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Create a Makerspace for students and teachers to use. Work with teachers and parents in the community to keep it stocked with supplies.

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"There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015."

What is a makerspace? You've no doubt been hearing that word more than a few times over the past several years. Makerspaces, also called hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs, are collaborative spaces where people gather to get creative with DIY projects, invent new ones, and share ideas. Since the first official makerspace convened six years ago in a library in upstate New York, libraries have remained an ideal setting for makerspace events across the country. Many offer community resources like 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies, and more. The idea of a communal creative space has only gained momentum and become increasingly popular over the years, and the makers' movement shows no signs of slowing down.

There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015. The White House even held its own inaugural Maker Faire in 2014, inspiring President Obama to declare an official National Week of Making the following year. Read on to learn more about library makerspaces and how one might benefit your community.

Articles & Blog Posts on Makerspaces

1.) Library as Makerspace
The Library as Makerspace blog, run by the Duxbury Free Library in Massachusetts, shares the experiences of its librarians in the process of transitioning from a content collection-only facility to a content creation-inspired makerspace. Bloggers share ideas for makerspace programs for children, teens, and adults, with a goal of "reimagining our role in a rapidly changing world."

2.) Renovated Learning
Curated by Diana Rendina, media specialist, teacher, and librarian at Stewart Middle Magnet School in Tampa, Florida, this blog documents Diana's journey of starting a STEM-based makerspace at her own school's library from the ground up. Posts include lessons and reflections on her own experience as well as resources for other makerspace hosts, including a "start here" section for beginners.

3.) The Makerspace in the Library: What it Means for Your Classroom
This recent post on a blog titled "The Unquiet Mind" explores the author's first experience attending the National Writing Project Annual Meeting in 2017; this year, the NWP panel discussed growing interest in makerspaces at libraries and their implications for teachers, library staff, and the learning process as a whole.

4.) A Librarian's Guide to OER in the Maker Space
This article, written by library media specialist and author Laura Fleming, introduces librarians and educators to the open educational resources (OER) movement, and focuses on how to integrate STEM-oriented makerspaces and other disciplines into the traditional learning space.

5.) Growing Learning Communities Through School Libraries and Makerspaces-Creating, Constructing, Collaborating, Contributing
Another informative post on "The Unquiet Mind," this article served as one of the site's first comprehensive guides to makerspaces, exploring a variety of possibilities for creating a collaborative learning environment at locations across the U.S. The post accompanies a presentation about makerspaces given by the author to the Independent School Library Exchange of Southern California.

6.) Library Friday: Visiting Fayetteville Free Library
Here on INFOSPACE, the official blog of the Syracuse University iSchool, blogger and master's candidate in library and information science Kayla Del Biondo, explores one of the country's leading university makerspaces at the Fayetteville Free Library as part of her Library Friday Series.

7.) Make it Work! Starting a Makerspace in an Academic Library, Phase 1
Among many authoritative posts on ACRLog.com, a blog site exclusively by and for academic and research librarians, this post outlines a multi-phase process for creating a makerspace at the grassroots level, addressing crucial concerns for working librarians. Hannah Pope, guest author of this article, is the Emerging Technologies Librarian at Appalachian State University.

8.) Biohackerspace, DIYbio, and Libraries
Posted on the ACRL TechConnect Blog, this article explores projects at makerspaces across the country focused on developing science, technology, and engineering programs that can essentially turn any library into a makeshift biology lab.

9.) Making It in the Academic World
This post on American Libraries focuses specifically on makerspaces at university libraries in the U.S. Author Bailey Brewer makes the case that, while makerspaces are known for bringing 3D technology to the masses, the potential for a greater sense of community among college-age participants will likely carry makerspaces into the future.

10. ) It all started with a training offered by the Washington State Libraryâ€¦
Part of the "Between the Lines" series of the Washington State Library Blog, this post describes one library manager's first encounter with STEM-based makerspace programming. Her subsequent initiatives to develop ongoing maker events, especially for children, take place at Winlock Library in Timberland, WA.

