and Services Web 2.0 Readers Advisory Web Site Design and Maintenance

EDUCATION 2005-2011 //**School Library Media Specialist Certification**// media type="custom" key="7938440" align="right"  School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

2002-2003 //**Master of Library and Information Science**// School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

1995-1999 //**Bachelor of Arts in Literature**// Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ

COURSEWORK **Summer 2011**: //Integrating Your Library Media Program and Your School Curriculum//. **Fall 2010**: //Student Learning Development and Behavior Management for the School Library Media Specialis//t. **Spring 2009**: //Curriculum Design/Integration and Teaching Methodologies for the School Library Media Specialist// and //Field Experience//. **Fall 2009**: //Theory and Foundations of Education for the School Library Media Specialist//. **Fall 2008**: //An Educator's Survey of Children’s Literature//. **Summer 2008**: //An Educator's Survey of Young Adult Literature//. **Fall 2005**: //Coordination of School Library Media Programs and Services//. **Spring 2003**: //Organizing Information//, //Management of Libraries and Information Centers//, //Multimedia Production//, //Digital Libraries// and //Information Sources in Health Sciences//. **Fall 2002**: //Principles of Searching//, //Cataloging and Classification//, //Reference Sources and Services// and //Information Resources in Business and Economics//. **Spring 2002**: //Knowledge Structures and the Information Professions//, //Research Methods and Information Technologies for Libraries and Information Agencies//.

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION The learners of today live in a global community where information is shared, accessed, created and enjoyed through numerous sources of media. Students need to be equipped with multiple proficiencies and literacies, so they may engage with others in a productive and ethical fashion alongside the pursuit of their own interests. As a 21st Century Library Media Specialist, I believe it is my duty to provide students with these skills in a warm, safe, multicultural, engaging and entertaining, high-tech and traditional environment. I see the Media Center as the heart and the brain of the school, with an open door policy for students //and// educators. As “Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Media Programs” states, “the focus has moved from the library as a confined place to one with fluid boundaries that is layered by diverse needs and influenced by an interactive global community.” The accomplishment of this vision begins with my philosophy of education. I believe that all students are capable of learning, as long as they are stimulated and engaged. However, what inspires one student, may not inspire another. As Gardner stated in his Multiple Intelligences theory, I believe there is no single definitive “intelligence”. With this in mind, I must create lessons that suit multiple styles of learning, or intelligences, in order to reach each and every student effectively. In Ganges' “Conditions of Learning” Theory, he states that the first step to a successful lesson is to gain the attention of students. I agree with this wholeheartedly. If I do not have a student's attention, how can I possibly inspire them to learn? I need to keep them actively engaged and entertained the moment they walk through my door. I also subscribe to the constructivist philosophy that students learn more if they work collaboratively, in a hands-on environment, where they can make real world connections to the new material they are trying to master. Finally, I believe students should be instilled with dispositions such as resilience, self-reflection, and creativity by modeling these qualities myself As for my own education and professional education, I strongly believe in continual self-reflection, training and intellectual curiosity. In my lifetime, I have seen many technologies come and go and/or manifest into something beyond anything I could have ever imagined (for example: the Internet!). I have also discovered many new artists, writers, musicians, athletes, etc. As a 21st Century Library Media Specialist, it is my job to be an expert and leader in the field of information literary, which includes emerging and existing technologies. I also need to stay informed of current popular culture, and use professional tools, such as reviews from journals, so I can provide materials that are high-interest //and// high-quality for students. I want students to think of the Media Center as the go-to place for all their needs, academic and aesthetic. Last but not least, I need to “train the trainers” - my peers in the academic community - including classroom teachers, administrators and parents, the value of the media center and the dispositions, technologies and aesthetic and culture growth I am providing to students. I also need to prove I am a valuable resource when it comes to students passing standardized tests by providing stakeholders with real world examples, and resources, such as the “Your School Library Media Program and No Child Left Behind Brochure”. With these strategies and theories in mind, I consider the “Standards for the 21st-Century Learner” my guidebook for the future. The four main standards it covers “1) Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge, 2) Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge, 3) Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society and 4) pursue personal and aesthetic growth” are ones I will seek to fill with my students. Works Cited: AASL. Empowering Learners. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. AASL. Your School Library Media Program and No Child Left Behind Brochure. Chicago: American Library Association, 2004. AASL. Standards for the 21st Century Learner. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007. Johnson, James A., Diann Musial, Gene E. Hall, Donna M. Gollnick and Victor L. Dupuis. 14th Edition. Foundations of American Education. Allyn & Bacon, 2007. 02055146093 A copy of my Philosophy of Education can be downloaded here:

