Responsive Classroom; Library Edition

Due to technical difficulties, Allison’s blog couldn’t be posted on Wednesday.  Enjoy!

Responsive Classroom: Library Edition

Last week our Lower School faculty (classroom teachers and specialists) dove into four days of training on Responsive Classroom, an approach to education addressing the social, emotional, and academic growth of students. As a faculty, we are excited about the consistency it will bring to our classroom, hallways, recess fields, and the cafeteria.

There are many aspects of Responsive Classroom that I am excited about. With a public library background, I do not have as much classroom management experience as many of my colleagues and welcome new techniques that help my progress as an effective educator. For this blog post I selected four takeaways from Responsive Classroom. The descriptions I am giving are based on how we are integrating Responsive Classroom techniques immediately after the training. There will likely be many steps forward and back as we adapt to this new model in our lower school as a whole and in the library. Consider my blog a quick share-out from a neophyte practitioner. To read about Responsive Classroom from the experts, please refer to Responsive Classroom. The online resources and blog articles are very helpful and the contributors have many great ideas.
Four Takeaways

1. Hopes & Dreams and Rules
We created school rules: Be safe. Be kind. Be respectful. These rules will be used in all classes and in common areas. Each class may add rules (not too many) that reflect the needs of the particular space and community. In addition, in the first few weeks of school we will have the students think and write about their hopes and dreams for the school year. By connecting student hopes and dreams to the rules, we hope to increase accountability for student behavior. I have hopes and dreams about student hopes and dreams related to their time in the library.

2. Positive Teacher Language
We remind our students. We reinforce our reminders. We redirect behavior when it has gone off course. What I like most about Responsive Classroom’s recommended teacher language is that it emphasizes the positive. It assumes that the students know what they should be doing and just need a little reminder to get back on track. Instead of pointing out the negative things students have done, we remind students of the positive behaviors we want to see. The reminders allow the students to figure out what they should be doing.

“Remember our rules about being safe in the hallway.”
“Remember how we read quietly at the end of library to be respectful of our classmates.”
“Remind me how we stand in line for the pencil sharpener.”
“Remind me how we ask someone to be a partner.”

When behavior has gone far off course we use redirecting language that is direct and unapologetic. The intent of the language is to stop the inappropriate behavior immediately and steer the student on the correct path. Redirecting language sounds a bit on the bossy side because it excludes the words “please,” “thank you,” and “can you.”

“Stop. Walk.”
“Sit down.”

Although it doesn’t seem like redirecting language should feel foreign on the tongue, it does! I didn’t realize how often I soften requests for behavior change with polite words until I deliberately started using redirecting language. It’s different, and so far has been very effective with the students.

3. Morning Meeting
The morning meeting is a time for students and teachers to have a greeting, a group share or activity, and hear a morning meeting that introduces a lesson. This meeting sets the tone for the rest of the day so it is carefully planned by the teacher and very structured to keep things on task. Because we have classes in the library at many different times during the day, I am calling our beginning meeting the Circle Meeting and it will be quite a bit shorter than a homeroom meeting. I’m hoping that the Circle Meeting will create a new sense of community, order, and purpose at the start of each library lesson.

4. Interactive Modeling
Think about the variety of procedural skills students navigate over the course of the school year. Is modeling a good way to teach them? While there are things I’ve always modeled, such as using a shelf marker, there are many other procedures that might be better understood by students with a simple demonstration of expectations. For our first library lessons of the year we are modeling how to check out books at the circulation desk. We then ask the students to comment on what they notice about the interaction and then have volunteers model for the class. Showing instead of telling has been a very effective method for teaching so far.
We are in the first week of school and the first days of Responsive Classroom. It’s a challenge to change the way we talk with students. It’s been enjoyable to integrate Responsive Classroom techniques and practices into each 40-minute library lesson. I believe that the time invested now will pay off later in the year and I am looking forward to the adventures ahead. I feel fortunate to be working with a faculty dedicated to this effort, the wonderful resources listed HERE , and knowledgeable AISL colleagues to learn from.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my email on the list-serv last week. It was great to learn from librarians using Responsive Classroom techniques in the library setting. I’ll probably be in touch with you as we try out new things this year.

If you’d like to keep the conversation going, please respond below. There is so much to learn!

From Jennifer Falvey – AISL Annual Conference Affordability Scholarship winner, Impressions on the Conference

Greetings to you all, I am posting Jennifer’s blog about her impressions from the conference today.  Enjoy and have a safe, restful and wonderful summer!  Barbara

 

The Difference

I have so enjoyed seeing the posts written by the other conference attendees—especially the Storify about the whole experience. Looking at those pictures and posts (some of them mine!), I have been able to relive and review the truly inspiring sessions (Libraries as Incubators! OMG makerspaces! Sofas covered in uniform fabric! ), the awesome venues (The Yacht Club! Sunken Gardens! The Ringling Estate!), and the new friendships I began (Mary! Kim! The Publix trip and the Bad Bananas!).