11.) 4 San Francisco Projects Highlighted During the National Week of Making
This post outlines four of San Francisco's most innovative makerspace programs, celebrated during the National Week of Making in 2016 in an event co-sponsored by the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

12.) Makerspace Starter Kit
Noted blogger, international Ed Tech keynote speaker, and Google Certified Innovator Gwyneth Jones offers a starter kit to aspiring makerspace hosts through her site, The Daring Librarian. For inspiration, among many resources available on the site is the story of the makerspace at Murray Hill Middle School in Maryland, where Jones helped to launch a collaborative project space more than 18 years ago.

Maker Faire

Touted as the "greatest show and tell on earth," Maker Faire has emerged as the official international celebration of not only creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation but also a mass gathering of the maker movement at large. Each year, Maker Faire hosts multi-day flagship faires in Chicago, New York, and the Bay Area, as well as ongoing regional events, mini faires and school faires around the world. The organization is perhaps the most well-known makerspace networking resource, having established its own "Maker Shed" tools and products, a "Maker Camp" online community and a "Make" magazine for subscribers. The official Maker Faire site also offers aspiring Makers resources and support for bringing a Maker Faire to their local community, starting their own makerspace or becoming a sponsor of the maker movement.

Makerspaces Directories

1.) MakerDirectory.com
This online directory lists national and international maker events, from the Adelaide Mini Maker Faire to the World Maker Faire in New York City.

2.) Hackerspaces
This directory lists national and international events and offers resources specific to hackerspaces, enabling the tech-maker community to make connections both in-person and online.

3.) Maker Faire
Perhaps the most comprehensive of maker directories, Maker Faire offers an interactive map listing upcoming national and international maker faires, mini maker faires, and school faires; aspiring makers can also search past events by region on the site.

4.) Makerspace
This membership site requires registration to connect with other makers; once signed in, members are encouraged to exchange makerspace projects and ideas. The link above to the site's BETA login page is expected to be redirected to a new platform in 2017.

Revitalizing Community Spaces

"Makerspaces have also led to growth in other industries: crowdfunding sites funded more than $5 billion worth of projects in 2014, and the 3D printing industry is expected to be worth $8 billion as early as the year 2020."

One could argue that the phenomenon of makerspaces has led to a revitalization and reimagining of libraries in a digital world. As the means of circulating and accessing digital information outside of libraries continue to grow, this renaissance for the library as a place to gather, create, and collaborate has led to benefits for the host facilities just as much, if not more, than participants. Like book clubs, workshops, and other group meetings, hosting a makerspace alongside traditional offerings in a library is fast becoming the hands-on approach to learning and developing new skills. Many libraries at colleges and universities have incorporated program-specific makerspaces into their campus curriculum, bringing students together around a topic such as robotics or a particular fine art technique.

If increased support and funding for makerspaces are any indication, this trend-turned-movement is here to stay. The University of Texas in Austin is an example of a school that turned a makeshift project into a lucrative institutional endeavor by expanding its makerspace into a program called the Foundry. Hosted by the university's Fine Arts Library, the Foundry was created in 2015 through a $200,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation, which recognized the potential for cross-disciplinary research, art, and invention in a permanent makerspace on campus. Makerspaces have also led to growth in other industries: crowdfunding sites funded more than $5 billion worth of projects in 2014, and the 3D printing industry is expected to be worth $8 billion as early as the year 2020.

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A Librarian's Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources | OEDB.org

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"There were more than 135 million adult makers, more than half of the total adult population in America, in 2015." What is a makerspace? You've no doubt been hearing that word more than a few times over the past several years.

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Teachers co-plan with teacher-librarian for school-wide learner led approaches to inquiry.

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Collaboration.

It's a word that's always thrown around in professional development discussions. The concept sounds simple enough, and I thought I had a handle on it. Turns out, I never really understood how to best collaborate.

When I was an elementary school librarian, I asked teachers to meet with me. We discussed what they were teaching. Then I would go back into the library and plan future lessons for the students. Later, I would present these lessons in the library, without the presence of the classroom teacher.

I considered this effective collaboration at the time.
A new opportunity
I learned that my district, which did not have secondary teacher librarians, was redefining that role, renamed research technology specialist-and I was one of the first teachers hired. Currently, an additional such position is posted for the 2016-17 school year.

A research technology specialist is only required to have teaching certification and experience with research and technology. A MLS, though recommended, is not mandatory.

