Leading Learning from the Library Learning Commons
May 13, 2016
“Learners have a right to expect good school libraries in every school in Canada.” So states the Canadian Library Association’s Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada (2014). Developed with input from every province and territory, Leading Learning sets itself apart from previous standards. Its framework is about growth and building capacity, not about setting unrealistic and unachievable benchmarks. Leading Learning focuses on the learner, and that vision can indeed help every school to realize the potential of the library learning commons. Join me as we explore how Leading Learning can help all school libraries develop into vibrant physical and virtual collaborative learning hubs within a participatory learning community.
Minds On: Knowing Our Learners
Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada
“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
Resources: By the Brooks
School Library Learning Commons
School Library Learning Commons Guidelines and Standards
Learning Spaces
Digital Literacy
Learning Commons Idea Boards on Pinterest
Additional Resources
Halifax Regional School Board Virtual Library Learning Commons
Conference Board of Canada: Employability Skills 2000+
Nova Scotia Curriculum: Principles of Learning
QSLiN: CLA Library Learning Commons Digital Badges
Moving Forward with the School Library Learning Commons
The CLA’s Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada (2014) describes a vision of the library as a physical and virtual collaborative learning hub. As energizing as that vision is, the challenge of making it happen can seem overwhelming to library staff. But Leading Learning is about growth and building capacity and a whole school approach, providing a practical framework for every school to succeed. In this session we will explore how to move forward with a team approach, so that your school can fully leverage the library’s role in realizing its goals for student success.
Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada
Use the SEE IT IN ACTION links to see exemplars of each standard, theme and growth stage.
From the President: Value, Influence, Positioning: Advocacy by a New Name
Open Shelf, Ontario Library Association (2014)
http://www.open-shelf.ca/value-influence-positioning/
Print copies of Leading Learning are available at the Library Marketplace
Introducing Canadian Voices for School Libraries
Canadian Voices for School Libraries is a new organization dedicated to fostering the growth of the school library learning commons in Canada and to developing a national network of school library practitioners and supporters.
Are you interested in news about this new organization? Subscribe to our mailing list: http://cvsl.ca/subscribe/