= = DISCIPLINE PHILOSOPHY/CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES  I believe discipline issues arise when any or all of the following takes place: Students do not know what is expected of them (the class rules and procedures are unclear). Students are disengaged and uninterested in the lesson. Students feel there is no way they can accomplish what is being asked of them. Students feel they have no say in the class rules or consequences. Students believe the teacher does not “mean business”. Students feel the teacher does not care about them. Students are left with too much free time. Students feel they are not a valued member of the class. The teacher has low expectations for their students. Teachers are inconsistent and/or overly lenient. The first step in combating these issues is to create a positive learning environment. This begins before the students arrive for their first class, with a strategic room arrangement. In his book “Tools for Teaching”, Fred Jones states that a well-planned room arrangement is one of the most important tools teachers can use for effective classroom management. He writes, “The most basic factor that governs the likelihood of students goofing off in the classroom is their physical distance from the teacher’s body,” and that, “Effective teachers work the crowd. They know that “either you work the crowd or the crowd works you”.”

He provides several examples of room arrangements that maximize teacher mobility, so they are never far from each and every student, thus reducing opportunities for misbehavior. I modeled one such arrangement in the Berkeley Library Media Center, and make a point of circulating among my students during my lessons. On the first day I meet with a group of students, I dedicate my classes to classroom rules, procedures, and expectations. Educators Harry and Rosemary Wong stress the importance of establishing classroom rules and procedures in their book “The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher”. They write, “What you do the first days of school will determine your success or failure for the rest of the school year.”