With that new position, I moved from a fixed-schedule library, where I had classes come to me on set days and times, in an elementary school, to an office beside the library at a combined middle and high school. Most of the time, though, I'm co-teaching lessons in classrooms. The library itself is on a flexible schedule, with teachers scheduling sessions at their discretion, and is staffed by a classified professional.

This new staffing structure required that I integrate the research and technology skills into the curriculum and work closely with staff during this process. This new position expanded my views of teaching, thinking, planning. I began to rethink how a 21st century librarian should collaborate.

Collaboration feels very different without predictable library classes containing the same students. My challenges soon became clear.
Identifying likely partners
Gary Hartzell's Building Influence for the School Librarian: Tenets, Targets, & Tactics Lists (Linworth, 2003) recommends building good working relationships with the following: new teachers, veteran teachers new to your school, teachers whose assignment has been radically changed, and teachers taking part in school-wide change.

In order to establish relationships, I ate lunch with the staff and was sure to be present in the hallway. I asked teachers in person if I could observe them and their classes in action. (Emails did not get much response, probably because of the number of emails teachers receive.)
Finding out what research projects were planned
To find out more, I accessed curricula online. Being able to review the curriculum for all subjects helped me narrow down what research projects were being conducted in my school. The curriculum's scope and sequence gave me the short version of topics. Also, I asked students what research projects they remembered from previous years, to help narrow down specific teachers to speak to in person.
What then?
I had a list of possible staff members to collaborate with, and a good idea of the research projects in the pipeline. But I wasn't sure what to do next.

I decided to begin by introducing the resources available to students in our district. I asked the teachers on my list for one period of class time to teach a lesson.

I wound up hammering out a co-teaching arrangement with both the humanities teacher and the world history teacher. I would rotate, spending half the class period in humanities and the second half in world history. While the classroom teachers were the authorities in their respective subject areas, I could bring my expertise in best practices for researching and creating the projects. As Stacy Cameron, coordinator of library and media services at Frisco Independent School District in Frisco, TX, said in a webinar, "Co-teaching is a deeper level of collaboration. Each member of the co-teaching team brings her own level of expertise."
A tech tool smooths the way
The teachers and I began analyzing technology tools available to our district in order to be able to communicate outside our face-to-face meetings. At first, we shared a resource where we kept important documents (meeting minutes, emails, calendars, directions, PowerPoints). But we wanted to be able to edit each other's documents and leave comments on each other's lessons whenever it was convenient for each of us individually. Our planning needed to be able to continue even when we couldn't all meet up.

Microsoft OneNote 's ability to have multiple people working on different aspects of each lesson in the research process solved that problem of continuity. The lessons' transitions flowed from one skill to another, making the lesson easier for the students to understand. OneNote also allowed teachers to differentiate the lessons for each class and student based on individual needs.
Co-teaching models
Every teacher, research project, and lesson is going to lead to a different form of co-teaching. If you and the classroom teacher discuss a co-teaching model and classroom management expectations before you start teaching, the lesson will run smoother. Here are the seven models of co-teaching from the Teacher Quality Enhancement Center at St. Cloud (MN) State University:

1. One Teach, One Observe: One teacher has primary responsibility while the other gathers specific observational information on students or the (instructing) teacher.

2. One Teach, One Assist: One teacher has primary instructional responsibility while the other assists students with their work, monitors behaviors, or corrects assignments.

3. Parallel Teaching: Each teacher instructs half the students. The two teachers are addressing the same instructional material and presenting the material using the same teaching strategy.

4. Supplemental Teaching: This strategy allows one teacher to work with students at their expected grade level, while the other teacher works with those students who need the information and/or materials retaught, extended, or remediated.

5. Station Teaching: The co-teaching pair divides the instructional content into parts. Each teacher instructs one of the groups; groups then rotate or spend a designated amount of time at each station. Often an independent station will be used along with the teacher-led stations.

6. Alternative Teaching: This strategy provides two different approaches to teaching the same information. The learning outcome is the same for all students. However, the avenue for getting there is different.

7. Team Teaching: The lesson exhibits an invisible flow of instruction with no prescribed division of authority. From a student's perspective, there is no clearly defined leader. Both teachers share the instruction, are free to interject information, and available to assist students and answer questions.

