Teacher-Librarians: Your Partners in Inclusive Teaching and Learning Brenda Dillon [email protected] Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School Dufferin.

Teacher-Librarians:

Your Partners

in Inclusive Teaching

and LearningBrenda Dillon

[email protected] Pocock Catholic Secondary School

Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board

Session 6 Bridges to Learning 2010

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

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)

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”)

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

– who’ve taken AQ Librarianship courses, 3 parts (minimum part 1

necessary)

Inclusive Teaching and Learning

• Programs and Students

• In the School Library

• Support for the Classroom Program

• Educational Leadership

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)

• 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

In the School Library: Program

• You are welcome @ your library

• Reading and Learning @ your library

• Job Skills Development @ your library

You are welcome @ 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

• 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

• 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…

Reading and Learning @ 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

• 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)

• 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

Job Skills Development @ 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

• Workplace Experience @ 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

• 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

• Co – Op Education Students– offer placement to students interested in teaching or

librarianship

– credit - bearing

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

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

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)

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

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

<http://www.accessola.com/osla/bins/

content_page.asp?

cid=630-636-660>.