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BFTP: A dozen ways to teach ethical and safe technology use - Home - Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog

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BFTP: A dozen ways to teach ethical and safe technology use - Home - Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog

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Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 05:29AM
From The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide
A dozen ways to teach and promote ethical and safe technology use
Responsible teachers recognize that schools must give students the understandings and skills they need to stay safe not just in school, but outside of school where most Internet use by young people occurs. Over-filtered school networks set up a false sense of security; the real world of the Internet is quite different from the Internet at school.

Teachers who address safe and ethical Internet use proactively:

2. Stress the consideration and application of principles rather than relying on a detailed set of rules. Although sometimes more difficult to enforce in a consistent manner, a set of a few guidelines* rather than lengthy set of specific rules is more beneficial to students in the long run. By applying guidelines rather than following rules, students engage in higher level thinking processes and learn behaviors that will continue into their next classroom, their homes, and their adult lives.

3. Model ethical behaviors.All of us learn more from what others dothan what they say. Verbalization of how we personally make decisions is a very powerful teaching tool, but it's useless to lecture about safe and appropriate use when we ourselves might not follow our own rules.

8. Reinforce ethical behaviors and react to the misuse of technology.Technology use behaviors are treated no differently than other behaviors -- good or bad -- and the consequences of such behaviors are equal. Try not to overreact to incidents of technological misuse. If a student were caught reading Playboy in paper form, it's doubtful we'd suspend all his reading privileges.

11. Educate our students and ourselves. Aware teachers are using online curricula from organizations like iLearn, BlogSafety, NetFamilyNews, and Responsible Netizen to inform themselves and their children. These ready-made curricula are simple to integrate when teaching Internet safety units.

Will doing those things guarantee that a student will never get in trouble or danger online? Of course not. But schools never have been able to guarantee students' physical safety either. What schools must be able to demonstrate is that they have shown due diligence -- that they have taken serious steps to prevent harm from occurring. That means a formal plan -- one that includes the above actions and documentation of the plan -- is necessary. And installing Internet filters alone does not constitute due diligence.

Ethical instruction needs to be on going. A single lesson, a single unit, or a single curriculum strand will not suffice. Teachers should integrate ethical instruction into every activity that uses technology.

* Johnson's 3 P's of Technology Ethics:

1. Privacy - I will protect my privacy and respect the privacy of others.

2. Property - I will protect my property and respect the property of others.

3. a(P)propriate Use - I will use technology in constructive ways and in ways which do not break the rules of my family, church, school, or government.

Image source: http://gadgetsin.com/angel-and-devil-ipad-cases.htm

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BFTP: A dozen ways to teach ethical and safe technology use - Home - Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog

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Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 05:29AM From The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide A dozen ways to teach and promote ethical and safe technology use Responsible teachers recognize that schools must give students the understandings and skills they need to stay safe not just in school, but outside of school where most Internet use by young people occurs.

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By becoming a PBS Certified Media Literacy Educator you demonstrate your expertise in teaching students to produce media that matters and to think critically about their role as media consumers and creators.

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Thinking with the Super Bowl — @joycevalenza NeverEndingSearch

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Thinking with the Super Bowl — @joycevalenza NeverEndingSearch

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Here in Philadelphia, we're particularly excited about this year's Super Bowl. It's a bit of a challenge to remember that a lot of learning that can happen beyond what happens on the field.

Each year, media literacy consultant Frank Baker reminds me that this major sports event is also particularly ripe for media literacy learning.

In a recent MiddleWeb post, he explains:

In 2018, Super Bowl 52 will be viewed by 100+ million people in the U.S. alone (NBC had an average audience of 111.9 million viewers in 2016) and the cost of a 30-second ad is estimated at $5 million this time around (about the same as 2017). At this stage of the run-up to the February 4th game, a lot of attention (on social media, in the press, and around the office water cooler) has already been given to the game and the commercials . . .

It's up to us, as educators, to pull back the curtain on how these highly persuasive texts might pull an emotional string which makes us remember (or want to purchase) the product or spread the message.

TV and other video commercials should be considered as texts because they present information that students can learn to scrutinize closely (analyze) and deconstruct. In fact, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has long recommended that teachers include "non-print" texts in the classroom.

This year, Frank adds a Super Bowl Ad Analysis Worksheet to his Using Super Bowl Ads in the Classroom resource page, a website designed to help educators incorporate Super Bowl ads into instruction across the curriculum. Consider using this chart as a whole-class data collection tool, perhaps as a Google Form.

Among my favorite resources on the site are the questions suggested in Close Reading of Media Texts for use before and after the game.

This coming week, for instance, you might consider some of Frank's before kickoff questions:

1. What do you know about the Super Bowl game? Where did you learn it?

2. Why does the game get tremendous media attention every year?

3. What makes advertisers want to put their ads on this once-a-year sporting event?

4. Why does ad time cost $5 million for just one 30-second ad?

5. Who decides what order the ads air during the game?

6. How do advertisers create buzz about their ads, even before the game is broadcast?

7. Create a chart listing the known advertisers and research their parent companies.

8. How many ads are for: alcohol? cars? TV shows? movies? Why is this so?

9. Which ad(s) are you looking forward to viewing and why?

10. Which propaganda/persuasion techniques would you expect to be used in each ad?

11. How do advertisers make money from their Super Bowl spots?

12. Might you find ads inside/outside/above the stadium? If so, where?
Be on the lookout for not-so-obvious ads during the broadcast. (Students might want to create a list)

13. Based on the ads scheduled to be broadcast, what demographic (gender, age) do you think each advertiser is trying to reach?

14. How was social media used, if at all, by advertisers before and during the game itself?

15. How do you plan to use social media, it at all, during the game?

Don't miss the collection of Super Bowl Ads Infographics that offer an immediate sense of the business stakes behind the big game. The analysis is not limited to this year's ads. Frank links us to archives of ads from years past.

There's also a fabulous gathering of lesson plans:

Frank also leads us to the new USA Today AdMeter. This year, with free registration, USA Today encourages viewers/visitors to rate the 2018 Super Bowl ads. Some of the ads have already been posted and you'll find USA Today's gatherings of the most controversial Super Bowl ads of all time an d the funniest Super Bowl ads of all time.

Whether they are football fans or not, over the next couple of weeks we have an opportunity to authentically engage learners in understanding the media messages they face every day across their screens as informational text.

You may also be interested in Frank's recent book Reading The Media, published by Routledge/MiddleWeb which I honored to review a few months back. You'll find a calendar of creative and accessible ideas for using popular culture (including popular film, toy commercials, award shows, popular songs, news photographs, and MAD magazine cover parodies) in instruction.

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Here in Philadelphia, we're particularly excited about this year's Super Bowl. It's a bit of a challenge to remember that a lot of learning that can happen beyond what happens on the field. Each year, media literacy consultant Frank Baker reminds me that this major sports event is also particularly ripe for media literacy learning.

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Curriculum – Applied Digital Skills from Google

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Curriculum – Applied Digital Skills from Google

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Digital Lessons & Curriculum - Applied Digital Skills

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The Applied Digital Skills curriculum consists of free of charge resources that are designed to build digital literacy in education and for jobs. Explore our lessons today.

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Free Technology for Teachers: Copyright Lessons for Students and Teachers

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Free Technology for Teachers: Copyright Lessons for Students and Teachers

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As many of you know, I spent much of my week dealing with a copyright infringement issue. As a result of that I have been doing more reading about DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) than ever before. One piece that I read was this article from attorney Sarah F. Hawkins. The article didn't have much that was new to me, but I am bringing it up because one of the comments posted under the article points to the larger problem of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of copyright as it pertains to the Internet.

Here's the beginning of the comment:
I run my own travel consulting page on a large social media platform, I recently used a google image of a hotel. This morning I received an invoice for $3500 because I used this image, I did not know about copyright infringements as it was just an image on google.

That comment reflects the way that a lot of people misinterpret Google Image search. Unless you use the advanced search filter to find only Creative Commons licensed images, most of what you find through Google Images is copyrighted. Google doesn't host the images or license the images. Google Images is simply a search engine. Giving an image credit to Google Images is not citing the source and even if Google was the source, unless it is labeled as Creative Commons or Public Domain, you can't use the image without permission. The exception being in the case of fair use. But even then just because you're using it for an educational setting doesn't mean it automatically qualifies your use as fair use. I explained this scenario in more detail in this post in 2014.

On a similar note to the Google Images scenario, citing Facebook as the source of an image does not mean that you can use the image without permission. I explained this in more detail in this post.

Resources for teaching Copyright, Creative Commons, and Fair Use.

The following two videos from Common Craft provide excellent overviews of these topics.

For a more in-depth look at copyright for educators, watch Dr. Wesley Fryer's Slideshare on the topic. Eight years after he released it, it's still one of the best resources on the topic.

Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright is a resource for kids produced by the Library of Congress. Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright is intended to help elementary school students understand the purposes and functions of copyright. There are four sections to Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright. The first section, Copyright Exposed, features a short cartoon that explains how copyright protects artists. Files on Record, the second section, chronicles important historical developments in copyright law. The third section, Reading the Fine Print, answers common questions and addresses common myths about copyright laws. The last section, Steps to Copyright, instructs students on registering their own works for copyright protection.
Disclosure: I have an in-kind business relationship with Common Craft.

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Copyright Lessons for Students and Teachers

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As many of you know, I spent much of my week dealing with a copyright infringement issue. As a result of that I have been doing more reading about DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) than ever before. One piece that I read was this article from attorney Sarah F. Hawkins.

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Top reasons to use databases | Piktochart Visual Editor

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Top reasons to use databases | Piktochart Visual Editor

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Top reasons to use databases | Piktochart Visual Editor

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Digital Citizenship Education in Nine Steps | Take the Lead | School Library Journal

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Digital Citizenship Education in Nine Steps | Take the Lead | School Library Journal

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By Robin Stout on

Today's students have an online playground in addition to the physical one at their schools. But unlike school playgrounds, digital spaces are rarely monitored or supervised. As students connect, communicate, and collaborate digitally, they need to learn web literacy, source evaluation, information filtering, and self-monitoring skills. Merely teaching digital citizenship skills is not enough. Responsible online behavior needs to become part of the district or campus climate.

In my school district, our journey towards cultivating a culture of digital citizenship began with a Strategic Design Plan that included seamless integration of digital citizenship "across the curriculum, so that all stakeholders collaborate in an atmosphere of respect, integrity, sharing, trust, and service," as our plan states.

The strategic design process began in 2011, with community stakeholders drafting a new mission, vision, goals, and core beliefs for the district. The digital citizenship component states that learners will be engaged "through the use of technological tools to access, create, and share content, as well as collaborate with other learners throughout the world." We also implemented what we call 1:X, which ensures that all students would have the devices they need to learn and includes a 1:1 iPad initiative for students in grades 4-12.

During the first year of 1:X, librarians were the primary conduits for digital citizenship instruction and modeling. As teachers and administrators found themselves facing new classroom routines and situations related to the 1:X devices, they also were convinced of the necessity to incorporate this education for students.

That spring, our librarians began a nine-week digital citizenship education campaign. We emphasized each element, as identified by Mike Ribble, creator of the Digital Citizenship website, for one week. Librarians collaborated in a shared online folder to compile resources, such as social media posts, announcements, instructional activities, and lessons. The district 1:X online tool kit also featured a website with parent resources, videos, and conversation starters.

The following year, librarians participated in a state-wide digital citizenship week, again coordinating resources in a shared folder. Administrators participated in a mini-conference with breakout sessions led by librarians, principals, central office staff, and instructional technology personnel. Each principal created a digital citizenship goal for their campus improvement plan, such as obtaining Common Sense Certified School status or providing digital citizenship education to parents and community members. Library services and IT staff presented at district PTA meetings and campus digital showcase events.

During year three, we implemented a district-wide digital citizenship curriculum for fourth graders as they received their 1:X devices. The curriculum, taught by librarians, classroom teachers, and technology applications teachers, was based on Common Sense Media lessons corresponding with the Texas technology applications standards.

The district also participated in Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship Week. The communications and digital learning departments coordinated to include parent resources and campus activities on the district website and social media accounts. We also included a digital citizenship component in the district parent education program, Parent U.

We are currently in year four of culture building. Teaching students to be responsible users and creators of digital information is a core value of our district as we prepare them for careers that don't exist today. The digital citizenship curriculum currently includes grades four, five, and seven, with plans to add additional grade levels each year.

As a culminating activity, students in grades five and seven upload a digital citizenship artifact, such as a student-created video explaining an element of digital citizenship or a game teaching younger students how to stay safe online, into their ePortfolios. These artifacts let students showcase how they access, create, and share digital content in a safe online environment. The curriculum also includes resources for digital literacy, the application of digital citizenship skills. Beginning in 2017-18, these artifacts will also include a reflection component. We are also updating and strengthening components for parents and teachers as we expand the curriculum to additional grades.

My advice for librarians looking to foster a climate of responsible digital behavior is to bring parents, teachers, and administrators into the conversation early. These stakeholders serve as powerful models and are essential to a shared climate.

Provide teachers training in digital citizenship and literacy. Librarians are poised to provide training on topics, such as the use and evaluation of digital tools, establishing who owns information and ideas found online, leveraging advanced search options to limit and refine internet searches, and/or assessing whether an online resource or person is credible and trustworthy.

Building a shared culture of digital citizenship is a journey. Librarians serve as models, leaders, and guides on this path with students who will be future-ready digital citizens.
Nine elements of digital citizenship as identified by Mike Ribble:

Digital Access: Full electronic participation in society

Digital Commerce: Electronic buying and selling of goods

Digital Communication: Electronic exchange of information

Digital Literacy: Process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology

Digital Etiquette: Electronic standards of conduct or procedure

Digital Law: Electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

Digital Rights & Responsibilities: Those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world

Digital Health & Wellness: Physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world

Digital Security: Electronic precautions to guarantee safety

Also see: Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship curriculum and resources. Robin Stout is the library media services and emerging technologies administrator in the Lewisville (TX) Independent School District. She is a member of the inaugural 2015-16 class of Lilead Fellows and is working on a doctorate in educational leadership in her spare time.

This article was featured in our free Extra Helping enewsletter.
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Digital Citizenship Education in Nine Steps | Take the Lead

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By Robin Stout on Today's students have an online playground in addition to the physical one at their schools. But unlike school playgrounds, digital spaces are rarely monitored or supervised. As students connect, communicate, and collaborate digitally, they need to learn web literacy, source evaluation, information filtering, and self-monitoring skills.

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Giving Data Some Soul | Project Advocacy | School Library Journal

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Giving Data Some Soul | Project Advocacy | School Library Journal

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At the 2014 Internet Librarian Conference, held in Monterey, CA (October 27-29), EBSCO user experience researcher Deirdre Costello shared the company's efforts to delve into the research habits of teens. EBSCO researchers conducted one-on-one interviews, and they also sent video cameras to students so they could create their own research video diaries.

The shared results could have been interesting, but dry. However, the EBSCO team chose to capture their results in the jargon of "Harry Potter." It was so memorable that without consulting my notes, I can recall the three types of teen researchers they identified: Hermiones, who use every research tool well and listen to instructions; Rons, who rely on the Hermiones to help them through the research project; and Nevilles, who only get good at research once they find their true passion in a subject-and then blossom.

Those analogies demonstrated the power of using data persuasively. When we do so, we share our discoveries in a way that sticks.

At the conference, Ken Haycock, research professor of management and organization at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, acknowledged that the way librarians present data often doesn't resonate with decision-makers. Qualitative sorts of stories do. "Data with a soul," as keynote speaker Brendan Howley, chief strategy officer at Yup! media group, called it, quoting University of Houston professor and TED Talk sensation Brené Brown.

Typically, we gather data about how many students or how many classes we serve. How can librarians answer real-world questions and harness data's persuasive potential? I happen to be in the midst of delving into my own curiosity about student reading habits-gathering data about our students' use of ebooks through a variety of methodologies, including surveys, personal interviews, and video interviews. As I do so, I am mindful of transforming the data into a meaningful story about our students that will resonate with administrators.

In a presentation at Internet Librarian, I shared some of our findings. Surveyed seniors claimed a strong preference for print materials. Only six percent prefer ebooks, although they use both formats when necessary. An informal library survey showed that overall, our students prefer print almost 2:1.

Also, despite a great deal of library publicity, students aren't very aware of the ebook collection. In addition to gathering the data, I need to craft it to help school leaders understand the real picture of student ebook preferences versus the perception of "digital natives."

We have so many data-gathering tools at our disposal. Maybe we collect compelling data through video interviews, as my school's librarians did when interviewing students about their learning space preferences. Maybe we gather it through brainstorming exercises. At the conference, school librarians Cheri Dobbs (Detroit Country Day School, Beverly Hills, MI) and Marcia Kochel (Galloway School, Atlanta, GA) suggested rethinking libraries through a blue-sky challenge: "What would the library look like if __ (the Geico gecko, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres, etc.) designed it?" Attendees imagined that Ellen's library would include dancing, guests, and prizes, while the gecko's library would feature low shelving.

Data can also be compiled with collaborative brainstorming tools, such as Coggle.it, as Mary Ann Bell, assistant professor in the department of library science at Texas's Sam Houston State University, suggested at the conference. Perhaps it involves using a tool like Piktochart to craft a compelling infographic.

What are you or your administrators curious about? Let that motivate your research. Whatever your method, don't lose focus on the data's narrative. As Haycock reminded us, this story might be the one thread that decision-makers remember at a critical juncture.

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Giving Data Some Soul | Project Advocacy

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At the 2014 Internet Librarian Conference, held in Monterey, CA (October 27-29), EBSCO user experience researcher Deirdre Costello shared the company's efforts to delve into the research habits of teens. EBSCO researchers conducted one-on-one interviews, and they also sent video cameras to students so they could create their own research video diaries.

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While some educators put their energy into catching wrongdoers after they submit a paper or report, this article suggests eliminating plagiarism by making sure students understand what it is before they start their research.

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Library Advocacy Toolkit | Library Connect

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Library Advocacy Toolkit | Library Connect

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With the advent of online usage, it's more critical than ever for librarians to raise the profile of their resources and services by communicating the value they add to their institutions. The following information can help librarians plan and execute an advocacy campaign, or focus on individual lobbying efforts.
How-to tips for advocacy campaigns Background and talking points to inform advocacy campaigns

University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the Grants Process (2010) by Carol Tenopir, Amy Love, Joseph Park, Lei Wu, Andrea Baer and Regina Mays, Center for Information and Communication Studies, University of Tennessee

University Investment in the Library: What's the Return? A Case Study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2008) by Judy Luther, President, Informed Strategies

LIBER Quarterly: The Library as Strategic Investment: Results of the Illinois Return on Investment Study (2008) by Paula T. Kaufman, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Text that libraries can use to write letters in advocacy campaigns AnchorLobbying Grassroots Checklist
By Teresa Jennings, Managing Director State and Governmental Affairs, Elsevier, Washington, DC, USA

Is the institution's Government Affairs Office working on it?

Find out what lobbying efforts they are making on behalf of your institution. Are there ways that you can supplement their activities, such as specific communications that you can send? Can they provide you with a list of legislators who might be receptive to your message? Can they point to specific legislation about which you can write? A coordinated approach has a better chance of getting noticed.

2. Is there an active legislative proposal?

If so, is the proposal part of a larger budget bill, or is the proposal a stand-alone bill? Do you know the bill number? If not, most state legislatures have Internet websites which allow you to search for a bill by subject matter. In any communications, you would want to reference the bill by the bill number and its title. Legislators work on thousands of proposals during any state legislative session. The more specific you can be on the proposal you would like them to support and why, the more likely the legislator will listen to your advocacy and respond positively.

3. If there is not a legislative proposal currently active, are there efforts underway to have one started?

Groups like NYSHEI in New York may have done important ground work to find the right legislator with the expertise to help support a proposal. Finding the right person to lead the effort sometimes can make the crucial difference between passage and defeat.

4. Is it the right time in the process to weigh in?

Proactive legislation (seeking something to be passed) is much harder to achieve than defensive legislation (seeking to stop or amend legislation). It may mean that efforts may be helpful numerous times in a legislative process (i.e., when the bill has a committee hearing in the house in which it was introduced, when it has a hearing in the other house, or when it is on the Governor's desk for signature into law). Each of these steps may need information and support, and these activity points may be the crucial times to weigh in.

5. Who are the members the audience you are attempting to convince? Is it a committee? If so, is it House or Senate? Do you know the committee members? Is the communication to go to the Governor's office?

Knowing your audience will help you tailor your letter to the elected officials making the most imminent decision, and thus your letter will be the most persuasive piece it can be.

What type of communication is best? Generally, the most persuasive communications (by letter or by another means) are ones that are in your own words, speak to the substance of a particular bill, and relate to the current legislative situation.

A powerful communication would be one:

Giving details on the library you represent

Describing the economic value (e.g., the number of patents, publications, grants or jobs) resulting from funding already provided to the library

Estimating the impacts (e.g., the number of additional patents, publications, grants or jobs) of further funding provided to the library

Talking about the economic impacts of the overall resources of the library as an educational hub for the local, regional or national community it serves

Communications to state legislative bodies are best when they are individualized, meaningful to the situation at hand, honest, and informative. One well placed word can make the difference in a legislative effort. You are an important resource in this process.

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With the advent of online usage, it's more critical than ever for librarians to raise the profile of their resources and services by communicating the value they add to their institutions. The following information can help librarians plan and execute an advocacy campaign, or focus on individual lobbying efforts.

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Anyone can speak up for your libraries-your voice counts! People who are passionate about providing access to information, literature, and lifelong learning have always been at the heart of the American library movement. This is true now more than ever, and citizens must use their voices to ensure our library legacy remains viable and fully funded.

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ALA Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) - Home | About ALA

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ALA Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) - Home | About ALA

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Mission

The Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) supports the efforts of advocates seeking to improve libraries of all types by developing resources, a peer-to-peer advocacy network, and training for advocates at the local, state and national level. In order to achieve this goal, OLA works closely with the Public Awareness Office, the Chapter Relations Office, the Office for Government Relations, and other ALA units involved in advocacy on behalf of particular types of libraries or particular issues, in order to help better integrate these efforts into the overall advocacy planning and strategies of the association. OLA also works to cultivate future leadership in order to sustain the advocacy efforts of the association.

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ALA Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) - Home

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The Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) supports the efforts of advocates seeking to improve libraries of all types by developing resources, a peer-to-peer advocacy network, and training for advocates at the local, state and national level.

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Six Ways To Become More Indispensable

It worries me when I hear that some schools in other states are doing away with their school librarians. This is a time when librarians are needed more than ever in schools since we have training in literacy, research skills, and technology. With these skills at our disposal, how can districts simply choose to eliminate these positions? I think there are many reasons; and among these are reduced school budgets and perhaps a perception that librarians only check out books. I want to make my position indispensable so that stakeholders never want to eliminate it. These six steps are simple and can help you change how your position is viewed. It doesn't happen overnight since it is a process. Please, consider making these six steps a part of your daily best practices, even when you may not feel like it. You WILL see a difference over time! I am not perfect at any of these points, but I try very hard to do each of them. Let's examine some practices that have helped me over the years:

1. Be approachable, and have a consistent good attitude.
If you reach out to others and make yourself approachable, people will be drawn to you. It doesn't cost a bit extra to make people feel comfortable by being nice and welcoming.

I have to work at having a good attitude some days. If you choose to have a good attitude and project this to others, it will make your day much better. People are drawn to positive individuals. Strive to be that person in your building.

2. Be dependable. If you say you will do something, do it.
Don't you love it when a colleague tells you they will have something done, and they come through every time? There is nothing like a dependable person that you can count on. The flip side of this is that individual that says they will do something, but they never do. They only provide excuses. These folks generally frustrate everyone. Don't be this person; if you make a commitment, come through every time!

3. Serve others.
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had great service? What a great feeling it is to be served by a professional waitress/ waiter that goes the extra mile to make sure you are satisfied. A high level of customer service makes us all happy. If you serve others well, word will get out quickly that you take care of people. This is definitely a crucial step in becoming indispensable.

4. Be a lifelong learner.
One of the reasons I love Twitter is because it is full of educators that are lifelong learners. These people amaze me at how they are constantly looking to learn more so they can impact students in a greater way. Lifelong learners arenever satisfied with where they are are. They have a growth mindset that demands going to the next level. They are constantly forming questions and researching answers. A school librarian with this mindset will most likely be a leader in their building! Train your brain to ask questions, and then research the answers. Read education magazines, library journals, and blogs. Learn about the latest technologies. Take part in Twitter education chats. Attend conferences and bring back new ideas to your building. Hangout with other motivated educators. Develop your growth mindset, and thirst for lifelong learning. If you project this passion, you will spread this interest throughout your building and personal learning network! Passionate learning is contagious.

5. Go above and beyond in your job.
If you make a regular practice of going the extra mile in your job and for others, it will get noticed. When my wife and I are out eating in a restaurant, I love it when we get a server that makes sure our food requirements are met. Occasionally, we will get a server that goes over the top with their service. This always makes us feel like the server cares about us and our needs. Don't you love that feeling too? Going above and beyond in a job is a sign of a true professional that loves their work! In school librarianship, this could be a follow up visit or email when we are helping troubleshoot technology. It could be ordering a book that a student or teacher has requested, then tracking them down to make the delivery when it arrives... I love doing this! When you put forth extra effort, it shows people you care about them and love what you do. This type of action draws people into your program. Everyone wants to be served with a high level of professionalism and care!

6. Promote what you do in the school and on social media.
Many educators have told me they don't feel comfortable using social media or they feel like sharing happenings might seem like bragging. If we keep our social media posts positive and student focused, it is certainly not bragging. We should enjoy celebrating strong moments with our friends and colleagues. Social media will allow others to see examples of our best practices and programs. This can change how your audience perceives what you do in the school library! One of my favorite questions to ask to other teacher librarians when they express concern about sharing on social media is, "If you don't tell them, how will they know what you are doing?" Promote, share, email, post, display pictures, blog, make posters, and shout from hallways and the roof if necessary! You never know how your celebrations and stories might draw others to partner with you in the school library. What might happen if we all shared our best practices and pictures from the library on social media? It just might transform the perception of our jobs and empower future school librarians!

Closing Thoughts
I hope these six practices will help you better serve others. There are days when these six steps are easy to fulfill. Then, occasionally, the opposite occurs; and it seems like a long shot to do just one well. School librarians have the potential to impact every teacher, student, and administrator in their buildings. What a great opportunity this is to make a difference in so many lives! Let's encourage each other to be our best for those that need our services!

This might help you understand Twitter education chats and hashtags!

Have you ever asked students why they like the school library? We did, and you can click here to see what happened!

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Six Ways To Become More Indispensable It worries me when I hear that some schools in other states are doing away with their school librarians. This is a time when librarians are needed more than ever in schools since we have training in literacy, research skills, and technology.

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues

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Libraries face a number of challenges in protecting the privacy of users, especially students in elementary, middle, and high schools. School libraries offer print, media, and online content to meet students' educational and research needs as well as to nurture their intellectual curiosity and development. Students' use of library resources is also incorporated into classroom activities, learning outcomes, and assessment.

School libraries typically are integrated into their district's administrative and technology infrastructures. Depending on district administration and outside cooperative technology or vendor agreements, school libraries have greater or lesser degrees of autonomy. A lack of autonomy may make it difficult for librarians to implement policies and procedures to protect student privacy in regard to the use of library systems, applications, and collections. In addition, state and federal laws regarding library records, educational records (e.g., the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the online activities of minors (e.g., the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) have both positive and negative impacts on the privacy rights of students. For example, FERPA defines explicit rights to privacy for students and minors but at the same time grants schools and parents access to, and oversight over, student records that weakens these privacy rights.

ALA issues these guidelines to provide school libraries with information about appropriate data management and security practices in respect to student use of library collections and resources in order to strengthen student privacy protections.
Why Privacy Is Important
Protecting user privacy and confidentiality has long been an integral part of the intellectual freedom mission of libraries. The right to free inquiry as assured by the First Amendment depends upon the ability to read and access information free from scrutiny by the government or other third parties. In their provision of services to library users, librarians have an ethical obligation, expressed in the ALA Code of Ethics, to preserve users' right to privacy. Librarians and libraries may also have a statutory or regulatory obligation to protect library users' personally identifiable information and data from unauthorized disclosure and use.

Students' and minors' First Amendment rights to free inquiry and privacy must be balanced against both the educational needs of the school and the rights of the parents. As students and minors mature, it is increasingly important that they are provided with opportunities to exercise their curiosity and develop their intellect free from the chilling effects of surveillance by educators, peers, parents, or commercial interests. As students begin to participate more fully in the online world, they must develop an appreciation for their own privacy and a corresponding respect for the privacy of others.
Clear Privacy Policies
It is important for libraries to develop privacy policies for student use of library resources that are adopted by both the library and the school's policy-making body. Students should be notified about library privacy policies when borrowing materials or accessing resources for the first time and as appropriate when there is a change in services, policies, or access. Library privacy policies should be made easily available and understandable to students in an age-appropriate manner. Safeguarding user privacy requires that staff keep all in-library use and reference questions confidential and assure that there is no monitoring by staff or peers of what students are reading, viewing, or researching while in the library.
Audit
School librarians should conduct privacy audits to determine the current threats to student privacy and what protections are already in place. The audit should cover the library management system; computer and network use in the library; eBooks and other online content; interactive Web tools; social media; and other technologies such as scanners/photocopiers and surveillance cameras. The results of the audit can be used to help create or revise privacy policies.
Collection and Retention of User Data
Libraries should limit the amount of personal information collected about students. Libraries should collect the minimum amount of personal information required to provide a service or meet a specific operational need. Libraries should not build services or resources using sensitive personally identifiable information that, if leaked or accessed by an unauthorized party, could prove detrimental to the user's privacy.

Personally identifiable information should not be retained in perpetuity. The library should establish record retention policies specifying how long to retain different types of data and specifying methods for securely destroying data that is no longer needed. Retention policies should also cover archival copies and backups.
Encryption
The use of data encryption helps enhance privacy protection. All online transactions between client applications (staff desktop clients, web browsers, mobile apps, etc.) and server applications should be encrypted. Client applications that do not support encryption (such as staff desktop clients) should employ virtual private network (VPN) technologies. In addition, any personally identifiable information and student data housed by the library or school off-site (cloud-based infrastructure, tape backups, etc.) should use encrypted storage.
Data Sharing
Library privacy policies should define when school library records can be shared (and under what conditions) with parents or guardians, school staff and teachers, and third-parties such as online service providers.

Federal laws such as FERPA and COPPA as well as state laws concerning the confidentiality of library and student records may impact if and how data is shared. Because of the broad leeway FERPA gives schools in using student data for internal educational purposes, librarians need to clearly distinguish among library records, educational records, and administrative records in order to provide explicit privacy rights in accordance with professional ethical obligations.

Agreements between school libraries and online service providers should address appropriate restrictions on the use, aggregation, retention, and dissemination of students' personally identifiable information. Agreements between libraries and service providers should also specify that libraries retain ownership of all data and that the service providers agree to observe the library's privacy policies, data retention policy, and security policies. In the event of a data breach, users whose data was compromised should be informed promptly (in the case of minors, the parents or guardians should be informed).

Many service providers have signed the Student Privacy Pledge which indicates a commitment to work in an ongoing fashion to meet and exceed all federal requirements to protect student data. Librarians should make participation in the Student Privacy Pledge a criterion when making purchasing decisions.