After trying most of these models, I found that "Team Teaching" was the most effective. It created a respectful classroom community. Studies have shown that students learn and "imitate cooperative and collaborative skills" from observing how "teachers share ideas, work cooperatively, and contribute to one another's learning," says Richard Villa, Jacqueline Thousand, and Ann Nevin in A Guide to Co-Teaching (Corwin, 2004). Co-teaching also allows students more time to work because they spend less time waiting for teacher attention.
Round two!
During our second year collaborating, we structured projects to be student led and utilizing OneNote. Students were given four sections: information, workspace, research help, and research steps. Students could work at their own pace, allowing for differentiated one-on-one support.

I quickly realized that in order to make sure students were comprehending research and technology skills, I needed to be part of conferencing, review student's work throughout the process, and read their essays. By dividing the class in half (half assigned to me and half assigned to the classroom teacher), we were able to provide more immediate feedback and focus on students who were struggling. Students not meeting deadlines conferenced more frequently than those who were showing they were successful in researching. After school, students were more easily able to receive extra help because there were two teachers available.

Providing timely feedback for every step of the process for all students, though, proved near impossible. Each student received a partner (a "critical friend") for the entire project. Every research day, the students met with their critical friends, who reviewed their work, for the last 10 minutes of class.
Reflection
Not only is it essential to reflect on student work, but also on the co-teaching process. Schedule time to think about the first co-teaching lesson: What went well and what might change for the next project? Student feedback will also help guide your steps in future projects. Although co-teaching and collaboration takes considerable effort, the classroom teacher, students, and you will benefit and grow from the experience.
Tara N. Jones entered the education field as an English teacher before getting her Masters of Library Science Degree. She is now research technology specialist in a 6th-12th grade school in Bellevue, WA.

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Collaboration. It's a word that's always thrown around in professional development discussions. The concept sounds simple enough, and I thought I had a handle on it. Turns out, I never really understood how to best collaborate. When I was an elementary school librarian, I asked teachers to meet with me.

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Join the proD committee. Encourage teachers to make goals and develop inquiry plans around those goals.

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Buy books they want to read, help them to manage their own information spaces, give them a place to eat their lunch!

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I was staring around my office, trying to decide what to write about this week, and my glance settled on the Clementines I brought for a snack. They were just in season, so I've been eating as many as I can before they go away again. The last batch I bought are candy-sweet and delicious.

And that got me thinking. We allow food, drink, etc. in the library where I currently work. The theory is that if we treat the members of our community like adults - trust them to be careful with their soda and french fries and the like - then they'll act like adults. (Also, policing things like that in a library with five levels takes a lot more energy and time than we're willing to give.) Theory and reality don't always coincide, but it does in this case: people who come into my library do exactly what we expect them to do. They are careful with food and drink. On the rare occasion when something is spilled, they almost always clean it up and/or report it to us. The worst behaviors actually come from atypical library patrons - people who are only here on a rare occasion.

I know this wouldn't work at every library, but I also think that letting go of the stranglehold librarians try to have over patron behavior can engender more goodwill than it will cause carpet stains. Trusting people to treat the library well, and communicating that fact (I let freshmen know we allow food and drink in the library and then explain, "You're adults. We're going to treat you that way."), is a great way of helping members of the community to feel a sense of ownership for the building and its contents, to feel like they are part of a community.

So I say, with a tweaked version of a phrase that is frequently misattributed to Marie Antoinette: "Let members of my community eat cake, drink coffee, and consume whatever they want." It's their library, after all.

How about you? What do you think about food and drink in the library? Does your library have a policy against it?

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Let Them Eat Cake (or Oranges or Pizza): Food in the Library

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I was staring around my office, trying to decide what to write about this week, and my glance settled on the Clementines I brought for a snack. They were just in season, so I've been eating as many as I can before they go away again.

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Attend conferences, join professional organisations, take online courses. Stay current.

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We will strive to provide an up-to-date listing of learning opportunities Below are a set of links to a variety of professional development sites that may be of interest. Check out the lists of past webinars and summer institutes for archived session materials and resources.

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Establish a friends of the library committee and listen to what they say.

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Establish a friends of the library committee and listen to what they say.

