As I am
currently studying to become a school librarian, the teacher in me is
fascinated by the standards a librarian needs to follow. Being in education the
past 18 years, I understand how standards are to hold us up to the highest degree
of professionalism while focusing on the reason we are in education to begin
with- the students. I was thrilled to find a link, compliments of my SLIS 761
professor Dr. Green, which was a crosswalk
of the National School Library Standards and ISTE Standards for Students and
Educators from AASL. As I was exploring the different domains and comparing
the two, many terms jumped out at me. I decided to take the similar terms from
each area and group them. After that, I went through to see what the big
differences were between the two. I believe that there are more similarities
than differences. When trying to contrast them, there were few things that
stood out. The National School Library Standards are specifically targeting a
school library, librarian, and students in terms of the role of a school
library, while the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators focus more on the
students and educators in regard to technologies.
However, as an educator I know exactly how important the school library and
technology are to producing well-rounded students. The library is the heartbeat
of a school, and technology allows students to have a farther reach in their
inquiry and learning on a global scale. With that being said, I feel confident
in saying that the National School Library Standards and ISTE Standards for
Students and Educators complement each other in a way that allows educators and
school librarians to best meet the needs of students in a holistic way.
To put this
theory to the test, I wanted to look at it through a school program that is
close to my heart. In the May/June issue of Knowledge
Quest, there was an article about the relationship of the AASL Standards
and the IB Program. My daughter is currently in her second year of our school
district’s MYIB Program. I wanted to see how my future job would support such a
wonderful program. The Start of Something
New: A Relationship between the AASL Standards Framework for Learners and IB
Approaches to Learning by Calypso Gilstrap was a wonderful read that
highlighted the global approach to teaching the whole child in relationship to
their community and the world, and how a school librarian, through following
the standards, helps support IB students and educators.
While
reading the article, I kept in mind the ISTE Standards for Students and
Educators as well since through the crosswalk, I saw how supportive and necessary
they are for school librarians when fulfilling the National School Library
Standards. The article focuses on the IB’s Approaches to Learning (ATL), which
drives the organizations educational philosophy and how strongly it correlates
to AASL’s Standards Framework for
Learners (Gilstrap 2019). “The five categories of ATL are 1.) thinking
skills, 2.) communication skills, 3.) social skills, 4.) self-management
skills, and 5.) research skills (IBO 2014, I)” (2019). When thinking about the
five categories of IB, school librarians can see how the focus lines up
directly with the National School Library Standards, which in turn lines up
with the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators. Gilstrap goes on in the
article to give ideas and tips to use with students in educators that are based
on the National School Library Standards that go hand in hand with supporting
IB’s five categories. As a parent of a current MYIB student, I can strongly
agree that the 5 categories of IB’s ATL are the bedrock of the program. As a
current educator and now LIS student, I can say with 100% certainty that the National
School Library Standards and the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators are
guidelines that not only support IB students and educators, but all students
and educators to become global learners and communicators in our ever-changing
world.
IB Information
Gilstrap, C. (2019). The
Start of Something New: A Relationship between the AASL Standards Framework for
Learners and IB Approaches to Learning. Knowledge Quest, 47(5),
30-35.
Hi Ashley!
ReplyDeleteI also found that AASL and ISTE standards were similar in many of the learner goals. I think that its natural for educators in today's world to employ ISTE standards as they follow AASL or even the SC State Standards. It is nice that the ISTE standards mesh well with either! Standards have been my biggest nemesis as a school librarian so far (I've only served in this position for one school year). What I mean is that since I was a classroom teacher for so many years, I haven't felt confident with my lesson plans using AASL standards because they aren't as explicit as the grade-level standards and support documents I was so confident using. While this has been a struggle for me, this has also been a growing opportunity for me to have more freedom with how and what I teach my students in library classes. I'm still learning, so this module was wonderful for me to take a closer look at both sets of standards.
I appreciate that the standards have so many similarities and it was great to read your perspective with looking at the IB world and your daughter's path.
Have a great week!
Thanks Audrey! I loved reading your perspective as a former classroom teacher to a school librarian. As teachers, we plan by standards so carefully. You pointing out how the AASL and ITSE standards are more vague compared to state standards teachers use is a good point. Going from explicit standards to more open-ended standards is definitely an adjustment. Congratulations on being a school librarian!
DeleteAshley