In addition, many states are passing legislation that restricts the collection and use of students' data by service providers (e.g. California's Student Online Personal Information Protection Act - SOPIPA). Librarians should only contract with service providers that comply with applicable state laws.
Educational Technology Systems
Primary and secondary schools are adopting learning management systems and other technologies that enable educators to monitor student reading habits (e.g. did the student access/read the assigned eBook or online text?) As a result, school districts are co-opting librarians into surveillance regimes by adopting these types of technologies. Librarians need to advocate for protecting student library use in an age of ubiquitous data logging and surveillance technologies, including learning management systems.
Digital Literacy & Advocacy
School librarians have a responsibility to teach students about their privacy rights, practices they can use to protect themselves, ethical behavior online, and respect for the privacy of others. In addition to educating students, school librarians should become advocates for protecting student privacy and intellectual freedom in the larger school environment. Often school librarians are focused only on user privacy within the library to the detriment of larger privacy issues in their school and district context. Because of their professional training and ethical commitment, librarians are well-equipped to be privacy advocates outside of the school library.
[The Library Privacy Checklist for Students in K-12 Schools is intended to help libraries of all capacities take practical steps to implement the principles that are laid out in this guideline.] Additional Resources Approved April 2, 2016 by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the American Library Association

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools

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Introduction Libraries face a number of challenges in protecting the privacy of users, especially students in elementary, middle, and high schools. School libraries offer print, media, and online content to meet students' educational and research needs as well as to nurture their intellectual curiosity and development.

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Toolkits | American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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Toolkits | American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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This advocacy toolkit provides a variety of materials to help school librarians and the stakeholders they work with understand the value of the school library, as well as the value of a school library staffed by a licensed school librarian. Resources in the toolkit provide school librarians with information they can use to build relationships with stakeholders in their communities to gain educated support for their programs.

Created by the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation, the toolkit includes context and suggestions for creating partnerships of all sizes. It contains information on how to start and continue a public-school library collaboration, research that supports collaboration, examples of successful collaborations, and useful templates. Use this handout to promote the toolkit with colleagues and stakeholders.

Inspired by a concern brought forth from the AASL Affiliate Assembly, and developed for AASL by the 2016 ALA Emerging Leaders class, this toolkit brings together a wealth of resources available to aid school librarians working with students in five underserved populations: children in foster care, homeless children, children of incarcerated parents, children of migrant workers, and children in non-traditional families. Use this bookmark and handout to share the guide with colleagues and stakeholders.

The resources listed in the toolkit, developed by the AASL Educators of School Librarians Section (ESLS), can help to educate future principals and teachers about the significant role that quality library programs can play in student learning. The resources can also be shared with practicing principals and teachers, who would benefit from learning more about the impact that a quality school library program can have on their schools.

This toolkit includes strategies, practical tips and tools, key messages, inspirational stories, and much more to help school librarians promote the many ways they transform teaching and learning within schools, districts, and communities through their library programs.

This toolkit provides a full range of resources to help school librarians build or update plans for stakeholder support and true advocacy.

This toolkit is designed to assist the school librarian who has encountered an immediate threat to their position and/or program. The toolkit guides school librarians through building meaningful and effective stakeholder support.

Parents can be a school librarian's strongest and most vocal advocates. This toolkit is designed to help school librarians build parent support for their programs.

The purpose of this toolkit is to assist school librarians in (1) understanding the Common Core State standards, (2) creating plans with classroom teachers for implementing the standards, and (3) acting on these plans.

School librarians are in a critical and unique position to partner with other educators to elevate the reading development of our nation's youth. This toolkit offers resources to ensure the school librarian's role in reading.

This toolkit has been prepared by a joint task force comprised of AASL, ALSC, and YALSA members to help public librarians learn more about CCSS and apply that knowledge to their practice.

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-american association of school librarians

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This advocacy toolkit provides a variety of materials to help school librarians and the stakeholders they work with understand the value of the school library, as well as the value of a school library staffed by a licensed school librarian.

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Students Learn More When Teachers and Librarians Collaborate

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Students Learn More When Teachers and Librarians Collaborate

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By Rachel Grover
When I taught middle school English, one of my favorite topics to teach was historical fiction. I have always had a fascination with history, and anytime I could incorporate what my students were learning in their history class into what we were studying in English class, I considered it a win.

During my first year teaching seventh grade English, our study of historical fiction came at the same time as my students were learning about World War II in history. I wasn't sure how I wanted to approach it at the time, but I was thinking about it as I entered an English department meeting.

Getting started with my school librarian

The first person to speak at our meeting was our school librarian, who introduced us to one of the school-subscribed databases. As she showed us some of the features, I instantly perked up and had the answer to my pondering. It contained so many primary sources - especially of images from World War II. I knew this could help me teach historical fiction, but I needed some more help in making the ideas become a reality.

After the meeting, I approached my librarian about my ideas. After a brief conversation, we ultimately decided to have students use the primary sources from the database to inspire historical fiction letters, using the images as "photographs" that would be included with the letters, as if they were actually sent home during the war.

We worked together in teaching this to my students; she showed them how to access the database and the difference between primary and secondary sources, while I guided students through using their images as inspiration and explained the particulars of writing historical fiction.

During the assignment, students were excited and motivated, and I was so grateful for the librarian's teaching! Not only did students learn in a different way, but I learned about once-unknown resources that helped my teaching and my students' learning.

Our study of historical fiction was so much better because I asked my school librarian for help. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship. In fact, she inspired me to become a school librarian, too.

Library support across the content areas

Since becoming a middle-school librarian a few years ago, I have collaborated with just about every content area. I have promoted books from our school library to students in 8th grade science classes through book talks that were relevant to a project or unit they were studying at the time, such as energy or elements.

At a social studies meeting, I shared the features of the website Padlet (formerly WallWisher), which inspired the teachers to have students create their own gathering of online resources on a research topic related to inventions. Students shared their project links with their peers, who reviewed them and provided feedback before students submitted their final project to the teacher.

I have collaborated with a Spanish teacher to enhance her students' understanding of Dia de los Muertos by having her students work in our makerspace to create their own calaveras, or skeletons, in honor of a loved one, while she taught them about the cultural origin of Dia de los Muertos and the artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Also, I have collaborated with the art teacher, demonstrating for her Digital Art class how to locate images online labeled for reuse and how to license their own work under copyright. Then she had students manipulate those found images to create their own art.

In every instance, teachers were grateful for the support, students enjoyed learning something new, and I felt like I had contributed something to students' learning that might not have been there otherwise.

Schools achieve more with certified librarians

While multiple studies have shown that students who attend schools with certified school librarians achieve more than those who attend schools without librarians (AASL, 2013), it is unfortunate in today's society that not all states or school districts value library contributions to the learning environment.

The skills librarians teach can enhance students' understanding of topics already covered in the classroom. Librarians can also teach students critical skills important in every content area, such as asking good research questions, determining credible sources, searching the internet more effectively, and avoiding plagiarism when creating a project, presentation, or research paper.

In addition to teaching, there are so many additional ways librarians can enhance instruction in all content areas. For example, librarians can provide books and other resources for a unit, so if students finish their work early, they can choose one of these resources to continue learning about the topic.

Also, librarians can access information and resources that teachers may not have time to locate, such as current news articles that relate to your students' study of DNA, examples of bias in the news, or fresh ideas for an upcoming civil rights project.

Librarians can create displays in the library related to what you are teaching; for example, students may not know the library has illustrated books on the Civil War sitting on the shelf, but they may consider checking out one of those visually engaging books if it is on display, thinking hey, I'm learning about this in social studies right now. All it would take is mentioning to your librarian that your classes are currently learning or getting ready to learn about that topic.

Librarians can boost tech effectiveness

Finally, one of my favorite ways to collaborate with teachers is modeling and supporting new technology use. My school is a 1:1 school and our teachers have a range of familiarity with new, county-approved tools in their classrooms.

When a student news site was approved for use two years ago, I presented at department meetings, outlining its features and helping teachers set up with their own accounts. Then I created digital note-taking sheets and exit tickets for when they introduced the site to their students. Now that site is used consistently across departments with all students, to great success.

Librarians are some of the most trained people on staff when it comes to technology use, and if you are unsure about ways to use technology in your classroom, ask your librarian! You may be surprised with the ideas you get.

If you have other ideas about working with your librarian, just ask! Some teachers are hesitant to ask for help because they think librarians are too busy or that they are a burden to us. Others don't like to admit they need help with something.

To be honest, we are just waiting for teachers to invite us, suggest an idea, or bring us a problem they think we can help solve.

When teachers ask me for anything, I typically stop whatever I am doing and their need becomes my top priority. After all, school librarians work with everyone in the school - both teachers and students. If I can help students by helping teachers, all the better.

Working with your librarian

So, how can you collaborate more with your school librarian? Invite him/her to come to your department level meeting and share what topics you will be covering soon. Look at your curriculum. Where do students consistently struggle? What lessons need some reworking or extra enhancement? Are there new standards that you have few resources for? These are all places where your librarian can help.

Of all the responsibilities I have as a librarian, the role of being an instructional partner with our teachers is my favorite, because I can support what is going on in every classroom. Partnering with teachers might be your librarian's favorite thing too!

WWII poster image: Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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Rachel Grover In 2014, Rachel "ran to the dark side" and became a school librarian, finding "a dream job I didn't even know was my dream!" Connect with her on Twitter @rgrov1013 or visit her blog: Grover's Corner of the Library. is a middle school librarian in Fairfax County, Virginia, and the current director-elect for the Potomac region of the Virginia Association of School Librarians. A 2016 nominee for the Potomac Region School Librarian of the Year, she taught fifth grade for two years before beginning life as a middle-school English teacher in 2009.

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Students Learn More When Teachers and Librarians Collaborate

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By Rachel Grover When I taught middle school English, one of my favorite topics to teach was historical fiction. I have always had a fascination with history, and anytime I could incorporate what my students were learning in their history class into what we were studying in English class, I considered it a win.

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It's been a short time since I retired from my job as Teacher Librarian at Petaluma High School, and one might think that I would begin my journey of kicking back and enjoying the sun. I have indeed begun doing that, but I've also been fortunate to have been hired as "on-call" for the local county library system. This means that I get to work in any of the libraries as needed, substituting for a day, week, or even months. With that good fortune, I've been heading out to all the branches to meet the people and see the facilities. One thing that struck me is how important that first impression is as one walks through the door. While each library I've visited is completely different from the others, each is unique in the way it offers a space that invites one to walk through the doors and once there opens into a wonderful place rich with color, open space, active conversations, people reading and browsing, and of course miles of shelves filled with books. It got me asking myself: what makes a library "inviting"?

Something to do early on in the school year is to walk through the door with your eyes closed (you might want help with that!( and then open them up only when you've got the doors behind you. What do you see first when you open them? Try this same thing with a few of your students and ask them: "What is your impression? What do you see first? What do you see next?" Take notes and take note!

Here are some thoughts:

Our first encounter with a library space will often determine if we're going to come back, so the physical "feel" is important. While design is definitely important, invitation doesn't depend on it. Cleanliness, order (but not too much!), color, open spaces, quiet spaces, and intriguing artifacts all attract our eye and compel us in.

Questions we can ask ourselves:

Are books on the shelf organized and easy to find?

Is my space colorful?

Do I have signs that help my students find things on their own?

Is my desk in a central or easy-to-find location?

Have I placed interesting posters, games, comic books, books, or other things up front and close to the door so that they're the first things students see?

Once we've got them in, what can you do to let them know that they are welcome to stay? We're still dealing with the physical environment with this one, but now we're looking at our messages: What do our signs say? Are they filled with rules that start with "NO..." or "DON'T"?

If so, take them down and see how you could re-word them so that you stress the positive actions you'd like to see: "Eat outside - the air will do you good!" or "Study here-eat outside."

Notice that I'm emphasizing the eating thing. We had a rat infestation last year due to the lovely food hidden behind books. One sign that worked the best for us was a long banner with images of ants, spiders, and rats on it. We put it on the tops of all the shelves where students would hang across and hide their eating. The realistic rat pictures did it for most of them, and this seemed to get the message across better than any sign had before. We also then moved positive message signage to the tables where they were allowed to bring coffee, water, or other drinks.

Questions we can ask ourselves:

Do my signs tell students the things that I DON'T want them to do? Am I modeling for them what I DO want them to do?

Are the bulletin board helpful, interesting, and easy to read?

Do the signs at the end of the shelf help guide students to what's on those shelves?

Are there signs in the languages of my students?

How can I use signage to enlarge the world for my students? Maps? Images of people from across the world? Poems?

One statement I learned in my orientation to the public library was: (Create a welcoming environment by) "cherishing diversity by increasing accessibility." Our students come in all shapes, sizes, abilities, and needs. Creating that open environment means that we've measured the distance between shelves, around tables, and the height of our desk so that we can meet them at eye level when they come to see us.

Questions to ask ourselves:

Is our entire space accessible for students in wheelchairs, those of small stature, those very tall students who find some chairs difficult to use, and those with crutches or other devices to help them navigate? How about those with visual concerns?

Do I have materials for those who need to listen to their stories, or need larger screens in order to see computer images and text?

What do I need to get in order to meet the accessibility needs of all students?

But as we further discussed this statement ("cherishing diversity by increasing accessibility"), it became clear that accessibility doesn't mean just the physical - it means the ability to see ourselves in the collection, ourselves in the stories, ourselves in the room.

Questions to ask ourselves:

Do I have an inclusive collection that reflect the realities of my students - all of them?

Do my signs and posters show a diversity of humanity?

Can students in this library find a book that allows all students the ability to identify with a character, a setting, a plot, or a solution?

Can all students walk through the doors of this library and be able to state: "I see me here"?

Last make sure that the whole staff, including student helpers, believes in and follows your lead in creating that invitation to all: a welcoming "hello" followed by a positive statement: "how can I help you?" or "I am so glad you're here!" or even just a smile. As part of their grade, student assistants were expected to smile, stop and ask those coming in if they need help, and extend a welcoming attitude.

Questions to ask ourselves:

Do I usually smile at students...even when I'm not having my very best day?

Do I try to anticipate their needs based on what it looks like they're needing - "Wre you looking for the pencil sharpener? - it's over here."

Do I try not to judge students?

Do I listen so that I can better understand their needs, wishes, and feelings?

Each of these five strands weave together to create the perception of the library as a space in which students want to live. And it goes without saying that the same applies to our fellow staff members as well as all who open your doors. Inviting us all into your library gives us all those things we want for our students and colleagues: a place where we can spread our wings to truly find ourselves within the many resources you offer.
A shout-out to the librarians and staff at the Sonoma County Library for your policies and orientations that stress how we can be our best selves and provide excellent service to our students, parents, community members, faculty, staff, and administration.

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Collection Development, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models

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A Welcoming Environment It's been a short time since I retired from my job as Teacher Librarian at Petaluma High School, and one might think that I would begin my journey of kicking back and enjoying the sun. I have... Read More ›

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The Adventures of Library Girl: School Library Marketing 101: It's About Students Not Stuff.

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The Adventures of Library Girl: School Library Marketing 101: It's About Students Not Stuff.

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Librarians are not born horn tooters. At least, I'm not. I know that might sound contradictory for someone who a) calls herself "library girl" and b) spends most of her time running around the countryside spreading the gospel of library.

Tooting my own horn does not come naturally. In fact, it wasn't until the world started to turn upside down and libraries became a frequent flyer on the fiscal chopping block that I decided I needed to learn how to advocate for kids by promoting what I did to support them. I became a horn tooter out of necessity. As so many of us did.

Let's face it. These days marketing isn't just about marketing. It's about advocacy: advocacy for students and how high quality library programs can change their lives.

The problem, however, is that most marketing is focused on tools: the slogan, the brochure, the newsletter, the infographic, the wiki, etc. And while all of these can be effective ways of delivering your message, it's the message itself that really counts. Before we can even begin to think about how we're going to market our work and its impact on student learning, we have to create work that impacts student learning!

I know. I know. That sounds a little obvious. And yet, think about it. If you were asked to develop a marketing plan for your library, where would you start? C'mon... be honest! Most of us would begin with a proposal. An "I will _________" statement. What's more, that statement would probably end with something like "create a monthly newsletter." That's how we think of marketing.

And that's the problem.

School library marketing has to begin and end with impact. It has to be about what we do for our kids, our teachers, our communities and why it's important. It has to be about outcomes and the message that "we're all in this together" or, put another way, that we care just as much about student success as any other teacher in the building. Don't get me wrong, at some point we DO have to think about how we're going to share that good work, but the work has to be good first.

Step 1: Set some goals.

I cannot stress this enough: marketing is meaningless unless you have a product worth selling. The most creative and most beautifully designed newsletter is ineffective if its content is not focused on specific efforts to impact student learning or help support our teaching staff or contribute to the greater school library community. That said, the goals we set for our work are as varied as the communities we serve, but I feel strongly that those goals must be rooted in real, identified needs. We can go to the curriculum standards and pull out an objective for whatever grade levels we teach, but wouldn't it be more effective to talk to some teachers about which goals their students are struggling with and then tackle those in our work too? Similarly, if we know (as an example) that a significant number of our students come from military families, a reading initiative that focuses on the impact of multiple deployments or on the reading lives of kids in the countries that, although thousands of miles away, play an important role in our own students' lives, would be far more effective than a more generic program. The point is, without some kind of data (either qualitative or quantitative) to inform our practice, we are really just shooting in the dark. Getting to know our kids, our teachers and our communities and what their needs are will help us create services that are WORTHY of our marketing efforts.

Step 2: Seek alignment.

Though not every state's professional teaching standards for school librarians are worded exactly alike, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that most are focused on student learning. That said, creating alignment between these standards and your instructional goals for the year is a good habit to get into. Not only does drawing this line help ensure that you're meeting the standards that your work will ultimately be evaluated on, but that alignment also helps sharpen the focus on student outcomes. There's a reason school librarians are required to also be certified teachers: because certified TEACHER librarians know how to create instructionally focused library programs. And instructionally focused library programs are worth marketing. Additionally, if you've written a mission statement for your library, (and you really should do this!) make sure it's on your plan. Even if you're the only one who ever sees it, that statement, which defines what you are about, is worth repeating.

Step: 2.5 Do the work.

This is the tough part. Once you've identified some worthy goals, you've got to go out there and do the good work that addresses them. Otherwise, you've got nothing to market!

Step 3: Pick some tools.

Aaaah! Finally! The fun part! Yes, now you can pick some tools to help you spread your message and get more people involved in the instructional programs that you've worked so hard to build. And the good news is, there's a plethora of tools to pick from! Whether you go the social media route or decide to rock out a killer brochure, here's my advice.

Select multiple ways of marketing every initiative. Any marketer will tell you that a successful marketing campaign AT BEST only reaches about 10% of its intended audience. So... if that's true, you need get that message out there repeatedly and in a variety of formats. For example, if you've put your time and talents into building a library space that provides kids with the

opportunity to create, communicate, collaboratie and think critically, be sure to share that on your webpage AND in the PTSA newsletter AND through some candy grams placed in teachers boxes AND on a strategically placed poster in the faculty restrooms. The more times you send out the message, the more likely it is to stick.

Target your audience(s). Spend some time thinking about who really needs to know about the programs you are promoting and then create marketing materials that target those individuals. Marketing materials for your school board members, for example, should carry a different tone than those directed at students, etc. We all know that "one size fits all" clothing never fits anyone. The same is true of marketing. Craft a message for individual groups, as and its more likely to hit home when it lands.

Find a balance between the innovative and attainable. By all means, think out side the proverbial box when it comes to promoting how your library impacts students, but make your marketing goals realistic. We'd all like to be able to skywrite our message over the football field during homecoming, but that might be setting your sights a little high. Pick marketing tools that are easy for you to use and that you'll be able to knock out of the park. If you create goals that are too difficult, they just won't get done.

Step 4: Create a timeline.

Creating deadlines will help you stay focused and on track. Be specific and outline when exactly you're going to deploy your marketing arsenal and, to the best of your ability, stick with it. Create events in your calendar and make these things a priority when you are able to. But don't discouraged if actually serving the needs of your community gets in the way of promoting that work. If you miss a deadline don't get discouraged. Just remember, this isn't about tooting your horn, it's about building programs that change students' lives. And that work is important too.

Step 4.5: Reflect. Reflect. Reflect.

While I don't advocate reinventing the wheel each year, I also know that your goals are going to change because each year you have new kids and new staff members who come to you with all new needs. So take the time to collect some data from your stakeholders at the end of the year. Try to define some measures of success that will help you judge the merits of your plan - a good starting point might be participation (in the programs you marketed), feedback from your students, staff, etc., and/or student growth data. Either way, it seems silly to go through all the work of marketing what you WITHOUT taking the time to evaluate that work at the end.

So... if you've made it to the end of this post, bravo! It's a long one, I know.

As I said early on, I've created a template for this work that you are welcome to use and share. If you like it, as is, I've made it a PDF form, that you can simply plug your info into and then save and/or print, etc. On the other hand, if you feel it needs a few tweaks to meet your needs, feel free to create your own version using any part of what I've already done. Either way, if developing a marketing plan is on your list of things to do, just remember that, as with everything we do, library marketing is about students, not stuff. Begin with creating programs that are based on worthy goals and selling them will be a snap.

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School Library Marketing 101: It's About Students Not Stuff.

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Librarians are not born horn tooters. At least, I'm not. I know that might sound contradictory for someone who a) calls herself "library girl" and b) spends most of her time running around the countryside spreading the gospel of library. Tooting my own horn does not come naturally.

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Let's Stay Connected, Informed & Inspired! Summer 2019

Welcome, Future Ready Librarians!

I hope you had a terrific spring and are on your way to a summer of learning, connecting and a little refresh too.

With all of the amazing things being shared for Future Ready Librarians, I thought it would be helpful to bring it all together in one spot for you this summer and all year long.

Over the summer we will have updates and additions to the exciting work of Future Ready Librarians, and things we are celebrating and focusing on this summer and into the fall.

Let's use this as a place to stay connected to news, upcoming events, resources and of course, each other. Please let me know if there is something you'd like me to add to this Smore newletter. My contact information is at the bottom.

And if you haven't subscribed to the Future Ready Librarians Newsletter yet, please read this post to find out how you can sign up today.

Together, let's lead within and beyond the library and make a difference this year for our students, communities and ourselves. We are Future Ready Librarians, friends.

Have a terrific summer, Shannon

Here are the latest Future Ready Librarian webinars from the spring!

Baltimore County Public Schools and Baltimore County Public Library Work Together to Support Citizens and Lifelong Learners

My Tips & Helpful Google Docs For Awesome Collaboration Between Future Ready Librarians and Teachers!

#FutureReadyLibs, Twitter & Instagram

Shannon McClintock Miller

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Let's Stay Connected, Informed & Inspired! Summer 2019 I hope you had a terrific spring and are on your way to a summer of learning, connecting and a little refresh too. With all of the amazing things being shared for Future Ready Librarians, I thought it would be helpful to bring it all together in one spot for you this summer and all year long.

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Cable Impacts brings you InCtrl, a series of free standards-based lessons, originally developed by Cable in the Classroom, that teach key digital citizenship concepts. These lessons, for students in grades 4-8, are designed to engage students through inquiry-based activities, and collaborative and creative opportunities.

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ALA Libraries Transform | An initiative of the American Library Association

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ALA Libraries Transform | An initiative of the American Library Association

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ALA Libraries Transform | An initiative of the American Library Association

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Designed to increase public awareness of the value, impact and services provided by libraries and library professionals, the Libraries Transform campaign will ensure there is one clear, energetic voice for our profession.

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Helping teachers teach, collaboration in the 21st century library

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Helping teachers teach, collaboration in the 21st century library

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How to help the willing co-teachers

There are many ways to help classroom teachers, but the ultimate has to be a co-teaching situation. In my experience, teaching research and library skills in a vacuum is not effective. Students may learn important skills in the library; however, when the skills are not used on a project or assignment that means something to the student, the knowledge quickly fades.

In order to find willing co-teachers at your school:

Study the curriculum at your school.

Look for opportunities to help with the standards that students need to master in a particular discipline.

When possible, offer to "take the show on the road."

Make time to plan with a classroom teacher.

Try to snag an invite to departmental meetings.

How to help the willing collaborators

With the challenges of standardized testing and other pressures teachers face, many are unwilling to share even a moment of valuable classroom time. Many teachers want to use the library, but we must make it easy to collaborate. The busiest teachers may not be willing to co-teach, but they may welcome collaboration especially if it saves them time.

Some ways to help the willing collaborators:

Find resources that add value to a course, for example, lists of supplemental books and resources for an AP class.

Build a Pathfinder or LibGuide for a research or reading project.

Set aside a special collection for a project or course.

Look for lesson planning materials for a difficult concept and pass these along to teachers.

How to help the unwilling

Let's face it, even though librarians are awesome, some teachers (and administrators) may not think they need us. Though it is tempting to leave the unwilling teachers alone, it is wrong of us to rob them of the blessing of a great librarian. This may be the most difficult group to reach, but once you win them over they will be your biggest cheerleaders.

The keys to reaching the unwilling

Focus on improving your professional collection.

Advertise your professional collection in faculty meetings.

Collect online best-practice articles and share them with your faculty.

Offer to conduct in-service for faculty.

Be a little subversive and obtain information from students. "What projects are you working on in Ms. Smith's class?"

Become an expert user of your state's virtual library and share discipline-related articles from the library with faculty.

Print or copy the table of contents of an education journal and pop it in a teacher's mailroom slot with a sticky note asking if you can provide access to any of these articles.

If all else fails, have a library party with food!

If you have a tip or trick to help teachers teach, please share your ideas in the comments. Something that you might think is just common knowledge might not have occurred to others.

Sites Referenced in this post.

Categories: Blog Topics, Community/Teacher Collaboration, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models

Tags: co-teaching, collaboration, collaborative culture, collaborative partnerships, curriculum support

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Helping teachers teach, collaboration in the 21st century library

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There are many ways to help classroom teachers, but the ultimate has to be a co-teaching situation. In my experience, teaching research and library skills in a vacuum is not effective. Students may learn important skills in the library; however, when the skills are not used on a project or assignment that means something to the student, the knowledge quickly fades.

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Using Newsletters to Advocate | Knowledge Quest

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Using Newsletters to Advocate | Knowledge Quest

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The concept of a newsletter is a simple one. It is not flashy or overly creative, but for the library program it has been transformative. Currently, I send a monthly newsletter, which allows for a quick, effective, and easy way to share experiences that are happening in the library with my stakeholders. Here are four things that I have noticed when sharing a monthly newsletter.

Culture Shift

Just like many library programs, my program has had a shift in what it represents and offers to students. A shift like this has to be shared, but culture takes time to change. Using a newsletter allowed me to share specific examples of what students were doing in the library. Additionally, these examples could be shared on a regular basis without it feeling forced. Over time, this allowed for people's understanding of the library program to move beyond a place where students just checked out books. Instead, it became a place where reading, information literacy, and technology skills merge to benefit student learning.

Connection to Community

There is a section, in every newsletter, where events happening at public libraries are highlighted. This information allows people to realize what the public library can offer.

Collaborative Connections

Parents, administrators, and teachers are all sent the newsletter on a monthly basis. What this allows others to see is the connections that the library skills have with their curriculum. Furthermore, collaborative lessons have been developed when teachers were inspired based on what was shared.

Reflection

As a busy librarian, it is often hard to make time to reflect on what has been taught and what objectives students still need to learn. By writing a newsletter each month, it forces me to stop and identify what has been successful and how we should move forward.

These newsletters are created using Smore. Smore provides a link that can be sent easily through email. Smore is a great resource in that it is cheap, easy to use, and looks great when you are finished. I also love that it keeps track of data. I know how many people have looked at the site and how long they have spent reading the newsletter. It tells me what resources they have clicked on most. All of this information helps to determine what should be shared in the future.

The main point of all of this is that advocacy can take many forms, and this is just one that works for me. What works for you?

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Technology

Tags: advocacy, communication, reflection, school librarians, stakeholders

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Using Newsletters to Advocate | Knowledge Quest

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The concept of a newsletter is a simple one. It is not flashy or overly creative, but for the library program it has been transformative. Currently, I send a monthly newsletter, which allows for a quick, effective, and easy way... Read More ›

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Teaching Information Literacy Skills | Reading Rockets

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Teaching Information Literacy Skills | Reading Rockets

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Are your students drowning in information, misinformation and downright bunk? Are information literacy skills tested in your state? Teaching information literacy skills has never been more important. But it's easier said than done. As teacher-librarians, how do we teach those critical, all-important information literacy skills in ways that capture and hold student interest?

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Ten Things Your Administrator Needs to Know as the School Year Begins | Knowledge Quest

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Ten Things Your Administrator Needs to Know as the School Year Begins | Knowledge Quest

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10. That you are a teacher who teaches not content but process. You teach children to be information literate, digitally literate, media literate, and visually literate. The skills that you teach, the dispositions that you help children to develop, the responsibilities that you foster, and the self-assessment strategies that you instill will serve children not only in school but also in life. You are, first and foremost, a teacher!

9. That you are an information specialist, the original, most powerful search engine, able to decipher the most cryptic reference question and connect that child or that teacher with the information needed. You know the resources; you know your patrons, and you connect the two.

8. That you are an instructional partner who works collaboratively with all other educators in the building to teach critical information skills in the context of content curriculum. You are there to partner with that teacher who wants to present a lesson in a different way or who wants to have children create a more authentic product to demonstrate real learning. Because of your participation, the lesson is stronger and more effective.

7. That you are an instructional leader with a view and perspective of the school like no other. You see across grades and across content areas. You work with all students and with all teachers. You are well versed in the latest technologies and are able to integrate them effectively into instruction, and you're able to provide professional development on library resources and technologies for your colleagues.

6. That you are a program administrator who does a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to make sure that the library program runs smoothly. So much of your job is invisible, and your principal needs to know that.

5. That you empower students to become critical thinkers. Through lessons in the library students experience everything from comparing and contrasting nonfiction and fiction works on the same topic to creating in a makerspace to evaluating information found on the Web.

4. That you empower students to become enthusiastic readers as you do everything in your power to help them develop not only skills in reading but also a lifelong love of reading. You provide books in various formats (print, audio, ebook) and in various genres to meet students' information and recreational reading needs. You host reading promotions, and you stress the joy of reading.

3. That you empower students to become skillful researchers. You teach children to unpack information using text features in books. You teach children how to summarize and how to synthesize, and you teach them the differences in the two. You teach children to narrow topics, develop research questions, and search effectively to answer those questions.

2. That you empower students to become ethical users of information. You teach the concept of intellectual property, of citation, and of giving credit where credit is due. You help children to understand what plagiarism is, and you teach them how to extract and process and synthesize information to create a new product.

1. That school librarians transform student learning and that this is much easier to accomplish with administrative support. An administrator's support can come in many forms: a healthy budget, a schedule that allows for common planning time with teachers, affirmation to faculty of the important role of the library program in the school and in student learning.

If your administrator already knows these things, wonderful! You or a librarian with whom they've worked in the past has demonstrated what a 21st-century school librarian does! If your administrator is not so knowledgeable about the key role that you can play in the instruction that takes place in your school, now is the time to speak up and share. Be the librarian that delivers that message!