They recommend teachers prepare a script and presentation, and review procedures with students until they are mastered. For my classes, I create a presentation that covers my class rules and procedures (how to enter the library, return a book, sharpen a pencil, etc.), the topics we will be covering (for example: genres of literature, creating Microsoft Word documents, etc.), how their grades will be assessed (rubrics will be provided), and the consequences and rewards for positive and negative behavior. Students view this presentation on the Smartboard then have an opportunity to ask questions. I purposely allow students to question any rules and explain why they may not agree with one or more, so they know their opinions are valued in the library, and that I take their thoughts into consideration. Depending on their input, some rules may be changed. My next step is to create engaging lessons that include differentiated instruction, so I can reach all styles of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. This way, no student should feel bored or lost. In addition, I will make every effort to create lessons that allow students to make choices based on their favored learning style. For example: when teaching genres of literature, students can either listen to a lesson on the computer (which would appeal to auditory & visual learners) or complete a library scavenger hunt (kinesthetic learners). I developed this philosophy after reading educator Alfred Kohn’s thoughts on student choice in “Building Classroom Discipline”. The book states, “Kohn believes students learn most avidly and have their best ideas when they get to choose which questions they want to explore. Conversely, their achievement declines when they have no choice or control over learning.” I believe this also allows students to feel like important members of the class, ones where their voices are heard. These three factors: strategic room arrangement, clear rules and procedures, and engaging lessons, are the foundation for effective classroom management in the Berkeley Media Center. I came to this conclusion after researching many behavior theorists and reading The New Jersey Department of Education’s “Professional Standards for New Jersey Teachers and School Leaders”. These standards were revised in December 2003 and include: 1: Subject Matter Knowledge  2: Human Growth and Development   3: Diverse Learners   4: Instructional Planning and Strategies   5: Assessment   6: Learning Environment   7: Special Needs   8: Communication   9: Collaboration and Partnerships   10: Professional Development When crafting my discipline philosophy, I gave careful consideration to standard six: Learning Environment. This standard is defined as: // Teachers shall understand individual and group motivation and shall create a supportive, safe and respectful learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation. // ** KNOWLEDGE **  Teachers know and understand:   6.1 The principles and strategies of effective classroom management that promote positive relationships, cooperation and purposeful learning in the classroom. 6.2 How the classroom environment influences learning and promotes positive behavior for all students; and  6.3 How classroom participation supports student commitment. ** DISPOSITIONS ** Teaches value and are committed to:   6.4 The role of students in promoting each other’s learning and recognize the importance of peer relationships in creating a climate of learning. 6.5 Taking responsibility for establishing a positive climate in the classroom and participation in maintaining such a climate in the school as a whole; and  6.6 The expression and use of democratic values in the classroom. ** PERFORMANCES ** Teachers engage in activities to:   6.7 Maintain a learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves, and one another, participate in decision-making and work collaboratively and independently. 6.8 Create a safe and secure classroom climate for all students, by practicing effective listening and group facilitation skills;  6.9 Create a positive classroom climate, which is socially, emotionally and physically safe. 6.10 Establish and maintain appropriate standards of behavior;  6.11 Use instructional time effectively; and   6.12 Prepare students for and monitor independent and group work that allows for full and varied participation of all individuals. In addition to my three main factors for classroom management (Strategic room arrangement, clear rules and procedures, and engaging lessons), I have created a couple of incentive programs, which should further promote positive behavior. These are “Erasing Misbehavior” for grades K-3 and “Library Backstage Pass” for grades 4-6. Both of these programs have classes competing against the other classes in their grade for an end-of-the-marking-period party. Classes earn erasers for their class jar (K-3), or points for their wall chart (4-6) for good behavior as a whole. Individual students may also receive rewards, such as erasers, a note home, and a “Library Backstage Pass” for exceptionally good behavior. This way, students with good behavior who may be in a class that never earns a reward, will not lose their chance to be rewarded. If, after all these procedures, rules, and incentives are put into place, there are still discipline issues, I will take the steps as outlined in my “Berkeley Elementary School Library Media Center Behavior Contract”. If all those steps are unsuccessful, the student will be referred to the principal, along with copies of the student’s “Citizenship Log” and “Personalized Behavior Management Plan”. ** STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS ** While every effort will be made to enforce these rules, I understand they may not work for every student and that certain accommodations must be made. For example: students with ADHD often find it very difficult to stay in their seats for a length of time. I may ask these students to perform special tasks for me, such as passing out papers and crayons, which would allow them to circulate around the room. Other students may have medical issues and have to use the bathroom, or visit the nurse, during library class. Students who are English Language Learners may have difficultly understanding rules and directions. In instances such as these, the student’s IEPs may be reviewed, and meetings may take place with the student’s caretakers, the school nurse, ELL teacher, and/or the student’s classroom teacher. Works Cited: Alfie Kohn Homepage. Web. 29 Dec. 2010. . Charles, C. M., and Gail W. Senter. Building Classroom Discipline. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. Print. Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. Web. 29 Dec. 2010. . Jones, Fredric H., Patrick Jones, and Jo Lynne Talbott. Jones. Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation. Santa Cruz, CA: F.H. Jones & Associates, 2007. Print. "Professional Standards." The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey. Web. 29 Dec. 2010. <http://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/>. Teaching Tools - Fred Jones Teacher Training. Web. 29 Dec. 2010. <http://www.fredjones.com/>. Wong, Harry K., and Rosemary T. Wong. The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, 2009. Print. A copy of my Discipline Philosophy/Classroom Management Techniques can be downloaded here: