• Blogs Worth Following

Blog Archive

2013

• February

• January

2012

• November

• October

• September

• June

• May

• April

• March

• February

• January

2011

• November

• September

• August

• May

• April

• March

• January

Library Learning Commons @ École Richard Secord School

June 07, 2012 (2 Comments)

Posted by: ASLC

 

After attending Treasure Mountain at the University of Alberta several years ago, I began to work with our school administrators, staff and parents to move us toward the library learning commons model suggested at that time.

What is that model?

At École Ricard Secord School, it’s all about literacy and learning! We are large elementary school with 3 different programs. There are no flexible common learning spaces besides the gymnasium or library commons. Following is how we are working together to build a library learning commons (LLC) over the past four years. It is a work in progress, as all LLCs should be….evolving to meet the needs of its school community.

Access

We strive to provide students access to resources, both physically and virtually, in a timely manner.

How we do that:

Physical

• LLC is open daily for book exchanges, whenever students need a new book to read.
• Furniture/technology (Smartboard/laptop/projector) is mobile, so it can be reconfigured to be functional for desired usage.
• All book shelves are on wheels. Tables/furniture is easy to move.
• Increase OPAC circulation stations available for student use throughout the day. (Students in Kindergarten are taught how to sign out their own books.)
• Changing of shelving units to add variety of height to meet children’s age group.
• Weed collection and purchase of new resources to promote quality literature and encourage students to read for a variety of purposes.
• Centralize/manage home reading/guided reading books to increase student/teacher access
• Set up of computer wired station for student/teacher use/printing
• Provide classroom teachers with Smartboards/document cameras for use in classrooms.
• Add new tables/chairs to facilitate group work/collaboration.

Virtual

• Build a school web site that provides web based links related to the curriculum, for easy reference for teachers/students/parents.
• Build a library commons blog. (This is much harder to keep up and is often used as a place for topical themes in the library. E.g. Poetry Month)
• Provide an infrastructure of a wireless network for use with Netbooks throughout the school
• Purchase three class sets of Netbooks for student use in classrooms and/or library commons/literacy stations in collaboration with School Council and matching Community Initiative Grant.
• Access to school created documents via SchoolZone (District Extranet) from home, school, anywhere in the world using Google Apps.
• Set up of school licenses for databases/Web 2.0 tools
• Removal of old technology (TVs, Overhead Projectors, VHS tapes, records) to make way for new technologies

Common Spaces

Students, staff and community members share common spaces to access information and meet for collaborative learning and/or to provide best functionality of users’ needs. E.g. when a classroom needed more space, a section of the LLC became a guided reading/writing center for student. Or the teacher-librarian provides guided reading instruction to meet flexible grouping of students based on literacy needs. The virtual common spaces are facilitated by our school district, which provides StaffZone for teachers and SchoolZone for student work spaces and parent information.

How we do that:

• Space is available throughout the day for large group presentations/teaching, guided reading groups, individual work spaces (In-school field trips, author visits, volunteers read with students, ICT classes)
• Clubs/student interest groups use spaces for meeting.
• Teachers use space for marking/working on progress reports, etc.
• After-school use for professional development, staff/committee meetings
• Addition of soft seating that can be configured in different ways.
• Reconfigure library layout to meet functionality of school’s needs

1. Traffic flow - The library commons acts as a hallway 
2. Accessible to classrooms – majority of classes are located just off classrooms (small groups will use space for group work)
3. Visibility of library learning commons from administration offices/work spaces
4. Purchasing of shelving/reorganization of Teacher Resource Room/guided reading resources for easier reference/collection

• Spaces for large group instruction, individual quiet work spaces, story read-alouds, small group instruction/work.
• Removal of computer lab to make space for classroom space which was needed because of growing population
• Newly designed administration spaces for working on processing, conferencing with teachers, and parent/student meetings.
• Students hand-in homework electronically through SchoolZone, attaching Google Docs.
• Teachers handing out assignment templates and marking assignments electronically via Google Docs/SchoolZone
• Teachers work remotely from home via district StaffZone Extranet

Flexibility

We have moved to a flexible scheduling of facilitates and technology to foster integration of technology/learning between students and among teachers. This schedule encourages collaboration between the teacher-librarian/teacher and teacher-to-teacher collaboration.

How we do that:

• Student access to OPAC to sign out library books, when needed throughout school day (This is besides their regularly scheduled library book exchanges. Some classes come daily. Others come weekly with their classes. Some classes send their students, on a need-to-have basis.)
• A flexible two week schedule is used by staff for signing out Netbooks using Microsoft Calendar/Google Calendar.
• Share Staff Calendar for booking library commons teaching space for large groups.
• LLC is an extension of classroom teaching space e.g. educational assistants working with small groups/individuals, volunteer readers, student small group/individual work simultaneously, consultants meeting with teachers
• Use of LLC space for recess, lunch hour, after school/evening groups on a needs basis.
• Post School/class newsletters/updates to SchoolZone for quick access for parents and students
• Teacher-librarian and library technician meet the broader needs of students/school programming e.g. guided reading, administrative support, when needed. LLC staff schedules change throughout the school year based upon overall school needs.