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The bell just rang for the start of school at Dartmouth (MA) Middle School, and I'm still taking off my coat. Fifty to 60 students are about to flood into the library to print schoolwork, look for books, hang out, and play computer games for 15 minutes before the Pledge of Allegiance signals the start of homeroom.

No worries. The lights and computers are on and the circulation desk computer is ready to go, thanks to the Leconte sisters, student volunteers who let themselves in each morning. Reilly, in eighth grade, and Reese, in sixth, check out books until they head off to their lockers. Then, eighth grader Normandy takes over while I circulate the library assisting students.

On an average day, at least ten students help me run the library. Altogether, over 40 seventh and eighth-grade students work there each year. I couldn't do it without them.
Why have student library volunteers?
Having student library volunteers frees me up to do more collaboration with teachers, one-on-one instruction at students' point of need, and reader's advisory. Like many school librarians. I operate a busy program with no paid assistance. While parent volunteers have always been a part of it, I was excited to start the school's first student volunteer initiative when I started here six years ago. Since I've given students the responsibility to help plan and create displays and programs, the initiative has taken off. It's now a hotly demanded leadership position.
How it works
Seventh and eighth grade students are eligible to be library assistants, positions that I promote during my sixth grade Library Skills class. Promotion is really unnecessary, though, since I probably get asked five times a week how to become a library assistant! The most common suggestion on my Padlet wall this year was to let sixth graders help in the library. I have enough volunteers at the moment, and I love knowing all my volunteers from their year in my class.

My middle school students crave responsibility and love doing authentic work. Every class period is busy. When library assistants aren't working the circulation desk, they're straightening books, running errands, and doing special projects like helping me delete weeded books, relabel my reorganized biography section, or set up a book buffet for an incoming class.

Most students volunteer during free periods, but those with no room in their schedule volunteer before or after school. I treat the students like real employees and stress that this is a real job. I require that students be in good academic standing, and I check in with teachers at least twice a year. Occasionally, I've asked students to take a break until their grades have improved, and I've had to "fire" two students for various reasons. If I have a group of students in a class period, I often save big projects for them to complete together such as moving books, relabeling, or playing with new apps for the iPads.

Tips

Get administrator approval

I'm lucky to work in a place with lots of support from my building administrators. Still, launching my volunteer program was not without its challenges. Proposing a change in student scheduling, which I had to do that first year, can be a tough argument. Make your case to administrators and guidance counselors (often in charge of scheduling) that your initiative will benefit the whole community and provide a leadership and service opportunity for students. My assistant principal, Carl Robidoux, said, "When students can connect with their environment they take better care of it, plus the program gives the school library new ideas, immediate feedback and a fresh set of eyes."

Bestow responsibility

Requiring students to fill out an application ensures that they are interested in the position and not just in spending a free period in the library. The application I use is fairly simple, with an essay component ("Why do you want to be a library assistant?"), two teacher recommendations, and a parent signature. Most students who take the time to fill out the application are a good fit. Some may not yet be ready for the responsibility; don't be afraid to take them aside and talk about what they need to do to become a library assistant the next year.

Getting students who truly want the responsibility is important. Look for enthusiasm and excitement on the student applications; those students will be your rock star volunteers. For instance: "It would be lots of fun and an honor to help out in one of my favorite places. Plus, library assistants get to hang out with Ms. G!"

Maintain an ongoing list of tasks that volunteers can do. Those of us who have run solo programs for years may have difficulty delegating, but prioritizing your time as a professional is important. When I see a low level task that needs doing I add it to my special project list for parent or student volunteers. I also have a standard list that students can reference that includes things like look for trash, straighten books, water plants, push in chairs, clean tables and empty recycling.

For middle school students, learning how to use the circulation system is special; my students fight over who gets to check in the books! Give them other special privileges, such as delivering reserved books to students around the school during class time. Nametags are another way to make the job special. Creating them seems like a small thing, but I've found that most students are thrilled to decorate and wear them while working in the library.

Celebrate and appreciate

Find a small way to say thank you to your volunteers. A simple breakfast party at the end of the year and thanking them for all their hard work goes a long way. Say "thank you" on a daily basis, and take the time to let students know how much you appreciate their assistance. I also write letters of recommendations for eighth graders that can be used for future employment and have been used as job references.

