ISCI 761 Blog Post 1

 



       As a middle level content teacher, I am familiar with standards as a guide for educator performance (Rubric 4.0 in SC) and student expectations (SC content standards).  Achieving exemplary ratings for teachers using Rubric 4.0 is nearly impossible due to the usage of words like always and never.  On the other hand, as an MLIS student, I was surprised to see standards for both the librarian and the students contained in a single document. The American Association of School Library (referred to as AASL in the rest of this post) standards align librarian expectations with the student expectations so that it is easy to identify what needs to be done to help students meet their goals.   The International Society for Technology in Education  (referred to as ISTE in the rest of this post) also align librarian expectations with student expectations, although through separate standards.  Both the AASL and ISTE standards can be categorized into six shared foundations: inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage.  I think these shared foundations should be the focus of everyone in education, regardless of role. After all, isn't this what we want our students to be able to do as adults in our communities and workforces?  

     In the Knowledge Quest article, "School Librarians Level Up!," Jennifer Freedman and Alice Robinson focus on the shared foundation Explore. The Explore foundation can be broken down in to four AASL domains: think, create, share, grow (see graphic below). ISTE standards for learners include seven key areas: (1) empowered learner, (2) digital citizen, (3) knowledge constructor, (4) innovative designer, (5) computational thinker, (6) creative communicator, and (7) global collaborator.  The correlating ISTE educator key areas are (1) learner, (2) leader, (3) citizen, (4) collaborator, (5) designer, (6) facilitator, and (7) analyst. The AASL foundation Explore aligns with ISTE student standards 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and educator standards 6 and 12.   These correlations can be found in the National School Library Standards crosswalk with ISTE Standards for Students and Educators.  Analysis of the two sets of standards reflects similar student and educator skills, with the biggest difference being ISTE's focus on technology integration.  Freedman and Robinson points out that with the new AASL standards learning is not limited to just in the classroom work; students are empowered to think independently, problem solve, communicate and collaborate with diversity, and practice skills that go way beyond the classroom into higher education, workforce, and personal life. 




     As librarians and educators, adopting the AASL and ISTE standards as the foundation of our practice, we are enabling the next generations to adapt and grow academically, professionally, and personally.  The standards give us the framework to build on as we update program infrastructure, adapt facilities to include collaboration spaces and technology integration, modify collaboration practices between librarians and teachers, advocate for changes at the building, district, and state levels, and reflect on our own practice and goals. The world is changing fast for the leaders of tomorrow.  We are preparing our students for success, in the words of Pixar's Buzz Lightyear, "to infinity and beyond!"

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2020, August 10). Shared foundation infographics. National School Library Standards. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://standards.aasl.org/project/foundations/

American Association of School Librarians. (n.d.). National School Library Standards crosswalk with ISTE Standards for Students and Educators. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180206-AASL-framework-for-learners-2.pdf

Disney/Pixar. (1995). Toy story [Film]. United States.

Freedman, J. L., & Robinson, A. (2019). School Librarians Level Up! Knowledge Quest, 47(5), 10–15.

International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). The ISTE standards. ISTE. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.iste.org/iste-standards

SC Rubric 4.0 . South Carolina Department of Education . (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/File/educators/teacher-evaluations/ADS%20manual_FINAL.pdf

Standards and Learning. South Carolina Department of Education . (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-lea

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2022 at 11:54 AM

    I also appreciated the Level Up! article in our reading this week. As someone new to these standards I was able to see how they could function on a practical level much better after reading it. Thank you for your thoughts here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2022 at 11:54 AM

      Sorry, that comment was from Marné Fletcher in your class :)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2022 at 12:50 PM

    I didn’t think about how the AASL standards combine both the expectations for the student and the teacher, unlike the state standards. It makes the process more streamlined and efficient, especially when it comes to understanding and implementing the standards in your library lessons. -Kelly Watson

    ReplyDelete

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