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Community, Presidential Musings

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Audrey Church, Leadership Development Committee Chair and 2017-2018 AASL Past President

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Ten Things Your Administrator Needs to Know as the School Year Begins | Knowledge Quest

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10. That you are a teacher who teaches not content but process. You teach children to be information literate, digitally literate, media literate, and visually literate. The skills that you teach, the dispositions that you help children to develop, the responsibilities... Read More ›

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Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

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Inspire Collaboration: A Quick and Easy Guide for Super Busy School Librarians | INALJ

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Inspire Collaboration: A Quick and Easy Guide for Super Busy School Librarians | INALJ

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Inspire Collaboration: A Quick and Easy Guide for Super Busy School Librarians

I finished my first of two practicum experiences yesterday for this semester; this practicum was a 10-day experience at a southern Indiana elementary school, where I saw first-hand the pressures that school librarians face on a day-to-day basis. For elementary school librarians, the pressure can be very intense to get everything done - story times, circulating books, book and technology maintenance, helping teachers find materials for classroom use, advocating for the library, staying current with library practices, and the long list of other jobs that continue to pile up. What is missing from this list but is extremely important for the librarian, teachers, and students? Collaboration, the working together and rubbing shoulders with other educational professionals in the building in order to create a better learning experience for students and maximize expertise and resources, is an important and necessary element for teachers and librarians that is missing for many school librarians.

Because of the many duties a school librarian has, collaboration with other teachers can be put off to the end of the list if not forgotten entirely. Even though my supervising librarian had two part-time aides helping, I saw that it was difficult for her to collaborate with other teachers on lessons and projects. Besides the time crunch, other factors can weigh in - cliques among teachers, lack of knowledge in collaboration, a undervaluing of the school librarian, and more. So, what can a super busy school librarian do to encourage collaboration?

First, start small. You won't be able to conquer the whole issue in one day, so don't get in over your head. Just take it one step at a time.

Respect the teachers and their schedules. Educators, no matter their title, are all busy. They have a lot to do, and they all deserve respect. Plus, respecting them will help them build respect for you.

Don't be afraid to say something. Communication is key. If you don't say something, they probably won't know. So if you want to collaborate, just ask.

Say "Thank you" to those who do collaborate. Showing gratitude can open the door for many more opportunities to collaborate. Say how much you appreciate their efforts to collaborate, and giving them a gift such as candy goes a long way.

Wanting to collaborate is one thing, but actually putting collaboration in action can be difficult sometimes to visualize at first. Here are a few ideas I came up with that a school librarian can use to start small in collaborating with teachers:

Ask if you can teach a mini-lesson on a particular technological device that may be new to the teacher and students.

Offer to teach students a mini-lesson on how to use encyclopedias, reference books, dictionaries, and thesauruses.

Share with teachers your areas of expertise. For example, maybe the class is studying U.S. Presidents, and you know a lot about a particular president. Offer your expertise, even if it's only a 10 minute presentation.

For those that are extremely time-strapped during the school day, try out Pinterest. They have an option to have collaborative boards, where you and other teachers can pin together. For example, create a board that is devoted to finding all the resources about the solar system; teachers from any grade level and background can work together to find the resources and pin them to the board. Then, whenever a teacher is uses that subject in the classroom, they will have a place to start looking at information to build their lessons.

Collaboration can be as simple or as difficult as you make it, but when teachers and librarians work together, lessons can become more engaging for students. After all, it's all about helping the students learn and grow!

Try these resources for more information on collaboration:

Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher / Librarian Partnerships for K-12 by Toni Buzzeo

Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher / Librarian Partnerships for 7-12 by Toni Buzzeo

The Collaboration Handbook by Toni Buzzeo

75 Outrageous Ideas for Librarians to Impact Student Achievement by Laurie Noble Thelen

Collaboration and the School Library Media Specialist by Carol Ann Doll

Collaborating for Inquiry-Based Learning: School Librarians and Teachers Partner for Student Achievement by Virginia Wallace and Whitney Norwood Husid

The Path to Collaboration: Make It Happen - An AASL Class through the eAcademy

Collaboration: Ten Important Reasons to Take It Seriously by Peter Milbury

Working Together Is Smarter [Infographic] by Joyce Valenza

On Common Core: Cultivating Collaboration by Mary Ann Cappiello and Myra Zarnowski

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Inspire Collaboration: A Quick and Easy Guide for Super Busy School Librarians

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I finished my first of two practicum experiences yesterday for this semester; this practicum was a 10-day experience at a southern Indiana elementary school, where I saw first-hand the pressures that school librarians face on a day-to-day basis.

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What is an "elevator speech"? | Knowledge Quest

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What is an "elevator speech"? | Knowledge Quest

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An elevator speech is a clear, brief message or "commercial" about you. It communicates who you are, why you are valuable, and how you can benefit your stakeholders. It's typically about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the time it takes people to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator.

Elevator speeches are handy to have rehearsed to advocate for school library programs in all kinds of situations: those planned and those unexpected.
Let's start with "why".
Nobody know what you do better than you.

If you don't blow your own horn, no one else will.

The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

Advocacy begins with you!

Three characteristics of an elevator speech: When can you use them?
Elevator speeches are helpful when meeting a new principal, goal-setting meetings, and school board or parent meetings. They are also helpful outside of school-at the soccer field, the dollar store, or any place where the conversation leads to the purpose of school libraries or school librarians.
Who can use them?
School librarians, district coordinators, state-level leaders, affiliate assembly members, committee member, and university professors can all use elevator speeches to advocate for school library programs. Parents and students can also be your allies in advocacy efforts.
What are the components of an elevator speech? Here is a sample:

References:
Mcusick. "The Elevator Speech." Advocacy, Legislation & Issues, 17 Oct. 2016, www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy-university/school-library-resources/elevator-speech.

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics

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What is an "elevator speech"? | Knowledge Quest

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An elevator speech is a clear, brief message or "commercial" about you. It communicates who you are, why you are valuable, and how you can benefit your stakeholders. It's typically about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the time it takes... Read More ›

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Advocate This, Not That! | School Library Journal

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Advocate This, Not That! | School Library Journal

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"A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library," wrote the historian and novelist Shelby Foote. Consider a corollary to this quote-a school is just a group of buildings gathered around a library-and whether it aptly describes how important your school library is to the overall function of your institution.

Too often, school libraries are seen as peripheral, not central, to teaching and learning. We can speak to parents, teachers, and principals about the value of our programs and services, but the decisions about how to best allocate funds are often made at the district level. When money gets tight, those programs with the greatest impact on the highest priorities are valued the most. After decades of chronic underfunding, the situation is especially dire here in California, where I live and work. Many of the typical advocacy talking points simply don't cut it anymore.

In my role as lead coordinator of library media services at the San Diego County Office of Education, I regularly work with schools and districts to improve their services. In California, County Offices of Education are an intermediary level between the California Department of Education and local school districts, providing support and oversight. My work has given me a big-picture view of our educational system. It has also helped me realize that we need to reframe key school library elements to bring into better focus our meaningful contributions to four important system-level priorities.

Equity and access, not reading. More than half of California students did not meet or exceed the reading standards in 2016. Closing this achievement gap is a vexing problem, and there is no shortage of resources being applied to remedy the situation. Of course, I suspect the real solution has less to do with what happens in the classroom than with what happens-or doesn't happen-outside. To wit, students in the 90th percentile read 200 times more outside of school than those in the 10th. In other words, 90th-percentile kids read more in two days than students in the 10th read all year.

My own experiences as a classroom teacher confirmed this long before I ever read the research. Parents of 90th-percentile readers routinely told me that their children read for a couple of hours a day, that they needed to have books and/or flashlights taken away from them at bedtime, and that they needed more book recommendations because they had exhausted all of my previous ones. Those in the 10th percentile should have been reading a couple of hours a day, too. You can't give that kind of homework assignment to any students, however, let alone struggling ones. Instead, you motivate them to do it freely and voluntarily.

But what good is it to motivate students to read if they don't have access to books? Studies show that students with 500 books in their homes complete three more years of schooling than their peers, that each book up to that number has a measurable impact on academic achievement, and that those books have a greater effect on socioeconomically disadvantaged children. While the average home has about 100 books, two-thirds of low-income homes have none. Increasingly, those homes are clustered in poor neighborhoods that have become veritable book deserts. It's time to honestly examine the myriad ways that our school system denies access to students who need it the most. Curriculum and instruction, not information literacy. Collaboration is one of two ways that we can powerfully impact curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Too often, what passes for collaboration is merely coordination (juggling schedules and resources) or cooperation (teaching skills in isolation from classroom learning). Genuine collaboration is when the classroom teacher and the school librarian share in the planning, teaching, and assessment of a lesson-typically a research project in which students develop, articulate, and pursue a line of inquiry by exploring multiple sources. Ideally, this kind of integrated instruction would be so ubiquitous that it would be the rule rather than the exception. The school librarian would collaborate with every teacher in the school at least once during the year.

This model of information literacy has been around for decades and has been described thoroughly in the research, but it only rarely and fleetingly exists in the real world. It will require significant organizational change to bring it about and scale it up across a district. While librarians must be change agents in that process, they can't evolve into that role without administrative support.

We have a second powerful tool in our skill set that can impact curriculum, instruction, and assessment: curation. As schools increasingly supplement or replace textbooks with open, free, and low-cost proprietary resources (such as databases, ebooks, and library books), school librarians become invaluable not only because they curate these resources, but more importantly because they teach students and staff how to navigate them. There is also an opportunity to shift money from the textbook budget to the library one. If you can maintain the level of quality in instructional materials, and if you can shift to innovative pedagogy, then you will spend the same amount of money. You can also upgrade your library and tech programs while empowering your classroom teachers to take greater ownership of the curriculum.

College and career readiness, not ed tech. Information literacy and educational technology are so intertwined that it's often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. They both have lots of cachet with administration, but it's quite clear at this point that the digital age in and of itself will not revolutionize education. While college and career readiness are the endgame, it all starts with student engagement. Students can have ineffective teachers and poor textbooks, but if they are engaged by a particular topic, they can persevere and thrive.

Engagement is especially crucial for information literacy, because the school library is the only classroom that promises complete academic freedom: Here you may learn about whatever you wish. Personalized learning has become trendy recently, but we've always been about helping students immerse themselves in information and, more recently, in experiential learning such as maker spaces and learning labs.

Maker spaces are an outgrowth of the STEM movement, and inasmuch as they incorporate the inquiry process, design thinking, content creation, and ed tech, they are squarely in librarians' wheelhouse, too. Learning labs, established in many public libraries and museums across the country, leverage a body of research known as Connected Learning in order to connect youth interests, peer culture, and academic content to digital media such as recording studios, film and video, gaming, graphic design, podcasting, and coding. It's all supported by a series of progressively immersive learning environments that allow young people to discover and develop their talents. Schools don't usually have the financial or community resources to pull off learning labs on a grand scale similar to public libraries and museums, but school librarians can still leverage their core principles. In one way, we are better equipped to capitalize on them than our public library colleagues, because most students have greater access to school libraries (if their school has one, of course).

It's easy to remember those progressively immersive learning environments with the acronym HOMAGO (Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out). Helping students transition to that critical third Geeking Out phase-where they voluntarily engage in deep learning in a more formal academic setting-can be challenging. School librarians are already doing much of the Hanging Out and Messing Around work, albeit in a haphazard, patchwork fashion. Now we need to create order from the chaos. Perhaps there's an opportunity to collaborate with school counselors, career technical education teachers, and others to articulate a clearer pathway from school library programming to Geeking Out. Ultimately, the school library can serve as a route to more pathways, propelling students from engagement to purpose.

Universal Design for Learning, not collection development. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is an integrated, comprehensive framework designed to help all students succeed academically, socially, and behaviorally. The idea behind MTSS is to intentionally realign the various systems of support so that student needs can be quickly identified and matched with an appropriate one. While Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are the two most obvious models (and indeed MTSS is most often seen as an outgrowth of them), the true power of MTSS is that it leverages every existing support into a cohesive whole.

Our primary contribution to MTSS has to do with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Neuroscience has discovered that the way we each learn is as unique as our fingerprints. The rationale for UDL is to create curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will meet the learning needs of our diverse student populations. The core principles are threefold-representation, expression, and engagement (see chart).

The more ways we can represent information, the better we accommodate various learning styles. School library collections typically include diverse media and formats: multiple books on a single topic with different reading levels and different design aesthetics; interactive databases with text-to-speech and translation features; streaming video and audio; models, manipulatives, and puppets; curated websites and apps; and so much more. In short, we are a veritable goldmine for representation-and expression.

The more ways we allow students to express what they know and what they can do, the more authentic our assessment will be. Once again, a school library-especially one with a maker space or a makeshift learning lab-offers a multitude of options for how students can demonstrate their learning: digital storytelling, podcasting, coding, robotics, arts and crafts, graphic design, and gaming. They can create, remix, and share information with innumerable technology tools. They can work collaboratively in project-based learning groups or individually with personalized learning goals.

If we properly allow for multiple means of representation and expression, engagement will naturally follow. But we can enhance this by allowing for student choice in assignments. Since our collaborative lessons tend to revolve around research that requires students to choose a line of inquiry, we are primed and ready for this assignment. Librarians are being asked to collaborate with teachers around multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. Is this not our raison d'être? UDL seems like one of the best things that could have happened to school libraries.

Traditionally, the school library has represented reading, learning, and knowledge. Indeed, Albert Einstein famously said, "The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library." The school library is poised at the nexus of two of our most glorious democratic institutions: the public education system and the public library system. It inherits a wonderful legacy from each-and a shared responsibility: to foster an informed and engaged citizenry. Increasingly, the school library also represents equity, access, and opportunity. If your school is not a group of buildings gathered around a library, at least metaphorically, then I have made my best argument for why it should be. If we are going to change the status quo-if the school library is to ever fulfill its promise-then it must be transformed from the top down as much as from the bottom up. It can't only be a grassroots movement. If budgets really are statements of values and strategic vision, and if schools and districts time and again spend large sums of money on lower-impact priorities with lackluster results, especially for our most vulnerable students, then it's high time for a change-we are the ones to demand it.

Jonathan Hunt is the lead coordinator of library media services at the San Diego County Office of Education.

This article was featured in our free Extra Helping enewsletter.
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"A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library," wrote the historian and novelist Shelby Foote. Consider a corollary to this quote-a school is just a group of buildings gathered around a library-and whether it aptly describes how important your school library is to the overall function of your institution.

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“Reading” Dogs Help Children Learn | The Bark

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“Reading” Dogs Help Children Learn | The Bark

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Reading is indeed fundamental, but for many, acquiring the skill is daunting. Fortunately, thanks to some innovative programs and cooperative dogs, the challenge is getting easier to meet. Across the nation, dogs are lending their ears, and thousands of children who need extra help with reading and interpersonal communication couldn't be happier.

Imagine this scene, described by Brooklyn's Good Dog Foundation founder and executive director, Rachel McPherson: "For each session, the dog and the child-tutor settle down onto a blanket-covered pad on the floor in a corner of the school media center or in the library. Either the dog picks out a book or the child selects a picture book, brings it to the dog, holds it flat and begins to read."

Though the children believe they are teaching dogs to read, in fact, with the dog as a comfortable, attentive audience (and an occasional gentle assist from the dog's adult volunteer partner), they are actually teaching themselves. As far as the child is concerned, however, reading is about the dog, not about the child. No pressure. No embarrassment. No humiliation.

Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) was among the first to use "reading dogs" in the classroom. Launched in November 1999 by Utah-based Intermountain Therapy Animals, the program was introduced in a Salt Lake City library (where it continues to be available to both children and adults), and a year later, successfully moved into the school system. READ dogs are trained, registered and certified therapy animals who serve as classroom reading tutors, assisting children with their quiet presence and helping them develop a love of reading. Currently, 1,300 therapy teams are working their magic in schools and libraries. "We were the first to put a model around the idea, to improve reading and communication skills and to build the love of books among children that will last forever. It is priceless to see the eager faces of enthusiasm of young children reading to their therapy dogs," says Kathy Klotz, READ's executive director.

Within a year, READ enlisted another set of tails in Durham County, N.C., where psychologist Amy Parsons, a volunteer with Helping Paws International, collaborated with Intermountain to create a therapy assistance dog program known as Bonding, Animals, Reading, Kids and Safety (BARKS). By 2002, the program had accepted and trained several breeds of dogs, and cofounder Jeani Gray says the waiting list of schools interested in the program is long. BARKS dogs act as partners in 30-minute weekly reading sessions with elementary school children-the children are proud to be chosen to teach a certified pooch to read. Helping Paws International has also been successful in working with autistic children in North Carolina, and now has a total of 115 teams operating in Florida, Ohio, Texas and New Zealand.

Sit Stay Read!, founded by MaryEllen Schneider and Sarah Murphy, blew into Chicago schools in 2003. "Sarah had the vision," says Schneider, who managed a dog training school, "and I had the operational tools. Our teachers, reading specialists and literacy experts put the program together. Our focus is on reading fluency with second- and third-graders of low-income communities. Currently, there is one volunteer team to every four children. Even the teachers spend their free time as program volunteers."

Sit Stay Read! has 40 certified teams and 90 volunteers. The progress the children make is amazing, according to Schneider, who notes that the latest fluency test results indicate reading acceleration to 24 words per minute, versus nine words per minute for those not involved with the program. Attendance has also improved, as has classroom demeanor. "The children are so excited to read to the dog. Even disruptive boys have learned to sit and pet the dog while reading."

Currently, the Sit Stay Read! program is used in four schools, and 38 more are on the waiting list; the group also hopes to add components for fourth- and fifth-graders. "We need volunteers," says Schneider, "even those who don't have a dog." Schneider, confident about the program's future, says she sees "successful fluency as a continuous process."

In 2005, Canine Assisted Reading Education (CARE) was born in North Carolina's Moore County, thanks to the combined efforts of Rebecca Vassallo, MD, and Linda Hubbard, a volunteer coordinator for the Moore County school system. Vassallo brought Luther, her certified rescue dog, into the classroom. As she recalls, "Luther sat with the children who had difficulty reading. The trial period worked so well that the county decided to expand the program." Vassallo adds that Luther has his own website (learnwithluther.com), so the children can contact him outside the classroom. Another volunteer, Kelly Stevens, and her chocolate Lab, Gunner, visit more than half a dozen children every week. Stevens, who's also known as the "Pinehurst Pet Nanny," doesn't mind if Gunner falls asleep. "The children continue to read to him," she says.

Reading dogs spread northward in 2005 when a Brooklyn therapy program known as the Good Dog Foundation added the READ program to its offerings, using dogs to help at-risk children improve their reading skills. "We extended our pet program to libraries and school systems in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut," says Leslye Lynford, director of development. "In Manhattan, sometimes as many as 19 children line up at 7:30 every morning because they want to read to the dogs."

Under Rachel McPherson's leadership, the Good Dog Foundation helped change New York state law to allow therapy dogs into organizations and schools. "It's a win-win situation," she says. "Reading levels have tripled. Every child walks down the school hall and knows the freedom of reading with these 'cool' dogs. It brings self-esteem in a secure environment where there are no threats."

McPherson estimates that the program operates in 15 elementary schools as well as in the New York public libraries. "The Manhattan library offers READ on Saturdays," she says. "We also work closely with children from [troubled] homes. They experience a comfortable, caring world with us." McPherson hopes to expand the program. "It's a dream-I hope to see it in upper grades and in future adult programs. We have over 375 teams, trained and certified to meet the requirements."

The dogs who participate in the Good Dog Foundation's program, like their compatriots across the country, go through a training course. They must have basic obedience skills, be in good health, be able to go into elevators and display a sound temperament. "We give support and have the facilities to train the dogs through certified trainers," McPherson explains. "The trainers then follow through by deciding, planning and certifying all school visits." More than 15,000 dogs and 13,000 handlers are registered as pet-assisted therapy teams, and the foundation now makes more than 77,000 visits to several groups and schools each year. The Good Dog Foundation has won awards from the ASPCA and the Red Cross for its therapy dog services.

"We base ourselves on the premise that good dogs are good medicine," says McPherson, "and dogs will continue to help children become better readers for many years to come. Therapy animals consistently demonstrate that when we respect and care for other species, they have great gifts of connection, joy and healing to share with us, and we with them."

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Reading is indeed fundamental, but for many, acquiring the skill is daunting. Fortunately, thanks to some innovative programs and cooperative dogs, the challenge is getting easier to meet. Across the nation, dogs are lending their ears, and thousands of children who need extra help with reading and interpersonal communication couldn't be happier.

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Canine Reading Buddies Help Students With Literacy

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Canine Reading Buddies Help Students With Literacy

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A dog, it is said, is a man's best friend. Put a dog and a kid and book together, and you have a struggling reader's best friend.

The therapy dogs of R.E.A.D. - Reading Education Assistance Dogs - have been helping children improve their literacy skills since 1999, when Intermountain Therapy Animals began the program in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Today, tens of thousands of R.E.A.D. teams - dogs and their owners - volunteer to spend time with youngsters in schools and libraries across the United States and around the world.

The idea is that sharing a book with a nonjudgmental companion boosts students' confidence and helps instill a love of reading.

Izzy, a Havanese therapy dog, is a regular visitor to Public School 57 in East Harlem, New York. Students meet him in the library, pick out a book and flop down on the carpet. Izzy snuggles up to them and gets ready to hear a story.

"I love reading to Izzy because he listens to me, and he doesn't make fun of me when I make a mistake," says third-grader Aelane Vasquez. The 9-year-old, whose parents are from Mexico, is one of 15 students of Latin-American descent at the school who were selected for the program.
Behind in reading levels
"All the students that we work with in the R.E.A.D. program were behind reading levels at the beginning of the year," Bridget McElroy, who teaches English as a Second Language, explained. "Most of them have caught up to where they should have entered, if not surpassed that."

That's important, because achieving proficiency in reading is critical for kids to succeed. Studies have shown that students who can't read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate high school by the age of 19.

McElroy said she sees a marked difference in Aelane and her classmates, and not just academically.

"Not only do the kids have time to practice reading, what we are really seeing is that they are excited to read, and they are motivated to practice even when Izzy is not here," she said.

"And as a classroom teacher that is phenomenal because there is very little that I can do to convince a kid to go home and practice reading, where 20 minutes a week with Izzy is all that they need," McElroy added.

The R.E.A.D. teams from New York Therapy Animals work with 175 kids at PS57 and nine other schools, and the popular program plans to expand to even more schools in the city next year.

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голос америки

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Canine Reading Buddies Help Students With Literacy

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A dog, it is said, is a man's best friend. Put a dog and a kid and book together, and you have a struggling reader's best friend. The therapy dogs of R.E.A.D. - Reading Education Assistance Dogs - have been helping children improve their literacy skills since 1999, when Intermountain Therapy Animals began the program in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Learning Commons: How Technology is Changing 21st Century Library Design -

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Learning Commons: How Technology is Changing 21st Century Library Design -

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To adapt to the changes brought on by the rise of digital technology and 21st-century learning principles, an evolution in library design and space planning, ranging from furnishings and architecture to culture and purpose, has also gradually occurred. Schools around the United States and the world are beginning to transform their libraries from being silent temples to hold collections of books and reference materials into multi-use learni n g commons spaces, which are intended to be hubs of creativity and marketplaces of ideas. Along with technological change, this relatively new trend comes as a reaction to rapid changes user needs.

Many schools have already transitioned their outdated libraries into learning commons, which can be defined as a full-service learning, research, and student-centric collaborative project space. In a learning commons, students can work independently or in groups in planned learning zones that isolate activities, such as individual study or social learning where students are encouraged to interact with each other.

From Isolation to Collaboration

With the exception of the student who needed a quiet or alternative location to study, late 20th century libraries were still primarily used by students as resource centers to get what only what was needed for a project and leave. Only recently has the philosophy of today taken over-that libraries should offer both quiet and collaborative learning opportunities along with access to cutting-edge technology and, in some cases, even food. According to Loyola Dean of Libraries Robert A. Seal, "Books, articles and conference papers in most of the 20th century reflected a philosophy that library space should be designed by and for librarians. User needs, while recognized, often came second." In the case of a learning commons, the user needs come first and, in an ideal space, the design and furnishings reflect that attitude.

As a 20th century student, going to the library typically meant silently studying books and other printed materials on your own, but over time, librarians began to see usage decrease as students opted instead for studying in spaces such as coffee shops or bookstores that offered comfortable chairs, refreshments and more opportunities to collaborate. Only the libraries designed to imitated these spaces geared towards 21st-century learners saw attendance and usage rise.

Designing a Learning Commons or 21st Century Learning Environment?

Furnishing the Future

When it comes to the process of planning and designing a learning commons, there are a lot of moving parts, but arguably one of the most important elements of the design process is how you decide to furnish it . After all, modern students have modern needs. A 21st-century student might be conducting research, studying, surfing the web, and talking to classmates-all at the same time. This would be very difficult to accomplish, if not impossible, if the student was isolated in a study cube in a silent 20th-century style library. He or she would be more successful in a more dynamic learning commons environment, which could be adapted to suit their needs. Simply put, successful 21st-century learning necessitates 21st century furniture . Furniture now plays an active role in the learning process. It can make or break the student's ability to adapt to different learning situations or effectively collaborate with his or her peers.

In 2012, Groveland Elementary in Minnetonka, MN transformed their outdated library into a modern learning commons to help students collaborate and easily share their work with one another. Key to the success of Groveland's library redesign was updating the furnishings. The goal was to create a student-centric learning environment with the optimal space needed for collaborative work. In fact, Groveland cared so much about making the space student-centric that they went as far as collecting feedback from 5th graders, who suggested a "reading by the lake" theme, which was incorporated into the final design.

The school carefully designed the new learning commons with multi-use furniture, modifiable learning spaces and mobile computing in mind. For example, confining to the perimeter of the commons allows for central areas to be filled with adaptable easily configurable to meet a wide range of student and faculty needs. In the large group area, there is flexible lounge seating to encourage creativity and critical thinking skills. Similarly, to help students stay engaged and be productive, all of the furniture is ergonomically designed to support active learning.

According to Groveland's principal David Parker, transitioning from an old fashioned library to a new learning commons revitalized their space and invigorated students and faculty:

" When families walk into our school, they'd never guess it was built in 1958," said Parker. "It is a warm and welcoming, leading-edge learning community, designed to engage students' creative and critical thinking skills. We are educating the problem-solvers and inventors of tomorrow. The design of this space lets them know that important work is happening here."

Learning Commons Challenges

While there are many educational benefits to transforming a traditional library into a learning commons, there are also a few challenges:

Equipment Cost: New equipment can be costly and possibly too expensive for schools lacking a significant budget.

Difficulty: Some spaces are easier to overhaul than others. Old legacy spaces can be particularly difficult or overly expensive transform.

The Unknown: There is no single model for the ideal learning commons-each one is designed to suit the unique needs of the institution its students. This flexibility can either be a blessing or a curse, as designers may have to go with their gut feelings about what will or will not work for the space. A learning commons can work against itself if it becomes overcrowded, which is a real possibility, since they often house so many useful materials. To combat this, many institutions have adopted scheduling processes to maintain spatial efficiency.

Looking Forward

To remain useful, a learning commons must be able to adapt to the evolving needs of students and technology. For example, mobile use, 3D display, and gesture-based computing are on the rise. Consequently, this means that commons spaces will eventually need to integrate even more cutting-edge technology into their processes. It will certainly be a challenge for learning commons to keep up with the pace of technological advancement, however, it is also an opportunity for schools to get students even more engaged and facilitate even greater collaboration.

It's also important to remember that, although commons are student-centric spaces, they benefit the entire community. It gives faculty members much more flexibility when scheduling activities because everything is centralized to one adaptable space that can accommodate a wide variety of student needs. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, learning commons benefit students by allowing them to forge their own approach to their work and by giving them the tools and resources they need-computers, room to collaborate, research resources and anything else they need to complete a project successfully and genuinely learn something in the process.

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Works Cited

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Learning Commons: How Technology is Changing 21st Century Library Design -

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To adapt to the changes brought on by the rise of digital technology and 21st-century learning principles, an evolution in library design and space planning, ranging from furnishings and architecture to culture and purpose, has also gradually occurred.

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School Library Connection Organization & Management

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School Library Connection Organization & Management

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School Library Connection Organization & Management

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You're trying to access resources outside of your free SLC community. Get access to all resources found on this site through a School Library Connection subscription.

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Teaching 21st-Century Skills in Today's Library - It's Not Only in the Classroom | Follett

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Teaching 21st-Century Skills in Today's Library - It's Not Only in the Classroom | Follett

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Helping today's students prepare for career and college means more than improving collaboration and communication. Today's libraries and librarians must teach students new ways to conduct research, select online resources, and know how to properly cite the sources they use.

Sheila Carr shares how libraries can utilize technology to its fullest in helping students prepare for the challenges ahead.

More resources are available on Follett Community.

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Teaching 21st-Century Skills in Today's Library - It's Not Only in the Classroom

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Helping today's students prepare for career and college means more than improving collaboration and communication. Today's libraries and librarians must teach students new ways to conduct research, select online resources, and know how to properly cite the sources they use. Sheila Carr shares how libraries can utilize technology to its fullest in helping students prepare for the challenges ahead.

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Both teachers share the planning and instruction of students in a coordinated fashion. In this type of joint planning time, equal knowledge of the content, a shared philosophy, and commitment to all students in the class are critical.

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Children Must Be Taught to Collaborate, Studies Say - Education Week

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Children Must Be Taught to Collaborate, Studies Say - Education Week

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Researchers explore group work in class

At its best, collaboration in the classroom can help students think more deeply and creatively about a subject and develop more empathy for others' perspectives. At its worst, group tasks can deteriorate into awkward silences, arguments-or frustration for the one child who ends up doing everyone else's work.

Now, as the teaching technique gains new prominence in state standards, researchers and educators are working to understand how to help students gain the skills needed to learn and work in groups.

"Learning through doing is an important component in this, ... but by itself, it's not enough," said Emily Lai, the director of formative assessment and feedback for Pearson, the educational publishing company. "Students go into these experiences with very little understanding of what they should be working toward-and so students walk away from these experiences a little jaded. Collaboration is just like any other skill; it has to be taught."

The ability to collaborate with others has become one of the most sought-after skills in both education and the workplace. A survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that more than 80 percent of midsize or larger employers look for collaboration skills in new hires-but fewer than 40 percent of them considered new graduates prepared to work in teams.

Collaborative Standards

Partly in response to industry and higher education recommendations, both the Common Core State Standards for reading and mathematics and the Next Generation Science Standards call for students to develop skills for collaboration and group problem-solving.

Even assessments are changing to focus on the skills needed for group work. In 2015, the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, added interactive tasks that gauge how well students can develop shared understanding of a problem, take action together to solve it, and maintain a team organization. The first results of that test are expected this fall.

The nonprofit Partnership for 21st Century Learning, along with Pearson, this month released a report breaking down three main aspects of collaboration that need to be taught: communicating with others, resolving conflicts, and managing tasks.

Without a task that requires multiple perspectives, Lai said, students often simply divvy up different aspects of a task "and then sort of smoosh it together at the end. That's not really collaborating."

That's what Emma Mercier, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, and graduate researcher Susan Kelly, both of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are also finding in a large, ongoing series of studies of middle school students working in groups.

