The Role of the TL in Resource-Based Learning and Teaching: How Does Access = Success?

 

 Image source: Caps for Sale book by Esphyr Slobodkina (www.capsforsale.org)

What constitutes an “ideal” resource collection? How do we assess what “ideal” even IS when we have such a variety of budgets, schedules, student/staff demographics, and access to resources?

As Teacher Librarians, it falls to us not only to evaluate, establish and maintain our collection, but also to employ and promote it! (Remember that children’s picturebook Caps for Sale? That visual comes (above) to mind whenever I think of how a TL has to ‘wear a lot of hats’)!

So how do we become resource-based Teacher Librarians? How do we guide our colleagues to use our SLLC resources with their classes? How do we encourage our students to embrace their destiny of becoming the future leaders of collection management?!? (Ok, maybe that last one is a little lofty… but seriously, how do we just get the kids to use the collection?) 

Image source: https://educationtoday.org.in/2022/04/07/influence-of-media-in-education/

In Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide, it explains how, “Three principles of learning guide educational practice in British Columbia:

1. Learning requires the active participation of the student.

2. Students learn in a variety of ways and at different rates.

3. Learning is both an individual and a social process. Research has shown that students learn best when instruction and resources accommodate individual differences in learning styles, abilities, needs and interests.” (ERAC, p 5)

When I look at these three points, it becomes pretty clear that an educator cannot achieve the first point (student participation) without initially ensuring the second and third point are established – through the connections and accommodations we make with our students. Until that we build a connection through trust, it can be difficult to know the students as individuals and their unique abilities and learning styles. This is tricky enough as a classroom teacher, but how do we manage to connect with students as a Teacher Librarian when we don’t have the opportunity to work with the students for an extended length of time? 

I like this short video that expresses the importance of the Teacher Librarian and the key role we play in the school community: 

                                                                   Video source:  "The Role of the School Librarian" (an animated video produced by Softlink Education https://www.softlinkint.com/edu/ for the UK School Library Association's 'Great School Libraries' campaign)

One thing I believe we can do in our role Teacher Librarian is brought up in Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Both the document and the image (below) discuss the value of “Designing learning environments to support participatory learning.” (p 8)

Image source: Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca, p. 8. 

 

What does a learning environment that supports participatory learning look like?

It would be a SLLC space that provides equitable access for all students to learn.

In Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources it is suggested that student access is broken into three subdivisions:

1.     Intellectual Access

2.     Physical Access

3.     Digital Access

Intellectual access includes considerations such as; actively teaching skills that students need to access various formats of info, restrictions on the amount or type or format of resources, shelves or collections that are ‘off limits’, time available for students to visit the SLLC and access the resources, how long a resource is loaned to a patron, and age or grade/reading level restrictions on a resource.

Physical access is the location of resources, such as housing/shelving resources in more than one area of the school, extending the hours of the SLLC during times of frequent usage (like exams), making sure students and staff have access to resources needed to meet learning outcomes, and ensuring there is equipment provided for viewing and listening materials.

Digital access may be supported by making sure there are enough computers/iPads for students and staff to access the Internet/online databases, tech support for digital resources in various languages, enabling access to digital resources throughout the school day as well as before and after school, and purchasing or organizing site licenses for online services/databases.

(Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources, p 87-89.)

 

The bottom line when it comes to resource-based teaching and learning: the wider the range of varied resources offered to students should equal a greater success rate of them actively participating in their own learning. When we consider how, even as adults, each of us possess an individual method of learning, it makes a lot of sense that we should accommodate the diverse abilities and learning styles in our student population.

I personally appreciate this idea: a resource isn’t necessarily a material, it could also be a human. We are lucky at our (high school) library to be open before school, at lunch and after school. Our students have access to a TL and a library assistant outside of their scheduled classes/timetable. They also have access to desktop computers and a communal printer. I hope this helps our SLLC be more equitable in the sense that students who may not have tech or a printer at home can come to our library and utilise whatever they need. More importantly, they have us – we can answer questions, guide them in locating resources, help them access assignments, save their work, print (or digitally submit) their assignments, and most of all, just be THERE. Some of my most frequent SLLC visitors don’t come by for academic help – they come for access to an adult who will listen and encourage.

In my role as a Teacher Librarian, I think that’s my favourite hat  

RESOURCES + LINKS:

Achieving Information Literacy, pgs. 3-7, (http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/ail110217.pdf)

 

BCTLA, The Points of Inquiry. (https://bctla.ca/resources/point-of-inquiry/)

 

BCTLA, From School Library to Library Learning Commons: A Pro-Active Model for Educational Change. (2017). https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/from-school-library-to-library-learning-commons.pdf  

 

British Columbia Ministry of Education. Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide. (2002). Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources_ A Guide.pdf

 

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. http://apsds.org/wp-content/uploads/Standards-of-Practice-for-SchoolLibrary-Learning-Commons-in-Canada-2014.pdf

 

Canadian School Libraries (2020). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Accessed at: http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca

 

English Language Arts 12: BC’s New Curriculum. Province of British Columbia. (2020). English Language Arts 12 | Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum (gov.bc.ca)

 

Future Ready Schools. (2020). Empowering leadership for school librarians through innovative professional practice. Retrieved from Future Ready Schools: https://futureready.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FRS_Librarians_Framework_download-2020.pdf

 

Haycock, Ken. (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide 13.1: 25-35.

 

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. “Resources”. www.ifla.org. (February 2023).

 

Oxley, Kristie. (2023). “Lesson 5: The Reference Interview and Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching”. LIBE 467: Information Services 1. UBC.  https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/115685/pages/lesson-5-the-reference-interview-cooperative-program-planning-and-teaching-for-personalized-inquiry?module_item_id=5213152. (February 2023).

 

Oxley, Kristie. (2023). “Lesson 7: Evaluating Reference Services”. LIBE 467: Information Services 1. UBC. https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/115685/pages/lesson-7-evaluating-reference-services?module_item_id=5213156. (February 2023).

 

Pentland, C. (2019). Ensuring Equitable Access to Books in the School Library. Teacher Librarian: 46 (5).

 

Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC CLIO, LLC.