Bring IT Together 2015: Year of the Learning Commons
Jeanne Conte & Anita Brooks Kirkland
November 4, 2015
Part One: What is a Learning Commons
Minds On. Post your thoughts on our Linoit board: A learning commons is…
A Learning Commons Mindset
Image Credit: Reid Wilson (@wayfaringpath) CC
Kids These Days!
Who are our students, and what do they need from our schools?
On Your Own:
Tom Whitby (ASCD Blog, September 2015): How Do We Stop Illiterate Educators?
What is a School Library Learning Commons?
The school library at the heart of schools with a learning commons mindset:
Learning Commons Links
Together for Learning Website
Together for Learning Document
Together for Learning: Supporting Principals
T4L: Ideas for Implementation
Loertscher & Koechlin: Library to Learning Commons (Article in Education Canada)
Loertscher & Koechlin: The School Learning Commons Knowledge-Building Center
Brooks Kirkland: Transforming Library Spaces
Brooks Kirkland: The Virtual Library as a Learning Hub
Brooks Kirkland: Digital Literacy: Opportunities in the Learning Commons
Koechlin & Brooks Kirkland: Collaborative Leadership: A Learning Commons Model. ASCD Ontario, The Trillium (July 2014)
Part Two: Leading Learning with the School Library Learning Commons
Leading Learning is available on the School Libraries in Canada website.
The Canadian Library Association released national standards for school library learning commons in Canada at its national conference in Victoria, BC in June 2014.
Leading Learning is a transformational document. Its core theme is how the school library learning commons facilitates learning, and the document sets a framework for growth.
“All schools in Canada need to be able to develop and support excellent school libraries responsive to the diverse needs of learners today and into the future. This means that all schools large and small, urban and rural, public and private, brick and mortar or virtual, need to provide access to teaching expertise in the library as well as best resources, technologies and physical and virtual learning spaces to support learner needs as they evolve. The transitioning of the school library to school library learning commons establishes the vision and structure to address these evolving needs and encourages continuous growth.” (Leading Learning p. 7)
Learn more about Leading Learning, and download the document and bibliography at: http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slic/llsop.html
More Leading Learning Links
Canadian Library Association & Treasure Mountain Canada: A Vision for Canadian School Library Learning Commons
Release of Leading Learning at the CLA conference, June 2014.
Treasure Mountain Canada 2014: https://sites.google.com/site/tmcanada3/tmc3
Saskatchewan School Library Association: Transforming School Libraries in Canada: Leading Learning from the Learning Commons
Pembina Trails School Division: New national school library standards for the 21st century officially launched
Anita Brooks Kirkland: From Hubris to Humility: Welcoming New Standards for School Libraries in Canada
Diane Oberg: Relentlessly Focused on Learning: The Role of Evaluation
Carol Koechlin & Anita Brooks Kirkland: Collaborative Leadership in the School Library Learning Commons: New Canadian Standards and New Possibilities. As presented by Dr. Diane Oberg at the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) conference 2015.
Anita Brooks Kirkland: Leading Learning Goes International
Carol Koechlin & Anita Brooks Kirkland: A Catalyst for Igniting Change: Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Library 2.015 Worldwide Online Conference
Part Three: Moving Forward with the School Library Learning Commons
A few pictures to get the ideas flowing…
Visit Anita’s profile on Pinterest.
Learning Environment Resources
Brooks Kirkland: Transforming Library Spaces
Brooks Kirkland: The Virtual Library as a Learning Hub
Together for Learning: The Learning Commons
Together for Learning: Creating and Transforming Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces
Leading Learning Gap Analysis
What is your unique Library Learning Commons value proposition? Identify your own strengths and areas for growth. SLLC_ValueProposition.pdf
Make an Action Plan!
Refer to Leading Learning. Select one of the following organizers to begin your school’s transition plan.
- Appendix 3 (p. 32): Using Standards Growth Indicators
- Appendix 4 (p. 33): Planning and Leading Transitions to a School Library Learning Commons
Your Library Learning Commons Leadership Team
Who should be on your school’s Learning Commons Leadership Team?
- Consider ALL of the Leading Learning standards
- Consider your own unique competencies/contributions
- Identify missing/needed competencies/contributions
- Think about your whole school community
- Think about your peers across the school division
SLLC_DreamTeamMake It Real: How are you working towards a vibrant school library learning commons?
Share your School Library Learning Commons Story:
- Contribute a strategy to the Together for Learning website
- Share what you are doing on the Year of the Learning Commons website
- Contribute what you have learned through action research with Treasure Mountain Canada 2016
- Come to the Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2016 & TMC for a great learning and networking experience!