For one forthcoming study, the researchers assigned groups of students using electronic "smart" tables to answer questions on the nutrition and energy costs of different foods, using different data sources. In the 45 discussions studied, all the students could identify and repeat data facts, but the groups that engaged in more discussion of the data were able to begin to synthesize different sources of information and how they were connected.

Yet none of the groups was able to synthesize data from several sources without help from the teacher.

Mercier found in a separate study that regardless of whether middle schoolers collaborated using paper and pencil or smart tables to solve complex math-based "mystery" problems, the groups in which a student generated the first idea and then students responded to each other produced more ideas for solving problems than those in which the first idea came from a teacher.

"The elephant in the room when you have students work in groups is, if you don't explicitly teach them how to collaborate, they are not going to do it. If you just put them in groups and give them a task, that's not enough," Kelly said.

Equitable Benefits

Kelly was among several researchers at last month's meeting of the American Educational Research Association who are exploring how collaboration can improve student learning.

The quality of group discussions can be more important than the individual student's previous knowledge about a subject, according to a separate series of studies previewed at the meeting by Joshua Adams, a science of learning researcher at Arizona State University. Adams tracked the growth in understanding of small groups in secondary school and college, some of which paired students of roughly similar background knowledge and some

that had large gaps in knowledge between students on the team. While that sort of mixed-ability grouping sometimes prompts concerns that more-gifted students will be held back, Adams found students' learning was better predicted by whether they engaged in substantive conversations than by their previous knowledge. In fact, among high schoolers, the longer that students of different abilities participated in engaged groups, the more the knowledge of the subject improved for all students.

And just as students' background knowledge differs from subject to subject, Mercier found in a separate study that students' leadership roles in the groups can vary as well, even though students who are naturally more outspoken do tend to be more likely to be primary leaders. When the researcher kept the same students in groups for math and history projects, she found different students led the group in the two subjects, regardless of who had higher social status.

"A partner can bring in information that's not in the learning materials ... [such as] procedures they've used to solve other problems," Adamssaid. "Students can generate new knowledge and work at a higher learning level. Instead of trying to choose whether the high-performing students will benefit the most or low-performing students will benefit the most, if teachers focus on prioritizing interaction quality, ... both benefit."

Teachers can set the stage for better student discussions by only using group work for tasks that "are too cognitively large for any one student to do on their own," Mercier said, and by discussing and modeling appropriate talking and listening in a group.

Building Strong Discussions

One Ohio State University researcher is piloting a program to build up students' social skills so they can better function in group work. In the program, Collaborative Social Reasoning, developed by Tzu-Jung Lin, students are separated into small groups over the course of a year and receive direct instruction on providing clear arguments with evidence, disagreeing with a teammate respectfully, providing substantive feedback, and understanding each person's responsibilities for group learning.

Teachers receive training on how to devise the kinds of tasks that will spur constructive group work. For example, the pilot study asked students to analyze the history of Japanese-American internment camps during World War II and compare them with modern debates over immigrant and minority groups.

"Through these historical backgrounds, students were able to relate the reading to their personal experiences," Lin said.

Shufeng Ma, another educational psychologist at the University of Illinois, found that students who participated in group discussions created longer chains of reasoning to answer complex essay questions. Even students who spoke less than others in a group learned more when their group engaged in complex conversations.

Ma analyzed the group discussions of 160 students in eight schools across Illinois who took part in a six-week reading unit on ecology, economic, and policy issues related to wild wolves near a community. Of more than 3,300 conversational turns, students engaged in 122 discussions in which one student explained and expanded on another student's thought.

Once those conversations started, students were more likely to generate multiple chains of logic together, she found. "Reasoning is forged in talk. ... Children adopt the way other people think and talk, so conceptual relationships and the words to represent those become more accessible to children in a group discussion," she said.

Published in Print: May 17, 2017, as Classroom Collaboration: Seeking the Secret to Success

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Children Must Be Taught to Collaborate, Studies Say

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At its best, collaboration in the classroom can help students think more deeply and creatively about a subject and develop more empathy for others' perspectives. At its worst, group tasks can deteriorate into awkward silences, arguments-or frustration for the one child who ends up doing everyone else's work.

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How to Create Fruitful Co-Teaching Partnerships

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How to Create Fruitful Co-Teaching Partnerships

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A MiddleWeb Bog
By Elizabeth Stein
By now co-teachers around the nation have had a chance to get off on the right foot. I hope you had a flying start! Maybe even hit the ground running!

The first goal for co-teachers is to pave the way for a successful year by establishing a learning environment that nurtures a sense of community. Some of you are skipping along a self-generated, smooth partnership pathway - while others may find themselves on shaky ground.

If you are working together by choice, it's likely you are well into a good groove by now! In other cases, co-teachers may be working together purely because they were paired by the powers that be-with no choice in the decision. If so, you may be feeling some frustration by now. But stick with me; you can overcome it!

A forced pairing can flourish

This is the reality: most co-teachers find themselves together in the same classroom because somebody says they have to be.

Some "forced pairings" rise to the occasion and decide to just make it work. Others? Well, let's just say that they have no desire to give it their best efforts. (Hey, it happens).

My quest to elevate co-teaching has always been to find an antidote for the feelings of resignation that frequently emerge when co-teachers are forced into a relationship. What can be learned from the co-teaching relationships that DO work and applied to these less-than-ideal situations?

This blog post is dedicated to all co-teachers - those who strive, those who hide, those who thrive, those who push back - and especially those who accept their obligation to students and feel the urge to overcome any undesirable co-teaching reality.

Jim Knight's partnership approach

As I fall comfortably into my new position as an instructional coach, I am finding my style to be naturally in sync with Jim Knight's ideas from his book, Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction. Reading the book, I cannot help but make some obvious connections to creating effective co-teaching relationships through this partnership approach.

For starters, colleagues should find common ground and engage in one-to-one meetings to get at the heart of the emotional stance and perspectives of each other. Jim Knight explains that instructional coaches keep the idea of partnership at the core-and adopting a partnership mindset is "the belief that instructional coaches are no more important than those with whom we work, and that we should do everything we can to respect that equality." Sounds like the perfect mindset for co-teaching partners as well, don't you think?

The Partnership Approach has seven core principles that deepen the awareness of collaboration. Here are the core principles of a partnership approach to learning as they pertain to instructional coaches.

Co-Teaching with Knight's Core Principles

These same principles connect seamlessly to co-teaching. My hope is these seven core principles will provide a common language and mindset to guide co-teachers near and far to create their own antidote for creating dynamic learning environments.

1. Equality: Each co-teacher's beliefs are valued. Each teacher's view is taken into consideration. Both teachers apply their expertise in the planning, instructional, and assessment phases of the learning process.

2. Choice: Co-teachers value each other's opinions. Each teacher is part of the decision-making process. Teachers listen to one another and make instructional choices together.

3. Voice: Both co-teachers must express their points of view. Don't be shy! Advocate for students-and also stay true to yourself to make sure your talents are in the mix of each instructional day.

4. Dialogue: Co-teachers should engage in conversations where both participants are open and comfortable and feel free to speak their minds. It's a time to ask questions, add comments, share ideas!

5. Reflection: Each co-teacher honors the other teacher's need for time to connect, adopt, or adapt new ideas. Simply put...everyone needs time to think. Each co-teacher is free to choose or to reject the ideas of the other - or suggest tweaks.

6. Praxis: Putting theory into practice. Co-teachers who are serious about "partnership" think about how to use one another's ideas in the classroom.

7. Reciprocity: When we have a true partnership, everyone benefits from the success of the learning process. Each co-teacher gains greater personal insights about his own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of his partner. They begin to complement each another by balancing out their talents and skills and their needs for personal and professional growth.

It's a quadruple win

When these core principles become a shared language and mindset between co-teachers, it's a win, win, win, win - co-teacher to self, co-teacher to co-teacher, co-teachers to students, and students to self and to one another.

These core principles, adapted from Jim Knight's widely regarded research work, can be the basis for a successful partnership and a dynamic learning community in any co-taught classroom.
Go on...begin to notice your thinking-your actions-and your language. How do you connect with these core principles? How can this language guide you and your co-teachers to create a Partnership Approach?

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How to Create Fruitful Co-Teaching Partnerships

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A MiddleWeb Bog By Elizabeth Stein By now co-teachers around the nation have had a chance to get off on the right foot. I hope you had a flying start! Maybe even hit the ground running! The first goal for co-teachers is to pave the way for a successful year by establishing a learning environment that nurtures a sense of community.

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Libraries as Hubs for 21st-Century Learning - Global Learning - Education Week

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Libraries as Hubs for 21st-Century Learning - Global Learning - Education Week

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Crystle Martin, board secretary, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and postdoctoral research fellow, Digital Media and Learning Hub, University of California, Irvine, explores how libraries are now connected learning environments for teens. By guest blogger Crystle Martin
Libraries as Community Learning Centers
Traditionally, libraries have been viewed as repositories of resources. Today however, they are centers for 21st century learning. Libraries have evolved into places that support the entire community and the lifelong learning of individuals. Libraries are central parts of the community and function as a community hub. They can connect communities-whether rural, urban, or suburban-to a global community.

Many barriers still exist for youth from low-income backgrounds, a major one being access to technology and the internet. Nine out of 10 low-income families have Internet access at home. However, one-quarter of those earning below the median income and one-third of those living below the poverty line access the Internet only through their mobile devices. This presents issues like quickly hitting data usage limits; having software limited to mobile platforms; and sharing devices within households. A major issue with mobile-only access at home is that it can be difficult for youth to do necessary things like submit their homework online, which is now the method preferred by teachers. Plus, it is difficult for youth to get enough time online to develop digital literacies via participation in online communities. This leads to a persistent and expanding gap with youth who have more open and continuous access to online resources. Libraries help many youth close the gap through access to high speed internet and computers they can use themselves. Because of their position as a place of openness, community, and support, libraries are well-suited to support youth in developing global competence, particularly through connected learning and workforce development activities.

What is connected learning?
Connected learning is a framework that focuses on youth learning from an ecological perspective. This educational approach combines youth interests, peer-to-peer interactions, and academic learning. For many youth, these three components are unconnected: the learning they do with peers or related to their interests are wholly unconnected to their academic learning and career preparation. Connected learning happens when these components come together. For example, a school could demonstrate that youth interests pursued outside of school are valued via formal recognition, such as school credit for interest-based assignments.

Libraries have the opportunity to function as connected learning environments. Places like the YOUMedia Lab in Chicago specifically work to create experiences for youth to connect their interests to real life experience. For example, one librarian supports youth who have an interest in video games with creating and publishing a podcast that reviews video games. However, connected learning is not about the technology you have access to in your space; instead, it is about using connected learning as a framework for program design. A librarian from rural Washington had teens with an interest in art, science, and math create low-tech programming for younger youth. Through this process the librarian discussed career options related to the youth's interests in these fields and created activities so youth could develop academically relevant skills connected to their interests.

Tips for doing connected learning with teens in a public library:

When creating a program, think about having youth investigate real world questions that reach beyond their own community. For example, if you are thinking about how to get more youth to the library for a program, have them consider what types of barriers may be in the way of getting to the library (e.g. lack of transportation, assumptions about the library environment) and what the solutions might be. Or create opportunities to have students work on global issues with local ramifications, like climate change, by collecting data as citizen scientists.

Encourage them to consider the perspectives of others when solving problems. For example, when having teens help design a space for themselves in libraries have them think about how other patrons will feel about their new space and potential challenges that might arise.

Help youth connect an interest to a larger context. For example, someone with an interest in fanfiction around young adult fantasy literature could be connected to the Harry Potter Alliance, a group of young social activists who take on big issues inspired by the Harry Potter series.

Workforce Development
There is a gap for young people in what skills they have and what skills they need to be part of a globally competitive workforce. A majority of youth feel like they are unprepared for college and careers. Employers agree that students do not have the necessary skills to go directly into the workforce. And basic skills like reading and writing are not enough to prepare youth for the workforce. Libraries are working to fill this gap by supporting workforce development training. Young people need a host of skills to be successful in an increasingly global and competitive economy. These skills include:

Flexibility and adaptability

Initiative and self-direction

Social and cross-cultural skills

Productivity and accountability

Leadership and responsibility

As part of their support of youth workforce development, libraries serve as connectors between youth and other community agencies. The San Diego Public Library IDEA Lab is a teen-centric space for digital media creation. The librarian for the space hires teen interns to work in the space, and she does so with a workforce development mindset. She has her teen interns design and develop workshops on technology and digital media. The interns then lead the workshops for other teens who come to the space. The teens are responsible for content creation as well as implementation which gives them a great opportunity to develop the workplace skills listed above.

Tips for doing workforce development with teens in a public library:

Offer opportunities for youth to be exposed to careers through programming and presentations by those working in a variety of fields.

Make connections with local community organizations and businesses so you can connect youth with internships and visits that match their interests. For example, the Seattle Public Library started a partnership in 2014 with the Seattle Youth Employment Program. Together, they have designed curriculum to build digital and information literacy skills.

Support youth in organizing community events so that they can create 21st century and globally necessary work skills like communication, organization, and leadership. For example, the librarian at a branch of the San Diego Public Library supported the Spectrum LGBTQ+ Club with putting together a book booth at the San Diego Trans Pride where they offered books of interest to the community. The partnership was created and managed by the teens in the club which created opportunities for the teens to develop communication, organization, and leadership skills.

Conclusion
Supporting youth to develop global competency may seem like a huge task that could be difficult for libraries to take on in addition to the work they already do to support youth learning. Global knowledge and skills can, and need, to be incorporated into existing learning supports for youth. It is something that educators should always keep in mind while developing new programs, so that we can help prepare youth for an ever-changing future.
Image courtesy of GraphicStock.

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young adult library services association

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Libraries as Hubs for 21st-Century Learning

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Crystle Martin, board secretary, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and postdoctoral research fellow, Digital Media and Learning Hub, University of California, Irvine, explores how libraries are now connected learning environments for teens. By guest blogger Crystle Martin Libraries as Community Learning Centers Traditionally, libraries have been viewed as repositories of resources.

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Differentiated Instruction - Gail Bush.pdf

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Differentiated Instruction - Gail Bush.pdf

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Research - Reading to Dogs: A Library's Guide to Getting Started

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Research - Reading to Dogs: A Library's Guide to Getting Started

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Research - Reading to Dogs: A Library's Guide to Getting Started

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Concrete research data showing that reading to dogs programs actually help children improve their reading skills is just beginning to appear.

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5 Ways to Advocate without Being in Your Face | Knowledge Quest

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5 Ways to Advocate without Being in Your Face | Knowledge Quest

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Recently, a colleague and friend reminded me that sometimes the louder we get the less people listen. As librarians we know the importance of advocating for our profession. It is our responsibility to share with others what we do to help students and how this looks different from librarians of the past. Since we are often the only person in our building who does our job we have to be careful how loud we get. If we push too hard, sometimes all we get is those who push back against us. Do not take this the wrong way, there is always a time and place to share what needs to be said. Yet, sometimes a subtle approach can be just as effective as screaming from the roof tops. Here are five ways to advocate without being in your face.
Share
This is probably the most important thing you can do! Keep the focus on your students, because that is who it is about. There are so many options to share: websites, blogs, newsletters, conferences, webinars, and a variety of social media. Choose one, two, or more and let others know what your students are up to.

The importance of sharing was solidified when I started in my current position five years ago. Since my approach to the library was a bit different then my predecessor, I needed to explain to parents what their children were working on when they were in the library. I started a monthly newsletter. It was nothing fancy, but what I did not realize was just that small bit of sharing went a long way. I had parents asking more questions about what was happening. They were beginning to look at the space differently and my administrator was taking note. Over time, I began to share in other ways too.

It was not just about sharing with parents. I needed my colleagues to understand everything the library could do for them. I often start the school year with a letter to my colleagues. This is a bit more direct in its message than other things I share, but since it is in a different format it seems to open up conversations about what we can do together to improve student learning.
Data
Data is powerful! I keep data that includes check-out information and class usage, but also information related to collaboration between classroom teachers as well as student projects and outcomes. When I started doing this, I did not realize the power it would have when advocating for the library. It is difficult for anyone to argue with the numbers. Data is very objective, when often in education things are subjective. It makes it simple for my administration to agree to try something new, if the information I have backs up the idea. The results can also be very eye-opening when it does not come out as expected. Data allows for support, reflection, and improvement.
Programs
Some of the best advocates of the library are teachers. Of course getting them to buy into what I am selling took time. One way, I have found successful is to invite them in. One of the programs that is hosted in the library is a Sweet Library Resources Party. (Food is a very effective way of getting people to listen!) After hosting a program like this, teachers want to know more. They start sharing the information with others too. It is no longer just my voice people are listening too, but many. More voices mean more people to share why the library is so important.
Displays
Displays are, in my mind, one of the most valuable parts of the library. You can draw a person in or have them keep walking just by what is displayed. The more interesting, student friendly, and interactive a display is the more it is discussed. More discussion leads to positive things. Displays are viewed by all stakeholders, which maximizes the impact in the world of a busy librarian.
Anticipate What's Coming
Anticipating what is coming next can be hard! Time is often consumed and curriculum is ever-changing, but it can also be very helpful when trying to improve teacher buy-in. Knowing the units that are covered allows for suggestions to be given ahead of time. Providing a few books related to the topic or suggesting a project can often lead to more when working with teachers. Grade-level calendars allow me to anticipate what units are approaching. That way I can mention resources and project ideas in a timely manner leading to other opportunities to work together. If teachers are supportive they will advocate for you just as much as you could for yourself.

Being subtle is not always easy. Patience and positivity are something that every good advocate needs regardless what they are working for. We often have to wait and see how our actions will impact our profession, but know that, loud or quiet, we all have to make others see the value in our work.

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics

Tags: advocacy, Classroom teachers, collaboration, Library Media Specialists, school librarians

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5 Ways to Advocate without Being in Your Face | Knowledge Quest

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Recently, a colleague and friend reminded me that sometimes the louder we get the less people listen. As librarians we know the importance of advocating for our profession. It is our responsibility to share with others what we do to help students and how this looks different from librarians of the past.

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Kids have always made in my library.

We encouraged digital and visual and dramatic and rhetorical creativity before, during, and after school. But for a while, I've questioned the value of using already heavily used real estate to randomly carve out space for a 3D printer, electronics stations and sewing machines. I had my doubts about the makerspace movement in school libraries.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with Amos Blanton, project manager of the . On his Scratch online community, and a member of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab I design and sustain creative learning environments for people with agency. profile Amos notes:

Amos makes the case for makerspaces as powerful, authentic, relevant learning experiences, and for when and why library may be the very right space to create a makerspace.

Here's the video of our chat and a few of key points to consider before adopting a maker culture for libraries

Amos' key points:

School pressures make it challenging to make space for interest-driven learning. The library works differently. The librarian doesn't say, Here's the book. Read it and I'm going to be evaluating how well you've read this book. That's not how the library works. The way it works is you go in and say, Hey I am interested in this. I want to know about this. Can you tell me how to connect with this interest that I have using all these great resources that you have? And that's really a closer analog to what I see as exciting about Makerspaces. I have this idea - can you help me flesh it out and bring it into the world?

A Makerspace is not a one-size-fits-all kind of space. There are all kinds of idiosyncratic ways to have a Makerspace, different ways to dial into the local culture. In creating a new Makerspace, people should ask: What tools are already being used in the community? What are teachers already doing? What is already there, and how can we add to and augment it?

Making is more powerful when driven by the interest of the learner. Makerspaces in schools should connect to student's authentic interests, or the experiences children have had. When that connection is made, the experience will have more meaning and power, and will be more likely to attract student attention and engage their efforts. If the agenda comes from outside, that could be problematic. I want people to bring their own agendas and be supported. That's a culture that already exists in libraries

What is very important and maybe not supported by many school curricula is people bringing into the world their own projects and ideas. When students have to spend all their time fulfilling an external agenda, they don't have a chance to learn how to create their own agenda. Teaching kids only what adults think they need to know can take up all the time kids need to explore what it is that they care about.

Freedom to choose changes the way students invest in a project. We need to connect learners to their interests, to give them the freedom to choose what to do and learn. Of course there is a minimum we need to cover in schools - everyone needs to be able to read and write. But in the process of following their own interests, they're going to develop a lot of other skills. They'll develop their writing skills in service of documenting or discovering more about something that they love, not just in service of an assignment that someone else told them that they had to do. That distinction is a key aspect of what makes a powerful learning experiences. They're connected to their interests.

School does some things well, but what I love about the library is that when I enter, I set the agenda. I am going there because there is something that I want to know based on interests or what's going on in my life or all sorts of local idiosyncratic contexts.... I am excited about Making in schools - it can be really great. But if the agenda for what needs to be Made is coming from outside the Maker, then that could be problematic. What seems to be a great fit with libraries and interest driven learning is that the person who comes to the library sets the agenda. I want them to be supported in that and that's a culture that already exists in libraries. So Making is a perfect fit into an already existing library culture.

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Kids have always made in my library. We encouraged digital and visual and dramatic and rhetorical creativity before, during, and after school. But for a while, I've questioned the value of using already heavily used real estate to randomly carve out space for a 3D printer, electronics stations and sewing machines.

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Joan of Arc? Have we reached the point where teacher librarians will be replaced by artificial intelligence and poorly paid aides? New Zealand did away with most of its highly skilled and trained teacher librarians at the turn of the previous century.

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Latest Study: A full-time school librarian makes a critical difference in boosting student achievement | School Library Journal

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Latest Study: A full-time school librarian makes a critical difference in boosting student achievement | School Library Journal

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Imagine trying to teach kids how to swim in an empty pool.

That's exactly what Baruch Kintisch envisioned when he took a hard look at the effects of his city's deep education cuts. Philadelphia's "schools are underfunded; classrooms are crowded; libraries, labs, and special-education services are outdated or nonexistent," writes Kintisch, the director of policy advocacy and a senior staff attorney at the Education Law Center (see the Philadelphia Inquirer's " City Schools' Real Problem," August 9, 2012).

Simply put, students suffer when they don't have adequate resources-and, in particular, we've found that student achievement suffers when schools lack libraries that are staffed by full-time librarians. "Nearly every public school in Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties has a library with certified staff, which has been proven to increase student reading and comprehension," notes Kintisch. "In contrast, most public schools in Philadelphia do not employ a certified librarian, and more than 140 do not have a library."

He's right. More than half of Philadelphia's public schools are currently without a library. And according to the recent Pennsylvania School Library Study, a comprehensive study of school library services in publicly funded K-12 schools, 56 percent of the state's schools don't have a full-time school librarian. During the current school year, 2012-2013, the School District of Philadelphia, the state's largest district, provided only 17 percent of its schools with professional librarians-that's an anemic 43 of 249 schools. The picture is almost as bleak in the Pittsburgh School District, where just 27 percent of schools have full-time librarians-or a measly 14 out of 51 schools. Yet that hasn't deterred many districts from getting rid of media specialists.

Even wealthy suburban districts find library reductions acceptable. For example, Manheim Township in Lancaster County, PA, has slashed librarian positions by 80 percent since 2010, going from 10.5 to 2.5 media specialists. At the same time, other districts employ full-time librarians in every building, many with support staff and annual budgets that enable them to update their collections and technology. How do these inequities affect teacher effectiveness and student achievement? And why is the research that shows the impact of quality school library programs and librarians on students being ignored?

Background

In 2007, when the trend to cut library programs and staffing became apparent to us, the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association ( PSLA) teamed up with the Education Law Center ( ELC), a nonprofit educational advocacy organization that has made substantial gains for the state's most vulnerable children-including poor kids, kids of color, kids with disabilities, English-language learners, and others. PSLA and ELC discovered that they had many similar interests and goals, including a strong urge to ensure a quality public education for every child. The two groups began to lobby for statewide regulations and reforms to ensure library equity for Pennsylvania's 1.8 million K-12 students.

When representatives of the two organizations approached influential state legislators, they quickly discovered that some lawmakers didn't know that schools weren't required to have libraries, and others had no idea how rapidly these programs were being eliminated. Among many legislators' first questions were, "How many schools do not have libraries or librarians?" and "How do school librarians improve student achievement and by how much?" Clearly, research and verifiable data were needed to influence these policymakers.

In the absence of data to answer their questions, PSLA persuaded the state's House of Representatives to commission the Pennsylvania School Library Study of 2011-a "snapshot" of library programs in which 73 percent of public schools participated. While the study uncovered huge inequities among various districts, according to PSLA surveys, school library programs and staff have continued to be cut. For instance, in 2011-2012, an additional seven percent of librarians were let go, and, in 2012-2013, another six percent were jettisoned. As a result, "almost 200,000 students have been affected by elimination or severe curtailment of school library services throughout the Commonwealth," says PSLA's president, Eileen Kern.

Research and key findings

Joining forces with the Education Law Center and the Health Sciences Library Consortium (a nonprofit group that manages ACCESS PA and POWER Library electronic databases), PSLA was awarded an Institute of Museum and Library Services ( IMLS) National Leadership research grant to determine what school library infrastructure contributes most to student achievement, the costs and benefits associated with it, and what's needed to develop students with 21st-century learning skills. Although more than two decades of similar research has been conducted in over 22 states, the Pennsylvania study uncovered the following new and significant findings:

Quality school library programs significantly impact the most vulnerable students. For the first time, the impact of library programs on selected student groups that tend to experience achievement gaps was examined directly. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment ( PSSA), which measures how well schoolchildren are doing in reading, writing, math, and science according to the state's education standards, maintains separate test scores for subgroups of students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, and have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). PSSA scores range from "Advanced," which indicates an in-depth understanding of the subject and superior academic performance, to "Below Basic," which reflects poor understanding and inadequate academic performance.

Consistently, reading and writing scores are better for students who have a full-time certified librarian than those who don't. Students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, and have IEPs (i.e., students with disabilities) benefit proportionally more than students generally. These findings suggest that staffing libraries with certified librarians can help close achievement gaps. What are some of the other key findings?

* Students who are poor, minority, and have IEPs, but who have full-time librarians, are at least twice as likely to have "Advanced" writing scores as their counterparts without full-time librarians.

* Generally, the benefits associated with larger staffing and collections and increased access to technology, databases, and to the library itself are proportionally greater for students who are poor, black, Hispanic, and disabled.

* For black and Hispanic students, access to more books more than doubles their chances of obtaining "Advanced" writing scores and cuts their risk of "Below Basic" writing scores in half.

* The association between flexible scheduling and writing scores is more pronounced. With flexible scheduling, all students are about four times more likely to earn "Advanced" writing scores, and Hispanic students are almost seven times more likely to earn "Advanced" scores with flexible scheduling.

Writing scores are more positively impacted than reading scores. Since 21st-century learners must be effective knowledge producers as well as information consumers, examining the relationship between writing scores and quality school library programs was essential. Writing scores of students were studied at both the "Advanced" and "Below Basic" levels. Interestingly, the impact of school library programs was greater proportionally on writing than reading scores. Students with access to well-resourced libraries are two to five times more likely to score "Advanced" in writing than students without such libraries. Other significant findings include:

* For all students, those with full-time librarians are almost three times as likely to have "Advanced" writing scores as students without full-time librarians.

* The differential impact of librarians suggests that writing rather than reading scores may be a better indicator of a student's mastery of 21st-Century Learner and Pennsylvania/Common Core standards.

The role of the school library program and academic standards. This is the first statewide study to assess the roles of librarians in teaching the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) Standards for the 21st-Century Learner as well as Common Core standards. We and our associates at RSL Research Group in Louisville, CO, surveyed more than 1,850 librarians, teachers, and school administrators to determine the extent to which these standards are addressed by school library programs and the instruction by librarians. To verify their perceptions, survey results were then correlated with the reading and writing scores of the respondents' schools. This study provides the first evidence that what librarians teach both addresses academic standards and impacts students' standardized test scores.

* These relationships are especially strong for the Pennsylvania/Common Core standards for English language arts and reading and writing for history and social studies.

* Notably, the positive association of the librarian's role in teaching AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner with "Advanced" writing scores is dramatically higher than with "Advanced" reading scores.

* Consistently, students are less likely to score "Below Basic" on reading and writing in schools in which administrators, teachers, and librarians assess as "excellent" the library program's teaching of inquiry-based learning.

As Carol Heinsdorf, a National Board-certified school librarian at Philadelphia's Youth Study Center High School, explains, "These nationally adopted academic aspirations, supported by empirical evidence of school librarians' effectiveness, are at odds with the 87 percent of Philadelphia's incoming ninth graders who have never experienced an adequately resourced school library managed by a certified librarian, don't know how books are arranged on a library shelf, do not know to, or how to, cite sources, and have not read a book from beginning to end for either academic purposes or pleasure. How are these students being prepared to successfully complete a two- or four-year college program? How are they to be reading role models as their children's first teachers? How are those policy and decision makers shepherding public education as a public good for the future of our democracy going to prioritize adequately resourced school libraries managed by certified school librarians, to align with the evidence?"

Staffing remains the key factor. This study suggests that there's no substitute for a full-time, certified school librarian who's fully engaged in the teaching and learning process. Key findings include:

* With a full-time librarian, students are more likely to score "Advanced" and less likely to score "Below Basic" on reading and writing tests.

* Consistently, reading scores are better for elementary, middle, and high school students who have full-time certified librarians. In schools with full-time librarians, "Below Basic" scores not only improve, but improve more from elementary to middle to high school as well.

* The proportional difference in "Advanced" reading scores associated with a full-time librarian grows from elementary to middle to high school.

* Students who are Hispanic and whose full-time librarians have support staff are three times as likely to earn "Advanced" writing scores as their counterparts whose full-time librarians lack such support staff.

* On average, almost nine percent more students score "Advanced" in reading where students have a full-time, certified librarian with support staff than where they have a full-time, certified librarian alone. Further, almost eight percent more students score "Advanced" in reading where students have a full-time, certified librarian than where they do not.

* On average, the percentage of students scoring "Advanced" in writing is two and a half times higher for schools with a full-time, certified librarian than those without one. Similarly, the average percentage of students scoring "Advanced" in writing is almost twice as high for schools with a full-time, certified librarian with support staff as for those with only a full-time certified librarian.

As Jessie B. Ramey, a parent of two Pittsburgh public school students, wrote on her educational advocacy blog, Yinzercation, "Without a full-time librarian in each of our schools, we are still short-changing our kids.... As this most recent study clearly found, librarians are even more significant for our most struggling students, yet these are often the very kids forced to go without books, staff, or space."

We couldn't agree more. Of all the factors examined in this study, the one with the most impact on students is the presence of a full-time certified librarian in the school library.

Conclusion

This study adds to the evidence that all K-12 students need and deserve quality school library programs with full-time certified staff. Students are more likely to succeed when they have library programs that are well staffed, well funded, technologically well equipped, well stocked, and more accessible. And, the neediest learners may benefit the most from trained librarians and quality library programs.

However, much work still needs to be done to use this research to reach influential stakeholders who control the future of school library programs and their staffing. While many states are pursuing state reforms and regulations, this doesn't negate the role of the individual school librarian to learn and share these findings locally. Everyone needs to nurture library champions who will defend the position that all K-12 school students need and deserve full-time school librarians and well-resourced school libraries in order to develop the skills needed to be productive in the 21st century.

Debra E. Kachel teaches online library science and technology courses at Mansfield (PA) University. Keith Curry Lance is a consultant with the RSL Research Group in Louisville, CO. To read a complete report of the study, see Pennsylvania School Libraries Pay Off: Investments in Student Achievement and Academic Standards. The research was presented at SLJ 's 2012 Leadership Summit.