So it is perhaps surprising that I have been wrestling a bit with writing this blog post. Now it is the 11th hour, and I am using the deadline as my impetus to just go ahead and say what I’ve been thinking, and figure that if any of this truth is uncomfortable or “wrong,” then I can use that knowledge to grow.

Being an Independent School Librarian is different from being a public school librarian. And from what I can see so far, our conference is different, too.

A few years ago, my wonderful school had a campaign focused on sharing our appreciation for our teachers, our campus, our educational and extra-curricular programs. As a part of this effort, car magnets were distributed. They were large—I’d say about 6” x 8” at least—and they said “I Know the Difference.” (Did I mention that these magnets were Large?) Well, I had a really hard time putting that magnet on my car. In fact, I think I put it on my fridge instead. Even though I know we are different, in all the good ways, I couldn’t do it. It seemed too “Nanny Nanny Boo Boo,” if you know what I mean.

It’s the same with admitting that the AISL conference is different (okay, when I say different I mean better. There.). I said to many people while I was at conference, and afterwards, that this was the single most relevant and rewarding conference I have ever attended, and it truly was. Day after day I was presented with robust program ideas, solid research, and personal stories which directly related to my own professional situation and which were focused on creating high-quality, challenging and enriching programming for students. And although I know that all of us—private and public school alike—must be aware of the financial realities at our schools, connect with our constituents and advocate with our admins, that was not the primary focus of this conference, as it so often has been at the public-school level. It is a sad fact that when, year after year, public school librarians find it necessary to fight for their survival, the focus can easily become about survival at the expense of substance.

There, I said it. I have put the bumper sticker on my professional car: I Know the Difference. And it still makes me cringe a bit.

So where does that leave me? I am still a member of my local public school librarian’s organization, serving as the Special Public and Independent School liaison. Have I just betrayed all of those colleagues? I hope not. I have to believe that doesn’t have to be the end of it.

In this regard, the theme of our 2015 conference, Bridging Our Differences, was especially meaningful to me—particularly as a first-time attendee. I am so grateful to have found my professional organization, and I see the value it can add to my life both professionally and personally. My challenge now is to find ways to share that richness: with my students, my faculty, and my public library peers.

 

From Kari Dalane; with my apologies

When I posted Kari’s blog, there were errors and I apologize to Kari and all of you as well.  I am reposting the blog and this time, all should be well!  Barbara

 

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a scholarship recipient to this year’s AISL conference in Tampa, Florida. This blog post is a reflection on my experience at the conference and what I took away from it.

 

I landed in Tampa late Tuesday night and took a cab to the hotel to meet my roommate for the conference, Cathy Leverkus, who is the Director of Library and Information Services at The Willows Community School in Los Angeles. The week prior to the conference she sent an email to the listserv looking for a roommate and I thought it would be a good way to keep costs down and meet someone new. This was a great choice. Cathy and I got along right away and it was nice to know someone before the conference started on Wednesday morning.

 

Wednesday was a whirlwind of new: new people, new ideas, and new places. I sat down at breakfast with a group of people I had never met, who quickly put me at ease, and was excited by “The Library as Incubator” keynote. I have since been frequenting their website and have taken inspiration for future projects. I can’t wait to make a poetree for National Poetry Month next year!

 

After the keynote, we all boarded the coach buses, which proved to be think tanks on wheels. I sat with a new person on almost every bus trip during the conference, learning and making friends simultaneously. This first bus trip was when I realized I was in for a different kind of conference — not a run from room to room in a hotel, overload on information, and hardly talk to anyone new kind of conference, like most of the conferences I have been to before. The small number of attendees and the willingness of everyone to open up and share was what made AISL such a unique and worthwhile experience.

 

Our first school visit at Shorecrest Preparatory School also tipped me off about how different this conference would be. I attended a session on makerspaces and then went to look around in the makerspace the presenters had just told me about! This kind of hands-on experience is invaluable. Creating a makerspace in my library is on my to-do list, and I had the chance to explore one and now I have Courtney Walker and Dottie Smay, in her fabulous high heels, to reach out to for advice if (or honestly, when) I need it.

 

I also was happy to learn that we were not overscheduled. During some conferences, I feel totally overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at me in session after session. It was nice to have time to do other things during AISL. After Shorecrest, we visited Sunken Gardens and had time to explore this beautiful local site and relax. This was followed by an afternoon of free time to explore Tampa, which I took full advantage of by thrifting with two new friends. The book board discussion and dinner with a librarian closed out the day beautifully. I was exhausted, and gratefully went to bed early.

