Spotlight Series 4 on the AASL Standards Framework

 Shared The AASL Standards Framework for Learners 2018 

Include

The word “include” is used in almost every pedagogical standard for good reason. Ensuring students are receiving a diverse and equitable education should be a fundamental tenet of all teachers and school systems. The AASL defines the include domain as the process of “demonstrating an understanding and commitment to inclusiveness and respect for the diversity in the learning community” (2018). Emphasizing those standards requires a deliberate effort by the librarian to build trust and respect with students and sets the tone for the library's cultural climate. 

Lindsay Beaman, the Media Specialist at Mauldin High School in Greenville County leads a dynamic library program. The high school has over 2300 students and the large library is a hub of activity in the center of the building. Facilitating a space that serves the various needs of students and staff takes planning, flexibility, and careful consideration of a constantly changing environment. Beaman engages a range of learners by offering content and programs that honor their perspective in a global community. Beaman showcases diversity with book displays and often encourages students to read books outside of their normal selection.  The high school students participated in a program over the summer called the “Reading Without Walls Challenge” created by the author Gene Luen Yang. It encouraged students to venture outside their normal reading habits and try new formats and genres to expand their literary perspective. 

Beaman also hosts many morning and afternoon clubs that are from a variety of backgrounds such as the Gay Straight Alliance, Chess Club, and Maverick Minds Matter. The library also offers a lunch bunch every Thursday which gives students a group to come and eat lunch together and meet new people. Creating a welcoming space for students to feel comfortable creates an environment that fosters a sense of community and contributes to the sharing and growth frameworks of building a global learning atmosphere. 

In the library Mrs. Beaman will often host lessons with teachers to encourage students to research items and present the information they learned sharing different points of view. The library curate's books in many different languages, picture books, and books reaching all different Lexile reading levels to help guarantee that they have a book for every student.  

Mrs. Beaman has also reached out beyond traditional library curriculum lessons to become a leader with the district wide Social and Emotional Learning Initiative offered this year. Beaman partnered with the instructional coach and school social worker to promote SEL efforts and lessons. Mrs. Beaman was an active leader in planning and facilitating a schoolwide SEL day called Mavs Matter, an event aimed at building stronger schoolwide relationships through mental health awareness.

The current political climate and social justice issues have created challenges in the library that highlight how important the include domain framework is for librarians. High School students face a multitude of serious personal and social issues that can impact their educational journey. Librarians and the programs they offer can help students expand to experience different perspectives and offer a safe space within the school to learn. 

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago: ALA.

Beaman. L. (2022). Personal Interview.

 

Spotlight on AASL Standards Framework

Explore 

The explore domain from the AASL framework is all about promoting creativity, knowledge construction, and innovation in the learning environment (2018). Librarians have the opportunity to create an atmosphere that encourages students to think outside the traditional methods of learning by engaging in a more experiential process. 

Gaelyn Jenkins, the middle school librarian for Rudolph Gordon in Simpsonville shared her insights into how the explore domain is implemented in the school environment.

Jenkins uses the AASL think competency of “reading widely and deeply in multiple formats” to support writing and creativity opportunities in library programming (2018). Jenkins has offered Poetry Slam lessons for students to read, write, and share poetic works in a library lesson. 

Teaching problem solving to middle school students can be done in the library with tinkering and making spaces. Maker spaces are not just hands-on activities but are a valuable methodology for gaining deeper understanding of the research process. The librarian has a critical role to help students connect the dots and show how interrelated the content areas are. Jenkins values the ability to help construct curriculum lessons to support classroom standards. 

The library space in itself is an extension of the explore share domain. Jenkins appreciates the “unique ability to provide extension activities” the library provides. Since teachers are often under time constraints, Jenkins would love to use the library as a space where students can dive deeper into ideas and projects. One example Jenkins gave was an origami lesson offered in math that must be done in a short classroom session, might spark an interest that could be explored with books and papers in the library. Those moments of exploration can help students forge new interests and connections. 

The explore foundation is one of many layers of a multifaceted approach to engaging students. Students' needs are diverse and utilizing a variety of methods helps build that broad foundation of knowledge as they gain skills. Libraries that cultivate strong partnerships with teachers can create meaningful learning spaces that encourage personal inquiry and growth across a broad spectrum of content areas. Libraries are are a natural extension of the classroom with experiential lessons.

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago: ALA.

Jenkins, G. (2022) Personal Interview. 

 

Spotlight on the AASL Standard Framework for Librarians: 

CURATE

AASL CURATE KEY COMMITMENT: Make meaning for oneself and others by collecting, organizing, and sharing resources of personal relevance (2018).