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Latest Study: A full-time school librarian makes a critical difference in boosting student achievement

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Imagine trying to teach kids how to swim in an empty pool. That's exactly what Baruch Kintisch envisioned when he took a hard look at the effects of his city's deep education cuts.

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Why are school libraries essential? | I Love Libraries

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Why are school libraries essential? | I Love Libraries

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Why are school libraries essential? | I Love Libraries

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WHY ARE SCHOOL LIBRARIES ESSENTIAL? ARE SCHOOL LIBRARIES REALLY IN DANGER? HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? FAQ'S AND DEFINITIONS

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How a School Library Increased Student Use by 1,000 Percent | Cult of Pedagogy

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How a School Library Increased Student Use by 1,000 Percent | Cult of Pedagogy

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How a School Library Increased Student Use by 1,000 Percent | Cult of Pedagogy

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Some school libraries are reinventing themselves as makerspaces, but this Ohio library took a slightly different approach and has seen incredible results.

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4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential | USC Master's in Library Science Online

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4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential | USC Master's in Library Science Online

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4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential

As the digital age increasingly pervades the American lifestyle, some suggest that libraries will soon slip into obsolescence, going the way of portable CD players, PDAs, maps, and landlines. The fact is, however, that libraries are far from becoming irrelevant; students need them now more than ever, and here are four reasons why.

1. Libraries Offer More Than the Internet Can

Perhaps you're wondering why students would need a librarian or access to a digital library when they could just as easily Google a research topic and find everything they need. The collections in an online library are vastly different from the material found on the Internet because the publishing process involves rigorous editorial checks and quantitative analysis.

In a limited-access database associated with a library, users can find books, newspapers, journals, magazines, and more. While students may find these databases through search engines, accessing them requires registration. At that point, students are no longer just on the Internet; they are in a library.

2. Libraries Help Raise Reading Scores

In a world obsessed with test scores as the lone metric of teacher and student success, libraries have consistently demonstrated the ability to raise reading scores on standardized tests. One study based on National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data examined the effects of widespread librarian and media specialist layoffs on student reading test scores from 2004 to 2009. In most districts, fewer librarians meant lower test scores or scores that did not rise as quickly.

On the other hand, 19 of the 26 states that added librarians saw an average rise of 2.2 percent in reading scores, with the study controlling for the addition of other educational staff.

3. Interactions with Libraries Boost Literacy Development

Research consistently demonstrates that libraries are indispensable because of their role in fostering the country's literacy. One study by the Pennsylvania Library Association suggests that kids who participate in library preschool programs demonstrate more pre-reading skills and emergent literacy behaviors than their peers.

Likewise, library reading programs in the summer - a time when students' skills typically decline - successfully encourage children to spend more time with books, thereby facilitating reading achievement.

4. Librarians Collaborate with Teachers to Enhance Curricula

School librarians and teachers make a formidable instructional team, joining their pedagogical and technological expertise to meet student needs. When teachers collaborate with librarians, they are three times as likely to rate their literacy teaching as excellent. Similarly, the more time librarians spend cooperating with classroom teachers, the more they promote information literacy independently, and the more in-service they provide teachers, the higher student test scores rise.

No matter what digital champions may say about libraries, they are not now, nor will they ever be, relics. The presence of libraries and librarians has an undeniably positive effect on literacy and reading test scores. Librarians can work with teachers to enrich curriculum with computers, books, online resources, and more. Libraries are here to stay, simply because society can't afford to lose them.

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4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential

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As the digital age increasingly pervades the American lifestyle, some suggest that libraries will soon slip into obsolescence, going the way of portable CD players, PDAs, maps, and landlines. The fact is, however, that libraries are far from becoming irrelevant; students need them now more than ever, and here are four reasons why.

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School Libraries and Makerspaces: Can They Coexist? | Edutopia

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School Libraries and Makerspaces: Can They Coexist? | Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Information Specialist and Leader - Collection and Curriculum Mapping - Howard.pdf

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Information Specialist and Leader - Collection and Curriculum Mapping - Howard.pdf

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Creating a School Library Makerspace: The Beginning of a Journey | Tech Tidbits | School Library Journal

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Creating a School Library Makerspace: The Beginning of a Journey | Tech Tidbits | School Library Journal

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By Phil Goerner on

Our library at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, CO is an active hub for extracurricular activities. We host an Anime Club, monthly Poetry Slams, and Book Buddies, but I felt like we could do more. I wanted something that I could tie to student learning which would promote inquiry, giving students opportunities to solve problems and find answers to questions.

My assistant and I began looking at innovative library programs and community partnerships. Many of the teacher librarians in my professional network have been expanding their libraries by adding makerspace opportunities, classroom collaboration, and even 3-D printers. I used these folks as inspiration. Libraries across the country are doing what libraries do best: continuing to explore and reinvent the purpose of the library and what they offer to their patrons.

Makerspaces are a natural evolution for libraries. We need to make the resources available to our students that will help guide their inquiry and exploration. Who can predict what our students will create when given the space and tools necessary?
No need to reinvent the wheel
We have great models to guide us as we select the equipment to purchase and the procedures to follow. I was lucky enough to have the cofounder of the very successful community makerspace, Tinkermill, volunteer in my library. He encouraged me to visit their campus several times to see their woodworking and metalworking labs and their huge 3-D printer area. Most importantly, through this, we started to grasp how individual creative ideas could grow into an invention or huge collaborative effort fed by resources and very smart people. We garnered lots of advice and initiated some great partnerships. We even had Tinkermill members donate to our makerspace. They, along with other librarian colleagues, helped us figure out the resources we needed to acquire, experts to contact, and a direction to pursue as we begin to set up a makerspace within our library. While we are still very much in the planning and early implementation stages, things are coming together. We are in the process of setting up a workable location, have ordered supplies, and have begun promoting our program.
Where to get the money?
There are several online fundraising sites to help raise funds for our venture, such as Kickstarter, GoFundMe.com, and adoptaclassroom.org. You can even sign up for online fundraising with PayPal. We chose to use DonorsChoose.org and I'm glad we did. DonorsChoose has a great model for fundraising. They walked us through what we needed to do to be successful. For example, we briefly described our students and school, wrote about our project, and pitched the sale. A quick online shopping trip filled up our cart, and then we began promoting our project. As people donated money, we wrote immediate thank you notes, and before we knew it, our project was funded, which was a pretty big deal. We also received a grant from our district and local school education foundations to help us purchase a 3-D printer. Each funded grant added up and now we have a solid initial toolkit to offer our students.
Next steps
This week we will receive our first purchases. To launch our makerspace, we decided to start with the following tools: the Arduino starter kit, Snap Circuits, light and motion kits for simple circuitry concepts, Cubelets, the Sphero Robotic Ball, and a Makerbot Replicator2 3-D printer with supplies. We will soon begin our student-centered Makerspace club, guided by community volunteers and myself. It is amazing how interest grows and new connections are made. Several volunteers come from Tinkermill, while others were grant readers or donors for our project with interest in its success. Others just started showing up, hearing about the project through word of mouth and local press. These Makerspace volunteers will assist with mentoring, training and learning, and recruiting other experts to work with our kids. As we grow, student projects will inform how we move forward. Their interests will direct who we seek out to collaborate with and the tools we'll need to acquire to meet their needs.

Embarking on this journey has been, and continues to be, an incredible learning experience for all involved. Neither my assistant nor I are experts in this field, but we refuse to let that stop us. I fully anticipate that our students will be kind as they teach us what they discover, and what they hope to create.

See also:
Phil Goerner is a teacher librarian at Silver Creek High School, Longmont, CO.

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Phil Goerner is the teacher librarian and tech innovator at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, CO. He can be found on Twitter @pgoerner. Phil is also an adjunct professor with University of Colorado at Denver in the School Library and Instructional Leadership program.

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Creating a School Library Makerspace: The Beginning of a Journey | Tech Tidbits

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By Phil Goerner on Our library at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, CO is an active hub for extracurricular activities. We host an Anime Club, monthly Poetry Slams, and Book Buddies, but I felt like we could do more.

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The Classroom or Library as a Makerspace | User Generated Education

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The Classroom or Library as a Makerspace | User Generated Education

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The Classroom or Library as a Makerspace

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Makerspaces, Maker Education, STEM, and STEAM are gaining lots of traction in Kindergarten though college level education. Articles, resources on social media, and conference presentations on these topics are proliferating at a rate that most educators are now familiar with maker education. Once again this school year, schools will be ramping up robotics programs and...

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Backwards Design for Forward Action - McTighe.pdf

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Backwards Design for Forward Action - McTighe.pdf

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Use Standards to Draw Curriculum Maps (Franklin).pdf

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Use Standards to Draw Curriculum Maps (Franklin).pdf

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Strengthening Our Connections through AASL Standards Conversations | Knowledge Quest

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Strengthening Our Connections through AASL Standards Conversations | Knowledge Quest

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As a member of the AASL Standards editorial board, I have been having conversations about the new standards-the revision process, the wording of the integrated frameworks, the implementation tools-for the last three years. I appreciated the opportunity to ask questions, have discussions, and bring the building-level school librarian voice to those conversations.

In November 2017, at the AASL National Conference, the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries were unveiled and the conversations became much larger. People were excited to see how the AASL Standards had evolved and how the six Shared Foundations and their Domains could be incorporated into instruction to benefit educators and learners. Deborah Rinio wrote a blog post, " What We Learned About Ourselves", highlighting what participants had taken away from the wrap-up session created for AASL17 attendees to process what they had learned during the conference. You can also hear how school librarians reacted to the new standards in an AASL Standards Launch Video as they started their own conversations on site in Phoenix.

AASL has continued encouraging professionals to process the new standards together by developing a series of complimentary eCOLLAB webinars. Some of these webinars deal with navigating the resource-rich AASL Standards web portal, understanding the new language of Competencies, and explaining the new structure of the AASL Standards. Webinars are being archived and updated consistently to meet the needs of members and professionals nationally.

At the local level, the state affiliates have done an incredible job of rolling out the AASL Standards. Mary Keeling and Sara Kelly Johns moderated the March 20 webinar " Your State Association Supporting AASL Standards for your Local Context" that featured examples of how states around the country are making the standards accessible to their local members. Grants are also being offered to AASL Affiliate state organizations through the AASL Past-Presidents Planning Grant for National School Library Standards for the implementation of the standards.

As we approach School Library Month (SLM)-a celebration deeply rooted in making connections-how do we keep these AASL Standards conversations going? More importantly, have we started conversations with different stakeholders locally to show how these new standards make a difference in our communities?

Educators

Making authentic connections with other educators is key to the success of the school library. These connections can be made through professional development sessions or collaboration meetings that incorporate the Shared Foundations and Domains into upcoming lessons. Share your lessons, questions, and innovations with your peers on AASL's Discussion Forums. AASL has developed an Educator one-pager that helps other educators understand how each Shared Foundation can be put into action through collaboration with the school librarian. Materials in various media types are available through the AASL Standards web portal to help school librarians continue conversations that make connections. Coming up, I will be presenting a webinar "Making & Amplifying Educator Connections" on April 10 to help identify starting points in the AASL Standards to create connections with other educators.

Administrators

There are multiple ways to start the conversation with administrators. There is the freely downloadable AASL Standards Framework for Learners, or packs of 10 in the ALA Store to hand out, that display how the Shared Foundations, Domains, and Competencies/Alignments support instruction. The informative " Connecting with Policymakers" blog post and associated webinar " Connecting the Dots: A Look at the National School Library Standards for Policymakers" was given by Mary Keeling, Kathryn Lewis, and Kathy Mansfield in January. This week, about 90,000 superintendents and elementary principals will be receiving the "Because Everyone Is a Learner" infographic sponsored by Bound to Stay Bound Books. This poster is a great conversation starter that emphasizes the services provided by the school library and school librarian. There are more resources for the ALA Libraries Transform campaign available online, each one of them substantiated with research and statistics. This mailing is an opportunity to make a connection with your school or district administrator. Ask them about the mailing they received and use it as a platform to discuss the goals your share!

Learners

Incorporating the language of the Shared Foundations, Domains, and Competencies/Alignments into conversations with learners will get them interested in the new standards. These conversations can be started through formal lessons or informal questions about research, choosing books, or selecting resources. Kicking off AASL's run of SLM webinars, Elizabeth Burns will be presenting the webinar "Making & Assessing Learner Connections through the AASL Standards" on April 4 to help develop strategies for implementation. Applying the learner standards to lesson objectives is easier than ever with the format and structure of the new AASL Standards!

It has been exciting to watch as school librarians process the new standards by asking questions and offering ideas for implementation, and as they realize the impact these new standards make on our profession. Thank you for keeping those conversations going and strengthening those connections to our standards, to our stakeholders, and to each other!

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Community/Teacher Collaboration

Tags: #AASLstandards

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AASL Standards and Guidelines Editorial Board

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Strengthening Our Connections through AASL Standards Conversations | Knowledge Quest

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By Kathleen Roberts, AASL Standards editorial board member As a member of the AASL Standards editorial board, I have been having conversations about the new standards-the revision process, the wording of the integrated frameworks, the implementation tools-for the last three... Read More ›

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School Librarians' Knowledge: What We Bring to the Curricular Table | Knowledge Quest

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School Librarians' Knowledge: What We Bring to the Curricular Table | Knowledge Quest

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Twenty-first century school librarians are both heirs and path-breakers. As heirs, they draw from a rich tradition of school library philosophy and pedagogy, including building diverse collections, fostering one-on-one relationships with individual students as readers and researchers, and empowering students to think critically about the information they read. As path-breakers, school librarians have the opportunity to bring traditional pedagogies and practices into a digital context, and to continue honing professional development in the areas of information literacy, intellectual freedom, and recreational reading. Aiding librarians in their quest to adapt and create new pedagogies are their bird's eye view of the curriculum, librarian-teacher collaboration, their position as non-evaluative educators, and their knowledge of each student's history as a reader and researcher.

Because the library is the center of the school, librarians have the opportunity to survey the curriculum across subjects and grade levels. This allows them not only to serve individual students better, but also to think critically and creatively about how teachers' assignments fit into the overall framework of the school. Librarians work one-on-one with students as well as teaching them in class, and often get to know them outside of the contexts of homework and research assignments. For example, librarians who know their students as recreational readers have an opportunity to apply that knowledge to developing students as researchers and community members. Librarians "see" the school across grade levels and subject areas, and could have a profound impact on discussions and proposals regarding curriculum.

In addition, librarians are in an ideal position to collaborate with teachers and contribute to the overall life of the school. As non-evaluative educators, librarians are able to develop unique relationships with the "whole student." This helps them contribute to teachers' curricular goals by understanding each student's history as a researcher and a reader. Libraries, as hubs of relatively free inquiry, offer students the opportunity to range freely amongst various library materials and media. Students may begin research as a class project only to develop a life-long interest, and vice versa. Teachers know that engaged students are more successful students, and librarians can be a resource and support for that engagement.

Finally, the library can become a place where students learn to become critical users of information and, in turn, offer new knowledge to their communities. Today's digital environment provides plenty of information, but much of it is irrelevant and unreliable. Students need to be astute evaluators of the information they find, to learn strategies to search for material, and to be able to distinguish between a primary source (which might serve as an example) and a secondary source (which helps them analyze their topic). While the Internet can be intimidating, it is also a great opportunity for students to collaborate with others that share similar interests, develop their own abilities, and create new knowledge. Technology is a two-way street, and students have as much to offer the world as they do to learn from it. Librarians are in an ideal position to help students become confident users of information sources in a variety of media.

In conclusion, school librarians have the opportunity to cultivate students' interest in diverse voices and ideas and to help students participate in communities both online and offline. Let's strive to empower students to draw from their education and experience to make socially responsible judgments and to better serve their communities as leaders and thinkers.

Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Technology

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School Librarians' Knowledge: What We Bring to the Curricular Table | Knowledge Quest

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Twenty-first century school librarians are both heirs and path-breakers. As heirs, they draw from a rich tradition of school library philosophy and pedagogy, including building diverse collections, fostering one-on-one relationships with individual students as readers and researchers, and empowering students... Read More ›

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Common Beliefs | National School Library Standards

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Common Beliefs | National School Library Standards

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IN THE STANDARDS remodeling process, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) reviewed Common Beliefs from earlier AASL Standards and official AASL position statements. These documents, and feedback collected from more than 1,300 school librarians and stakeholders nationally, provided AASL with a clear expression of the qualities of well-prepared learners, effective school librarians, and dynamic school libraries. The following Common Beliefs and summary descriptions were identified as central to the profession.

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IN THE STANDARDS remodeling process, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) reviewed Common Beliefs from earlier AASL Standards and official AASL position statements. These documents, and feedback collected from more than 1,300 school librarians and stakeholders nationally, provided AASL with a clear expression of the qualities of well-prepared learners, effective school librarians, and dynamic school libraries.

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4 ideas for using a makerspace to support PBL - Innovation: Education

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4 ideas for using a makerspace to support PBL - Innovation: Education

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Making and PBL may look like two completely different educational movements, but in reality they work well together and each strengthens the other.

That's because they share a common fundamental underpinning: they honor students' innate curiosity about the world.

Tales from a Tech Integrationist

At Proctor Elementary School, project-based learning is in full swing. Students have created projects offering advice on dealing with extreme weather and created informational videos about the town's history. They're researching how environmental conditions affect body systems and the trout they've raised is nearly ready for release into a nearby stream. Proctor Elementary School has PBL fever!

They also have a brand new makerspace.

The MAKERSPACE is expanding everyday. pic.twitter.com/yoSmeaDOYl

- Proctor Elementary (@ProctorSchool) January 19, 2017

Meet Emily Jenkins.

As the tech integrationist for Proctor Elementary, Jenkins teaches students to use new tools for their PBL work. And she's also built up the school's makerspace, introducing students and educators alike to such items as The X, The Y and The Z. The combination of Jenkins' two roles at the school has given her crucial insight into how making and project-based learning go hand-in-hand.

"The Makerspace is, essentially, a PBL space." Jenkins says, "We have just changed the wording. That is also where the workforce is going. Employers need people that can think on their feet, be creative, collaborate, engineer. Even in law, insurance, all those traditional things are still looking for creative minds. Making provides an opportunity to push their minds."

Makerspaces help bridge content areas

"Some teachers see PBL as specifically content-based," continues Jenkins. "Such as 'we are doing a science PBL or social studies PBL.' Pulling a makerspace into it provides a cross-curricular experience for students. Makerspaces allow us to break barriers of subject-based learning by helping students to explore where they are interested with guidance."

It just takes one spark. Or in this case, a drone!

"One student decided he wanted to build a drone, and we had one in a box that was in pieces.

And I have never seen the kid work so hard.

He didn't miss a day of school during the time. He came in during recess and during free choice time.

And it sparked an improvment in his classroom work! I started sitting with him, talking about what does it take to make a drone. To wire things, you need to know math and science. I talked with him about what he needs to know to be able to do this kind of work well.

At the end, he said: I'd love to build drones or robots for a living."

4 ideas for using a makerspace to support project-based learning

1. Got rockets? Let's talk Design Challenges.

One Proctor Elementary student was interested in answering the question: "How can I make a bottle rocket fly?" She asked this question as part of her own independent study during an exploration time. This could be during a project based learning block, during a genius hour, or during a science unit. All sorts of content and transferrable skills can be learned through this kind of prototyping. This is making and PBL together!

2. Make videos! Greenscreens! Podcasts! Announcements!

Launching PBL in your classroom? Excellent. Use the makerspace greenscreen to create broadcasts of learning. News reports, public service announcements, documentaries, opinion pieces- all can be planned through PBL and created in a makerspace. See? Walking hand in hand.

3. Math models and PBL!

So, in math class, students are struggling with a concept and need some hands on application. Or, you've launched some inquiry that students are trying to solve and gather information about. To learn geometric concepts and relationships, sometimes students need to use their hands to build things. What could they build? Models of buildings! Lego villages. Robotic hands. Consider the math proficiencies you are after- and then use inquiry and a driving question to launch kids into PBL in math. They can use the ample resources from the Makerspace for materials and space to build something that shows their math knowledge and deepens their experience with the concepts.

4. Project construction, creation and sculpture

Creating a family tree? Why not make it 3D?

Or recording a history of your family? Use the podcasting and recording equipment in the makerspace. Think of the makerspace as simply a well resourced, expanded project and classroom space. Think big. Kids can create in ways they can't in a normally busy and crowded class. Yes, you need to work out supervision and how to schedule this, but what we get out of it is worth it!

How can you see makerspaces being used in project-based learning?

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4 ideas for using a makerspace to support PBL - Innovation: Education

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Making and PBL may look like two completely different educational movements, but in reality they work well together and each strengthens the other. That's because they share a common fundamental underpinning: they honor students' innate curiosity about the world. At Proctor Elementary School, project-based learning is in full swing.

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Harnessing Students’ Curiosity to Drive Learning | Edutopia

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Harnessing Students’ Curiosity to Drive Learning | Edutopia

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Harnessing Students’ Curiosity to Drive Learning

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Many educators view information inquiry as the foundation of all "traditional content areas." Rather than focusing on individual skills, many educators prefer to use a problem-solving or inquiry-based approach to the process of working with information and creating communication. Others focus on a subset of skills and call these study or research skills.

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The Simple Four is a problem-solving research model developed for South Carolina and works with the research and inquiry standard (Standard 6) in the 2007 ELA Academic Standards.

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Volume 27, Number 5
September/October 2011

One small change can yield big results

Students in Hayley Dupuy's sixth-grade science class at the Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto, Calif., are beginning a unit on plate tectonics. In small groups, they are producing their own questions, quickly, one after another: What are plate tectonics? How fast do plates move? Why do plates move? Do plates affect temperature? What animals can sense the plates moving? They raise questions "that we never would have thought of if we started to answer the first question we asked," says one of the students. "And just when you think you already know the question you want to focus on, you realize: 'Oh, wow, here's this other question that is so much better, and that's really what you need to think about.'"

Far from Palo Alto, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Mass., Sharif Muhammad's students at the Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA) have a strikingly similar experience. Many of them had transferred to BDEA for various reasons from other schools and had not always experienced much success as students. But working individually, they find that formulating their own questions engages them in a new way. One of the students observes: "When you ask the question, you feel like it's your job to get the answer, and you want to figure it out."

These two students-one in Palo Alto, the other in Roxbury-are discovering something that may seem obvious: When students know how to ask their own questions, they take greater ownership of their learning, deepen comprehension, and make new connections and discoveries on their own. However, this skill is rarely, if ever, deliberately taught to students from kindergarten through high school. Typically, questions are seen as the province of teachers, who spend years figuring out how to craft questions and fine-tune them to stimulate students' curiosity or engage them more effectively. We have found that teaching students to ask their own questions can accomplish these same goals while teaching a critical lifelong skill.

The Question Formulation Technique
Dupuy, Muhammad, and many other teachers are using a step-by-step process that we and our colleagues at the Right Question Institute have developed called the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). This technique helps students learn how to produce their own questions, improve them, and strategize on how to use them (see sidebar "Question Formulation Technique").

The origins of the QFT can be traced back 20 years to a dropout prevention program for the city of Lawrence, Mass., that was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. As we worked together to increase parent involvement in education, we heard parents state the same problem over and over again: "We're not going to the schools because we don't even know what to ask." Eventually, this problem led us to create a simple but powerful process that has been used effectively in a wide range of fields across the country and beyond. In health care, for example, research funded by the National Institutes of Health has shown that the QFT produces dramatic increases in levels of patient activation and improved patient-provider communication. In the classroom, teachers have seen how the same process manages to develop students' divergent (brainstorming), convergent (categorizing and prioritizing), and metacognitive (reflective) thinking abilities in a very short period of time.

Teachers can use the QFT at different points: to introduce students to a new unit, to assess students' knowledge to see what they need to understand better, and even to conclude a unit to see how students can, with new knowledge, set a fresh learning agenda for themselves. The technique can be used for all ages.

Students have used the QFT to develop science experiments, create their own research projects, begin research on a teacher-assigned topic, prepare to write an essay, analyze a word problem, think more deeply about a challenging reading assignment, prepare an interview, or simply get themselves "unstuck."

The QFT has six key steps:

Step 1: Teachers Design a Question Focus. The Question Focus, or QFocus, is a prompt that can be presented in the form of a statement or a visual or aural aid to focus and attract student attention and quickly stimulate the formation of questions. The QFocus is different from many traditional prompts because it is not a teacher's question. It serves, instead, as the focus for student questions so students can, on their own, identify and explore a wide range of themes and ideas. For example, after studying the causes of the 1804 Haitian revolution, one teacher presented this QFocus: "Once we were slaves. Now we are free." The students began asking questions about what changed and what stayed the same after the revolution.

Step 2: Students Produce Questions. Students use a set of rules that provide a clear protocol for producing questions without assistance from the teacher. The four rules are: ask as many questions as you can; do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any of the questions; write down every question exactly as it was stated; and change any statements into questions. Before students start generating their questions, the teacher introduces the rules and asks the students to think about and discuss possible challenges in following them. Once the students get to work, the rules provide a firm structure for an open-ended thinking process. Students are able to generate questions and think more broadly than they would have if they had not been guided by the rules.

Step 3: Students Improve Their Questions. Students then improve their questions by analyzing the differences between open- and closed-ended questions and by practicing changing one type to the other. The teacher begins this step by introducing definitions of closed- and open-ended questions. The students use the definitions to categorize the list of questions they have just produced into one of the two categories. Then, the teacher leads them through a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of both kinds of questions. To conclude this step, the teacher asks the students to change at least one open-ended question into a closed-ended one, and vice versa, which leads students to think about how the phrasing of a question can affect the depth, quality, and value of the information they will obtain.

Step 4: Students Prioritize Their Questions. The teacher, with the lesson plan in mind, offers criteria or guidelines for the selection of priority questions. In an introduction to a unit, the instruction may be, "Choose the three questions you most want to explore further." When designing a science experiment, it may be, "Choose three testable questions." An essay related to a work of fiction may require that students select "three questions related to the key themes we've identified in this piece." During this phase, students move from thinking divergently to thinking convergently, zero in on the locus of their inquiry, and plan concrete action steps for getting information they need to complete the lesson or task.

Step 5: Students and Teachers Decide on Next Steps. At this stage, students and teachers work together to decide how to use the questions. One teacher, for example, presented all the groups' priority questions to the entire class the next day during a "Do Now" exercise and asked them to rank their top three questions. Eventually, the class and the teacher agreed on this question for their Socratic Seminar discussion: "How do poverty and injustice lead to violence in A Tale of Two Cities?"

Step 6: Students Reflect on What They Have Learned. The teacher reviews the steps and provides students with an opportunity to review what they have learned by producing, improving, and prioritizing their questions. Making the QFT completely transparent helps students see what they have done and how it contributed to their thinking and learning. They can internalize the process and then apply it in many other settings.

When teachers deploy the QFT in their classes, they notice three important changes in classroom culture and practices. Teachers tell us that using the QFT consistently increases participation in group and peer learning processes, improves classroom management, and enhances their efforts to address inequities in education. As teachers see this happen again and again, they realize that their traditional practice of welcoming questions is not the same as deliberately teaching the skill of question formulation. Or, as one teacher put it: "I would often ask my students, 'Do you have any questions,' but, of course, I didn't get much back from them." In his seven years of teaching, Muhammad also encouraged his Roxbury students to ask questions but had seen just how difficult that could be for them. After using the six-step process outlined above, he was struck by "how the students went farther, deeper, and asked questions more quickly than ever before."

One Significant Change
For teachers, using the QFT requires one small but significant shift in practice: Students will be asking all the questions. A teacher's role is simply to facilitate that process. This is a significant change for students as well. It may take a minimum of 45 minutes for students to go through all the steps the first time it is introduced in a classroom; but as they gain experience using the QFT, teachers find that the students can run through the process very quickly, in 10 to 15 minutes, even when working in groups.

The QFT provides a deliberate way to help students cultivate a skill that is fundamentally important for all learning. Teaching this skill in every classroom can help successful students to go deeper in their thinking and encourage struggling students to develop a new thirst for learning. Their questions will have much to teach us.

Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, codirectors of the Right Question Institute, are the authors of the forthcoming book Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions to be published in September 2011 by Harvard Education Press.

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Volume 27, Number 5 September/October 2011 One small change can yield big results Students in Hayley Dupuy's sixth-grade science class at the Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto, Calif., are beginning a unit on plate tectonics. In small groups, they are producing their own questions, quickly, one after another: What are plate tectonics?

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New AASL Standards, So What? | School Library Connection

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New AASL Standards, So What? | School Library Connection

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Trendy instructional theories are encouraging teachers to repeatedly use the "So what?" question in order to get to deep understanding. So...it seems appropriate when reflecting on the unveiling of "new standards" to experiment with this: So what? Everyone's writing new standards. Why should I care?

Our nation is currently immersed in new standards of all kinds: Common Core (CCSS) Standards (which embrace English Language Arts and Math); new Social Studies Standards (C3); new NextGen Science Standards; and many new state standards. So, it only makes sense for our profession to also keep pace with our changing culture, our information explosion, our reading ecosystems, and new technology tools. To ignore an evolving educational landscape would be irresponsible.

AASL did not work in the dark, but developed these new standards after research, reflection, and contribution from 160 librarians, and 20 focus groups in 8 various locations. Therefore, these new standards reflect voices from the field-front line workers such as you. Mary Keeling, Task Force champion, commented at the AASL Conference unveiling that this is an " opportunity to reflect and grow."
How Do I Implement?
The most daunting aspect of unveiling and embracing new standards is time; we don't have enough time already so where in the world can we possibly find time to evaluate, re-plan, repackage, and align our instruction with new standards? Here's the good news: You are probably already operating under a great deal of the new standards. Chances are your district leaders and curriculum developers have worked hard to keep your school aligned with national and state curriculum changes embracing inquiry-based learning and student engagement. You are probably keeping pace with technology tools and building a collaborative team. If you have been planning library programs and resources for all your stakeholders, then you are already operating from the new suggested vantage point. The standards can help us to purposely improve our focus and gather new ideas.

A good way to evaluate where you are and where you need to go is with a little simple self-assessment:

Watch some background videos on the AASL Standards website (http://standards.aasl.org/).

Grab the Standards brochure, red pen, and green and yellow highlighters.

Using the chart on pages 4-5, green highlight what you are doing already.

With a red pen, circle areas where you see a need to improve.

Underline in yellow highlighter areas where you are "close."

Make a list of new vocabulary to embrace.

Plot and plan a course to reach your new educational destination of alignment. Slow and steady wins the race! For example, if you don't collaborate, then set your goal at one teacher per month. If your lessons don't engage the students, ask yourself, "How can I get students talking?"

The best way to learn anything new is to manipulate, evaluate, and apply. If you read and react with this valuable printable chart, you will be one step closer to adopting these standards as your new, recalculated instructional path. You will be ready to boast that you're Future Ready and aligned with national standards. You will be ready to discuss with your principal how you engage students and prepare them for 21 st -century collaborative work models.

If you need improvement, concentrate on the learner competency "power verbs" below corresponding to your area in need of improvement. Collaboratively brainstorm how you can improve your library lessons and research to make them student-centered learning adventures. The learner competencies listed below come straight from the new Standards Framework and demonstrate how the new standards are suited for lifelong learning.

You can download a fuller version of this chart here plus a checklist for assessing where you're at in the process of addressing these standards.