Thursday opened with a lovely breakfast overlooking the water at Pier 22 followed by a visit to Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, where I had the opportunity to discuss teaching research with three other librarians during “The Power of Student Discovery.” I came away with a better sense of how to structure my research curriculum next year.

 

It was nice to get a chance to see The Ringling Museum that afternoon and to have some time to spend on the beach (and grab a few frozen daiquiris with new friends!) at Saint Armand’s circle. Swimming in the hotel pool was a perfect end to the day.

 

The final day of the conference started off with breakfast and some excellent entertainment at Berkeley Prep. The lower division choir practically brought me to tears and reminded me why I am in this profession in the first place. Working with young people who are full of promise and hope, who are so innocent and vulnerable, who make you smile and sometimes drive you nuts — they are the reason our school libraries exist.

 

I attended the Capstone Project Poster Session and was blown away by what the kids had managed to do, especially considering the fact that this was the first group to complete the program. I am hoping to create a capstone project at my own school and now have some ideas of how to get going and C.D. McLean to reach out to for advice.

 

It was a treat to hear author William Durbin speak during our delicious lunch at Columbia Restaurant. I loved hearing about the key role research plays in his writing process and was inspired to give writing a go myself during summer vacation. The afternoon writing session led by author Adrian Fogelin at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Day School further emboldened me. I also teach English and took away a wealth of things to try with my students from her presentation.

 

The closing Skip Anthony Dinner provided the perfect end to the conference and highlighted the most enjoyable aspect of it for me, and I think the biggest reason people return year after year: meeting and spending time with some wonderful people who share your passion. Dedicated, energetic, inspiring, supportive… I could go on and on. I work with faculty and students in my school every day and they are also wonderful people, but sometimes I feel a bit isolated as the only librarian on campus. I made real connections with others in my profession at this conference. I have already been in touch with several people I met and feel more connected to the independent school librarian community.

 

The conference was a time to recharge professionally, to reassess, rethink, and renew. I came away revitalized and ready to implement many of the ideas I learned about through formal sessions and informal conversations. AISL Tampa 2015 was the best conference I have ever been to.

 

I’d like to thank AISL for offering the scholarship, the scholarship committee, and the conference planning committee, who did an excellent job. I hope I am able to make it to L.A. next year!

 

Kari Dalane

From Kari Delane, AISL Annual Conference Affordability Scholarship winner, Impressions on the Conference

Intro from Phoebe Warmack –

Last October the Board of Directors of AISL was pleased to announce the first offering of the AISL Annual Conference Affordability Scholarship.  It was double the pleasure, thanks to the funding of a generous donor and association member, to in this inaugural year be able to offer two affordability scholarships.  These scholarships each provided a stipend of up to US $1,000.00, designed to provide 100% conference registration with the remaining balance to be applied as reimbursement toward documented travel and lodging expenses to defray the cost of attending the recipient’s first AISL annual conference.  We received great response to this first affordability scholarship offering and, after reviewing all applications, selected two librarians for receipt of the available grants.

I was excited, proud, and appropriately nervous to be a part of this selection process.  We are a group of accomplished professionals and I can assure you no decision was made lightly or easily!  We were thrilled to offer scholarships to Jennifer Falvey, of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School and Kari Delane, of Hillside School.  The scholarship committee asked on the application form that the recipient submit a brief report of their conference experience to the AISL Board of Directors.  During our meeting in Tampa (thanks again, Tampa librarians!), we decided we would much prefer a write up as a post on the AISL Independent Ideas blog.  It is my honor this week to introduce the first of these reflections which I know you will enjoy reading.  I hope it will rekindle the “first time” memories of those of us who have frequented AISL conference venues and, as well, that it will provide those of you who have not yet attended an AISL conference that extra impetus to apply for the affordability scholarship next fall!  Looking forward to seeing you all in LA!

THANK YOU!!!

Phoebe

From Kari DeLane –

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a scholarship recipient to this year’s AISL conference in Tampa, Florida. This blog post is a reflection on my experience at the conference and what I took away from it.

I landed in Tampa late Tuesday night and took a cab to the hotel to meet my roommate for the conference, Cathy Leverkus, who is the Director of Library and Information Services at The Willows Community School in Los Angeles. The week prior to the conference she sent an email to the listserv looking for a roommate and I thought it would be a good way to keep costs down and meet someone new. This was a great choice. Cathy and I got along right away and it was nice to know someone before the conference started on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday was a whirlwind of new: new people, new ideas, and new places. I sat down at breakfast with a group of people I had never met, who quickly put me at ease, and was excited by “The Library as Incubator” keynote. I have since been frequenting their website and have taken inspiration for future projects. I can’t wait to make a poetree for National Poetry Month next year!

