By the CSL Leading Learning / L’Apprentissage en tête Committee
Leading Learning / L’Apprentissage en tête provides a framework for school wide improvement. Five standards of practice supported by a grid of transformative growth indicators provide the foundational ‘look fors’ for schools as they move forward with school library transitions to library learning commons. Keeping the exemplars alive and growing is critical. In the last few months over 50 new exemplars have been added from LLCs across Canada.
During the TMC6 Symposium we explored Participatory Learning in the Library Learning Commons. New ideas and connections grew from TMC Papers, guest speakers and participatory challenges. In the end we were engaged in visioning ways to expand the impact of the LLC school wide. The following new exemplars provide a sample of the many ways schools across Canada are working towards whole school participatory learning.
“Yesterday, you had a Learning Commons. Tomorrow, take over the whole school! Be visible and indispensable.” David Loertscher
Growth Indicator: LLC drives school wide collaborative teaching and learning.
An Ontario teacher-librarian creates a “menu” of collaboration approaches for partner teachers in the LLC supported by reflections on collaboration to inspire ways they can collaborate in the LLC and includes the link to the Leading Learning standard “Facilitating Collaborative Engagement to Cultivate and Empower a Community of Learners”.
Growth Indicator: LLC is a gateway of information, literature and communication supported by a technology infrastructure that advances collaborations.
This Saskatchewan secondary school virtual LLC sets the stage for collaboration. Includes the district catalog, online resources and screencast tutorials with pages ready for assignments, creation tools, links, religious study.
Growth Indicator: LLC leadership team develops and implements school improvement initiatives that are a model for future-oriented learning.
Explore the Applied Design Skills & Technologies (ADST) section of this British Columbia (BC) school district’s LC website. Includes the link to BC’s new curriculum and a summary of the big ideas from the ADST curriculum. Websites, how-to videos, apps, and more are linked to resources for coding, bloxels, computational thinking, robotics, and more including “unplugged activities” for computer science studies.
Co-taught Social Studies units and assignments are posted along with worksheets and pathfinders to help learners use best resources in this Ontario secondary school LLC.
Growth indicator: Learning experiences are designed to have real world context and relevancy for students.
Explore this Ontario middle school’s virtual LLC to discover many interesting learning provocations – virtual makerspace activities and choice grids, virtual field trips, coding supports and examples, inquiry and research support and find beautifully student-designed book posters.
Growth Indicator: Evolving technologies and robust infrastructure empower networking and participatory learning opportunities within and beyond the school.
In this pleasingly designed presentation from sixth Treasure Mountain Canada Symposium (TMC6) the authors discuss how they applied four aspects of participatory learning in the library learning commons through organizing a program they called 12 Days of Code (inspired by the annual Hour of Code challenge) by combining literacy and STEM goals. This dynamic team shares the process and program as well as learning reflections, new questions (wonders) stemming from their observations, plans for next steps and references.
Growth Indicator: Students construct and share new personal meaning using knowledge building technology tools.
This video, produced by the teacher-librarian of an elementary school in Campbell River, British Columbia, is part of the “Follett Challenge” selections. Here students read, read with friends, and share their readings in a fun challenge using 21st century learning skills and media arts. Includes pedagogical background, student interviews and presentations. Information about the challenge and an archive of previously selected projects can be found on Follett Challenge.
Growth Indicator: LLC program infuses cultural literacy.
This Ontario school’s virtual LLC includes a comprehensive list of the key understandings of the Seven Grandfather Teachings to support the infusion of Indigenous Perspectives as well as the resource manual “Teachings of the Seven Sacred/Seven Grandfathers” (Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, 2010) which comprises nine lessons to use with students.
Growth Indicator: Virtual LLC is designed to engage learners in participatory learning.
Peel District School Board Libraries (Ontario) have developed a district wide site Bringing the LLC Home. Teacher-librarians and classroom teachers have developed a wonderful collection of learning provocations presented as interactive choice grids. Templates are provided for educators to make their own grids and submit them for inclusion.
Growth Indicator: Virtual LLC empowers learners to co-create and share ideas and knowledge with a broader learning community.
Explore this dynamic virtual LLC for literacy and curricular connections for students and professional connections via Twitter for educators. Of particular note is the “Virtual Genius Cart” with awesome learning activities students can do at home and school such as maker spaces, places to explore (museums, NASA, etc.), moving and mindfulness resources, and an outline of the LLC “Genius Cart” with an online challenge. Designed for elementary school students; this site could also serve as a model for secondary virtual LLC design.
CSL Leading Learning / L’Apprentissage en tête Committee: The work of this committee is to ensure that the national standards site continues to evolve as living documentation of authentic implementation and outreach. Co-Chairs: Carol Koechlin and Judith Sykes, Website Editor: Lila Armstrong