Include

 Building Balanced Perspectives

 

I was able to interview Mandy Cox, a school librarian at Dawkins Middle School.  Mandy works with students in grades 6-8.

The questions I asked Mandy were: 

What are some ways you are incorporating the shared competencies in the school library?

How important are the shared competencies when you are planning lessons in the library?

Are any of the competencies overlapping with the SC state standards and how do you collaborate with teachers when planning your library lessons to align with their classroom instruction?

Do you face any challenges when implementing these competencies?

We talked about a lesson she completed with a 7th grade English Language Arts class which helped build skills to prepare for their argumentative essays. She used the magazine called The Week Junior . In the magazine each week, there is an article that poses a question and presents two sides to the topic or issue.  Students read the article and analyze the evidence shared for both sides.  Then they choose a side to defend and build their argument using evidence from the article.  She created an organizer and interactive handouts students use with the lesson.  I was excited that she shared such a great resource with me that I could take back immediately and use with my students.

 

I discussed with Mandy the AASL Shared Foundations specifically, Include, and how important it is to use during lessons in the library.  She said the shared foundations--domains and competencies-- are easily integrated into the work we do as librarians and really define what we do as school librarians.  Using the framework, we can see that the aspects of "Include" are important, not just because they highlight a skill students are expected to master in middle school, but also, they encompass a skill that is necessary to participate in a positive productive manner out in the world beyond the four walls of a school building and test-taking scenarios.  It is imperative that students learn to not only build strong evidence to support their own opinions and perspectives, but also learn how to share those with others while also remaining open to hearing the opinions and perspectives of others.  Students can learn to take the perspectives of others, reflect on their own opinions, and possibly rethink these points of view as they build upon these ideas.  It's easy to see that many of these shared foundations--domains and  competencies-- work together with each other within the school library setting.  Students who are working collaboratively will also demonstrate including others as they master this concept.

Mandy said that it is very easy to align the domains and competencies with the SC state standards.  She works closely with her ELA teachers to incorporate their SC Standards into the library instruction.  Many times the wording is just different, but the same lesson can be taught to address standards in both the SC state standards as well as the AASL standards.  For example, within the Domains: Think, Create, Share, and Grow, the word "argumentative" may not be used in the AASL standards, but words like "evaluating multiple perspectives" and "reflect on diverse viewpoints" and "engage in active debates" and "discerning between multiple points of view and opinions".  So, it is often easy to align the two sets of standards, even if it isn't worded exactly the same.  Mandy shared that often crosswalks really help librarians align their instruction so that they can address library standards and ELA standards when creating a library curriculum.  I think as I develop my own lesson plans using SC state standards and AASL standards, I would like to have a crosswalk to help design a curriculum that meets the needs of both teachers and librarians as we help students learn and grow within the school setting together.

 

We discussed how with the "include" competency, the biggest challenge is probably within the Domain: Share.  Students have thoughts, ideas, opinions, and their own perspectives, but often they are hesitant to share them for various reasons.  It could be they are not as confident in defending their stance, but most of time it is that students lack verbal communication skills.  We can easily address the domains Think, Create, and Grow-- creating opportunities for students to participate in learning activities, guiding and supporting them to think and understand, but often the share piece is what is not as strong as other domains.  While talking with each of the librarians, this seems to be a common thread across grade levels and school environments. 

 

What’s next?

I am excited to incorporate this argumentative lesson into my own library instruction because I think it will benefit students in many of the domains and competencies within the shared foundation: Include.  I know I will have to work harder to create experiences for students to share.  I know that developing relationships with students and "creating an atmosphere in which learners feel empowered" will help build their confidence and allow them to feel comfortable sharing with each other during library visits.