ISCI 794: Blog Assignment Interview - Include with Elizabeth Long

 

This GIF was created by Carson McCallum using Canva with information from "The National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries."

The Include Shared Foundation and Insight with Elizabeth Long from Doby's Mill Elementary in Kershaw County

Reflections on the Shared Foundation

The Include shared foundation put me in mind of how librarians are able to create environments of openness, understanding, and communication. The Think portion of the shared foundation addresses how librarians get learners to think about others and different learning experiences. It also addresses how librarians expose students to diverse points of view so they can become well-rounded, worldly thinkers and speakers. It is important for librarians to diversify the experience of learners so they can make connections between themselves and their local and global communities. The Create domain is about the provision of learning opportunities and the exposure of learners to diverse points of views through library instruction, activities, or materials. An interesting competency to this domain is “1. Providing opportunities for learners to interact with others who reflect a range of perspectives” (AASL, 2018, p. 76). To me, this was a valuable point for bringing speakers and events to the library that also ties into the Share domain. This domain requires librarians to set the standard for respectful and thoughtful engagement and to provide a space for open communication. I think that these two domains really support the initiative outlined by the Grow domain. The Grow domain’s purpose is to maintain a space for learner empowerment and growth through chances to explore their own interests and show their understanding through interactions. Something that I noticed as a virtual and face-to-face teacher as I returned from the COVID-19 school shutdowns was that student communication and social interaction was suffering. Even though the years between the pandemic and the modern day are advancing, I think learning experiences through positive, diverse interactions is a skill students need in the modern workplace and should be fostered within schools.

The Interview

What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

Mrs. Long considers herself incredibly fortunate to have a flexible schedule at the elementary school level. Her belief is that having this schedule allows her more opportunities to work with teachers and to meet students at their needs. She implements these competencies within her program through collaboration with educators, scaffolding learning experiences, and fostering an appreciate of reading in students through creation of reading plans and exploring their own interests.

What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

A resource used to implement this competency is maintaining an active and balanced collection. This is accomplished by having three book fairs a year, using diverse resources, and collaborating with counselors to have a satellite collection for bibliotherapy. 

Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples.

Due to the flexible schedule, Mrs. Long is able to interact with teachers and design learning experience that benefit students. Some of these experiences repeat yearly, other times it changes. One example is a 1st grade class that is studying rocks in one subject and poetry in another, gather in the library to go on a nature walk, collect rocks to identify, and then write haiku poems. This is a very advanced lesson for third graders and it is only possible through collaboration and scaffolding. 

What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

A challenge of this competency is timing. Everyone in a school is pressed for time in operating within the calendar to achieve their own tasks and prepare students. In Mrs. Long's 28 years, her experience with collaboration with teachers is more on the fly than sitting down to do complete planning. It is important to know the objective and collaborate with the teacher to get students to meet it - but be adaptable.

Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

A fantastic program from his library that touches on the competencies of the Include foundation is Mrs. Long's Dolphin Pup's program. This is  group open to the community in which children ages pre-k through 4 years old come to the school library with their parents to explore books and learn how to operate within the library. It is a story time that focuses on relationship building with contemporaries. Dolphin Pups resulted from Mrs. Long noticing deficits in students reading after budget cuts in 2008 closed the 4K program at the school. Once she opened the program it has grown to include students who don't attend the elementary school but still learn and engage with peers.

References

AASL. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Librarians. ALA Editions.