New national standards were released by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in late 2007 (Standards for the 21st Century Learner) and in 2008 national (AASL) and state (Alabama Department of Education) plans for implementation were published.
My Synopsis of Expectations in 21st Century (based on new standards)
As information literacy has emerged rapidly in this technological age, it is understandable that radically changing standards are to follow. School librarians collaborate with others to provide learning strategies, provide instruction, and teach skills needed to enhance learning for life. The school library media specialist is to provide equal access to books and reading, and to information technology. Library media specialists provide tools to help learners become critical thinkers that seek multiple perspectives on a subject. They are also to teach learners how to gather information and draw conclusions to make informed decisions and then share that information using social tools responsibly. The goals of the new standards are to teach learners to be productive members of society and pursue personal and aesthetic growth. Learners are provided opportunities to share with each other with personal contact and through technology.
Library media specialists are to include all stakeholders in planning and implementing the new standards focus on information literacy. Library media specialists will assist teachers in implementing these skills that learners need throughout their school based learning and for learning for life. This is where the L4L stands for, Learning For Life.
My Analogy of Library Media Program
A school’s media program is molded to fit the school’s mission and program. A school’s demographics and assessment data vary from area to area. There is no 'one size fits all' category. Everyone needs clothes but most of us are going to wear different sizes and most items are going to fit us in various ways. We all need the library media program, but some of us may need more knowledge in specific areas, such as geography or vocabulary, etc… We all need a shirt, some of us need a bigger one, some of us need a smaller one. The planning for the Library Media Center is the same.
All library media programs need access to materials, like we all need a shirt. I might need help zipping my shirt, likewise, instruction needs to be given on how to use the materials or programs. I might need a shirt that fits looser in the shoulders because I have broad shoulders, so the programs offered by the library media program need to be designed to fit the specific learners and learning strategies that have been proven to meet the needs of those individual students. The professional guidelines set the parameters like all shirts have a place for your arms like sleeves.
COLLECTION OF RESOURCES:
ALA (American Library Association) Library Bill of Rights
New national standards were released by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in late 2007 (Standards for the 21st Century Learner) and in 2008 national (AASL) and state (Alabama Department of Education) plans for implementation were published.
Standards for the 21st Century Learner (2007, American Association of School Librarians)
Learning 4Life: A National Plan for Implementation of Standards for the 21st Century Learner and Guidelines for the School Library Media Program (2008, American Association of School Librarians)
Alabama’s School Library Media Plan for the 21st Century Learner (2008, Alabama Department of Education)
Alabama’s School Library Media Handbook for the 21st Century Learner (2008, Alabama Department of Education)
Library media specialists are to include all stakeholders in planning and implementing the new standards focus on information literacy. Library media specialists will assist teachers in implementing these skills that learners need throughout their school based learning and for learning for life. This is where the L4L stands for, Learning For Life.
All library media programs need access to materials, like we all need a shirt. I might need help zipping my shirt, likewise, instruction needs to be given on how to use the materials or programs. I might need a shirt that fits looser in the shoulders because I have broad shoulders, so the programs offered by the library media program need to be designed to fit the specific learners and learning strategies that have been proven to meet the needs of those individual students. The professional guidelines set the parameters like all shirts have a place for your arms like sleeves.