Teacher-Librarians: Your Partners in Inclusive Teaching and Learning
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Transcript of Teacher-Librarians: Your Partners in Inclusive Teaching and Learning
Teacher-Librarians:
Your Partners
in Inclusive Teaching
and LearningBrenda Dillon
[email protected] Pocock Catholic Secondary School
Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board
Session 6 Bridges to Learning 2010
Agenda
• Introduction
– Your Speaker
– School Libraries
– Teacher - Librarians
• Inclusive Teaching and Learning
– Students and Programs
– In the School Library
– Support for the Classroom Program
– Educational Leadership
• Next Steps
Introduction
Your Speaker
• Experience
– before teaching, at Faculty, classroom experience, library
– TL, September 1996 – present
• Qualifications
– B.A., B.Ed. O.T.C., A.Q Specialists, Librarianship & Special
Education, M.Ed. in Teacher - Librarianship
• Interest
– driving passion of my work as TL has been – and is - creation of an
inclusive School Library (although focus has been PIP)
School Libraries
• OSLA Policy Statement on School Library Information
Centres – core of a lifelong learning community
– teacher - librarians and teachers collaborating
– traditional and emerging literacies
– linkages and partnerships
(OSLA, “Statement”)
Teacher - Librarians
• OSLA Position Statement on the Role of the Teacher -
Librarian
– Curriculum Development and Leadership
– Information Management
– Collaborative Program Planning and Teaching
(OSLA, “Position)
• Ontario TLs
– certified teachers
– with classroom experience
– who’ve taken AQ Librarianship courses, 3 parts (minimum part 1
necessary)
Inclusive Teaching and Learning
• Programs and Students
• In the School Library
• Support for the Classroom Program
• Educational Leadership
Programs and Students
• academic streams / levels
– Academic / University
– Applied / College
– Essential or Locally Developed / Workplace
– Open, Mixed
• special education programs / placements
– GLE (resource / learning skills class)
– PIP (for students with developmental disabilities, usually
divided into Needs Severe and Needs Moderate groupings)
– Communication Program (for students with severe language
impairments, including ASD)
– other (varies from school to school)
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
– levels A through E
– ESL – term used for class / program
– ELL (English Language Learners) – term used for students
• Support programs
– Credit Recovery, Alternative Education
• specialized programs
– e.g. Elite Athlete
– varies from school to school
In the School Library: Program
• You are welcome @ your library
• Reading and Learning @ your library
• Job Skills Development @ your library
You are welcome @ your library
• This program provides:
– introduction to the School Library
– opportunity to develop library use skills
– opportunity to learn about school computer network
– opportunity to develop basic computer skills
• Orientation
– one period
– introduction to School Library (e.g. staff, facility, collection)
– basic information (e.g. circulation, computer use, rules)
– computer exploration, Word basics
– step – by – step written instructions, assistance as needed,
work in pairs (peer support), variety, immediate feedback
(online quiz)
– adapted for GLE, Locally Developed, ESL A / B
• Becoming a Library User – includes adapted Orientation as well as basic skills lessons
and ongoing reinforcement
• appropriate behaviour
• vocabulary
• library use skills (e.g. signing out and returning books)
– two – fold goal
• learn to use School Library
• transfer skills to public library – life skill, leisure activity…
Reading and Learning @ your library
• School Library goals include:
– developing literacy skills
– developing love of reading
– creating culture of literacy / reading
– helping students learn research / inquiry skills
– helping students develop critical thinking skills
– helping students become life – long, self – directed learners
• Reading– picture book read - alouds, with activities
– collaborative novel studies
– assistance with personal book selections
– book talks
– Orca Challenge
– Subject – related fiction (e.g. A Novel Approach to History)
– Book Club (student, staff)
– OLA Forest of Reading (White Pine, Golden Oak)
• Research & Inquiry– one period introduction to high school research / inquiry for
grade nine students
– one period introduction to academic honesty for grade nine students
– (so I see every grade 9 student for a total of 3 periods for “Orientation+”)
– adapted sessions (e.g. For ESL students)
– ongoing instruction & support (individual & whole – class, e.g. citation lessons)
– research projects (various levels of TL / SLIC involvement, from Pathfinder to collaborative development / team teaching / shared evaluation)
– weekly information literacy program for Communication class
Job Skills Development @ your library
• This program provides selected students an opportunity to:– learn basic job skills
– gain job experience
– get reference(s) to use when job hunting
– earn volunteer hours or co-op credit
• Workplace Experience @ your library– students in PIP (and maybe Communication)
– non – credit
– basic job skills (e.g. attendance, punctuality, accountability, following schedule, following instructions, completing tasks)
– appropriate work behaviour and social skills
– literacy and numeracy
– goal is preparation for Workplace Experience placement outside school
• Student Library Clerks Program– interested students apply
– while we do need competent, independent students, we also save some spaces for less able students
– assigned tasks vary according to ability
– opportunity to earn volunteer hours
– opportunity to gain job experience
– can ask for reference
• Co – Op Education Students– offer placement to students interested in teaching or
librarianship
– credit - bearing
In the School Library: Collection Development
• goal - meet both academic and personal needs of all members of school community
• consider variety of formats to meet needs / learning preferences (e.g. print, audio, visual,…)
• consider accessibility (e.g. MP3 files in Gale)• consider reading levels
– World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia – primary and high / low non - fiction– picture books– pre - chapter books (e.g. DK Readers)– Junior novels– high / low fiction (e.g. Orca Soundings)
• consider non – book materials (e.g. puzzles, posters)• consider making / publishing in - house
Support for the Classroom Program
• collaboration is essential element in creation of inclusive school library– variety of resources to support differentiated instruction
– collaborative planning, teaching, assessment and evaluation
• ideally, library program is developed collaboratively with, and fully integrated into, classroom programs
• most helpful if TL can be part of team working with students
Educational Leadership
• Teacher – Librarians are experienced teachers• Teacher – Librarians have cross - grade, cross – curricular
perspective• So, Teacher – Librarians can:
– help with ideas for teaching strategies, activities, materials, etc. (e.g. literature circles)
– model effective teaching
– serve as mentors
– provide leadership with regard to in - service / professional development (e.g. Learning Partners)
Next Steps
• speak with your Teacher – Librarian• consider joining The Inclusive School Libraries wiki
– http://inclusiveschoollibraries.wikispaces.com– Work in progress – check back!– Want to post? Contact me.
• welcome to contact me for information, files• become an advocate for school libraries / Teacher-
Librarians
Works Consulted
Ontario School Library Association. OSLA Policy on School
Library Information Centre and the Role of the
Teacher – Librarian. OLA, 1996. 12 May 2010
<http://www.accessola.com/osla/bins/
content_page.asp?
cid=630-636-660>.