Posted on by hildaweisburg

Are You Creating Possibilities?

What makes a school library a place where students want to learn, explore, and discover? Is it the books? The technology? The programs? All of these are important, but the answer goes beyond what we provide. It’s about the possibilities we create for our students.

Last week, the South Dakota State Library named Claire Nehring, librarian at St. Joseph’s Indian School, the first recipient of its School Achievement Through Libraries (SATL) Distinguished School Librarian Award. According to the announcement, Nehring was recognized for creating a library program that combines culture, creativity, collaboration, and student engagement.

A great example of the possibilities she created is the Flight Path program, which brings together science, math, art, English Language Arts, and Lakota language and culture. Students study birds and then apply what they’ve learned by working to protect bird populations on their school campus. Rather than simply learning about a subject, students have the opportunity to use that knowledge to make a difference.

Creating possibilities is something every school librarian can do, regardless of the size of their library, their budget or time constraints.

Start with curiosity. What are your students interested in? What questions are they asking and which ones have you heard multiple times? Sometimes we become so focused on delivering curriculum and meeting standards that we overlook opportunities to encourage exploration. Pay attention to what excites your students. Ask them what they want to learn more about. Consider how you might connect those interests to the resources and learning opportunities available through your library. A student’s interest in sports, music, animals, or gaming could become the starting point for research, collaboration, or creative expression.

Look for connections. One of the strengths of school librarians is our ability to work across subject areas and grade levels. We see opportunities for connections that others may miss. Nehring’s Flight Path program demonstrates what can happen when learning moves beyond traditional subject boundaries. What connections could you help make? Talk with teachers about upcoming units. Look for ways to bring together subjects that aren’t usually taught together. Consider community organizations or local experts who could contribute to a learning experience. You don’t have to create an elaborate program. Sometimes one new connection opens the door to something much larger.

Give students ownership. Creating possibilities also means allowing students to help shape their learning. Are students involved in decisions about library programs, displays, or resources? Do they have opportunities to pursue their own questions and share what they discover? When students have a voice in what happens in the library, they become more invested in the experience. They also develop confidence in their ability to make decisions, solve problems, and contribute to their community.

As leaders, we need to look at what our libraries offer and then look to what they could become. (Remember to check your Vision here.) That doesn’t mean adding more to an already demanding schedule. It means being intentional about the opportunities we create and recognizing that even small changes can have a meaningful impact.

Take a few minutes this week to look at your library from your students’ perspective. What opportunities are available to them? What might be missing? What is one possibility you could create that would encourage them to explore something new?

Your library is more than a collection of resources. It’s a place where curiosity can grow, connections can be made, and students can discover abilities and interests they didn’t know they had. What possibilities will you create?

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Standards Are a Tool – Not a Checklist

Guest Blogger – Rona Gofstein

When you hear the word standards, what comes to mind? A document you need to review? Boxes you need to check? Something you pull out when it’s time to write curriculum, set goals, or prepare for an evaluation?  Standards can certainly help us do all those things. But if that’s all we’re using them for, we’re missing much of their value.

Standards are a tool.

Recently, AASL announced the relaunch of its AASL Standards web portal, designed to make the second edition of the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries easier to explore, understand, implement, and advocate for. The new portal includes streamlined navigation, curated collections, improved search features, a “Get Started” guide, and an expanding collection of resources aligned with the second edition of the Standards.

And while all these new features are great, it only works if the Standards shouldn’t sit on a shelf—or live untouched in a folder on your computer. They can and should help you think about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where you want your library program to go. In other words, they support your mission.

How? Start with your students.

What should students be able to do because your library program exists? The Standards focus on competencies such as inquiry, collaboration, curation, exploration, and engagement. Look at what is happening in your library. Where are you already helping learners develop these abilities? Where are there gaps? What is one area you might strengthen?

Then look at your program.

How does your library support your school’s Mission and Vision? You know I believe strongly in having a Vision (where you hope to grow to) and a Mission Statement (what you stand for). They keep you focused on where you are going and why. The Standards can help you connect that larger purpose to what you do every day. They can also help you look beyond what you are already doing. Is there a competency you haven’t considered recently? An opportunity for collaboration you’ve overlooked? A way your library program could better meet the changing needs of your learners?

Finally, use the Standards to advocate.

How do you communicate your importance to your audience? AASL President April Dawkins notes in the announcement that the Standards are an important advocacy tool. The new portal includes resources specifically designed to help school librarians communicate the value of their work to administrators, colleagues, families, and other stakeholders. A few weeks ago, I asked, “Do they know what you do?” The Standards can help you show them.

Rather than simply telling your administrator that the library is important, connect what happens there to recognized professional standards and your school’s priorities. Show how a collaboration helped students become stronger researchers. Demonstrate how your instruction develops critical thinking, digital citizenship, or ethical use of information. Explain how your program supports learning across the curriculum.

The new portal gives you an opportunity to take a fresh look at the Standards. Don’t try to read everything or change everything at once. Pick one area. Explore the resources. Ask yourself where your program is now and where you would like it to be. Then Identify one action you can take.

