BIT15: YearLC

Bring IT Together 2015: Year of the Learning Commons
Jeanne Conte & Anita Brooks Kirkland
November 4, 2015


Part One: What is a Learning Commons

Minds On. Post your thoughts on our Linoit board: A learning commons is…

A Learning Commons Mindset

Growth-v-Fixed

Image Credit: Reid Wilson (@wayfaringpath) CC

PowerPointMac A Learning Commons Mindset


Kids These Days!

Who are our students, and what do they need from our schools?


On Your Own:

Tom Whitby (ASCD Blog, September 2015): How Do We Stop Illiterate Educators?


PowerPointMac What is a Learning Commons?

What is a School Library Learning Commons?
Learning-commons-graphic

The school library at the heart of schools with a learning commons mindset:

Learning Commons Links

Together for LearningTogether for Learning Website
Together for Learning Document
Together for Learning: Supporting Principals
T4L: Ideas for Implementation
Loertscher & Koechlin: Library to Learning Commons (Article in Education Canada)
Loertscher & Koechlin: The School Learning Commons Knowledge-Building Center
Brooks Kirkland: Transforming Library Spaces
Brooks Kirkland: The Virtual Library as a Learning Hub
Brooks Kirkland: Digital Literacy: Opportunities in the Learning Commons
Koechlin & Brooks Kirkland: Collaborative Leadership: A Learning Commons Model. ASCD Ontario, The Trillium (July 2014)


Part Two: Leading Learning with the School Library Learning Commons

PowerPointMac Leading Learning

Leading Learning

Leading Learning is available on the School Libraries in Canada website.

The Canadian Library Association released national standards for school library learning commons in Canada at its national conference in Victoria, BC in June 2014.

Leading Learning is a transformational document. Its core theme is how the school library learning commons facilitates learning, and the document sets a framework for growth.

“All schools in Canada need to be able to develop and support excellent school libraries responsive to the diverse needs of learners today and into the future. This means that all schools large and small, urban and rural, public and private, brick and mortar or virtual, need to provide access to teaching expertise in the library as well as best resources, technologies and physical and virtual learning spaces to support learner needs as they evolve. The transitioning of the school library to school library learning commons establishes the vision and structure to address these evolving needs and encourages continuous growth.” (Leading Learning p. 7)

Learn more about Leading Learning, and download the document and bibliography at: http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slic/llsop.html

More Leading Learning Links

Canadian Library Association & Treasure Mountain Canada: A Vision for Canadian School Library Learning Commons

Release of Leading Learning at the CLA conference, June 2014.

Release of Leading Learning at the CLA conference, June 2014.

Treasure Mountain Canada 2014: https://sites.google.com/site/tmcanada3/tmc3

Saskatchewan School Library Association: Transforming School Libraries in Canada: Leading Learning from the Learning Commons

Pembina Trails School Division: New national school library standards for the 21st century officially launched

Anita Brooks Kirkland: From Hubris to Humility: Welcoming New Standards for School Libraries in Canada

Diane Oberg: Relentlessly Focused on Learning: The Role of Evaluation

Carol Koechlin & Anita Brooks Kirkland: Collaborative Leadership in the School Library Learning Commons: New Canadian Standards and New Possibilities. As presented by Dr. Diane Oberg at the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) conference 2015.

Anita Brooks Kirkland: Leading Learning Goes International

Carol Koechlin & Anita Brooks Kirkland: A Catalyst for Igniting Change: Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Library 2.015 Worldwide Online Conference


Part Three: Moving Forward with the School Library Learning Commons

PowerPointMac Moving Forward

A few pictures to get the ideas flowing…
Visit Anita’s profile on Pinterest.

Learning Environment Resources

Brooks Kirkland: Transforming Library Spaces
Brooks Kirkland: The Virtual Library as a Learning Hub

Brooks Kirkland, Koechlin & Di Sabatino: Teen Territories: Creating their special spaces in libraries

Together for Learning: The Learning Commons
Together for Learning: Creating and Transforming Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces

Ontario Ministry of Education: The Third Teacher: Designing the Learning Environment for Mathematics and Literacy, K-8


Leading Learning Gap Analysis

LL_Appendix3What is your unique Library Learning Commons value proposition? Identify your own strengths and areas for growth. SLLC_ValueProposition.pdf

Make an Action Plan!

Refer to Leading Learning. Select one of the following organizers to begin your school’s transition plan.

  • Appendix 3 (p. 32): Using Standards Growth Indicators
  • Appendix 4 (p. 33): Planning and Leading Transitions to a School Library Learning Commons

Your Library Learning Commons Leadership Team

NoTLWho should be on your school’s Learning Commons Leadership Team?

  • Consider ALL of the Leading Learning standards
  • Consider your own unique competencies/contributions
  • Identify missing/needed competencies/contributions
  • Think about your whole school community
  • Think about your peers across the school division

pdficonS SLLC_DreamTeam

Make It Real: How are you working towards a vibrant school library learning commons?


Year of the Learning CommonsShare your School Library Learning Commons Story:

sc2016-button-LITMCanada