21st Century Learners BONUS!

Kumasi, K. (2010, November 02). Cultural Inquiry: A Framework for Engaging Youth of Color in the Library | The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. Retrieved January 25, 2011.

“Critics of the mainstream colorblind approach to teaching and learning argue that it simply masks the fact that whiteness is the primary cultural frame of reference from which most learning begins… As a result, students of color often find themselves lost, disengaged, or having to reinsert their cultural background into the learning situation in order to connect with the material and create personal meaning.”  This statement really got me thinking about my experience working in a highly diverse school system.  Our school strives to represent all ethnic backgrounds by giving students choice as they work in book clubs.  The result, though, is a lot of books about Asian-Americans, new immigrants (mostly from Asia), Jewish and few books about Africans and Caribbean Islanders.  I hadn’t really thought about this before but we have inadvertently removed a very large population of students, both black and white Christian students.  The statements made me examine the curriculum which I currently work with and wonder if we need to take a critical look at the titles in our collection to be more inclusive so that the books we offer in the classroom more closely represent the population in the classroom.  It is my belief that students build a love for reading when they are exposed to books that have characters that they can relate to. 

The book club framing and questions addressed in this article are on point and are important to keep in mind when running a book club.  The question in my mind then becomes which books should be offered both in the school curriculum and as extra curricular activities to best reach African-American teens?  Do books need to feature characters that are supposed to be lead the reader to know that the character is African-American in order to move the book club forward?  How do adults guide students of all races to books that feature characters from a variety of backgrounds?

Currently, the books in the curriculum at my school that have African or Caribbean characters are The Cay and The Captive neither title reflects today’s African-American experience. Where then do we go as educators to bring a balance into the curriculum and spark a love for reading to the point where they want to join a book club?

             Please use the comment section to express your option, share experiences or give title suggestions. 

Role of the Library Media Specialist reading #2

Callison, D. and Preddy, L. (2006). Foundations of the Library Media Specialist’s Role. The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy (pp. 135-150). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

            In Mr. Callison’s chapter he points to several important factors that schools and librarians should be cognizant of in order to run a successful program.  First, he focuses on the media specialist’s self-perception.  Next, he goes on to define the instructional role of media specialists as well as the role that communication and collaboration play in the field.  Finally, he closes with some best practice information and tips for success.

            Callison begins by asserting that media specialist often perceives their role as a support role rather than as a teacher.  This statement should be untrue, at least in Michigan, where media specialists are recognized by the Michigan Education Association as teachers and receive the same contract as teachers.  Callison’s assertion however reminds media specialists that self-perception is the true key to success.  A media specialist should therefore believe the truth-of-the-matter which is that he or she is a powerful instructor. 

He sends a reminder that positive attitude along with high ability will create instructional actions for student achievement.  This is an obvious statement but is also a reminder that economic conditions give administrators the notion that money can be saved by making cuts to the media center.  Cuts to the media center, however, effect all students in the school in a negative way and do not support adequate yearly progress. Obviously, the media specialist must keep a positive attitude but moreover he or she must continue his or her education so that the school sees him or her as the biggest asset in the media center.

            As Callison defines the role of the media specialist he states that, “the library media professional would conduct in-service media training for teacher and develop learning programs that would assist all individuals in access to and use of materials found in the school’s collection” (138).   His concept is extremely logical, yet, not always implemented when school districts separate media professionals from technology staff.  When a district draws this distinction, they are making an illogical choice.  A media specialist has the teaching credentials that it takes to conduct trainings; an IT person does not.  It is therefore logical to employ the media specialist’s talents.

            Next, the chapter goes onto explain the definitions of instructional roles that the media specialist needs to take on.  On page 140 he shares a list from Kay Vandregrift, professor at Rutgers. This list is very comprehensive but quite idealistic.  If the media specialist participates in all of the stated activities when will the media center be open?  It seems like the answer to that question is: not enough.  The collaboration piece, however, is dead on.  Media professionals should have an innate love of investigation.  There is no better way to learn about a variety of topic and see a variety of teaching styles than to collaborate will as many teachers as possible.

            Finally, he closes with some important information about how to have a successful career.  To summarize his points, he emphasizes that media specialists should communicate with the principal allowing him or her to understand why collaboration is so important.  In other words, the media specialist should be a self-advocate.  In addition, Callison makes it clear that media specialist should continue to seek information and strategies to engage learners be it the students, teachers or the administration. 

Week 2: The Role of the School Librarian

Oberg, D. (September 30, 2009). Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture. Library Trends, 58, 1, 9-25.

          As I read though week one’s assigned readings, annotating and highlighting along the way, I noticed that my annotations started to burn up the margins during a particular reading.  “Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture,” by Dianne Oberg was the article that I found the most compelling and had me responding out loud to her assertions.    Therefore I have decided to blog my thoughts relating to this article.

On page 11 of her article Oberg states, “research has shown that an integrated school library program, appropriately resourced and staffed, can contribute improved student achievement.”  Schools around the country are facing cuts, Michigan being hit very hard by this latest economic downturn has “extras” cut from schools across the state.  What concerns me is, in many districts, school see the media center staff as an, “extra”.  As our district started to eliminate jobs, one full-time middle school media specialist was not replaced after retirement.   This leaves our school’s media specialist to drive between the district’s two media centers to run programming and keep the center open while the paraprofessional has her scheduled breaks.  It seems apparent then that the well-staffed portion of the statement cannot reasonably be fulfilled and should be cause for concern for teachers and the principal.  Moreover, it would be a huge asset for the government to invest in school media centers as an essential part of school funding rather than only allowing media centers to obtain their budget though the general fund. 

Oberg’s opinion differs from mine as she asserts that the “conservatism of the teaching profession is what attracts individuals to the profession” (12).     I take issue with this statement and her reasoning.  She states, “factors tend to attract individuals who found their own schooling a rewarding experience and who are not likely to see the need for changes in the schools or to invest the time and energy needed to make any major change in schools.”  In my opinion, this statement follows faulty logic.  My colleagues and I strive to give quality experiences to our students that are more organized and student centered than schooling was for us.  We use new teaching models and are not afraid to drastically change lesson plans when we think we can do something better, we get bored of doing things the same way or our kids need a different approach. Perhaps my retort is only antidotal well Oberg’s assertion is too broad. 

In addition, a person who found their own school experience rewarding may have experienced a lot of teachers who used best practices to make the experience pleasant.  It should then follow that individuals who were the most immersed in classes where teachers used best practices and innovate strategies, have the broadest knowledge of how to combine those practices to make school more rewarding for the next generation of learners.

In her next statement on page 12, Oberg highlights an interesting problem in teaching.  In summary, she states that teachers are given full responsibilities and then not given time for proper mentorship or collaboration.  In some school districts this is a very harsh reality.  I believe that it makes it difficult for districts to retain newer teachers and for seasoned teachers to expand and create the change they need to create to keep up with the culture of the school.

 Near the end, Oberg gives us some hope when she sites the work by Hay et. al. stating that, “the teacher-librarian improved the quality of teaching and learning through in-serving staff, through cooperative planning and teaching, and through collection development” (18).  In my experience, this is the truth.  When our school’s media specialist collaborates with me on a project, the students create work that is of higher quality then when I teach them alone.  When she teaches the students I learn from her and am able to improve my lesson plans.  By including her in my planning she is better able to develop her collection as she works with the kids, getting to know the ever changing culture of our school.  As the next group of media specialists enters the field, a strong desire to collaborate will improve schools, teaching and learning.