ISCI 794: Blog Assignment Interview - Curate with Brooke Compton

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 Curate Shared Foundation and Insight with Brooke Compton at Conder Elementary in Richland Two

Reflections on the Shared Foundation

The Think domain of the Curate shared foundation reminded me the most of teaching a lesson as it asks that librarians be models for responding to and gathering information, planning chances for students to explore information connected to their goals or interests, and assisting them along the way. The Create domain could be represented in the way the librarian communicates available resources and how to use or analyze the information that comes from them. The Share domain is similar as it could pertain to the creation of pathfinders for student and staff use. Lastly is the growth domain in which the librarian reminds students that research is a reiterative process. Also the librarians' responsibility to provide research learning opportunities and encourage Learners to think and discuss information as well as their process of finding and evaluating it.

The Interview

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

One way is through the use of Google Slides as a Pathfinder. An example is for a 4th grade lesson on habitats - Mrs. Compton gathered relevant resources and linked their to Google Slides designed to look like different habitats. She has also done a "information scavenger hunt" on a Google Doc of tasks or questions for students to use linked resources to complete. Mrs. Compton also collaborates with teachers and references standards to identify keywords to use with students as she leads lessons. For the Think domain, she will brainstorm with students about topics and model the information find process. With the Create domain, she incorporates diverse perspectives and asks that upper grade level students read a resource, figure out who the intended audience is, and then address who the author is and what their intention was for writing. In this way, she will discuss with students different points of view in both fiction and nonfiction which she ties into the topic of validity.

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

 A resource that she uses with the Create domain would be fake websites. This is done to discuss the validity of websites and how to identify false information. Mrs. Compton shows students a fake website and a real website and the group discusses the two as they compare. She also uses .com versus .org websites as she guides students through a search for best sources of information. Lastly, she recommends the resources on Kathy Schrock's website - specifically the Critical Evaluation Sheet.  

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

The previously mentioned Google Slides Habitat resources. She has done a similar practice with a lesson on severe weather. Mainly, Mrs. Compton's recommendation was to teach in collaboration with teachers - referencing standards or pacing guides and lesson plans to be aware of what students are doing and then to share what the library can do with those topics. 

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

One challenge is that the librarian cannot monitor what students are doing on their laptops - this is a hinderance to keeping the entire group going at the same pace. It is difficult to keep a group in the same pace, monitor student activity, and offer one on one guidance. Another challenge would be finding a singular online resource that offers material at multiple different reading abilities for students - however, there are some website that can be searched by Lexile. Lastly, a challenge is getting time with teachers for collaboration. 

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

An issue that Mrs. Compton has with the AASL standards is that there is not a scaffolding resources that shows what the standards look like for different grade levels. For example, she has a hard time identifying how that Grow domain can fit with her youngest groups of students but can identify ways how it can work with her oldest groups.

References

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

Schrock, K. (2023). Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. https://www.schrockguide.net/.