Curating materials and resources is such a large component of a librarians job that you could fill a library with theories about how to fill a library. School librarians have to narrow their focus to ensure their curation of materials meets a diverse range of audience reading levels, interests, and educational functions. I had the opportunity to speak with Bryson Middle Media Specialist, Patty Barker about how she applies the AASL librarian standards in her program. 

Mrs. Barker implements the AASL curate competencies by thoroughly researching and constantly updating her collection to provide relevant resources for her students. Utilizing digital resources and databases like DISCUS helps ensure the materials stay up to date with topical issues, current events, and changing trends. E-books offer a way to quickly adapt to needs without over burdening the budget constraints. When working on specific research projects she finds it helpful to act as a guide along the search process to help students locate the appropriate materials and frequently gathers material ahead of visits to maximize time in the library. Her role as the librarian not only helps students locate resources, but also teaches them to assess and analyze the materials to build critical thinking skills. The ability to synthesize the information once they find it, is a vital skill that Barker actively cultivates with her students.  

Mrs. Barker shared that a key component to curation is weeding out materials that are no longer useful. Being on top of collection management is not only knowing what you have but knowing what no longer is of service to the students. Keeping kids in engaged and interested is a constant challenge, especially in the middle school environment. With limited budgets school librarians often have to find a balance between the high interest titles that circulate or nonfiction reference materials that might quickly become out of date. 

Part of the framework is checking the collection to see if there are gaps within the curriculum resources and taking time to find outside resources when needed. In an effort to facilitate collaboration with staff, Mrs. Barker attends the various content area monthly staff meetings to stay informed on changes to lesson planning. 

One of the biggest challenges facing librarians in the middle school today is time. Content area teachers are faced with such strict time and planning deadlines in their own classrooms that they often don't want to lose valuable instruction time by taking students to the library. It makes the time students do have in the media center with the librarian even more valuable. 

One component that Barker would love to see added to the AASL standards is a menu of prepared lessons focused on the key foundations and commitments geared to students. It would be a great asset to many librarians, new or established, to be able share materials that would enable students to gain a better understanding of the competencies and how they relate to their own educational success. 

American Association of School Librarians.( 2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA. Chicago.Standards Framework - National School Library Standards (aasl.org)

Barker, P. (2022). Personal Interview 

Spotlight on Inquiry in the High School Library

 Spotlight on Inquiry in the High School Library - Susanne Clark 2022

The AASL Standards Framework offers school librarians a foundation of core commitments and competencies to help structure curricular objectives. These standards have been carefully crafted and revised over time to meet the complex educational needs of 21st century learners.  

These standards are meant to give clarity and common understanding to the key principles that apply to a diverse range of school libraries and librarians. Seeing these principles in action is an opportunity to create a deeper understanding of how the framework impacts the day-to-day life of a school librarian.  

Inquiry is one of six key foundations in the standards framework. The AASL framework states that inquiry is the act of acquiring knowledge by “thinking critically, identifying problems, and identifying strategies to solve problems'' (2018). Encouraging inquiry is a critical tenet of any library, but especially in a school library focused on supporting student’s educational journeys. 

High school students use a school library for a variety of purposes. We often immediately think of personal reading and research support as the two largest uses of libraries, but there are so many diverse ways the inquiry process happens in a school environment. Fountain High School librarian Tiffany Rickey shared her perspective with me on how librarians can foster the inquiry process. One of the first steps Rickey takes to implement inquiry is meeting with teachers to better understand their curriculum goals and plans. In order for her to support students with materials, she believes it is important to first identify future needs. Proactive planning helps ensure materials and resources are ready when needed. There is a concerted effort to make sure that the lines of communication are open, so that teachers and students can reach out to their librarian for support in a variety of ways. When handling issues or questions that arise, Tiffany Rickey uses honest transparency as a key element of her response and she shared, “I may not always know the answer, but the staff and kids know I will do everything in my power to help them find it.” 

Recently a one of the science teachers came to her curriculum support with a specific lesson plan. In the process Rickey was able to share with both students and the teacher an online scientific database filled with updated resources as a valuable research tool. Navigating the maze of online research can be daunting to high schoolers and her knowledge helped facilitate the information search process. Librarians can use these examples of sharing their information expertise to help build trust with teachers and create opportunities for further collaboration. 

Rickey shared that the learning curve of opening a new high school has been filled with plenty of challenges as she learned high school standards, met an all-new staff, and adjusted to a new student dynamic. She credits her own inquiry process of authentic reflection as a way to continuously improve her program.  Being able to dive into problems together is what makes the Fountain Inn Library such a dynamic learning environment. The culture she creates transforms the librarian role into one of partnership as a supportive team member, rather than a keeper of information, which is at the heart of building a space that supports inquiry. 

American Association of School Librarians. ( 2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA. Chicago.Standards Framework - National School Library Standards (aasl.org)

Rickey, T. (2022). Personal Interview.