Standard 4: Advocacy and Leadership
Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement.
Elements
4.1. Networking with the library community
Candidates demonstrate the ability to establish connections with other libraries and to strengthen cooperation among library colleagues for resource sharing, networking, and facilitating access to information. Candidates participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
4.2 Professional development
Candidates model a strong commitment to the profession by participating in professional growth and leadership opportunities through membership in library associations, attendance at professional conferences, reading professional publications, and exploring Internet resources. Candidates plan for ongoing professional growth.
4.3 Leadership
Candidates are able to articulate the role and relationship of the school library program's impact on student academic achievement within the context of current educational initiatives. Utilizing evidence-based practice and information from education and library research, candidates communicate ways in which the library program can enhance school improvement efforts.
4.4 Advocacy
Candidates identify stakeholders within and outside the school community who impact the school library program. Candidates develop a plan to advocate for school library and information programs, resources, and services.
Artifact #1: Personalized Literacy Night
Description:
Reading week was held at the end of February with a school-wide theme of “Kindness” celebrated through the books, Wonder and The Lorax. There was a school-wide assembly at the end of the week to showcase what all the grades learned during the week with their reading focus on either Wonder or The Lorax.
The Personalized Literacy Night was held on Thursday night during our reading week to bring together our school community around the importance of reading and how parents can support their children’s literacy. Parents were invited to visit with their child’s classroom teacher to go over strategies for improving stamina and fluency, how to choose books right for their level, and to highlight the positive effect reading each night has on a student’s success. The students were invited to watch the movie Wonder (3-5) and The Lorax with a craft (PreK-2). I was the leader for the younger students and also invited the Foster Public Librarian to help with the craft and meet with the students. We had a fun night with the students and I had an opportunity to meet with many parents.
How artifact demonstrates meeting the standard:
This artifact demonstrates meeting AASL standard 4 by showcasing my collaboration with the principal, teachers, parents, and public librarian. In the planning stages, I met with the principal, reading specialist, and one of the Kindergarten teachers to discuss and plan our Personalized Literacy Night and Reading Week. We decided on the dates, the school-wide books we would read (Wonder and The Lorax), having guest readers throughout the week, the learning showcase by all grades at the end of Reading Week, and what we needed for a successful Personalized Literacy Night for families.
I also collaborated with the Foster Public Libraries Director to decide on a craft we would engage the younger students with after they watched the movie. Through my collaboration with the local public library director, we were able to meet with parents together and promote access to the public library with a library card for all students. We were also able to promote summer reading and discuss the many opportunities for literacy education through the public library over the summer. This demonstrates mastery of AASL standard 4 in connection with element 4.1 which states, “Candidates demonstrate the ability to establish connections with other libraries and to strengthen cooperation among library colleagues for resource sharing, networking, and facilitating access to information. Candidates participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.”
Why I chose this artifact:
I chose this artifact to demonstrate mastery of AASL standard 4 because I am proud of my participation in my first school-wide family event and I also enjoyed the chance to be a leader in the planning as a committee member. Along with the planning, I also helped gather resources for our Reading Week and Personalized Literacy Night, which gave me the opportunity to collaborate with the reading specialist, several classroom teachers and the principal. In addition, I enjoyed meeting and collaborating with the Foster Public Libraries Director for our activities with the younger students at the Personalized Literacy Night. We now have an established connection and plan to coordinate future library events together.
Artifact #2: Blended & Personalized Learning Site Visit & Conference
Description:
The Blended and Personalized Learning Bus Tour Site Visit came to our school on 4/5/18. About a month prior to the visit, my principal asked teachers to volunteer their classroom for a site visit to demonstrate one of eight personalized learning tenants. I volunteered to demonstrate the mastery-based progression tenant of blended and personalized learning. I decided to showcase the different coding levels students were working on in one 4th grade class and how I identify students who are levels above the rest (masters). These master students become additional coaches for groups of students still progressing towards mastery. In preparation for the site visit, I identified my 4 masters from the class and assigned them to a group, made up a slide to project during instruction with groups and assignments, and put together an unplugged coding activity with cups as backup for any students who finished their levels early.
During the site visit all students were working on one of 2 different coding levels, the masters were working with other students, and I had a chance to work with students at all levels. I was also able to work with the masters and demonstrate how to help students without doing the work for them – another valuable lesson. All students completed their target lesson and some were able to work with a partner on the unplugged coding lesson as well. I talked with a few of the visitors, but mostly they talked with the students and were hopefully able to see personalized learning in action.
Switching gears from leader to learner, I attended the Blended & Personalized Learning Conference (BPLC) on April 7, 2018 to meet with different vendors, see the technology demonstrations, and attend creative sessions. I specifically met with Rhode Island Society of Technology Educators (RISTE), CoreAtlas, Buncee, Capstone and PebbleGo. I was inspired by the opening session with the student panel and learned a great deal from the following workshop sessions: Enabling Student Voice and Choice with Buncee, Strategies for Student-centered Learning and Student-led Classrooms, Sharing and Learning with Library Media Specialists, Practice Playground, Using Research Projects to Teach Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship, and Elementary School Classroom Simulation.
How artifact demonstrates meeting the standard:
This artifact demonstrates meeting AASL standard 4 because my participation in the site visit was an example of leading “professional development activities for other educators”, as standard 4 states. Demonstrating the role school libraries have in student achievement through coding lessons was impactful to the educators visiting our school who came to see examples of blended and personalized learning in action.
This artifact also demonstrates meeting AASL standard 4 because it shows my commitment to seeking out professional development opportunities. Attending the BPLC Conference is an example of me taking responsibility for my own professional development and improvement of my students’ learning by participating in workshops and collaborative professional development activities.
Attending the BPLC Conference also allowed me to explore and evaluate different blended and personalized learning strategies such as centers, group work, and student choice. Another highlight from the conference was the opportunity to explore and test different technologies that I am interested in using to improve student learning in my library.
Why I chose this artifact:
I chose this artifact to demonstrate mastery of AASL standard 4 because it was my first of hopefully many site visit presentations and professional development conferences. I was excited and honored to showcase what our students have learned and what library lessons can teach. Some feedback from the visit, included: “Self directed students”, “Students helping and supporting each other”, “Student self expression evident” (PLP and coding), “Problem Solving”. I look forward to another site visit opportunity where I can “articulate the role and relationship of the school library program's impact on student academic achievement within the context of current educational initiatives,” as described by AASL Standard 4.3.
I was also thrilled to attend the Blended & Personalized Learning Conference because I was inspired by every person I met, listened to, or watched. I connected with many valuable vendor contacts and saw great examples of technology in the classroom that I am interested in implementing in my library. Lastly, I made connections with fellow librarians and shared ideas about library advocacy, lesson plans, and keeping students engaged with different centers. Not only did I learn a tremendous amount while I was physically present at the conference, but the contacts I made will be available forever and further my learning in ways I can’t even guess yet.
