Teacher-Librarians: Your Partners in Inclusive Teaching and Learning

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Teacher-Librarians Your Partners in Inclusive
Teachingand Learning
Brenda Dillon Brenda.Dillon_at_dpcdsb.org Philip
Pocock Catholic Secondary School Dufferin
Peel Catholic District School Board Session
6 Bridges to Learning 2010
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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

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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)

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• 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)

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• 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
• whove taken AQ Librarianship courses, 3
  parts (minimum part 1 necessary)

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Inclusive Teaching and Learning

• Programs and Students
• In the School Library
• Support for the Classroom Program
• Educational Leadership

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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)

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• 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

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In the School Library Program

• You are welcome _at_ your library
• Reading and Learning _at_ your library
• Job Skills Development _at_ your library

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You are welcome _at_ 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
  

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• 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

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• 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

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Reading and Learning _at_ 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

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• 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)

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• 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

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Job Skills Development _at_ 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

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• Workplace Experience _at_ 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

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• 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

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• Co Op Education Students
• offer placement to students interested in
  teaching or librarianship
• credit - bearing

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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
• lthttp//www.accessola.com/osla/bins/content_page
  .asp?
• cid630-636-660gt.