Programming & Services

It is easy to forget that the core of a school library commons is about programming and services above all else. (It is like eating a hamburger bun without the meat in it.) People are our greatest primary resources. They ensure that the LLC is not simply a resource repository but a place where everyone can come to learn for a variety of purposes. Each school must look at its own population needs to develop their LLC program plan. The school library commons plan should be developed to support the school wide plan and evolve/be updated on at least a yearly basis.

How we do that:

• Provide professional development to staff on use of new technologies e.g. Smartboards/document Cameras
• Provide professional development to staff in using Google Apps/SchoolZone/Web 2.0 tools
• Cooperative Planning and Teaching of integrating technology/resource based learning with classroom teachers
• Model/’test drive’ new Google tools/Web 2.0 tools/databases/digital citizenship with students during ICT relief periods
• Promote and monitor school-wide home reading program in conjunction with classroom teachers/administration
• Provide ‘just-in-time’ support for teachers with use of technology tools, technology troubleshooting, readers’ advisory, use of literature across curriculum
• Facilitate teacher participation in action research (e.g. Div. 1 teachers participated in research exploring the impact of Smartboards in literacy instruction)
• Provide parent sessions on use of technology tools to support their children’s learning
• Promote literacy & inquiry e.g. school assemblies (act as school mascots: Captain READ and Lucy Lobster), coordinate Read-In Week guests, author visits, coach student book clubs, share read-alouds, promote Book Fairs, YRCA and Rocky Mountain Book Award nominees, create displays that encourage inquiry, coordinate used book exchange for students
• Level/manage of guided reading/home reading books
• Collaborate with Administration on priorities for changes/initiatives of LLC
• Update school web site/library commons blog regularly
• Promote/provide teachers with awareness of newest resources (print and electronic)
• Coordinate purchase of school textbooks/teaching resources in collaboration with school administrators and teachers
• Collaborate with Edmonton Public Library for YRCA books and Summer Reading Program
• Train/monitor student library helpers to shelve books
• Catalogue print resources, using downloaded and/or purchased cataloguing. (Our district is moving to a new catalogue system in the coming year. Our school has offered to be one of the first to integrate the new cataloguing system, which will allow for student access via web and/or integration of online resources/ebooks eventually.
• Publish LLC activities/initiatives in monthly school newsletters

Leadership

Leadership is the catalyst to bring change to a library learning commons. The school administrators and teacher-librarian provide leadership in guiding the development of a school library commons program with teachers, support staff, parents and students.

How we do that:

• School administration team strive to keep abreast of the newest technologies/literature/professional development to evergreen school library commons as it evolves to meet our students’ learning needs and promote effective teaching strategies
• Teacher-librarian meets with Administration team to
• monitor coordination of LLC events on school calendar
• highlight needs/role of LLC
• ensure LLC is part of school plan
• Collaborate with technology committee/staff e.g. development of school-wide continuum of technology skills and digital citizenship plan (currently being updated)
• Collaborate with community/educational groups to develop/promote literacy development (E.g. partner with U of A grads/professors for research, initiate community fair for school families)
• Teacher-librarian/administrator/teacher leaders model integration of technology tools/literacy strategies across curriculum with classroom teachers/students
• Demonstrate risk-taking of learning new tools together with teachers/students, though one may not have entirely mastered them yourself
• Library technician and teacher librarian review and set policies/procedures of how LLC will function and division of responsibilities

“Be the Place to Be”

In the end, a LLC should be the place everyone wants to be. Some guiding questions you might ask yourself and your school are:

• When you look around your LLC, do you see others there? What are they doing?
• Is it a comfortable space to be?
• Is this the busiest place in the school?
• Are there spaces to do different things?
• How are you promoting Literacy?
• Are your students’ choosing to read?
• Are your teachers’ excited about teaching different forms of literacy?
• Do your students have access to learning tools outside of school?
• Do parents have support in meeting their children’s educational needs?
• Have you seen a difference in the changes you are making to students/staff and parents attitudes towards the library commons?
• Are students engaged in literacy activities outside of school hours?
• Is the space freshly painted? Calming? Engaging?

How do I know if we are ‘getting there’?

Each school library commons will have these five common elements; Access, Common Spaces, Flexibility, Programming & Services and Leadership. The reason it is hard to define a LLC is because is constantly changing with each of these variables being modified to meet your students’ learning needs. We have begun to use Google Form to survey grade 4-6 students about our Library Learning Commons each year. This provides us with valuable information about what we are doing well or not doing well and how we can improve upon our Library Learning Commons. A school survey of parents also informs us of the priorities of school families. Attending school council meetings and establishing a working partnership with parents helps to build a shared library commons a reality. Fostering a relationship between the (school administrator, district consultants, teacher-librarian, library-technician, teachers, students, support staff and parents) ensures that the school library commons development becomes a focus in your school, as it has in ours. In the end, it feels like the LLC is a living, breathing organism that it is continually adapting and changing to meet the needs of its host (school). Choosing to prioritize the school library commons will help to improve the literacy and learning of your entire school community. We continue the journey…

Fern Reirson
Teacher-Librarian
École Richard Secord School

 

---

Comment

All fields with a * are required. Your privacy is important to us, and your e-mail will not be shown or shared by anyone.

Name:*
Email:*
URL:
Comment:*

---

Read Comments

« Back to all blog posts

 

Home | Blog | Contact Us | RSS
About Us | For Teachers/Teacher-Librarians | Principals' Corner | Parents

Contact us at admin@aslc.ca
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
© The Alberta Teachers’ Association