Curation of Learning 3

Curation Of Learning

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Another school year is upon us, how quickly they come and go. As I sit here in my classroom and think about all the million of tasks I have before me and wonder how can I meet all my students needs. I am reminder that each year is a time for learning not only for my students but also for myself.

As I mentioned before I am a grade one classroom teacher, I am not yet an employed Teacher-Librarian as in my school district those jobs are far and few between.  The Calgary Board of Education, like many school districts, had funding cut many years ago and slowly the importance of libraries are becoming more prominent. Currently my school has a Library Assistant, to be an assistant only requires a 60hour course. So you can imagine how far behind my school is with the transition to a learning commons, and unfortunately my school is not the only one in my school district. I am coming close to an end of my journey on becoming an educated Teacher-Librarian and yet I still feel I have so much more to learn. So many burning questions I have while going down this road but the main question I always go back towards is,

What is a Learning Commons how it differs from a traditional library; how can a Teacher Librarian build literacy in all students?

I keep going back to these questions as I have volunteered to be apart of the library committee at my school, which consists of my principal and myself. I want to make sure my ‘expert’ knowledge on Learning Commons is correct and that I help with a smooth transition from a traditional library to a Learning Commons, being conscious and respectful of reluctant staff members. With my school being 80% English Language Learners and the importance of digital literacy how can I make sure that I can provide the right resources and support for my school community to build literate global citizens.

Module 2

What essential components, in your opinion must a teacher-librarian and school have to create and nurture a library learning commons?
How do you feel about the renaming of the school library to learning commons?

As a Teacher-Librarian or a member of a school community a specific quote comes to mind on how it takes a village to raise a child. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to nurture a learning commons. One essential and main component I want to focus on in my opinion a teacher, teacher-librarian and school must have in common is cohesive collaboration. Hayes article Library to Learning Commons states how to “collaborate with teachers and administrators [creates] a recipe for success” this is a focal component transition from a library to a learning commons (2014). Teachers are resistant to change initially, in my experience, and when you build a positive relationship change is more of a possibility. I know that at my school when I started to weed the reference collection I provided guidelines and ask for volunteers to be apart of the process to help build the cohesive collaboration. Well there were a lot of upset teachers when over 300 books were taken from the shelf, books that had not been taken out in years or outdated information that I needed to maintain a positive relationship I offered them to bring these books into their own classroom libraries if they felt strongly about keeping certain books.

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What Truly defines a Learning Commons? Is it a physical place in a school, the school community members, or the opportunities that are available or the name itself? I feel this question is really up to interpretation from individuals. For myself I feel the name of a school library changing into a learning commons is a rebranding or marketing to get community members on board to a change from an deep-rooted perception and comfortability.

How can a Teacher Librarian help build literacy in all students? I am reminded that, “learning is ever-changing and demands new ways of educating” (2014, pg.4). We need to be more adaptable; we ask the same of our students so how can we expect as teachers we should not change our learning or teaching styles. When I look back at my essential question one way teacher-librarians can build literacy is through “teacher-librarians [they] can ensure that the school is purchasing resources that meet the needs of students without creating redundancies” (Hayes, 2014).

Resources

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Ottawa:ON (p.4-25)

Hayes, T. (2014,) Library to learning commons. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/library-learning-commons

Module 3

He came down a couple of times later, disinterested and disengaged, choosing a few novels this time and then promptly returning them in a time span that indicated he had not read them. When asked: “have you given up graphic novels”, he said his teacher said no more graphic novels, he had to take out novels to better his reading...this is where the story pauses...

Reading should be viewed, expressed and experienced with admiration and curiosity of the world beyond them. When I was growing up as a child I hated reading; now hate is a very strong word but I would do anything possible to avoid reading at all costs. Now as an adult and educator I can look back and reflect on my own personal experience as to why I developed such distaste to reading. For one I was behind all my classmates when it came to reading, I could not find anything I enjoyed and reading was forced upon me.

When looking at a particular scenario of a student who initially was motivated to read through Graphic novels and then grew their interest in reading all while developing strong reading analysis skills to then be told they cannot take out Graphic novels anymore and losing personal interest in reading because of it; it is heartbreaking and happens all to often. There could be a variety of reasons why a classroom teacher would instruct one of their students to take out different types of books from the library to better their reading.

Employees or Teacher- Librarians more specifically who work in a library do so for various reasons: personal love of reading, promoting reading to others, along with educating and working beside students and teachers. As a librarian you will spend a lot of time talking with students and teachers matching them to adequate resources, for this to be possible a librarian needs to be familiar with a range of books (Parrott, 2017). Working together with classroom teachers is a vital role of a librarian to maintain a functioning library.

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There are so many complex layers to this scenario and the first thing I would do would conduct a student analysis on the entire class as to not single out the one student, becoming familiar with likes and dislikes of reading. Once this is completed I can then compile the data and approach the classroom teacher with my findings, focusing on the particular student who has lost interest in reading. It is important to remember we do not want to discourage children from reading, if this is done, as Gainman states, we will “wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and worse, unpleasant” (2013). It is important to work with the classroom teacher, support their reasoning while encouraging the student to explore different mediums as well continuing a love for graphic novels. Coming up with a compromise with the classroom teacher to support their student taking out new books while promoting the student to continue to take out graphic novels will help to resume a love of reading.

Regarding by burning question As a Teacher- Librarian how could I build literacy in all students? I can start with this one student’s love for graphic novels and how it was crushed by the encouragement to explore new mediums. I could build a graphic novel study with classroom teachers or a marker space in the learning commons to build their own graphic novels and the importance all reading materials has on the development of children’s literacy. Conducting a Professional Development session for teachers to learn and understand about graphic novels.

Resources

Parrott, Kiera.  (August 28, 2017).  Thinking outside the bin: why labeling books by reading level disempowers young readers.  Retrieved from: https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=thinking-outside-the-bin-why-labeling-books-by-reading-level-disempowers-young-readers

Gaiman, N. (2013, October 15). Why our future depends on libraries, reading an daydreaming. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming?CMP=twt_gu (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

“Teacher Librarians and Classroom Teachers: Collaborative Partners.” YouTube, uploaded by Sue Heraper, 5 March 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyYKkh0n7Vg