About the Author

Paige Jaeger, MLIS, is a prolific author and prominent educational consultant, delivering professional development at the local, state, and national levels on inquiry-based learning, the CCSS, and the C3 framework. Previously, she was a library administrator serving 84 school libraries in New York.
MLA Citation
"New AASL Standards, So What?" School Library Connection, January 2018, schoollibraryconnection.com/Home/Display/2137600.

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New AASL Standards, So What? | School Library Connection

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Why New Standards? Trendy instructional theories are encouraging teachers to repeatedly use the "So what?" question in order to get to deep understanding. So...it seems appropriate when reflecting on the unveiling of "new standards" to experiment with this: So what? Everyone's writing new standards. Why should I care?

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The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning

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The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning

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by TeachThought Staff

Projects in the classroom are as old as the classroom itself.

'Projects' can represent a range of tasks that can be done at home or in the classroom, by parents or groups of students, quickly or over time. While project-based learning (PBL) also features projects, in PBL the focus is more on the process of learning and learner-peer-content interaction than the end-product itself.

While some examples of project-based learning might be helpful, it's also useful to understand the big picture: While PBL is a different approach to learning, it's not hugely different from traditional learning from a broad enough perspective. The learning process is simply personalized in a progressive PBL environment by students asking important questions, and making changes to products and ideas based on individual and collective response to those questions. In PBL, the projects only serve as an infrastructure to allow users to play, experiment, use simulations, address authentic issues, and work with relevant peers and community members in pursuit of knowledge.

By design, PBL is learner-centered. Students don't simply choose between two highly academic projects to complete by a given date, but instead, use the teacher's experience to design and iterate products and projects-which often address issues or challenges that are important to them.

The chart by Amy Mayer at the bottom of this post is helpful to clarify many of the important differences between projects and PBL. Ultimately, the biggest difference is the process itself.
Projects
The audiences are generally in the school

Are more about the end-product and less about the learning and process

They are pre-planned and clear

They are based on directions and criteria

They can be done at home without teacher guidance or collaboration

They can be outlined in detail on one piece (or even two pieces) of paper by the teacher

In a project, the 'teacher work' mainly occurs after the work is complete

Are less open-ended and more uniform

Projects are 'turned in' rather than 'published,' presented, or otherwise managed on an ongoing basis (like a business, for example)
PBL
In PBL, the audience is generally outside the school

PBL includes 'need to knows' and progress checkpoints

Input from peers, teachers, community members, experts, and others can help guide and improve the project

The 'teacher work' is done mainly before and during the process itself

PBL Is often based on a driving question and ongoing inquiry, discovery, and iteration

PBL depends on background knowledge, learner choice, technology tools, support from others, and dozens of other factors that result in a process of learning that produces very different results

Image attribution flickr user josekevo; © Amy Mayer, @friEdTechnology, The Original WOW! Academy, www.friEdTechnology.com

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What's the difference between projects and PBL? In PBL, the focus is not on projects but the process of learning through them.

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How the School Library Helps Build Strong Blended Classes -- THE Journal

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How the School Library Helps Build Strong Blended Classes -- THE Journal

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Learning & the Library

How the School Library Helps Build Strong Blended Classes

White Bear Lake Area High School - South Campus is in its third of year of offering a variety of hybrid or blended classes from economics to health/physical education. This suburban St. Paul school of 11th and 12th graders is committed to providing blended in-class and independent study. With more than 265 students in nine hybrid classes coming to the school library and learning commons, there is a wealth of opportunities to work together. As Michael Wesch states, "to connect, organize, share and collaborate,... we have to move from knowledgeable - that is just knowing a bunch of stuff - to being actually knowledge-able; that's being able to find sort, analyze, criticize, and ultimately create new information and knowledge."

This is the first in a series of articles describing 10 ways White Bear Lake High School teachers and the school library are working together to enhance learning in hybrid or blended classes. There are many roles being played by teacher librarians in working with traditional and hybrid classes including: blended librarian, instructional designer, resource linker and teacher/subject matter expert. We are striving to incorporate all these in building strong hybrid classes. In future installments we'll cover hybrid orientation, deep Web online lessons, Web 2.0 applications and ELL hybrid classes.

Learning Commons: Collaboration Stations
For both hybrid and traditional classes our goal is to go beyond offering great reads and distributing textbooks to building and maintaining strong helping relationships with our students and staff. With so many hybrid students spending their out-of-class time in the media center, it made sense to rethink the design and layout of the library. We wanted to, as Scott Bennett puts it, "foster a culture of intentional learning."

Bear Commons

One of our first projects was to begin the process of transforming the library into a learning commons. Since our book club visited the University of Minnesota Rochester Library and Information Commons, we had a pretty good idea of how we wanted the library to look. The U of M Rochester has at least a half a dozen areas with comfy chairs and high tables that gave it the feel of a bistro/info center.

My principal, Tim Wald, and I also toured the high school media center in Chaska, MN to get a better idea of how flexible seating is being used there. Then we met with representatives from several commercial furniture companies. This resulted in a plan to add a commons area to the entrance to the library, which we affectionately called the "front porch." With ample space in the corridor at the front to the library, it was possible to incorporate booths, comfy chairs and ottomans that students can arrange to work in groups.

In addition, we discarded more than a thousand old professional development and nonfiction books. This made it possible to tweak the layout of the book shelves to accommodate more commons areas in the library. We added several high tables and chairs in the library with more comfy chairs with writing tablets. We also purchased about a dozen essay chairs. These are student desks that have swivel seats, caster wheels and writing tablets. They are very flexible and great for individual and small group work. In an instant, students can create a space to collaborate. Also added were several more quiet areas to give students a place to work independently without interruptions.

We added several high tables and chairs in the library with more comfy chairs with writing tablets.

With the front porch completed, we had a "Name that Space" contest, where students could go to our library Web site and enter their suggestions. The winning name for the area was The Bear Commons.

We have also made space for teacher work areas in the library. There are five workstations for teachers to work outside the classroom, meet with their hybrid students and also work with colleagues to plan and develop lessons.

Collaboration Stations:
Collaboration Stations are designed to make it easier for students to present and work with each other in small and larger groups, "transforming passive meeting areas into dynamic team spaces." Betsy Habich, administrative operations manager at Northeastern University Libraries, says, "We are excited the library is able to offer this innovative way to support student collaboration. In a shared digital information environment growing richer by the day, libraries need to include facilities that support research and creativity in new and exciting ways."

The collaboration stations are ideal for group work because everyone can plug in their Chromebooks or laptops and take turns displaying their screens on the monitor.

We believe this applies to our high school library as well.The Collaboration Stations in our library enable students to display the screens on their Chromebooks and other devices to a large monitor. The stations are ideal for group work because everyone can plug in their Chromebooks or laptops and take turns displaying their screens on the monitor. We use Chromecast, VGA or HDMI connectors to connect to the monitors. The collaboration station housed in our media office will accommodate up to six users with additional seating for up to eight essay chairs so that as many as 12 students can meet at one time.

Our first project was with our hybrid American Government class where students completed the "I Side With.com" survey. Using the "I Side With" site, students can take a simple survey covering eight categories and be presented with a list showing how their specific interests and beliefs match up with each candidate. Each student completed the online questionnaire independently. Once the students had finished, they recorded their results in their journals and prepared for online discussions.

Two American Democracy classes used the large collaboration station to share Google presentations. After each groups had finished, they reviewed their summaries with the entire class. Hybrid students have also accessed their shared Google documents to have a complete record of their meetings.

The new collaboration stations and the learning commons were acquired with our district, building, and library sharing the cost. We are continuing to work with staff and students to make decisions about types of space and furniture needed for quiet work and group activities for traditional and hybrid classes. We plan to expand the collaboration stations as students become more familiar with the technology.

About the Author

David Olson is a media specialist at White Bear Lake Area High School - South Campus in White Bear Lake, MN.

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the role of the school library in blended learning

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How the School Library Helps Build Strong Blended Classes -- THE Journal

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Learning & the Library White Bear Lake Area High School - South Campus is in its third of year of offering a variety of hybrid or blended classes from economics to health/physical education. This suburban St. Paul school of 11th and 12th graders is committed to providing blended in-class and independent study.

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Learning in Progress: PBL in the Elementary Library

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Learning in Progress: PBL in the Elementary Library

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Words and phrases throughout the post in blue are links to handouts and other web pages.
After hearing about Project Based Learning (PBL), I decided it was time to step out of the center of the classroom and move the kids to the center (Follow #PBL on Twitter & check out these resources: & ).

The perfect opportunity presented itself with our Digital Citizenship unit of study. What better way to get students engaged in their own learning than to challenge them with problems that are relevant in their lives and that they are already attempting to manage on a daily basis?

We're currently about midway through the process, and I have been reflecting and re-adjusting the whole way. After some bumps, I feel confident that we could do this again, with some modifications from the beginning.

Starting with a question

I started with this question in mind: How can we demonstrate that we are good Digital Citizens by showing that we are safe, responsible, respectful and fun when we use technology?

With this question in mind, I developed 6 different scenarios per 3, 4 and 5 grades for students to explore and troubleshoot that dealt with: private information, appropriate communication online, plagiarism and copyright protection, usernames & passwords, cyberbullying, responsibility with technology.

To get students interested, I put all of their information - scenarios, project planners, QR codes to resources for third graders working with iPads, notes sheets, evidence/source material into a file folder labeled "Case File", and explained that over the next 5-6 weeks, students would be acting as Digital Detectives. As Digital Detectives, it was their job to solve the problem in their case file and develop a project that would educate others so they don't make the same mistakes.

The third graders LOVED the premise and showed a lot of enthusiasm, the fourth graders quietly nodded their approval and looked ready to tackle the issues, and the fifth grade - well, let's just say I'll need to come up with a better hook for them in the future. There may have been some eye rolling!

The Process

Since this was our first time out, I decided to streamline things, and I curated research materials into Blendspaces. Each group at each grade level had a problem to investigate, so in total I had 18 Blendspaces (linked at the bottom). Blendpaces is the perfect way to help students move through the process. You can embed notes, presentations, web pages and videos. Using this method, students don't get sidetracked with other things, and it reduces the amount of information they have to wade through. Here's an example:

We began the process with an introduction to what we would be doing and why, and I walked students through the contents of their case files and a Big 6 project planner I have been using for the last few years. I then turned students loose to explore their case files and Blendspaces and take notes using the general notes guide (linked above) we use often in research.

Students have been collecting information for a number of weeks (I only see them once a week), and they are now all beginning to transition into synthesizing the information for their project. Students are working on a variety of projects that include: posters/presentations, PSAs, puppet shows, and skits. As for me, I have been drinking a lot of coffee and doing my best to conference with every group, every week.

The Technology

Kids have been working with our 5 desktop computers, the Smartboard, and third graders have been using iPads. They have practiced with QR Codes, multiple browsers, gathered information from traditional webpages, video and self guided PowerPoint. To create projects, students will use iPads, flip cameras, computers and plain old poster board and markers.

Improvements that will make things easier in the future

Since I introduced the whole concept to my students, I have been working hard at reflecting, and when possible making changes on the spot to improve the experience for all of us.

The first change: Project planner. After using the project planner for a week, I finally realized that, while I love the 1 page format, it's too busy to really help kids focus. I also end up talking them through extra steps that I had never included. As a result, I've been working to revise, and I plan on rolling out the newly designed, 2 page project planner for our next major research project.

The second change: After the second week, I realized, with the help of Twitter and some excellent PBL gurus ( and Drew Perkins - links are to their Twitter pages, but please don't miss their blogs linked there) that I needed to establish clearer daily goals for students. I came up with a checklist that students can work through, and that I can use for conferences to help guide discussions. As a result, I'll revise our Blendspaces next year so that the type of resources are all presented in the same order. I have found through conferences, that I really just put resources into the Blendspaces all willy nilly and we've had to jump around in the checklist. I will also re-do the checklist to better establish goals - for example, kids can find more than 5 facts on PowerPoint presentations.

Challenges

I think I can chalk some of the challenges up to this being our first attempt at Project Based Learning. First, we have a bit of a "digital divide" happening. My 3rd grade has iPads, but 4 and 5 right now do not. I've had to be creative with how we use the technology, and at first I tried to give students 20 minutes each class period to work with tech....I quickly realized that's not enough time, and we switched so one week a group works with tech, and the next they have to use resources I've printed out for them.

We've also found it challenging at times to get the tech to work. Brainpop videos won't work in the Blendspace on the iPads, and wouldn't you know it, Blendspaces works best in Firefox. It has forced me to introduce the concept of different browsers to students, which has been really good to discuss - but I wasn't expecting to have to do it for this project. Our District Tech Coordinator is working on a possible solution to get Explorer working, but it's taking time. Next year, 4th and 5th graders will likely have access to more technology, so I'm hoping it's a little easier next year.

As for work - I have kids that will be creating projects next week, and I have groups that due to multiple issues - some related to technology, some related to focus - will not be ready to put projects together for another two weeks. In all, I've been a little worried because I planned on this taking 6 weeks, and it's looking more like 8 at this point. I've been thinking about it though, and even as I'm typing I can see that in those 8 weeks the kids have been exposed to more learning experiences than I actually could have planned.

What We've Learned and are Learning

In considering everything students have learned, I've noticed these things: research skills, digital citizenship, persistence, note-taking skills (for print, digital and multimedia), synthesis skills, video production, creative writing, speaking and listening, collaboration, and computer troubleshooting to name a few. In all, I'd say this 8 weeks is worth it.

Collecting Data

Of course, I need to see that the kids have learned. At the start of the projects, I posted a number of perception style rating questions about digital citizenship topics on our door, and students placed a dot under their answers. After kids have presented all of their projects I will ask the same questions and will add the question: How much do you think you have learned? And we will compare the results...listening to the kids talk, I think they've learned a lot - I just hope they realize they did!

Learning Together

We are truly learning together. I think I have learned as much (if not more) from this whole Project Based Learning endeavor as my students. I cannot wait to see what they create as we get into the synthesis part, and while I know that we will encounter new challenges, I am confident that the learning will continue. Look for a report in the upcoming weeks about our progress and our projects:)

Blendspace Projects

I do have plans to revise these a bit before next year so that the structure and resources presented are all presented in a similar way - always room for improvement!
Third Grade Links

Fourth Grade Links

Fifth Grade Links

How have you used Project Based Learning with your students?

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Words and phrases throughout the post in blue are links to handouts and other web pages. After hearing about Project Based Learning (PBL), I decided it was time to step out of the center of the classroom and move the kids to the center (Follow #PBL on Twitter & check out these resources: & ).

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Are School Librarians Part of Your PBL Dream Team? | Edutopia

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Are School Librarians Part of Your PBL Dream Team? | Edutopia

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Visit schools where project-based learning (PBL) is taking hold and you are almost certain to see teachers collaborating. They may be meeting face-to-face to plan projects, using critical-friend protocols to improve projects, looking at student work together, or even teaming up virtually with project partners in other time zones.

A key player to invite into these collaborative conversations is the school librarian or library media specialist. Their understanding of information literacy and digital citizenship can make a difference across the arc of projects. What's more, librarians may know about students' out-of-class interests through their reading choices or online interests. Take advantage of their insights to plan more engaging projects.

How and when might school librarians contribute to PBL? I had a chance to talk about these opportunities recently at the Oregon Association of School Libraries conference. Here are a few ideas that emerged from our conversations.

At the project planning stage: At the design stage, ask librarians for specific feedback on project plans. Does the driving question sound engaging, based on what they know about students' interests? (Do they have alternatives to suggest?) Are there literature connections or digital media resources a teacher may not have considered?

Creating anticipation: If librarians know about upcoming projects, they can help to spark curiosity even before launch day. One school library displays a "curiosity cabinet" of artifacts that relate to upcoming projects. Library book displays or book clubs can help whet students' appetite for upcoming topics, too.

Guiding research: Because inquiry is at the heart of PBL, student questions guide the learning process. Students need to know how to ask good questions and also how to research effectively. Librarians are in a key role to help students build and apply these information literacy skills. Mini-lessons on smarter searching will help students go deeper than with simple Google searches. Critical-thinking prompts will help students consider the accuracy and reliability of sources. Workshops about fair use and copyright will help students cite sources appropriately. (Read more about online research in the recent Edudemic post, "Critical Search Skills Students Should Know.")

Elementary teacher Heidi Hutchison (@heidihutchison) teams up with her school librarian, John Scott (@jscottlibrarian), to design inquiry projects that engage students around the globe. Here's a current project about animal rights, using the children's book The One and Only Ivan as the launching point.

Hutchison counts on her library colleague to help students locate information that will answer their need-to-know questions. "These are great opportunities to teach information literacy," she says. For example, the librarian might prompt students to consider, "How do we take a question and pick out key words to locate resources?"

Connecting with experts: Projects often require students to go beyond the school walls to connect with content-area experts. Here, too, librarians can help guide the search for experts. If they have access to tools like Skype in the Classroom or Google Hangout, they can help students arrange video conferences with the experts they want to consult.

Encouraging teamwork and creativity: PBL intentionally puts students into situations where they work in teams. With practice, students get better at working with peers and also managing their own learning. School libraries offer environments for teams to work semi-autonomously on projects.

Some school libraries are going farther, becoming laboratories for connected learning. They may provide students with access to recording gear, 3D printers, or makerspaces for building and testing prototypes. Learn more about the thinking behind Connected Learning here.

Displaying "beautiful work": At the conclusion of projects, students typically apply what they have learned to create something new. Many schools hold project culminating events in the school library, inviting audiences to provide feedback on what students have accomplished. Longer term, the school library offers a public place to display and curate the "beautiful work" that results from high-quality PBL (to borrow a phrase from PBL expert Ron Berger.

Build Your Connections

With Connected Educator Month heading into the final week, this is a good time to ask yourself: Which connections are missing from my PBL dream team? How might I connect with school librarians who share a vision of PBL as a strategy for deeper learning?

If your school does not have a school librarian or information specialist on staff, connect with library experts via Twitter (such as @ccassinelli, @joycevalenza, @cybraryman1, @peggysheehy). Search #libchat on Twitter for more ideas.

To learn more about the ideas that are transforming libraries around the world, listen to sessions from this month's Library 2.0 conference.

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Are School Librarians Part of Your PBL Dream Team? | Edutopia

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Visit schools where project-based learning (PBL) is taking hold and you are almost certain to see teachers collaborating. They may be meeting face-to-face to plan projects, using critical-friend protocols to improve projects, looking at student work together, or even teaming up virtually with project partners in other time zones.

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Creating a School or District Project Library | Blog | Project Based Learning | BIE

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Creating a School or District Project Library | Blog | Project Based Learning | BIE

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March 9, 2016
Creating a School or District Project Library

Project Based Learning is more than just what happens in the classroom. For PBL to thrive, school and district leaders need to support teachers, encourage innovation and celebrate success. One way to do that is to build a project library - a virtual location used to store and access exemplar projects created by local teachers. In addition to being a resource for sharing projects, the library is a way to honor and celebrate the high-quality work of PBL teachers. And, of course, having a supply of already-made, classroom-tested projects on hand can save teachers' planning time and help ensure results.

The BIE website has a curated project library that houses project examples that can be used for inspiration and customized by teachers. We encourage all of our partner districts to also create a local project library.

As a BIE Systemic Partnership Coach, I support districts in implementing PBL district-wide. Our focus is always on how they can sustain the work once our partnership is over. I had the pleasure of working with Granbury Independent School District (GISD), a K-12 district near Dallas, TX for three years. As one way to sustain PBL at GISD, we created a project library during their second year of implementation. A project library contributes to the momentum and sustainability of PBL because it defines what PBL looks like in a school or district, and shows other teachers that it can be done successfully.

How Granbury created a project library
Here are the three steps the GISD PBL implementation team took, which can apply to any school or district:

Step 1: Establish the purpose of a project library.
Some districts will use a project library to support teachers who are new to PBL or to have a process through which all staff can develop common standards of language and practice. GISD hoped to leverage their bank of projects to show that PBL is not something for other schools or other students, but something that GISD is doing very successfully - in other words, to define what high quality PBL looks like at GISD. It's also a way for the community to celebrate the hard work of teachers as PBL designers and implementers. With a project library, GISD teachers see what their peers are doing, find inspiration and say, I, too, can do this!

With quality and inspiration as motivation, the GISD team began the process of establishing a structure and process. GISD knew that if a new process was going to succeed, it would require buy-in at all levels of staff. The curriculum department brought together a group of stakeholders that included teachers, campus leaders, district staff and school Instructional specialists. This was valuable not only for making sure the project library was useful to all, but for messaging the requirements to all staff.

Step 2: Set up a process for creating and documenting projects.
In a nutshell, GISD took things they were already doing, and carefully incorporated PBL.

First, we considered how a project library would fit into their existing school/district culture. As we looked to define a process of vetting projects to determine exemplars, we considered a submission process, in which teachers would receive feedback and have to revise projects if they did not meet the definition of high quality PBL. The GISD PBL team was not comfortable with "rejecting" projects that did not meet expectations. This is not to say that they didn't care about quality. On the contrary, their goal was to define high quality work through the project library. However, they did not want a teacher to go through all of the steps to submit a project only to be rejected at the end.

They were determined to find a process that was compatible with their district culture as a nurturing, supportive "family." If there was going to be a rigorous vetting process, they would put enough scaffolding in place so the teacher would have to have a quality project by the end. The submission process was transformed into a supportive process that was embedded into teacher planning time.

In order to create a process that would help teachers feel supported rather than having another thing added to their plates, the representative stakeholder groups integrated the creation of exemplar projects into existing structures. The expectations they created for their teachers included guidelines as to how they would be supported. They already had established and protected time set aside for data analysis, collaboration, and reflection, such as common teacher planning time, early release days, staff and team meetings, and time with instructional specialists. They built dialogue about project design and implementation into these existing instructional conversations. They also customized BIE project planning forms, rather than creating additional forms, to include space for recording reflections and revisions teachers made during project implementation, to help guide others who might teach the project.

The expectations for teachers around planning, checkpoints, and support are set from the beginning. Starting from the PBL 101 workshop, GISD teachers hear about the timeline and vetting process that will support them as they implement a project:

Before the project, teachers:

plan their projects using planning tools and forms and the BIE project design rubric, then engage in a tuning protocol to get feedback and make adjustments.

send calendar invites to campus and district instructional support personnel, so they know when they can observe important moments in the project.

During the project, teachers:

engage in a reflective protocol with peers, to disucss its progress and troubleshoot.

collect student work samples.

annotate project documents with reflections and modifications that were made.

After the project, teachers:

engage in another reflective protocol with peers.

revise the project.

Important note: GISD teachers are expected to facilitate a project twice before submitting it to the district project library. This was a wise move, since the first time a project is conducted is always a "learning experience" and improvements can be made the second time around.

Step 3: Create a structure for storing and sharing projects.
GISD chose to house their project library on the "staff only" page of the district website, but you could easily use a free tool like Google Docs or Google Site. The team decided who would build the site, upload content, receive submissions, and be responsible for maintenance over time. They also created a system to organize and tag projects that included a commenting feature and notified teachers when new projects were added. They created a digital "packet" that included a checklist of the actions teachers take to reflect throughout the project, as well as the accompanying documents where they recorded the project design, implementation notes, and revisions. This was shared and integrated into the PBL 101 training, so expectations were clear from the start.

Throughout my PBL journey with GISD, they made me feel like part of the Granbury family in Texas, even as a "Yankee" from New Jersey. That is just how their district treats people. In every part of PBL implementation, including the creation of a project library, we had to be mindful of the "family" culture that existed there. So in addition to other lessons learned here at BIE through our work with district partners, I would add that you must always consider the culture in everything you do. Just because one strategy worked in a neighboring district does not mean it will work for your teachers and leaders.

Have questions or comments? Please enter them below.

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Creating a School or District Project Library | Blog | Project Based Learning | BIE

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Project Based Learning is more than just what happens in the classroom. For PBL to thrive, school and district leaders need to support teachers, encourage innovation and celebrate success. One way to do that is to build a project library - a virtual location used to store and access exemplar projects created by local teachers.

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Project-Based Learning Through a Maker's Lens | Edutopia

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Project-Based Learning Through a Maker's Lens | Edutopia

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Making holds a number of opportunities and challenges for a teacher. Making, especially to educators and administrators unfamiliar with it, can seem to lack the academic rigor needed for a full-fledged place in an educational ecosystem. However, project-based learning has already created a framework for Making in the classroom. Let's see how Making could work when placed inside a PBL curriculum unit.

What Do You Want to Do?

The first step in designing a PBL unit for a Maker educator is connecting specific content standards to the project. The development and adoption of new content standards in math, ELA, and science has placed increased importance on the process and construction of a student's learning. Making loves the process and allows the teacher to move fluidly between levels and subjects. When I designed a middle school level Forces and Motion unit, NGSS MS-PS2 dovetails nicely with CCSS Mathmatical Practice. My students would have to interpret and communicate their results through mathematics. Once I chose the appropriate standard for my students, I could begin brainstorming projects.

Choosing, thinking, reflecting, and sorting possible projects should be a career-long process. Good projects don't fade with time -- they get richer and more exciting for both teacher and student. Great projects, on the other hand, are opportunities for learners and teachers to collaborate with those around them. As such, my students and I might spend weeks asking ourselves inquiry-driven questions and checking out online resources (such as those listed below) as brain fodder. Collaboratively, we narrow down our choices. I use my voice in the process as sparingly as possible, but I do guide my learners to projects which reflect our subject area, my own expertise, and my strengths as an educator to projects which can be completed in the time allotted. Lastly, we determine if we have the right resources and tools. It's a messy process, but the results can be incredible.

Essential Questions

With an appropriate project chosen, an educator can begin framing the learner's journey. Essential questions are best tool available for Maker educators to frame this journey. Essential questions are open-ended prompts which initiate, engage, and guide the student into the learning process. With practice, the students can frame the questions themselves. Collaborate with your students by having them list their queries and send them off to find answers from a myriad of sources. Keep the ones they can't answer yet. In a strong inquiry process, the students reveal their previous knowledge and their needs, allowing the teacher to craft respectful, differentiated learning goals that match. Once completed, the project becomes less of a daily race to fulfill lesson plans and more of a quest to document your students' growing capabilities. In my classroom, our Forces and Motion unit began with "How do we make a derby car travel faster?" Then it changed into "Does mass increase the car's velocity?" -- and a whole host of other questions. Making is a process, and strong essential questions allow the educator to frame the journey while allowing the learner to make inquiry-driven discoveries.

Making requires partners. Find a colleague in your school to support delivering cross-curriculum instruction. Chase down community partners, such as local Makerspaces and scientific organizations, who may lend expertise and resources. I've found Twitter indispensable for connecting with other educators with similar passions. Bring these resources into your classroom.

Finally, an educator can start thinking about individual lessons. The teacher can break down large units into smaller essential questions ("How does the arm length effect the distance of a catapult shot?"), and use these smaller questions to build to a monster prompt ("Can I make a catapult which shoots a marshmallow over 30 feet using these materials?"). With careful planning, these small labs take very little build time, often reuse materials, and allow for a gradual building and exploration of knowledge. Good preview and reflection cycles allow me space to introduce and reinforce the standards, and allow the students time to process and apply their knowledge. I often use blogging as an online showcase of my students' mastery.

Failure Is a Preferable Option

Good projects require failure. Great projects can teach a student grit, but you have to model it yourself first. Processing failure with your students turns a moment of fear into an opportunity for learning in a safe place. Strong PBL units increase student engagement while empowering students, therefore minimizing maladaptive behaviors.

Teachers new to PBL and Making often make similar mistakes:

Choosing projects too large for their comfort level and resources

Focusing on the outcome, not the process of Making

Thinking the educator must have the answer

Making is a discovery process for both educator and learner. Making allows the teacher to move from author of knowledge to master fabricator or builder. Making allows the educator to model the learner that he or she wants students to become.

Making requires support from all the stakeholders in the classroom: students, parents, colleagues, and administration. In order to build that support, an educator has to communicate by:

Giving voice to the students' desire to learn

Inviting parents to witness their students' learning and creations

Collaborating with other teachers to share and grow professionally

Building administration support by inviting them to see the growth of your classroom

Blogging in any form is the most effective tool available to the educator, a platform for all these levels of sharing.

If you're looking for more about Making, check out these resources:

And if you have experiences with approaching a PBL unit as a Maker, please share in the comments section below.

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Project-Based Learning Through a Maker's Lens | Edutopia

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Making holds a number of opportunities and challenges for a teacher. Making, especially to educators and administrators unfamiliar with it, can seem to lack the academic rigor needed for a full-fledged place in an educational ecosystem. However, project-based learning has already created a framework for Making in the classroom.

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The Ultimate List – 65 Digital Tools and Apps to Support Formative Instructional Practice

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The Ultimate List – 65 Digital Tools and Apps to Support Formative Instructional Practice

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There is no shortage of formative assessment strategies, techniques, and tools available to teachers who use formative instructional practice in their classrooms. Here is an extensive list of 75 digital tools, apps, and platforms that can help you and your students use formative assessment to elicit evidence of learning. We didn't just add any old tool to this list. Here are the criteria we used for those that made the cut:

Supports formative instructional strategies and ways to activate learners to be resources for themselves and peers

Is free or awful close to it (under $10 per year, where possible)

Allows both students and teachers to take the activator role when possible (sometimes teachers need to get things started)

Before you dig into the tools, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about exactly what you want to accomplish with your students. "How to pick the right digital tool: Start with your learning goal" by Erin Beard can help you wrap your head around goals and guide you in choosing the best tool for the task. "27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning" can help you decide what strategies work best for you and your students.

Record audio and video

Create quizzes, polls, and surveys

1. Crowdsignal Lets you create online polls, quizzes, and questions. Students can use smartphones, tablets, and computers to provide their answers, and information can be culled for reports.

2. Edulastic Allows you to make standards-aligned assessments and get instant feedback.

3. FreeOnlineSurveys Helps you create surveys, quizzes, forms, and polls.

4. Gimkit Lets you write real-time quizzes. And it was designed by a high school student!

5. Kahoot! A game-based classroom response system that lets you create quizzes using internet content.

6. MicroPoll Helps you create polls, embed them into websites, and analyze responses.

7. Naiku Lets you write quizzes students can answer using their mobile devices.

8. Obsurvey Designed to make surveys, polls, and questionnaires.

9. Poll Everywhere Lets you create a feedback poll or ask questions and see results in real time. Allows students to respond in various ways. With open-ended questions, you can capture data and spin up tag clouds to aggregate responses.

10. Poll Maker Offers unique features, like allowing multiple answers to one question.

11. ProProfs Helps you make quizzes, polls, and surveys.

12. Quia Lets you create games, quizzes, surveys, and more. Access a database of existing quizzes from other educators.

13. Quizalize Helps you create quizzes and homework.

14. Quizizz Guides you through designing quizzes and lets you include students in the quiz-writing process.

15. Quizlet Lets you make flashcards, tests, quizzes, and study games that are mobile friendly.

16. Survey Hero Designed to build questionnaires and surveys.

17. SurveyMonkey Helpful for online polls and surveys.

18. SurveyPlanet Also helpful for online polls and surveys.

19. Triventy Lets you create quizzes students take in real time using individual devices.

20. Yacapaca Helps you write and assign quizzes.

21. Zoho Survey Allows you to make mobile-friendly surveys and see results in real time.

Brainstorm, mind map, and collaborate

Present, engage, and inspire

Generate word or tag clouds

1. EdWordle Generates word clouds from any entered text to help aggregate responses and facilitate discussion. Word clouds are pictures composed of a cloud of smaller words that form a clue to the topic.

