Empowering Learners Through Collaborative Partnerships VEMA Fall Conference, Hampton, VA October 29, 2010

Lori Donovan, NBCT Thomas Dale High School [email protected]

Which Librarian Are You?

Librarian Stereotype

Theory Idea #1 “The mission of the school library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The [school librarian] empowers student to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information…” (Empowering Learners 8).

21st Century Problem?

We know that… so how does that differ from what we’ve done before?

How many times has this happened?

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100117&name=Zits

21st Century Skills • • • •

Core Subjects 21st Century Themes Learning and Innovation Skills Information, Media, and Technology Skills • Life and Career Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

Changing Role of the School Librarian Now Role

Future Rank

Role

Teacher

1

Information Specialist

2

Instructional Partner

3

Program Administrator

4

Rank

Instructional Partner

1

Information Specialist

2

Teacher

3

Program Administrator

4

Our New Role • Leader- lead the way in our school of promoting and teaching 21st Century Skills; • Instructional Partner- we help develop the policies, practices, and curricula to guide student learning; • Information Specialist- use of technology to supplement resources, teaching and learning within a global environment through 24/7 access;

New Role Cont. • Teacher- empower students to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information; and • Program Administrator- building a collection that reflects the needs of those learners (17-18).

Theory Idea #2

Building Collaborative Partnerships “The school library media program promotes collaboration among members of the learning community and encourages learners to be independent, lifelong users and producers of ideas and information” (20).

Theory to Practice 21st Century school librarians collaborate with classroom teachers and other stakeholders to develop inquiry-based curricular units to empower students to shape their learning. “We need to prepare students for THEIR future and not OUR past.” Ian Jukes

Steps in the Instructional Partnership

• Teacher and school librarian collaborate to identify goals and objectives; • Teacher and school librarian collaborate identify learning strands (SOL and AASL Standards); • Teacher and school librarian collaborate to identify learning tasks and assessments to guide learners; • Teacher and school librarian facilitate activities to help learners gauge prior knowledge; and • Through collaboration, the lesson the teacher and school librarian develop should reflect the needs of learners in context of lesson or unit (26).

Sample Collaborative UnitGr. 3

• Overview: 3rd grade social studies class, students identify the structure of the federal government and describe the roles and responsibilities of US government officials. • Learning Strands: Standards of Learning VS.6; AASL- 1.1.6, 2.2.4, 1.4.4 • Product: Correctly fill in 3-ring graphic organizer labeling each branch of government, officials, and responsibilities of that branch ( Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action 80-81).

Sample Collaboration Unit Gr. 5

• Overview: 5th grade students investigate the nutritional values of foods to determine which foods are the healthiest. • Learning Standards: Standards of Learning Health 5.5 and English 5.7; AASL 1.1.3, 1.21., 2.4.2, 3.4.2 • Product: Create a brochure to distribute at the school health fair that shows basic and higher-level questioning skills (84-85).

Sample Collaboration Unit Gr. 7

• Overview: 7th grade students conduct a community history investigation that focuses on how has our community changed over time and what caused or influenced these changes? • Learning Standards: Standards of Learning USII.7, English 7.7, and Computer Technology C/T 6-8.8 ; AASL 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.2.1, 1.2.4, 1.3.3, 1.41., 1.43. • Product: Students will create multimedia presentations based on their research findings that are added to an online archive of student products created by school librarian (93-94).

Sample Collaboration Unit Gr. 10 • Overview: 10th grade algebra students will gather data, manipulate the data and then examine and manipulate types of graphs to determine the appropriateness of those graphs in relation to the data. • Learning Standards: Standards of Learning Algebra I A.5; AASL 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 3.3.4, 1.4.3 • Product: Students will produce graphs comparing cost and time of various modes of transportation (106-107).

Theory Idea #3

• Empowering Learning Through Other Forms of Collaboration: – “The school library media program is built by professionals who model leadership and best practice for the school community” (45)

Theory to Practice A school librarian who: – Is a visible and active leader within school community – Serves on decision making team of his/her school – Participates in local, regional, state and national professional associations for education and librarianship – Shares best practices and research by publishing articles in state and national professional journals – Creates an environment that is conducive to learning and collaboration with teaching staff

Final Thoughts

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” John Dewey- 1859-1952

Works Cited American Association of School Librarians, comp. Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. Print. American Association of School Librarians, comp. Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. Print. "Comics and cartoons | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle."

Houston news, entertainment, search and shopping | chron.com - Houston Chronicle. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. "Learning Quotes and Sayings." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. "Librarian vs. Stereotype : Introductions." University of Texas Arlington. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself, 10 Apr. 2009. Web. 01 Oct. 2010.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Home. Web. 1 Oct. 2010.