Resource-Based Learning and the Library Resource Centre

Resource-based teaching and learning is a means by which teachers can greatly assist the development of attitudes and abilities for independent, life-long learning. Resource-based instruction means that the teacher, and teacher-librarian if available, plan units which integrate resources with classroom assignments, and teach students the processes needed to find, analyze, and present information.

Resource-based instruction is an approach to curriculum which involves students with all types of resources. Some possible resources are books, magazines, films, audio and video tapes, computer software and data bases, manipulative objects, commercial games, maps, community resources, museums, field trips, pictures and study prints, real objects and artifacts, and media production equipment.

Resource-based learning is student-centred. It offers students opportunities to choose, to explore, and to discover. Students who are encouraged to make choices, in an environment rich in resources, where their thoughts and feelings are respected, are well on their way to becoming autonomous learners.

The following points will help teachers use resource-based teaching and learning:

• Discuss the objectives for the unit or assignment with students. Correlate needed research skills with the activities in the unit, so that skills are always taught in the context of application. Work with your teacher-librarian, if available.
• Plan in good time with library staff so that adequate resources are available, and decisions are made about shared teaching responsibilities, if applicable.
• Use a variety of resources in classroom teaching, showing students that you are a researcher who constantly seeks out sources of knowledge. Discuss with them the use of other libraries, government departments, museums, electronic information systems, and various outside agencies in their research.
• Ask the teacher-librarian, if available, to provide resource lists and bibliographies when needed.
• Encourage students to seek assistance during the course of the assignment or unit.
• Participate in and help plan inservice programs on using resources effectively.
• Continually request good curriculum materials for addition to the school library collection.
• Support the essential role of the library resource centre and the teacher-librarian in your talks with colleagues, principals, and directors.
• Recognize that the Christian Ethics Bibliography suggests a wide variety of resources which reflect various religious traditions. Choose those which best meet the needs of students and your program.

How can I run a classroom or give the same lesson and assignments when the students do not all have the same book?

• Small group activities would allow several students to work on one activity together, sharing a resource. (See Together We Learn.)
• Various types of activities on the same topic can be going on in the classroom at once, utilizing various resources. (See Instructional Approaches: A Framework for Professional Practice and the Instructional Strategies Series.)

It is not possible for me to plan for all of the changes needed to incorporate resource-based learning into my already too busy teaching schedule. How can I be expected to do this when there is already too little time in the day?

• Change usually takes time. To change our teaching styles will take time. Even though a person may not be able to change totally to resource-based learning in a short time, gradual steps can be taken toward the desired goal. A realistic goal might be to add one resource-based unit a year.

How can I have a variety of resources available to the students when I have little money to buy them?

Various strategies for acquiring resources could be employed:

• Some bibliographies provide an "other uses" section so that schools can buy resources that will meet the needs of more than one specific grade or subject area.
• Saskatchewan Education’s Learning Resource Distribution Centre provides videos at a nominal cost.
• People are a resource we can be using for resource-based learning. Often there is someone knowledgeable on a certain subject right in your own community who may be willing to speak to the students. Guest speakers can also be located by using the blue pages of the telephone directory.
• Free or inexpensive items can sometimes be obtained from departments listed in the blue pages of the telephone book.
• Some schools ship equipment to other schools where teachers want to do the same unit. Reciprocal agreements can be made involving equipment and A/V materials.
• Networking can be useful in sharing ideas, within a school or between schools. Cooperative planning with a teacher-librarian or fellow teacher helps by giving you ideas for using resources already available.
• Electronic information systems and databases are available throughout SchoolNet and the Internet. Extensive browsing in distant library collections is possible. Access to many resources is available through World Wide Web sites.

For more information on resource-based learning, teachers may refer to Resource-Based Learning: Policy, Guidelines and Responsibilities for Saskatchewan Learning Resource Centres.

Students in Saskatchewan schools benefit greatly from using resources which reflect their own experiences. One way to increase the likelihood that resources reflect their experiences is to use resources from Saskatchewan and Canada. While it is true that the vast majority of religious education publications come from the United States of America, Saskatchewan and Canadian resources should be searched out and given priority usage whenever possible.