Week Three Reading

Hribar, K. (2009) A journey toward Inquiry: Implementing the standards in a fixed-schedule environment.” Knowledge quest 38:2, Nov-Dec, 20-23.

WHAT??!! We are NOT the first group to do your craft project with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner? I found that to be an informative activity because it made me actually THINK about the standards and how I have interacted with them in the past;)

This is an inspiring article (as I'm sure it was meant to be). Ms. Hribar is a true teacher librarian. I wonder if she was a classroom teacher before she was a media specialist (as well as after). She is really teaching in her library and by using the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner she only had to "tweak" her existing lesson plans to guide her students in inquiry-based learning. She focuses on what she already knows and builds on it, as suggested by Marcia Mardis. Sounds simple. Maybe this is why the guidelines are so vague and general? Through directed approaches and careful thought by the teacher, the standards can be easily applied to any lesson.

I was intrigued by her assessment of inquiry based learning and imagined myself as a teacher telling parents that our classroom would be inquiry based. The first reaction would be, "Huh?". I would explain to parents that it is a process where "students take a role in constructing knowledge from experience'", but her description of before and after student characteristics throughout the process of inquiry based learning would be excellent bullet points to present to parents as evidence of its value to student learning. They reveal the results parents want to see.

Ms. Hribar lists:

During inquiry learning students experience:

-uncertainty

-optimism

-frustration (though I might put optimism last in my presentation)

Because of the experience students develop:

-a sense of self-direction (maybe self-guidance?)

-confidence

-self-awareness

-sense of accomplishment

Wouldn't it be fabulous if all students gained these values in every classroom? If following the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner can accomplish this and provide students with the tools they need to be successful learners on their own- I'm all for them. Ms. Hribar suggests that by shifting the instructional approach there is no need to "orchestrate the classroom", students will direct their own learning. Brilliant.

I'm also happy to know that these standards have been broken down into developmental stages- I'm going to take a look at that book (Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action, AASL).

Johnson, D. (2001). It’s good to be inflexible. School library journal.

"Are flexible library schedules better than fixed ones? Not necessarily"

Not realizing AASL had such a strong position against fixed library scheduling, as this is the only type of experience I have had, I'm intrigued to read Johnson's opinions pro and con. My thoughts on his statements follow.

"You can't teach kids you don't see."

In a flexible schedule this really depends on teacher/media specialist collaboration. It is entirely possible that through successful sharing of information and techniques, the classroom teacher is the conduit for the media specialist to teach students.

"We are enabling teachers to deviate from the curriculum"

Hmm, a prescribed curriculum. Is he saying that if teachers don't have any interaction with the school media specialist they will deviate from the prescribed curriculum? I think his promoting flexible scheduling means that there would be more teacher/media specialist interaction. Are media specialists supposed to be curriculum cops? I'm not sure what he means.

"It's not just research, but reading."

Media specialists are in the tough spot of trying to constantly save their program from being cut. What is the most effective way to do this? Be invaluable to your school and show this through active engagement with students, teachers, parents and administrators. "Be" for your school what they demand of you AND show them what else you can provide for them. We need to go a step beyond everyday.

"Inquiry should be a daily activity."

Again- it's all about collaboration, whether using a fixed or flexible scheduling model, media specialists need to provide their students with a continuation of classroom learning through inquiry based methods that address the combined goals of the classroom teacher and the media specialist.

"We are neglecting our part in the containment agreement."

Are our positions only protected because we are glorified babysitters? Yikes, we had better be more than that- because ANYBODY can babysit kids and keep them "contained". I don't think fixed scheduling IS anymore beneficial to protecting the position of the media specialist than flexible scheduling just because of the "containment" issue. If that is an argument for fixed scheduling, I think it is a weak one- our time will just be handed over to the paraprofessionals. Again, we need to make ourselves invaluable by providing the services that NO ONE ELSE CAN. I am NOT a babysitter...unless I get paid...on my own time;)

Woolls, Chapter 5

Another argument for maintaining media specialists in schools- who else can manage everything?

A Director of Media programs? What is this? Is this a media specialist? How many schools have someone serving in the this position? What do they do?

I like the idea of a Library Media Advisory committee. This would be an excellent collaborative forum to share values and goals for the school with efforts channeled through the media center. As Woolls implies, it would also be a valuable advocate for maintaining a school media center.

The idea of developing a mission statement for the media center that the entire school will agree on is daunting, but intriguing. The media center can not be isolated, it must be the pathway to all other aspects of the school. Is it typical for individual classrooms to have mission statements? How many school media centers have mission statements?

She keeps mentioning "media center staff". Who are these people? If they are transient parent volunteers, how involved should they be in the development of a mission statement and establishing goals and objectives?

From Woolls description I've boiled down the goals of strategic planning for a media center- I think.

Strategic planning should include the involvement of the Library Media Advisory Committee to:

-develop a mission statement

-establish goals and objectives for teaching and learning

-write a policy statement (to describe library media services)

-develop a needs assessment

-prioritize courses of action (w/proposed alternate strategies)

-establish technology provision and usage policies (e.g. internet access, hardware and software needs, e-resources provided)- based on user needs and input

Planning that goes beyond the week is a great idea, as Wools states, it would allow the media specialist to "set priorities for major purchases that will continue the progress of the media program" (p.83). Can this be done by using existing lesson plans as guides? It would depend on how effective the existing lesson plans are, how the media center was utilized, how much collaboration occurred with the previous media specialist and how much collaboration with teachers you would engage in. This obviously could take a lot of time- is everyone willing to give it? Probably not.

My experience with scheduling the elementary media center as a flexible use facility is that it is limited. Normally teachers do not access the media center even when it is not in use. Why is this? Would students not use the library if they did not have a scheduled time to be there? It should be a resource for everyone at all times to capture the "teachable moment", right? I suppose it does take more planning effort and time. A fixed schedule media center should "advertise" its availability for "Teachable Moments Time" to encourage teacher use of the media center (an easily accessible and flexible electronic calendar would be perfect for this). Again, collaboration is the key to incorporate media center visits into the curriculum (p. 86). I would really like to observe a elementary media center/specialist in a flexible scheduling scenario.

Acting as "a leader in organizing learning opportunities within and beyond the school" (AASL's Information as Power- Woolls p. 89) sounds daunting, but exciting. As a new teacher with no previous experience would I be accepted in that role by long-time educators?