Capitalize on their interests and talents

"I absolutely love to read...I could show younger kids and kids my age who I know and influence them to read. Since I know these people, they might take my advice and end up reading more than ever." -From a volunteer application essay

Spending a little time to get to know student interests and talents is well worth the effort. I'm hopeless when it comes to bulletin boards and display ideas. Luckily, some of my student volunteers are always pros at this. One annual display they make shows their favorite books with notecards explaining their choices. We always have a huge jump in circulation when that's up. I've also had students test out the new library website, iPad apps, ebooks, and green screens. Last year, they created book trailers using Animoto that were featured on our school website and on QR codes around the library. Some students have more outlying interests, such as eighth grader Kate, who enjoys reading the shelves in the nonfiction area and reordering books that are misplaced. She says that it's relaxing to re-shelve books.

I say I understand...and that she's in the right place.
Laura Gardner has been a school librarian for ten years and is a teacher librarian and National Junior Honor Society advisor at Dartmouth Middle School. A National Board Certified Teacher in Library Media, she serves on the board of the Massachusetts School Library Association. She and her husband live in Fairhaven, MA with their two young children.

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How to Run a Library Volunteer Program that Students Love

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The bell just rang for the start of school at Dartmouth (MA) Middle School, and I'm still taking off my coat. Fifty to 60 students are about to flood into the library to print schoolwork, look for books, hang out, and play computer games for 15 minutes before the Pledge of Allegiance signals the start of homeroom.

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Think of the library as a learning commons - invite people to use the space! Welcome people in; encourage student ownership.

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This website constitutes the current version of Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons, continuously updated with new resources.

The Canadian Library Association transferred ownership of the Leading Learning project to Canadian School Libraries in 2016.

Citations for Leading Learning should reflect its current content and status. Please follow the instructions on this page: Citing Leading Learning

The PDF version of Leading Learning is no longer supported.
Print copies of Leading Learning can be purchased from The Library Marketplace.

Leading Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Leading Learning - Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada

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This website constitutes the current version of Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons , continuously updated with new resources. The Canadian Library Association transferred ownership of the Leading Learning project to Canadian School Libraries in 2016. Citations for Leading Learning should reflect its current content and status.

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keep an open mind, be curious

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Get involved in events, theme days, fundraisers

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Start or join a school wide or district wide inquiry group.

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Teach students and teachers where to go to access databases, eBooks, eTexts

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EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com

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Schools | Research Databases, Journals, eBooks, Magazines | EBSCO

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EBSCO provides high-quality content for elementary, middle, and high schools worldwide and provides research databases, ebooks and audiobooks, magazines, journals, and more. . .

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Harness the power of technology.  Teach students how to be good digital citizens.  Collaborate with teachers to integrate technology into lesson plans

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Grade 5-6 Digital Citizenship HyperDoc - Meacher

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Be a leader on curriculum implementation committees.

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The Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need in order to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Along with literacy and numeracy foundations, they are central to British Columbia's K-12 curriculum and assessment system and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens.

Students develop Core Competencies when they are engaged in the "doing" - the Curricular Competencies - within a learning area. As such, they are an integral part of the curriculum. While they manifest themselves uniquely in each area of learning, the Core Competencies are often interconnected and are foundational to all learning.

Before students enter school, development of Core Competencies begins at home and then continues throughout their life. Students encounter opportunities to develop their competence in formal and informal settings. They move from demonstrating competence in relatively simple and highly supported situations, to demonstrating independence in more complex and varied contexts. Competency development does not end with school graduation but continues in personal, social, educational, and workplace contexts.

Students, teachers, and parents/guardians share responsibility for the ongoing development of Core Competencies. Each group has its own considerations.