Standards aren’t there to tell you whether you’re doing your job correctly. You don’t need something/someone else telling you that. But when they are used well, they can help you do it better. And they can help others experience and appreciate why your work matters.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

How to Give Effective Feedback

We give feedback almost constantly in our lives and receive it as well. From complimenting someone on their service to getting honked when we’re driving. At school, we are likely most aware of offering it when we are interacting with students, but we also do it with teachers and administrators as well as our family and friends. What words we choose affects how our feedback is taken in – and whether or not it’s accepted.

In his Edutopia article, “Guiding Students to Receive Feedback as Information to Improve Their Skills,” Michael McDowell describes the two opposing ways the recipient internalizes feedback. He says they either take it “as information to improve their skills, or as a judgment about who they are.” We know what we want them to do with our feedback, but how can we ensure that they take it in a way they can use it?

McDowell presents these three concepts to be mindful of when  giving feedback – and some of these work for everyone, not just students:

  • Describe the Work, Not the Student –  McDowell explains when we say “you,” we have made it personal, a judgement of the person’s worth. When we focus on the work, we have made it  correctable. One example given is to replace “You didn’t explain your reasoning” with “The reasoning is incomplete. The link between evidence and claim is missing.”  The first seems so natural to say and yet it can affect students’ self-worth. Working to discover how often “you” is applied when interacting with others will help make us more aware of that habit. Notice it in those giving you feedback. How do you react to it?
  • Ensure That Every Student Gets Feedback – When you are working with 20+ students, that seems like an impossible task.  McDowell makes is easier by recommending you offer “Blind feedback with success criteria.”  Have students do just an introductory task. When they complete that, then they are given the success criteria and self-assess to see how they did. This is a very productive use of their time and yours. They are not waiting for you to call on them next. You can circulate among them to make specific comments. They already know how they did because they measured their work against the success  criteria. Another strategy is using the “dot protocol.” To do this, McDowell recommends you “[P]lace a small dot on a specific part of a student’s work. The dot isn’t labeled as “good” or “bad.” It simply signals a place to look.” This gives feedback while having students self-assess against the success criteria.
  • Encourage Students to Use Work-Centered Protocols – Consider putting students in groups with members in charge of giving feedback to each other. Left to their own devices, they are not likely to give meaningful feedback, so McDowell prescribes giving them protocols to follow. One method he recommends is to give simpler protocols like sentence stems (“The solution is clear because…” or “One part that could improve is…” When students use this method, they are automatically describing the work rather than the student (back to the first recommendation). An additional benefit of this approach is that it trains students in how to give feedback.

While McDowell’s approach is directed to students, it is a good idea to be mindful of how the feedback you give others as part of your daily interactions should never feel like personal criticism. (And this is not a criticism of what you have done in the past.) Watch for body language as well as verbal responses to tell you how the feedback you’ve offered is being received.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Tips for Managing the Library Classroom

As every school librarian knows, managing the library classroom is not the same as managing a typical classroom. Not only do students not come to the library on a daily or even a weekly basis, in some cases, but you have to add in the fact that the kids don’t see you as their real teacher. You can see where it becomes challenging. Plus, you have the ongoing possibility of drop-ins.

What is needed is a Classroom Management plan that encompasses all that happens in the library, ties into your Mission and Vision, and is cognizant of unforeseen circumstances cropping up. You need to keep yourself centered to manage it and make it a vital part of the school community. A tall order.

In Confident Classroom Management. A. Keith Young offers four tips for the traditional classroom. I have adapted to make them work for you.

  1. Let Each Day Start Fresh – Focus on today. Yesterday is over. Take time to review why something went off track yesterday or why it worked. Next, come up with a strategy to keep it from happening again or find a way to repeat it. Once you have your positive mindset in place—especially important after a tough day—move forward. Greet students with a smile and welcoming comments, even the ones who caused a conflict of some type on their last visit. Reset the tone for today.
  2. Maintain Relationships Separate from Behavior – This is not easy. We have a tendency to be wary when a frequent troublemaker comes in. A focused positive comment is vital here. Choose an article of clothing, hairstyle or some other personal connection for your comment. It will signal to the student that you are not holding onto what happened last time. Talk to the person, not the action.
  3. Redirect with Calm, Neutral Phrases – When a student acts up, rather than telling them to stop, ask a question related to the topic at hand without indicating the student is off track and not behaving appropriately. Offer an approving comment when they respond positively. If the student continues to be disruptive you can hand them paper and pencil and suggest they write what is upsetting them. Or you can ask if they need time away from the group. Each of these give the student agency to resettle themselves and allows you to remain focused.
  4. Conduct Social Audits for Better Interactions – While much easier to do in a typical classroom, you can incorporate it into your strategy, particularly with students who repeatedly have problems in the library. Young suggests you “guide students through reviewing a situation that occurred, identifying missteps, and outlining future actions—(then) offers clear and precise empathetic direction.” You will likely not have time to do this while the class is in session. Instead, have step-by-step directions for them doing it. Tell them to ask you for help if they have difficulties answering the questions. Also, consult with the class teacher and the guidance counselor for advice on dealing with this student. Working together my have a much bigger impact

Incorporate these four steps into your personal lesson plans, different from what you might submit to your principal. The more frequently you put it this management into effect, the more natural it will become to you. As a leader and school librarian in difficult times, it’s more important than ever for your library not to become a problem for the administration or add to the challenges of teachers. Instead, demonstrate every day how the library contributes to the success of students and teachers.