2. Tagxedo Allows you to examine student consensus and facilitate dialogues.

3. Wordables Helps you elicit evidence of learning or determine background knowledge about a topic.

4. WordArt Includes a feature that allows the user to make each word an active link to connect to websites, including YouTube.

Get real-time feedback

Foster family communication

1. Remind Lets you text students and stay in touch with families.

2. Seesaw Helps you improve family communication and makes formative assessment easy, while students can use the platform to document their learning.

3. Voxer Lets you send recordings so families can hear how their students are doing, students can chat about their work, and you can provide feedback.

Strengthen teacher-to-student or student-to-student communication

Keep the conversation going with live chats

1. Yo Teach A backchannel site great for keeping the conversation going with students.

2. Chatzy Supports live, online chats in a private setting.

Create and store documents or assignments

1. Google Forms A Google Drive app that allows you to create documents students can collaborate on in real time using smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

2. Piazza Lets you upload lectures, assignments, and homework; pose and respond to student questions; and poll students about class content. This tool is better suited for older students as it mimics post-secondary class instructional formats.

Learn more

There are several resources for learning more about formative assessment and responsive instruction strategies. Consider our formative practices workshops, where school and district teams can gain a better understanding of the role formative practice plays in instruction and the four foundational practices to use in the classroom. Or for a quick start, download our eBook "Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice."

Jump in, try new tools and methods, and have fun!

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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We've compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.

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School Library Makerspaces: the Bold, the Brave, and the Uninitiated

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School Library Makerspaces: the Bold, the Brave, and the Uninitiated

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"Libraries are places where people can dream with their eyes open."
~ Stephen Abram
To some, the traditional "shush" space of the library may seem like an odd setting for the hands-on, creative messiness of a makerspace. Yet many schools are embracing maker learning within their libraries and redefining our notion of "literacy" in the process. So, why have so many school libraries become home to the maker movement in education and how did they get a makerspace off the ground?

The Bold

"Don't mess with the library!" This is a sentiment that I have encountered frequently as a teacher-librarian. Indeed, school libraries have a rich and valuable tradition. However, the ever-changing needs of our students require us to evolve and expand the library's educational services to remain relevant and to keep pace. Integrating a makerspace within the school library is a means "to boldly go" beyond the traditional offerings of library programming. As Peppler and Bender assert, "the Maker movement is an innovative way to reimagine education." Therefore, incorporating maker learning within school library services is an innovative way to reimagine the library's potential.

There are several reasons why the school library and a makerspace can be an excellent fit.

School Libraries Offer Open Access and Equity: One of the library's noblest traditions is its commitment to equitable and open access to its library patrons. Positioning a makerspace and its resources within a school library ensures that all students and staff can access both the resources and the skills required to use them. School libraries are natural and accessible resource hubs. Incorporating a makerspace diversifies the library's resources, moves its offerings beyond books and technology, and provides ready access to all.

School Libraries are Centers of Learning and Inquiry: School libraries are discovery and inquiry hubs for student learning, research and personal interest. This makes the library an ideal focal point for maker education. Furthermore, the library can easily connect students' maker interests with further reading and research, helping them to engage more deeply with a topic or a newly discovered passion. For further reading on the rationale for makerspaces within school libraries, Stephen Abram offers several excellent reasons and examples in his article, " Influence-Real Makerspaces in School Libraries."

The Brave

Educational makerspace offerings within the school library represent a "brave new world." Makerspace programming has the potential to extend the relevance of the library for a new generation of learners. It also increases the library's ability to meet the diverse needs of a greater range of learners. For example, when we installed a giant Lego wall adjacent to the main entrance of our library learning commons, this new resource engaged our students and staff in new and creative ways. Students who did not identify as "readers" were suddenly keen to engage in their class novel study when they were invited to build a Lego mural based on the book and then write about their ideas, adding QR codes that linked to their writing. Teachers have generated unique and innovative lessons built around this new resource, ensuring that they reserve the Lego well in advance due to its increasing demand. When it's not reserved for a class assignment or project, this Lego wall makerspace resource acts as an empty canvas, encouraging the community's creativity. A library makerspace promotes brave thinking.

The Uninitiated

Undertaking the development of a makerspace within a school library can be a daunting task. When our school teams initially set out to establish makerspaces we were replete with enthusiasm but lacking in experience and direction. Thankfully, there were many experts who had previously blazed a trail to help fill the learning gaps. Engaging with the maker and library community while reading the testimonials of the many educational maker pioneers who have gone before can help move you beyond "the uninitiated." Laura Fleming's book Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your Schoolis a great read to get started. Other valuable resources are Diana Rendina's Renovated Learning and Colleen Graves' create+collaborate innovate blogs. For a detailed account of one school library's makerspace development, you can access my e-book, Making Space for New Library Learning: A Makerspace Journey.

Our makerspace teams sought out a maker mentor from another school district and worked together with other local schools to pool resources and increase our learning curve. We listened to the wisdom of "starting small" and building up. Human resources are the most valuable of all resources in the school library makerspace-making connections, sharing expertise and learning from each other- these are what develop a maker community, one step at a time.

School library makerspaces have powerful potential to help students become innovators, problem solvers and creators. Building one has but two requirements: be bold; be brave.

For more on makerspaces, see:
Michelle Davis is a secondary school teacher-librarian. You can follow her on Twitter @mdavisetad Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

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School Library Makerspaces: the Bold, the Brave, and the Uninitiated

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"Libraries are places where people can dream with their eyes open." ~ Stephen Abram To some, the traditional "shush" space of the library may seem like an odd setting for the hands-on, creative messiness of a makerspace. Yet many schools are embracing maker learning within their libraries and redefining our notion of "literacy" in the process.

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Seven Keys to Effective Feedback - Educational Leadership

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Seven Keys to Effective Feedback - Educational Leadership

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Vol. 70

No. 1

Abstract

What Is Feedback, Anyway?

Feedback Essentials

Progress Toward a Goal

"But There's No Time!"

Advice, evaluation, grades-none of these provide the descriptive information that students need to reach their goals. What is true feedback-and how can it improve learning?

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Abstract

What Is Feedback, Anyway?

Feedback Essentials

Progress Toward a Goal

"But There's No Time!"

Who would dispute the idea that feedback is a good thing? Both common sense and research make it clear: Formative assessment, consisting of lots of feedback and opportunities to use that feedback, enhances performance and achievement.

Yet even John Hattie (2008), whose decades of research revealed that feedback was among the most powerful influences on achievement, acknowledges that he has "struggled to understand the concept" (p. 173). And many writings on the subject don't even attempt to define the term. To improve formative assessment practices among both teachers and assessment designers, we need to look more closely at just what feedback is-and isn't.

What Is Feedback, Anyway?

The term feedback is often used to describe all kinds of comments made after the fact, including advice, praise, and evaluation. But none of these are feedback, strictly speaking.

Basically, feedback is information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal. I hit a tennis ball with the goal of keeping it in the court, and I see where it lands-in or out. I tell a joke with the goal of making people laugh, and I observe the audience's reaction-they laugh loudly or barely snicker. I teach a lesson with the goal of engaging students, and I see that some students have their eyes riveted on me while others are nodding off.

Here are some other examples of feedback:

A friend tells me, "You know, when you put it that way and speak in that softer tone of voice, it makes me feel better."

A reader comments on my short story, "The first few paragraphs kept my full attention. The scene painted was vivid and interesting. But then the dialogue became hard to follow; as a reader, I was confused about who was talking, and the sequence of actions was puzzling, so I became less engaged."

A baseball coach tells me, "Each time you swung and missed, you raised your head as you swung so you didn't really have your eye on the ball. On the one you hit hard, you kept your head down and saw the ball."

Note the difference between these three examples and the first three I cited-the tennis stroke, the joke, and the student responses to teaching. In the first group, I only had to take note of the tangible effect of my actions, keeping my goals in mind. No one volunteered feedback, but there was still plenty of feedback to get and use. The second group of examples all involved the deliberate, explicit giving of feedback by other people.

Whether the feedback was in the observable effects or from other people, in every case the information received was not advice, nor was the performance evaluated. No one told me as a performer what to do differently or how "good" or "bad" my results were. (You might think that the reader of my writing was judging my work, but look at the words used again: She simply played back the effect my writing had on her as a reader.) Nor did any of the three people tell me what to do (which is what many people erroneously think feedback is-advice). Guidance would be premature; I first need to receive feedback on what I did or didn't do that would warrant such advice.

In all six cases, information was conveyed about the effects of my actions as related to a goal. The information did not include value judgments or recommendations on how to improve. (For examples of information that is often falsely viewed as feedback, see "Feedback vs. Advice" above and "Feedback vs. Evaluation and Grades" on p. 15.)

Decades of education research support the idea that by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning (see Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Hattie, 2008; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Compare the typical lecture-driven course, which often produces less-than-optimal learning, with the peer instruction model developed by Eric Mazur (2009) at Harvard. He hardly lectures at all to his 200 introductory physics students; instead, he gives them problems to think about individually and then discuss in small groups. This system, he writes, "provides frequent and continuous feedback (to both the students and the instructor) about the level of understanding of the subject being discussed" (p. 51), producing gains in both conceptual understanding of the subject and problem-solving skills. Less "teaching," more feedback equals better results.

Feedback Essentials

Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent.

1. Goal-Referenced

Effective feedback requires that a person has a goal, takes action to achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions. I told a joke-why? To make people laugh. I wrote a story to engage the reader with vivid language and believable dialogue that captures the characters' feelings. I went up to bat to get a hit. If I am not clear on my goals or if I fail to pay attention to them, I cannot get helpful feedback (nor am I likely to achieve my goals).

Information becomes feedback if, and only if, I am trying to cause something and the information tells me whether I am on track or need to change course. If some joke or aspect of my writing isn't working -a revealing, nonjudgmental phrase-I need to know.

Note that in everyday situations, goals are often implicit, although fairly obvious to everyone. I don't need to announce when telling the joke that my aim is to make you laugh. But in school, learners are often unclear about the specific goal of a task or lesson, so it is crucial to remind them about the goal and the criteria by which they should self-assess. For example, a teacher might say,

The point of this writing task is for you to make readers laugh. So, when rereading your draft or getting feedback from peers, ask, How funny is this? Where might it be funnier?

As you prepare a table poster to display the findings of your science project, remember that the aim is to interest people in your work as well as to describe the facts you discovered through your experiment. Self-assess your work against those two criteria using these rubrics. The science fair judges will do likewise.

2. Tangible and Transparent

Any useful feedback system involves not only a clear goal, but also tangible results related to the goal. People laugh, chuckle, or don't laugh at each joke; students are highly attentive, somewhat attentive, or inattentive to my teaching.

Even as little children, we learn from such tangible feedback. That's how we learn to walk; to hold a spoon; and to understand that certain words magically yield food, drink, or a change of clothes from big people. The best feedback is so tangible that anyone who has a goal can learn from it.

Alas, far too much instructional feedback is opaque, as revealed in a true story a teacher told me years ago. A student came up to her at year's end and said, "Miss Jones, you kept writing this same word on my English papers all year, and I still don't know what it means." "What's the word? " she asked. "Vag-oo," he said. (The word was vague!)

Sometimes, even when the information is tangible and transparent, the performers don't obtain it-either because they don't look for it or because they are too busy performing to focus on the effects. In sports, novice tennis players or batters often don't realize that they're taking their eyes off the ball; they often protest, in fact, when that feedback is given. (Constantly yelling "Keep your eye on the ball!" rarely works.) And we have all seen how new teachers are sometimes so busy concentrating on "teaching" that they fail to notice that few students are listening or learning.

That's why, in addition to feedback from coaches or other able observers, video or audio recordings can help us perceive things that we may not perceive as we perform; and by extension, such recordings help us learn to look for difficult-to-perceive but vital information. I recommend that all teachers videotape their own classes at least once a month. It was a transformative experience for me when I did it as a beginning teacher. Concepts that had been crystal clear to me when I was teaching seemed opaque and downright confusing on tape-captured also in the many quizzical looks of my students, which I had missed in the moment.

3. Actionable

Effective feedback is concrete, specific, and useful; it provides actionable information. Thus, "Good job!" and "You did that wrong" and B+ are not feedback at all. We can easily imagine the learners asking themselves in response to these comments, What specifically should I do more or less of next time, based on this information? No idea. They don't know what was "good" or "wrong" about what they did.

Actionable feedback must also be accepted by the performer. Many so-called feedback situations lead to arguments because the givers are not sufficiently descriptive; they jump to an inference from the data instead of simply presenting the data. For example, a supervisor may make the unfortunate but common mistake of stating that "many students were bored in class." That's a judgment, not an observation. It would have been far more useful and less debatable had the supervisor said something like, "I counted ongoing inattentive behaviors in 12 of the 25 students once the lecture was underway. The behaviors included texting under desks, passing notes, and making eye contact with other students. However, after the small-group exercise began, I saw such behavior in only one student."

Such care in offering neutral, goal-related facts is the whole point of the clinical supervision of teaching and of good coaching more generally. Effective supervisors and coaches work hard to carefully observe and comment on what they observed, based on a clear statement of goals. That's why I always ask when visiting a class, "What would you like me to look for and perhaps count?" In my experience as a teacher of teachers, I have always found such pure feedback to be accepted and welcomed. Effective coaches also know that in complex performance situations, actionable feedback about what went right is as important as feedback about what didn't work.

4. User-Friendly

Even if feedback is specific and accurate in the eyes of experts or bystanders, it is not of much value if the user cannot understand it or is overwhelmed by it. Highly technical feedback will seem odd and confusing to a novice. Describing a baseball swing to a 6-year-old in terms of torque and other physics concepts will not likely yield a better hitter. Too much feedback is also counterproductive; better to help the performer concentrate on only one or two key elements of performance than to create a buzz of information coming in from all sides.

Expert coaches uniformly avoid overloading performers with too much or too technical information. They tell the performers one important thing they noticed that, if changed, will likely yield immediate and noticeable improvement ("I was confused about who was talking in the dialogue you wrote in this paragraph"). They don't offer advice until they make sure the performer understands the importance of what they saw.

5. Timely

In most cases, the sooner I get feedback, the better. I don't want to wait for hours or days to find out whether my students were attentive and whether they learned, or which part of my written story works and which part doesn't. I say "in most cases" to allow for situations like playing a piano piece in a recital. I don't want my teacher or the audience barking out feedback as I perform. That's why it is more precise to say that good feedback is "timely" rather than "immediate."

A great problem in education, however, is untimely feedback. Vital feedback on key performances often comes days, weeks, or even months after the performance-think of writing and handing in papers or getting back results on standardized tests. As educators, we should work overtime to figure out ways to ensure that students get more timely feedback and opportunities to use it while the attempt and effects are still fresh in their minds.

Before you say that this is impossible, remember that feedback does not need to come only from the teacher, or even from people at all. Technology is one powerful tool-part of the power of computer-assisted learning is unlimited, timely feedback and opportunities to use it. Peer review is another strategy for managing the load to ensure lots of timely feedback; it's essential, however, to train students to do small-group peer review to high standards, without immature criticisms or unhelpful praise.

6. Ongoing

Adjusting our performance depends on not only receiving feedback but also having opportunities to use it. What makes any assessment in education formative is not merely that it precedes summative assessments, but that the performer has opportunities, if results are less than optimal, to reshape the performance to better achieve the goal. In summative assessment, the feedback comes too late; the performance is over.

Thus, the more feedback I can receive in real time, the better my ultimate performance will be. This is how all highly successful computer games work. If you play Angry Birds, Halo, Guitar Hero, or Tetris, you know that the key to substantial improvement is that the feedback is both timely and ongoing. When you fail, you can immediately start over-sometimes even right where you left off-to get another opportunity to receive and learn from the feedback. (This powerful feedback loop is also user-friendly. Games are built to reflect and adapt to our changing need, pace, and ability to process information.)

It is telling, too, that performers are often judged on their ability to adjust in light of feedback. The ability to quickly adapt one's performance is a mark of all great achievers and problem solvers in a wide array of fields. Or, as many little league coaches say, "The problem is not making errors; you will all miss many balls in the field, and that's part of learning. The problem is when you don't learn from the errors."

7. Consistent

To be useful, feedback must be consistent. Clearly, performers can only adjust their performance successfully if the information fed back to them is stable, accurate, and trustworthy. In education, that means teachers have to be on the same page about what high-quality work is. Teachers need to look at student work together, becoming more consistent over time and formalizing their judgments in highly descriptive rubrics supported by anchor products and performances. By extension, if we want student-to-student feedback to be more helpful, students have to be trained to be consistent the same way we train teachers, using the same exemplars and rubrics.

Progress Toward a Goal

In light of these key characteristics of helpful feedback, how can schools most effectively use feedback as part of a system of formative assessment? The key is to gear feedback to long-term goals.

Let's look at how this works in sports. My daughter runs the mile in track. At the end of each lap in races and practice races, the coaches yell out split times (the times for each lap) and bits of feedback ("You're not swinging your arms!" "You're on pace for 5:15"), followed by advice ("Pick it up-you need to take two seconds off this next lap to get in under 5:10!").

My daughter and her teammates are getting feedback (and advice) about how they are performing now compared with their final desired time. My daughter's goal is to run a 5:00 mile. She has already run 5:09. Her coach is telling her that at the pace she just ran in the first lap, she is unlikely even to meet her best time so far this season, never mind her long-term goal. Then, he tells her something descriptive about her current performance (she's not swinging her arms) and gives her a brief piece of concrete advice (take two seconds off the next lap) to make achievement of the goal more likely.

The ability to improve one's result depends on the ability to adjust one's pace in light of ongoing feedback that measures performance against a concrete, long-term goal. But this isn't what most school district "pacing guides" and grades on "formative" tests tell you. They yield a grade against recent objectives taught, not useful feedback against the final performance standards. Instead of informing teachers and students at an interim date whether they are on track to achieve a desired level of student performance by the end of the school year, the guide and the test grade just provide a schedule for the teacher to follow in delivering content and a grade on that content. It's as if at the end of the first lap of the mile race, My daughter's coach simply yelled out, " B+ on that lap!"

The advice for how to change this sad situation should be clear: Score student work in the fall and winter against spring standards, use more pre-and post-assessments to measure progress toward these standards, and do the item analysis to note what each student needs to work on for better future performance.

"But There's No Time!"

Although the universal teacher lament that there's no time for such feedback is understandable, remember that "no time to give and use feedback" actually means "no time to cause learning." As we have seen, research shows that less teaching plus more feedback is the key to achieving greater learning. And there are numerous ways-through technology, peers, and other teachers-that students can get the feedback they need.

So try it out. Less teaching, more feedback. Less feedback that comes only from you, and more tangible feedback designed into the performance itself. And, of course, send me some feedback on this article at gwiggins@authenticeducation.org.

Feedback vs. Advice

› You need more examples in your report.

› You might want to use a lighter baseball bat.

› You should have included some Essential Questions in your unit plan.

These three statements are not feedback; they're advice. Such advice out of the blue seems at best tangential and at worst unhelpful and annoying. Unless it is preceded by descriptive feedback, the natural response of the performer is to wonder, "Why are you suggesting this?"

As coaches, teachers, and parents, we too often jump right to advice without first ensuring that the learner has sought, grasped, and tentatively accepted the feedback on which the advice is based. By doing so, we often unwittingly end up unnerving learners. Students become increasingly insecure about their own judgment and dependent on the advice of experts-and therefore in a panic about what to do when varied advice comes from different people or no advice is available at all.

If your ratio of advice to feedback is too high, try asking the learner, "Given the feedback, do you have some ideas about how to improve?" This approach will build greater autonomy and confidence over the long haul. Once they are no longer rank novices, performers can often self-advise if asked to.

Feedback vs. Evaluation and Grades

› This is a weak paper.

› You got a C on your presentation.

› I'm so pleased by your poster!

These comments make a value judgment. They rate, evaluate, praise, or criticize what was done. There is little or no feedback here-no actionable information about what occurred. As performers, we only know that someone else placed a high or low value on what we did.

How might we recast these comments to be useful feedback? Tip: Always add a mental colon after each statement of value. For example,

"Good work: Your use of words was more precise in this paper than in the last one, and I saw the scenes clearly in my mind's eye."

"This is a weak paper: Almost from the first sentence, I was confused as to your initial thesis and the evidence you provide for it. In the second paragraph you propose a different thesis, and in the third paragraph you don't offer evidence, just beliefs."

You'll soon find that you can drop the evaluative language; it serves no useful function.

The most ubiquitous form of evaluation, grading, is so much a part of the school landscape that we easily overlook its utter uselessness as actionable feedback. Grades are here to stay, no doubt-but that doesn't mean we should rely on them as a major source of feedback.

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge.

Mazur, E. (2009, January 2). Farewell, lecture? Science, 323, 50-51.

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

Let us help you put your vision into action.

We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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Advice, evaluation, grades-none of these provide the descriptive information that students need to reach their goals. What is true feedback-and how can it improve learning?

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It all Fits Together: The New National Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries

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It all Fits Together: The New National Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries

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Importance of summer reading:Summer Reading at New York Libraries:Research / Promoting Literacy:New York State Library

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Importance of summer reading:Summer Reading at New York Libraries:Research / Promoting Literacy:New York State Library

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this page has information on importance of summer reading:summer reading at new york libraries

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Importance of summer reading:Summer Reading at New York Libraries:Research / Promoting Literacy:New York State Library

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This page has information on Importance of summer reading:Summer Reading at New York Libraries

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Librarians' role in creating readers | Libraries supporting readers | Reading engagement | Services to Schools | National Library of New Zealand

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Librarians' role in creating readers | Libraries supporting readers | Reading engagement | Services to Schools | National Library of New Zealand

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Librarians' role in creating readers | Libraries supporting readers | Reading engagement | Services to Schools | National Library of New Zealand

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How does the school librarian help create readers? Support students with different interests and abilities, and work with parents and teachers.

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Get Students Reading – 10 Tips for School Library Month

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Get Students Reading – 10 Tips for School Library Month

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Walk through the doors of the T.C. Williams High School library in Alexandria, Va., at lunchtime, and it buzzes like a busy coffee shop. Groups of students gather around tables chatting. Some sit with laptops or phones, crunching on salads, thin crust pizza or other offerings from the school's cafeteria. A group of teens gathers around the librarian for a book talk, and at a counter along the back wall, pairs of students blow off steam playing games like Connect Four.

"We're not a quiet, shushing kind of library," says librarian Beth Ebenstein Mulch. "There are rules - the students don't get out of hand - but this is a gathering spot. They feel safe here."

To Mulch and fellow librarian Corina Haywood, getting kids to gather in the library is a critical step in encouraging readers. First you get them through the doors, and then you expose them to the world of books.

Next week is National Library Week, but school libraries including T.C. Williams celebrate School Library Month throughout April to praise librarians and their student readers and to encourage newcomers to the library and introduce them to the love of reading. Mulch and Haywood offer ten strategies to get kids to visit the library and read - during School Library Month and all year round.

1. Offer Contests, Prizes and Parties

Throughout School Library Month, the library hosts several contests where students can win gift cards and free books. For example, there's a sheet students can grab at the front desk with several book cover images on it. They have to match the cover to the book title and author for a chance to win the gift card or free book. They funded the bigger prizes with grant money, but they also have smaller prizes so more students can win, like lollipops or colored pencils.

The library hosts a "T.C. Reads" program, asking students to read at least four of 12 titles for the year and then come to an end of year reading celebration, held at the end of School Library Month. "If they read the books but don't want to come alone, they can bring a friend," says Mulch. "Sharing a love of reading peer to peer is often the best way." One of their featured books, Written in the Stars, was so popular that kids would come to return it with a friend in tow, saying, "I'm bringing this back but she needs to check it out now!"

2. Give Away Books!

Librarians find ways to collect books year-round so students can have a book to keep. They've found that kids will treasure a book that is theirs and theirs alone. "That's why you will see public school librarians at conferences running around like crazy people grabbing books!" says Mulch.

A large population of the students at T.C. Williams are from low-income families. Some are transient. There's simply no money for books in their households, and often no space for them.

"But it changes kids lives when they walk out of here with a book they can keep," says Haywood. "It might be their first and only book."

3. Build Partnerships

Getting books into kids hands wouldn't be possible for a public school library without partnerships.

"Relationships are critical because we don't have the funds to give away that many books or to host a bunch of authors because it can be expensive," says Mulch. "We have a strong partnership with the Alexandria City Public Libraries, An Open Book Foundation and Hooray For Books, a local independent book store."

An Open Book Children's Literacy Foundation was created to promote literacy among disadvantaged children and teens in the greater Washington, D.C. area by giving schools and students book and access to authors and illustrators.

The foundation brings children's and teens' authors into schools, gives each student who attends the event a copy of the author's book to take home, and gives a copy of the book to each classroom and a set of the author's books to the school library. (A national program that works to provide books for disadvantaged kids all over the country is First Book, a partner of the National Education Association.)

Hooray For Books is a children's and YA bookstore in Alexandria that regularly hosts author visits. When the store organizes a visit with a popular YA novelist, the owners contact area librarians to let them know.

"We'll schedule an author visit without having to pay for the travel because we're piggybacking on the store visit, and we buy copies of the books from the store, so it's a win-win opportunity," says Mulch.

4. Schedule Visits with Popular Young Adult Writers

The librarians at T.C. Williams work closely with the Teen Services Coordinator, Isaiah West, at the Alexandria Public Library to set up programs. West helped arrange book talks at TC Williams during School Library Month with Robert Wittman, whose recent book is also part of the Alexandria Reads program in April. West partners with the TC Williams library year-round to bring authors to the school and to get teens excited about programs at the public library. An Open Book Foundation scheduled book talks with Barry Lyga, a very popular YA novelist who is about to release a new book.

5. Use Social Media

"Get on Twitter!," says Mulch. "Twitter is your friend because that's where the authors are. When we're featuring a particular book, I'll post a picture of the the cover and tag the author, who then might reach out. If they're in the area, generally very willing to come for an author visit."

Both Haywood and Ebenstein-Mulch agree that for networking, collaboration and ideas, there's no better place than social media. They use Twitter and Pinterest most often. And for ideas about School Library Month, use #SLM17.

6. Make the Library a Destination

T.C. Williams Library opened it's doors during the lunch blocks and now during lunchtime, the "the library is pretty happening," Mulch says. "You need to be comfortable with a level of chaos in your space, but it's worth it. First talk to administrators and talk to custodial staff to make sure it's doable."

7. Remove Obstacles

T.C. got rid of late fines. Students get the books back when they can, and if they lose a book, they can work in the library after school, or better yet, "read it off." For every 30 minutes of reading time, students earn $5.00. The library also created "summer checkout." Gone are the days of students rustling through lockers and book bags for library books to return on the last day of school.

"If you're not done with a book at the end of the year, don't have to rush it back to the library before school closes for summer, simple check it out and give it back next year," says Mulch. "We want the books in our students' hands, not sitting on our shelves."

8. Partner with Teachers

Build relationships and offer books that enhance curriculum to bring those students into the library. Don't just stick with English but branch out to other subjects. Haywood says there's a natural tie-in with the Barry Lyga books to the criminial justice class at TC Williams.

"The students in that class aren't always voracious readers, but we know this author has a high interest among reluctant readers. We know because we see kids who'd been reluctant readers come in to ask for his book," she says.

One of the books Lyga will be talking about with students is I Hunt Killers, about the teenage son of an infamous serial killer. He'll also be talking about his new book , about a teen who is haunted by the horror of accidentally killing his baby sister with a handgun when he was only four years old.

"I've met with the criminal justice teacher and talked to her about the natural tie-ins to criminal justice curriculum and how these books can bring some of the lessons to life," Haywoood says.

9. Reorganize to Target Interests

"We have 18,000 books - there's going to be something for every student," says Mulch. But they have to find it. That's why the library reorganized the biography section so that books are organized by topic - music, sports, etc. - rather than by the name of the subject or author. They're also working on reorganizing the fiction section by genre.

10. Offer Diverse Books

Mulch and Haywood agree that the #weneeddiversebooks movement has been tremendously helpful in bringing more kids through the library doors.

"With more titles offered, more kids have books from their perspective, about kids who look and live like they do," says Haywood.

Equally important, the librarians say, is offering glimpses into the lives of characters students aren't familiar with. Diverse books opens their eyes to others who aren't like them but might sit next to them in class. T.C. Williams is the most diverse high school in the state of Virginia with kids coming from wealthy, middle class, working class and high poverty communities and who speak more than 100 different languages.

"We are a community and diverse books builds our community," says Mulch.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Get Students Reading - 10 Tips for School Library Month

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Walk through the doors of the T.C. Williams High School library in Alexandria, Va., at lunchtime, and it buzzes like a busy coffee shop. Groups of students gather around tables chatting. Some sit with laptops or phones, crunching on salads, thin crust pizza or other offerings from the school's cafeteria.

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Programs for school-aged kids | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

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Programs for school-aged kids | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

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Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

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Book related activities | Community service programs | Craft programs | Drama and performance programs | Food programs | Gaming programs | Guests in the library | Potpourri of programs | Programming in a pinch | Science programs | Tech programs

Book related activities

Author Event
Author visits school/library and gives 30-40 min. presentation followed by either an activity (writing workshop) or Q/A. Local authors often will appear free, or for the cost of transportation. Check with other venues to see about coordinating a visit and share fees. Many authors will also agree to participate in a Skype session for a minimal fee.

Author/Illustrator Fan Mail
Make your favorite author/illustrator's day by creating fan mail with the children in your library. Share their books, mail or upload letters and artwork. If your author/illustrator has a blog be sure to check back to see if they post artwork.

Battle of the Books
Participating teams read a list of several books, train to remember the story details and then battle it out against other teams. Librarians ask progressively harder questions.

Bit & Bridle
Discuss a great horse book and complement it with fun horse-related activities. Bring horse equipment in for a demonstration. Look at different feed, include a horse craft and horse snack.

Book Bingo
Use book cover art or book titles to make Bingo cards. Booktalk the books and then play for small prizes.

Celebrate Seuss Party/Read Across America
Have a birthday party with Seuss stories, crafts, activities and end the fun with cake and signing a giant card. Be sure to check out the website at www.readacrossamerica.org for current information and the official site of Dr. Seuss at www.seussville.com for tons of ideas and printables.

Cinderella around the World
Pick several versions of Cinderella to read to a group of kids. Prepare a simple craft and play a game - Pass the Glass Slipper. Once a year, choose a book for both adults and kids to read. It will make for a memorable program and discussion.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Party
Do a "Manny Cereal Toss" of mini boxes into a toilet seat: a "clothes" relay race, trivia and chat about favorite passages. Serve mini bags of chips like Dad likes to stow away and eat.

Fairy Program
Kids love the Rainbow Magic series, so why not let them put on their own wings and come to a book-themed party. Each child can create their own fairy persona and participate in fairy-themed crafts and games. Maybe even try building a fairy house for the garden.

Geronimo Stilton Party
Create fun newspaper/detective activities and be sure to do some cheese sampling. Many ideas online at www.geronimostilton.com and www.scholastic.com/titles/geronimostilton/ .