Discussing the Core Competencies with peers, teachers, and family can deepen students' understanding of the Core Competencies and help them identify personal strengths and establish goals for further development as educated citizens

Examining the illustrations helps students develop an appreciation of the different ways, forms, and contexts in which the Core Competencies can be applied

The illustrations connect the Core Competencies with students' own classroom experiences and bring the profiles to life for them

Students are responsible for assessing their own growth in the Core Competencies. The profiles linked with each sub-competency can serve as a helpful guide in this self-assessment

Teachers can use the sub-competency profiles and illustrations to support students in their growth as educated citizens

Providing students with meaningful tasks and activities, where they can explicitly reflect on where and how they are using the Core Competencies, will further their development in Communication, Thinking, and Personal and Social. The illustrations for each sub-competency provide examples of rich tasks, activities, and feedback

The Core Competencies are embedded within the curriculum and are naturally supported when students engage with the Big Ideas and Curricular Competencies in each area of learning. Examples of explicit connections with Big Ideas can be found in the "Connection" section for each sub-competency

Teachers support students in assessing their own growth in the Core Competencies. (For more information on assessment and the Core Competencies, please see Classroom Assessment and Reporting)

Students develop Core Competencies at home as well as at school, making parent/guardian support for students' growing awareness, understanding, and development of the Core Competencies crucial

Parents/guardians will likely already have some understanding of their students' development in Communication, Thinking, and Personal and Social

Formal school tasks and activities often look different from the more informal tasks students are involved in at home. While both contexts are valuable, parents/guardians can expect that a student's use of the Core Competencies may look very different in these two contexts

The illustrations offer examples from a variety of contexts and can provide parents/guardians with a new lens through which to view their students' development as educated citizens

Unpacking the three Core Competencies

Communication -The Communication competency encompasses the knowledge, skills, processes and dispositions we associate with interactions with others. Through their communication, students acquire, develop and transform ideas and information, and make connections with others to share their ideas, express their individuality, further their learning, and get things done. The communication competency is fundamental to finding satisfaction, purpose and joy.

Thinking - The Thinking competency encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding. Thinking competence includes specific thinking skills as well as habits of mind, and metacognitive awareness. These are used to process information from a variety of sources, including thoughts and feelings that arise from the subconscious and unconscious mind and from embodied cognition, to create new understandings.

Personal and Social - The Personal and Social competency is the set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society. Personal and social competency encompasses what students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world.

Sub-competencies

Sub-competencies are smaller competencies that fit within a Core Competency.

The Core Competencies are interrelated and interdependent and each sub-competency is naturally intertwined with all the other sub-competencies. These connections are explicitly described in the Connections among Core Competencies section included for each sub-competency. As students move through the profiles in one sub-competency, their growth will influence development in other sub-competencies.

Facets

Each sub-competency includes three or four facets. Facets are the unique and interrelated components of the sub-competencies. Students tend to demonstrate multiple facets of a sub-competency at once when completing tasks and actions.

Profiles

Each sub-competency has a set of six Profiles. Profiles are descriptors of students' sub-competency development and reflect the interrelated facets of each sub-competency. They are progressive and additive, and they emphasize the concept of expanding and growing. As students move through the profiles, they maintain and enhance competencies from previous profiles while developing new skills. Students may also find themselves reflecting aspects of more than one profile at a time.

It is important to remember that the profiles are not tied to specific grade levels and are reflective of lifelong development.

Illustrations

Illustrations are examples of how B.C. students from diverse backgrounds and communities have demonstrated their developing competence. These examples are varied and can include student work samples, student and teacher reflections, interviews, teacher observations, learning stories, and/or photos and videos.

All illustrations include a profile analysis that highlights the parts of one or more sub-competency profiles the student is demonstrating in the illustration.

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The Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need in order to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Along with literacy and numeracy foundations, they are central to British Columbia's K-12 curriculum and assessment system and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens.

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Help students and teacher with new technology tools for collaboration and communication: Padlet, Symbaloo, G Suite

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Save your bookmarks and favorite websites online with Symbaloo! The best way to store, manage, and organize your bookmarks on the web. Create a free account to share your favorites with friends, colleagues or students. With over 10 million users, Symbaloo is a trusted edtech tool of teachers and educators worldwide!

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Insert yourself wherever and whenever you can.  Curriculum committees, technology committees, inquiry groups, department head meetings..

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Buy resources teachers will want.  Provide support in how to use resources we already have.

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Kalamalka Library Technology Help - YouTube

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Sign in now to see your channels and recommendations!

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Parents need guidance and education on cyber safety for their children. Also provide assistance on navigating library resources.

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Keep staff informed of new resources, and tools. New pedagogy, teaching tools and professional publications (online and print).

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