Guys Read
Create some "horrorgami"; Choose Your Own Adventure Books; explore some world records, illusions and gross, nasty "stuff" of particular interest to young boys.

Happy Un-Birthday Party
Read birthday books have birthday cake and play Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Celebrate everyone's birthday!

Intergenerational Book Group
Once a year, choose a book for both adults and kids to read. It will make for a memorable program and discussion.

Kids' Choice Book Awards
If your state or district does not have their own Kids' Choice Book Awards then start your own! Librarians in schools and public libraries can choose ten books for kids to read during the year. Help promote by hosting book discussions and other activities. Have a party or celebration in which kids can vote on their top choice. If enough kids participate you may even be able to host a Battle of the Books.

Meet Someone New
Generate interest in picture book biographies by book-talking titles like Candy Bomber, Tom Thumb, Amelia Lost, Drawing from Memory, etc

Murder Mystery at the Library
This can be a 3-hr event or a part of a sleepover event in the library Mystery stories for re-enactment are available online, or in books.

Newbery Book Club
Starting at the beginning of November librarians book talk 7-10 of the best new titles for the publication year to a group of readers, who will rate and discuss books at meetings culminating in a Mock Newbery Award party the week before the actual award is announced. Incorporate the ALSC Mock Newbery and Caldecott Toolkit ($35)
(ALSC webinar also available)

-Ology Workshops
Use the -Ology series of books to create a workshop series. Each week focus on a different book and create spy activities; Egypt-themed events, wizardry fun and ocean amazements.

Origami Yoda - Make and Take
Kids create their own Origami Yoda to carry with them or to share the "wisdom" with their friends.

Pen-Pal Book Club
Children can "buddy read" with a student from a different location. Children can communicate via email, private blog, or if available Skype. Book pairings can be worked out between children off of a pre-determined list based on the locations' collections.

PJs at the Library
Children come to the library (in their pajamas, of course!) for bedtime stories, songs, and fun! Children attend with an adult caregiver.

Read All About It!
Book talk new and excellent picture books and browseable non-fiction. If time permits hand out books with a couple of sticky notes for children to browse and share interesting finds.

A Snowy Day (and crafts)
Storytime focused on snow stories, including A Snowy Day (Keats), or Snowflake Bentley (Martin) - Craft might include building a snowman out of paper.

Star Wars Party
Kids dress as character and enjoy all things Star Wars. Show a Star Wars movie.

Storytime in a Foreign Language
Invite a community guest /staff member to read books in their language. Bring books to share with children sharing the written language as well. Complete the session with pieces of information about their culture.

Vulture View
Learn about vultures and turkey buzzards. Read Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre, include some vulture trivia.

What a Disaster!
Feature non-fiction disaster books. Combine with YouTube clips if available: Hindenburg, Titanic, Halifax explosion, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Challenger, Chernobyl, earthquakes, volcanoes, Pompeii

Which Is Better? Movie/Film Series
Select movie/book titles - four for four months - read/watch/discuss/repeat each month - don't forget the popcorn and the movie license!

Young Critics Book Club
For serious readers only! Publishers provide pre-pub galleys of titles to receive kids' feedback. Librarians pre-screen and booktalk kids read, rate and discuss, and librarians provide publisher feedback. Consider having kids apply for membership.

Community service programs

"Cans" Film Festival
Show a new DVD around the time of the Cannes Film Festival and ask attendees to bring in a canned donation for the food pantry.

Community Service Club
Teen library volunteer program that could fulfill volunteer hours requirement for schools, churches, service clubs, etc. Recruit teens to assist with the summer reading program, storytime crafts, shelving. and other jobs. With training they could also do outreach storytimes with community daycare groups.

E-Readers Extraordinaire
Kids are trained on various e-readers and then volunteer in the library assisting others with their devices.

Helping Hands
Find out if there is a group in your area that needs help with a service project you can work on in the library. It can even be the library - perfect for summer reading assistance! Invite kids to lend their hands to the efforts - a great way to teach community involvement.

Holiday Book Giving/Community Service
This program can be done in many ways - emphasizing giving and literacy. Children/classes/library program regulars select, purchase and donate one of their favorite books. Givers can write and decorate cards and wrap books.

Hometown Hero Night
Invite a returning veteran to talk about life in another land and show different equipment. End the program with card making for service members still overseas.

Sock Hop
Spin 1950's sock-hop music - the entrance fee is one pair of socks or an article of clothing that will be donated to a local charity.

Craft programs

Altered Books Projects
Save your scraps and discarded books to use in this fun crafting event. Starting with a discarded book as a canvas, kids can use glitter, sequins, and stickers to decorate their artwork.

Book Builders
Teach kids about different ways to create a blank book. You may also want to give them some story starter ideas or ideas for illustration.

Book Charms Workshop
Create "charming" book markers with twin, beads, buttons and more.

Cartooning for Beginners
Seek out a local expert to teach kids the basics of cartooning. A high school art student may be more than willing to gain some experience and to highlight some of their own work.

Design Your Own Campaign Poster
Invite children to pretend they are running for Mayor or President and create a poster including a self portrait and two or three short position statements. This can be done as a technology program using MS Publisher or a craft program using poster board and/or construction paper.

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Day
Set out "Stations of Stuff": origami, jewelry-making, picture frames and let kids create take-home fun.

Happy Henna
Spend the afternoon learning about different types of temporary tattoos from around the world, then apply one (or more) to show off to your friends.

Knitting Club
Local knitters help kids learn to knit and create fun projects.

Make-It and Take-It Craft Day/Crafternoon
Provide materials for a variety of simple crafts for kids of all ages. This can be a drop-in session where kids stay and make as many items that interest them. You can choose a theme or ideas that use materials you already have on hand!

Origami 101
Brush up on your origami skills and teach kids this wonderful art. Advanced students can also act as helpers for beginners.

Puppet Making Workshop
Provide a variety of materials - paper bags, socks, wooden spoons, etc. and let the kids be creative! Hang a tension rod in a doorway and drape with a sheet or blanket for an easy puppet theater.

Recycled Robots
Using recycled items that have been donated, kids get a chance to construct their own robot.

T-Shirt Transformers
Bring a plain T and learn to tie-dye - shades of the 60's! Or, use scissors and fabric paints and glue to "bling" a t-shirt. Runway stylin' optional!

Drama and performance programs

Charades
Read a book about emotions, like "How Are You Peeling?" After the story, the presenter assigns each player a specific emotion to act out while the others guess.

DramaRama
Choose a children's book with loads of action. As the librarian narrates, kids act out the parts.

Improv Comedy Workshop
If you have a local comedy troupe or a college/high school drama department close by, ask them to come and lead kids in improvisational comedy exercises.

Poetry Slam
Kids use themes or prompts to write poems and share them as shout-outs!

Readers' Theatre
Organize a group or two of kids to perform a short readers' theatre series. Some free scripts are available online ( www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html) or you can write your own. Several collections are also available for purchase.

Food programs

Cupcake Decorating
Inspired by books like Hello, Cupcake!, decorate pre-made cupcakes into fabulous pieces that are book themed.

Gaming programs

Chess Club
Ask a local chess player to volunteer to lead a group of kids in learning how to play chess. Students bring their questions and work on strategy, developing their skills and participate in practice challenges.This would be a great way for teen volunteers to get involved.

Domino Program
Learn to play dominoes, watch videos f course and try making your own with simple supplies.

Family Game Night
Invite families to bring a game to share and gather with others to play.This is a great winter-time event and a fun intergenerational program.

Imagineers
Create magical sets where kids can use their imagination to act out scenes and play games. Ideas may include: searching for buried treasure on a deserted island, traveling through the jungle, or even flying through outer space.

Kids' Karaoke
Kids can come enjoy an evening of Karaoke, use Disney Sing It for the Wii Karaoke game (must already have Wii game console)

Lego Camp/Club
Let kids have free build time or give them ideas of specific things to build related to a book or subject of your choosing. It could be a competition or just for fun! Members break down bricks and help clean-up.

Parachute Play
Try a variety of parachute games with a bunch of kids.

Pokemon Club
Show cartoons, play the Wii game, and kids bring in card collections and Nintendo DS to play against each other.

Role Playing
Gamers gather with their boards and imaginations to enter fantastical gaming worlds.

Scavenger Hunt
A great way to get families familiar with different parts of the library and different collections. Kids can hunt for picture clues or you can write clues that must be solved to find locations. All those that complete the hunt can enter their name for a prize drawing.

Trivia Challenge
You choose the subject and let patrons choose their teams. Write questions about favorite books, geography, local facts, etc.

Guests in the library

Ghoulish Makeup
Ask the local school theater departments to come and teach kids how to transform themselves into something ghoulish for Halloween.

Good Doggie! Meet Doggone Good Guide Dogs
Ask a guide dog trainer to demonstrate how dogs are trained and give kids a chance to meet a dog. Also consider therapy dogs, kennel clubs or police dogs.

It's All About the Money!
Ask a local bank representative to come and speak with kids about money - history, what symbols mean, saving, spending, etc. you can also incorporate some origami into the program if the crowd is older using dollar bills.

Magic Class
Ask a local magician to share their talents with a group of kids choosing 3-4 simple tricks. Depending on their skills, they may be able to perform for a larger audience at a later date!

Red Cross Babysitting Certification
Participants learn basic first aid and skills to make them safe childcare providers.
Cost: Paid by participants for manual and there may also be a fee for a trainer. Contact your local Red Cross Chapter.

Snakes Alive!
Check to see if you have a local herpetology club and ask them to bring in some of their critters so kids can get up close and personal.

Tae Kwon Do/Karate Demonstration
Local martial arts schools are often looking for locations to showcase their students' skills. If you have an open space, this is a great crowd pleaser.

What's Cooking?
Create an easy series of no-bake cooking and/or demonstration workshops with talented staff or a local chef.

Yoga A-Z
Kids wear comfy, loose clothes and bring a beach towel or yoga mat. Invite a local yoga instructor to take them through some zen moves.

Potpourri of programs

Black History Scavenger Hunt
Create scavenger hunt using African American authors and illustrators. When kids find a book by a certain author, they can then find information about them in reference materials for further prizes.

Boo-a-pa-looza
Halloween costumes and progressively scarier stories with Trick-or-Treating around the library as a finale.

Countdown to Noon
For the little ones who may not make it to the New Year's Eve ball drop. Make noisemakers and party hats, play games and at noon, release confetti and celebrate the "Noon Year!"

Dance Party
Have kids and parents come to the library for a fun night of dancing to their favorite songs. Get the kids to share what's on their MP3 players or use Just Dance for the Wii.

Homeschool Workshop
Students and parent are invited to a session for homeschoolers to learn about the resources and services at the library.

"The Impossible Day" Leap Year Party
Just like Platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts, February 29th arrives and then disappears for four whole years. Celebrate with magic tricks, science experiments - things that make kids go "Huh?! Cool!!"

Junior Book Cart Drill Team
Join in the fun of putting together a book cart drill team, then show off your skills at the next community parade.

Kids Spa Day
Kids can enjoy a relaxing spa day at the library and whip up some customized lotions, lip balms, and face masks with all natural ingredients.

Library Sleepover and Scavenger Hunt
A great fundraising opportunity for public libraries! Kids and their grownups can spend the night at the library, and participate in a scavenger hunt before the library lights go out.

Mardi Gras Fun
Laissez le bon temps roulez? Decorate plain masks with feathers and sequins; then decorate book carts and have a parade around the library.

Pirate Day Party
Kids get their pirate on by coming in costume and enjoying seven seas hi-jinks and the always popular "Talk Like a Pirate" station.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover
Invite kids to bring their stuffed animals for a sleepover at the library! Staff takes pictures of their animals in various parts of the library having a great time at their "sleepover."

Programming in a pinch/pocket programs

Draw the Story
As a story is read aloud, children draw their interpretations of the characters and settings on large pieces of paper.

Drawer in a Drawer
Invite an art teacher to explore an art form in children's books and then let kids create their own art. Put materials in a drawer for kids to pick from.

Rhyming (Cipher) Circle
Ask children to gather in a circle. Throw out some easy to rhyme phrases such as "I'm so cool" and ask each player to come up with a following statement which rhymes. You can record responses to try and come up with a collectively written rhyme.

Superhero Yourself
If you were a superhero, what special powers would you have? What would your costume look like? Draw yourself.

Thank You Letters
Write letters to friends, family or community members, using library books about letter writing. Could be a great way to recognize donors to your library!

Science programs

Crazy Chemistry
Learn about chemical reactions in this hands-on workshop. Find experiments online.

Eco-Kids
Go green in this environmental education program. Kids will learn about the importance of their carbon footprint and gain global awareness with a variety of activities, games and crafts.

Gross Me Out at the Library
Feature cringe-worthy non-fiction - iceman, mummies microscopic bugs, giant squids, movie special effects, etc. Give kids stickies and time to browse and share interesting finds.

Hands-On Science
Each month kids come together to discover the wonders of science through hands-on activities and takeaways.

Mythbusters: Meet Moebius
Can one piece of paper go to infinity? Kids experiment to see how endless one piece of paper can be and stre-e-e-tch their brains.

Paper Airplane Workshop/Science of Flight
Enlist some of your older kids to learn to make paper airplanes, whirly copters and balloon-powered rockets and then volunteer to lead a program where they teach younger kids.

Scintillating Science (or Mad Scientists Club or Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus Presents . . .)
Kaboom! Create a workshop science series in cooperation with a local museum or science teacher.

Splashdown Science
Prepare to get wet in the name of science! Test local water quality, use water pressure to launch a rocket and sink a sub, propel boats, float objects and make watery art.

Tech programs

Action! Bringing Books to Life
Show a few great book trailers advertising books at the library. Use FLIP cameras and let kids make their own trailer. Mount them on your webpage.

Create a Personal Commercial
Kids create a commercial about themselves: their likes/dislikes, dreams for the future, and talents. Film them and be sure to share them with the group - a great way to meet new friends!

Mystery Movie Makers
Using a boxed mystery kit, kids film their mystery adventure using FLIP cameras, then have a red carpet showing of the movies.

Podcasting Program
Using Windows Movie Maker or Garage Band, teach students the basics of recording and editing a Podcast. Projects can include mini-book reviews, jokes and readers' theater scripts.

Studio K.I.D.
Try podcasting, cartoon animation and flip-filming and let kids create. Mount on the library's webpage.

Tech Time: Lego Robotics Club
Using PicoCricket technology, kids gain programming skills by creating (Seek out partnerships to cover the cost of the technology needs).

Techsplorers
A tech class for early elementary students. Participants are introduced to new technologies, programs, websites, while also learning computer vocabulary and online safety.

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Book related activities | Community service programs | Craft programs | Drama and performance programs | Food programs | Gaming programs | Guests in the library | Potpourri of programs |

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Reading Promotion for Middle and High Schools | Knowledge Quest

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Reading Promotion for Middle and High Schools | Knowledge Quest

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I imagine most school librarians have a range of experiences with professional learning/development. At times I feel like I've simply been checking a box that I've completed some kind of training, something I'm required to do. Then there are the times when I feel like I've really learned something new and I walk away with all these new little idea seeds to plant.

Recently, at my school's District Learning Day, I sat on a Q and A panel addressing reading promotion in secondary schools. Promoting reading has never been a critical issue for us, because our library has readers and supportive teachers and administration. Turns out I didn't have much to add to a discussion on reading promotion, but I had a lot to learn, and I left feeling inspired by my co-workers and all the wonderful ideas they shared.

A few tested ideas for reading promotion in middle and high school:

Host a literary social hour. Instead of the traditional book club format, students come prepared to discuss/review books they have read. The social hour platform is customizable, and school librarians can tailor the meetings to fit their school's needs.

Meet in the morning. Some students might not be able to stay after school, especially in middle school when they are dependent on others for transportation. Early-bird meetings of any library type club could open up opportunities for students and staff who struggle with meeting after school.

Make a bookmobile from a book cart and a bicycle bell. Rolling carts of books to classrooms isn't a new idea, but in this version the cart is rolled to classroom areas like an ELA hallway or suite. The bicycle bell is to let students and staff know the bookmobile is outside their area if anyone wants to checkout a book.

Building on the bookmobile with a bicycle bell, use the cart to promote specific genres or collections. Align book choice with different diversity awareness months or events like Banned Books Week or National Poetry Month to create focus on books that may be getting overlooked.

Throw a silent reading party after school. A librarian in my district invited students/staff and their families to visit the library between seven and nine on a Friday night for silent reading. Student volunteers from a school club earned service hours by babysitting younger family members, and approximately sixty-eight people, including toddlers and grandparents, participated in the reading party.

Hang up "What I'm Currently Reading" signs, and encourage teacher/staff to do the same. If possible provide staff with some signs, and make a point to find out what teachers reading.

Ideas for schools who participate in programs like SSR or DEAR to some degree:

Let students see you read. If your school does SSR or DEAR type reading programs, encourage teachers to model reading instead of grading, writing lessons, etc...

Hang up book covers. If your school only has a couple of teachers doing planned reading in class, celebrate student success by hanging pictures of the books they read. Give students a physical representation of their work, and take advantage of the chance to highlight some specific titles.

Audiobooks for reluctant read aloud teachers. In a school wide reading program where ten minutes of a specific class is dedicated to reading a designated book, there may be some teachers hesitant to participate. Provide these teachers with audiobooks and the technical support needed to play the book for students.

Even though we have a strong reading population at our school, reading promotion is key in perpetuating the reading culture.Ultimately, how successful I am in promoting reading seems tied to my level of authentic excitement. Thanks to the librarians in my district, my excitement about reading promotion has been reignited.

Outside of displays, how do other libraries promote reading, and does anyone have a super focused promotion?

Author: Mica Johnson

I'm a school librarian at Farragut Middle. I like the lib to be loud, messy, and full of student activity. I love tech stuff as much as I love books, and I'm part of an awesome rotating maker space.

Categories: Blog Topics, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models

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Reading Promotion for Middle and High Schools | Knowledge Quest

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I imagine most school librarians have a range of experiences with professional learning/development. At times I feel like I've simply been checking a box that I've completed some kind of training, something I'm required to do. Then there are the... Read More ›

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The Importance of Programming for Children.docx - Google Docs

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The Importance of Programming for Children.docx - Google Docs

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The Importance of Programming for Children.docx

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5 Steps to Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom

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5 Steps to Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom

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Digital LIteracy resources to check out

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5 Steps to Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom

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Struggling to teach digital literacy in the classroom? Learn what topics to teach and where to find resources to easily teach digital literacy.

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Digital Citizenship | Common Sense Education

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Digital Citizenship | Common Sense Education

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Impact on Reading and Literacy | Libraries Matter

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Impact on Reading and Literacy | Libraries Matter

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Impact on Reading and Literacy | Libraries Matter

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But by using readily available data about reading scores, children's services in public libraries, and adult educational attainment, this analysis supports the widespread belief that the efforts of public libraries to promote early literacy pays off in terms of higher reading scores during elementary school.

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ISTE | 9 resources for teaching digital citizenship

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ISTE | 9 resources for teaching digital citizenship

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How can we teach kids to use technology responsibly when the technology is changing faster than we can keep up? How do we foster the values of good digital citizenship in students who are old enough to scoff at the "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots"?

Grappling with these questions is just the beginning of the digital citizenship conversation. Most educators recognize the need for it, but many are at a loss for how to teach it. Some have tried creative approaches and failed.

In classrooms where digital citizenship is taught effectively, the teachers often share two things in common: They model ethical technology use for their students on a daily basis, and they naturally incorporate conversations about it whenever technology is part of their lesson plan. In other words, they weave digital citizenship seamlessly throughout their curriculum.

Here are some resources to help:

Schools have long woven citizenship lessons into their curricula, but now that much of our social interaction happens online, many teachers are struggling to figure out how to teach students about responsible digital citizenship as well. Yet the two aren't that different. This infographic compares the basic tenets of traditional citizenship with the essential elements of digital citizenship.

Technology is changing faster than teachers can keep up, leaving many educators struggling to develop a cohesive digital citizenship curriculum. In this video, tech integration expert LeeAnn Lindsey discusses the main challenges schools need to address.

In a classroom where learning is already infused with technology, it's a simple matter to incorporate digital citizenship into any lesson. Kelly Mendoza from Common Sense Media offers three examples of how to slip digital citizenship into your regular activities.

Empower students to think critically, behave safely and participate responsibly in a digital world. Common Sense Media's K-12 curriculum is available as either an iBook or printable PDF.

Students are far more likely to absorb the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use when they see teachers modeling it on a regular basis. Explore how the ISTE Standards for Teachers address the need to model good digital citizenship.

Explore the major issues surrounding digital citizenship in schools with this self-paced online course. It includes resources, videos and lessons to help educators at all levels - from administrators to teachers to coaches - develop, model and facilitate digital citizenship skills.

As socialization increasingly shifts into the digital realm, something is getting lost in translation: empathy. One way to discourage cyberbullying is to help students build empathy skills. Discover three powerful approaches to counteracting the empathy gap.

How do we teach digital citizenship to older students, who don't respond well to lecturing and finger pointing? Instructional technology coordinator Cynde Reneau shares her strategies for guiding students to draw their own conclusions about cyberbullying.

Looking for a fun way to help younger students become more social media savvy? Flocabulary's animated rap video for kids offers 10 tips for appropriate posting and sharing on social media.

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9 resources for teaching digital citizenship

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How can we teach kids to use technology responsibly when the technology is changing faster than we can keep up? How do we foster the values of good digital citizenship in students who are old enough to scoff at the "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots"?

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Advocating for School Librarians | American Libraries Magazine

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Advocating for School Librarians | American Libraries Magazine

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As president of ALA, I advocate for all types of libraries, librarians, and library workers. We are, after all, a community. Together, we can fulfill the promise that all libraries change lives.

Yet the promise of libraries is in peril because school libraries are in crisis; a threat to one type of library is a threat to all libraries. School libraries across the country are at a critical point. On one hand, budget and testing pressures have led to decisions to eliminate or de-professionalize school libraries. On the other hand, the increased emphasis on college and career readiness and the integration of technology have opened an unprecedented door to school librarian leadership.

ALA is planning a multifaceted advocacy campaign for school libraries. Every librarian in the country must be involved. If you're a school librarian, you know the messages that must be delivered. If you are in another type of library, you may not realize the ways that school librarians change lives. Build your message around five critical areas and then talk to your local school librarian for stories and data to bring those messages alive.

Culture of literacy. Traditionally, school librarians have built a schoolwide culture of literacy by providing individualized reading guidance, developing high-quality collections that match the students and curriculum of the school, and nurturing a love of reading. Today's school librarians also teach critical new literacy skills to enable young people to evaluate and make sense of text presented in all formats and to be producers and communicators of ideas, not just consumers of information.

Culture of inquiry. The mission of the school library is to enable all students to be independent and lifelong learners, equipped with essential critical-thinking and information skills. Young people learn through inquiry-asking good questions, investigating, and drawing evidence-based conclusions. School librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to embed inquiry throughout the curriculum of the school.

Social and emotional growth. Because the school library is a safe space for discovery and collaboration, young people develop personal dispositions of self-confidence, perseverance, and grit, as well as social qualities like the ability to be part of a team and show respect for the perspectives of others.

Creativity and imagination. School libraries offer liberating experiences of imagination and creation. Students see characters in their minds as they listen to stories. Young people imagine their own stories or create expressions of their learning to share with others.

Thoughtful use of technology. School librarians teach students and teachers how to use the latest technology tools for personal and academic learning, communication, production, and collaboration. Through the school library, use of technology becomes a natural and schoolwide part of the teaching and learning process.

School librarians have promised to empower young people to pursue a lifetime of reading, discovery, learning, and creating. To fulfill that promise, we must hold the dream that every school across the country will have an effective school library program. As Dee Hock, business author and former CEO of Visa,said, "It is no failure to fall short of realizing all that we might dream. The failure is to fall short of dreaming all that we might realize."

We must stand together and demand the right of every young person to a dynamic school library staffed by a certified school librarian.

BARBARA K. STRIPLING is assistant professor of practice at Syracuse (N.Y.) University. Email: bstriping[at]ala.org.

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Advocating for School Librarians | American Libraries Magazine

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As president of ALA, I advocate for all types of libraries, librarians, and library workers. We are, after all, a community. Together, we can fulfill the promise that all libraries change lives. Yet the promise of libraries is in peril because school libraries are in crisis; a threat to one type of library is a ...

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Librarians Have Key Roles in Blended and Online Learning | School Library Journal

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Librarians Have Key Roles in Blended and Online Learning | School Library Journal

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By Mark Ray on

In January, I joined teacher librarians Steve Coker and Sarah Applegate from the North Thurston (WA) School District to teach a graduate library course at the University of Washington. This wholly online course made me think about the roles that librarians might play as online and blended learning expands in our schools.

The points: online and blended learning

Many other teacher librarians instruct at the university level in online or blended-learning scenarios. I suspect that more teach or collaborate in K-12 online courses. When you add those who took virtual classes as students, it's clear that online teaching and learning are now key skill sets for 21st-century information professionals. Recognizing this, the American Association of School Librarians will host "School Librarians in the Anytime Anywhere Learning Landscape" during its Fall Forum.

Online learning can be defined in a number of ways. Put simply, it takes place fully or in part via the web and ranges from courseware that can replace both teacher and classroom to blended learning that's a hybrid of online and traditional instruction. Traditional instruction generally requires teacher and learner to be in the same physical space at the same time. By contrast, virtual instruction provides structure, tools, and resources so that learning can occur either synchronously, with teacher and learner in one place simultaneously, or asynchronously, where activities are independent of time and space. The Clayton Christensen Institute has identified four distinct models of blended learning, allowing learners "some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace."

Learning management systems (LMS) can support online learning by providing open-ended structures for the virtual classroom. An LMS offers tools that facilitate sharing and exchange of documents, communication, collaboration, calendaring, and course organization. The evolving LMS marketplace includes products ranging from Edmodo to more complex enterprise tools, such as Canvas and Blackboard.

The pivots

Just as online learning disrupts the classroom and traditional instruction, it disrupts library and information services. In an online course, traditional textbooks and analog library materials can be superfluous. Several of my colleagues take undergraduate and graduate courses using only digital resources. While blended learning might afford access to a library or class collections of materials, the ease of digital resources makes non-digital resources less compelling. Our online graduate course used no textbook, relying instead on research articles, blog posts, discussions, and video lectures.

We can support online learning by developing high-quality digital resource collections for students' instructional needs. In Vancouver (WA) Public Schools, librarians have long championed online resources such as ABC-CLIO and the Gale Virtual Reference Library as materials and aligned instructional resources. They built a digital resource "binder" supporting World Studies and promoted Canvas LMS for a course on world problems and civics.

At the 2012 SLJ Summit, I suggested that teacher librarians become online learning engineers and blended learning baristas. They can lend their systems knowledge and organizational acumen in helping districts choose and implement learning management systems. Few teachers or administrators understand or manage information systems. Yet virtually every one has expertise, thanks to library and textbook automation tools. They can be district LMS implementation and management consultants.

At the building level, teacher librarians can curate digital resources, collaboratively design courses, and assist teachers implementing blended learning in classrooms. And as teachers, they can guide students in areas from digital citizenship to effective online collaboration.

Regardless of the blend, online learning will be part of students' learning. And teacher librarians have important roles in the new anytime, anywhere learning landscape.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org) is the manager of instructional technology and library services at the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

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Librarians Have Key Roles in Blended and Online Learning

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By Mark Ray on In January, I joined teacher librarians Steve Coker and Sarah Applegate from the North Thurston (WA) School District to teach a graduate library course at the University of Washington. This wholly online course made me think about the roles that librarians might play as online and blended learning expands in our schools.

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Information Prescriptions: Tools To Support Students’ Library Skills | School Library Journal

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Information Prescriptions: Tools To Support Students’ Library Skills | School Library Journal

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By Monica Cabarcas and Erica Thorsen on

Have you ever had a student arrive at your desk and your gut tells you they need more help than they are letting on? If so, information prescriptions may provide a remedy.

Our inspiration came one evening after we caught a news feature about a local university teaching hospital offering information prescriptions, which doctors give to increase their patients' understanding of a diagnosis or condition. The patient and family librarians at the hospital began offering information prescriptions as a targeted method for providing patients and their caregivers research-based information related to their illness or injury, treatments, and care.

Always seeking ways to diversify and enhance our services at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, VA, we were intrigued and wondered how we could bring a version of this service to our school. We met with the hospital librarian overseeing the program to ask questions about the marketing, implementation, and success of the program. After gathering details, we began to develop a strategy tailored to meet the needs of our school and began a pilot.

In our school, information prescriptions are special passes designed to use with a class that has already received library instruction. After teaching specific research methods, information literacy or technology skills, we tailor prescriptions to the teacher's assignment. The result is a personalized student form that allows individual students to record the type of follow-up assistance they need. Students can request a refresher on database navigation, citation assistance, generating a thesis, or basic feedback. Teachers then cross-check the form to make sure the student has considered everything before sending him or her to the media center for assistance. We've even included peer tutoring services as one of the options available on the form. After receiving assistance, all students complete a post-prescription form to assess whether they left the library with the academic support they felt they needed.

Information prescriptions are not completely novel ideas. They merely allow us to track the work we already do in a more systematic and analytical manner. Identifying learning needs and addressing them through early intervention begins at tier one in the classroom, with additional tiers providing support beyond regular class time. Information prescriptions allow us to target a specific skill and provide that support and remediation.

A student, for example, might claim that there is no information on the topic he or she wants to research. Even though the student participated in whole class instruction, we can remedy this need by working with the student on suitable alternative search terms. This request allows for personalized assistance.

Through the post-prescription form, students can indicate whether the targeted academic need was met, and we can track our impact on student achievement. Our pilot program occurred in the last quarter of the 2016-17 school year. Almost half of the teachers participating in the pilot-46 percent-teach elective classes, with the remaining instructors spanning all other content areas, except math. In terms of tracking student academic needs, we found that 85.7 percent of our prescriptions met students' self-identified needs, and in 14.3 percent of the cases, we did not. In those instances, we often fell short on class time or the student's need might have been misidentified, meaning he or she requested help locating articles, but instead we spent more time tweaking a thesis into a more finite research topic.

This small pilot was well received by students and teachers. Although the school year is over, we are continuing to look for more ways to use information prescriptions and expose more teachers and students to the idea. Feedback on effectiveness will also inform any adjustments we make to the process. We have also created a toolkit to help other librarians learn about the idea.

Looking ahead to next school year, we hope to build on the successes and continue to expand targeted interventions. We plan to publicize information prescriptions by attending department meetings at the beginning of the school year and asking teachers that we worked with to share this strategy within their professional learning communities.
Monica Cabarcas is a librarian at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, VA. She is passionate about the changing landscape of education and is currently working on bringing like-minded librarian leaders together through the School Library Innovation Lab. Erica Thorsen is a librarian at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, VA. Having just finished her 16th year of school librarianship, she is passionate about ways in which she can diversify and improve library services to meet the ever-changing needs of her students.

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Information Prescriptions: Tools To Support Students' Library Skills

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By Monica Cabarcas and Erica Thorsen on Have you ever had a student arrive at your desk and your gut tells you they need more help than they are letting on? If so, information prescriptions may provide a remedy.

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School Librarian's Role in Reading Toolkit | American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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School Librarian's Role in Reading Toolkit | American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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School Librarian's Role in Reading Toolkit

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Excerpt from the School Librarian's Role in Reading Position Statement