After the keynote, we all boarded the coach buses, which proved to be think tanks on wheels. I sat with a new person on almost every bus trip during the conference, learning and making friends simultaneously. This first bus trip was when I realized I was in for a different kind of conference — not a run from room to room in a hotel, overload on information, and hardly talk to anyone new kind of conference, like most of the conferences I have been to before. The small number of attendees and the willingness of everyone to open up and share was what made AISL such a unique and worthwhile experience.

Our first school visit at Shorecrest Preparatory School also tipped me off about how different this conference would be. I attended a session on makerspaces and then went to look around in the makerspace the presenters had just told me about! This kind of hands-on experience is invaluable. Creating a makerspace in my library is on my to-do list, and I had the chance to explore one and now I have Courtney Walker and Dottie Smay, in her fabulous high heels, to reach out to for advice if (or honestly, when) I need it.

I also was happy to learn that we were not overscheduled. During some conferences, I feel totally overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at me in session after session. It was nice to have time to do other things during AISL. After Shorecrest, we visited Sunken Gardens and had time to explore this beautiful local site and relax. This was followed by an afternoon of free time to explore Tampa, which I took full advantage of by thrifting with two new friends. The book board discussion and dinner with a librarian closed out the day beautifully. I was exhausted, and gratefully went to bed early.

Thursday opened with a lovely breakfast overlooking the water at Pier 22 followed by a visit to Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, where I had the opportunity to discuss teaching research with three other librarians during “The Power of Student Discovery.” I came away with a better sense of how to structure my research curriculum next year.

It was nice to get a chance to see The Ringling Museum that afternoon and to have some time to spend on the beach (and grab a few frozen daiquiris with new friends!) at Saint Armand’s circle. Swimming in the hotel pool was a perfect end to the day.

The final day of the conference started off with breakfast and some excellent entertainment at Berkeley Prep. The lower division choir practically brought me to tears and reminded me why I am in this profession in the first place. Working with young people who are full of promise and hope, who are so innocent and vulnerable, who make you smile and sometimes drive you nuts — they are the reason our school libraries exist.

I attended the Capstone Project Poster Session and was blown away by what the kids had managed to do, especially considering the fact that this was the first group to complete the program. I am hoping to create a capstone project at my own school and now have some ideas of how to get going and C.D. McLean to reach out to for advice.

It was a treat to hear author William Durbin speak during our delicious lunch at Columbia Restaurant. I loved hearing about the

I’d like to thank AISL for offering the scholarship,

the scholarship committee, and the conference planning committee, who did an excellent job.

key role research plays in his writing process and was inspired to give writing a go myself during summer vacation. The afternoon writing session led by author Adrian Fogelin at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Day School further emboldened me. I also teach English and took away a wealth of things to try with my students from her presentation.

The closing Skip Anthony Dinner provided the perfect end to the conference and highlighted the most enjoyable aspect of it for me, and I think the biggest reason people return year after year: meeting and spending time with some wonderful people who share your passion. Dedicated, energetic, inspiring, supportive… I could go on and on. I work with faculty and students in my school every day and they are also wonderful people, but sometimes I feel a bit isolated as the only librarian on campus. I made real connections with others in my profession at this conference. I have already been in touch with several people I met and feel more connected to the independent school librarian community.

The conference was a time to recharge professionally, to reassess, rethink, and renew. I came away revitalized and ready to implement many of the ideas I learned about through formal sessions and informal conversations. AISL Tampa 2015 was the best conference I have ever been to. I hope I am able to make it to L.A. next year!

 

Impressions of a Newbie; My First AISL Conference

Flamingos of a Feather: AISL Tampa 2015

By: Selene Athas

When I registered for my first AISL conference back in October, I had no idea what to expect. New to the school librarian’s world and new to the world of independent schools, I eagerly anticipated my conference experience with nervousness and excitement. Today, as I sit at my desk in the middle school library at Holy Trinity Episcopal Day School, I find myself daydreaming and reflecting upon my amazing 3 days and 4 nights at AISL Tampa 2015. Aside from the amazing learning and collaborating that took place, what stands out most are the stories I heard from my many conversations with librarians from all over North America.

The bingo card that was in my welcome packet forced me to introduce myself to complete strangers so that I could find out which librarian appeared on Jeopardy!® or which media specialist is the mother of two sets of twins. I don’t think I would have been so bold as to ask these questions on my own, but since it was for a prize and I am extremely competitive, I was on a mission!

While conversing with each person, it was comforting to know that most of the people I spoke with did not necessarily start out in life wanting to be a librarian. I think I had a latent desire to become one from an early age, but somehow, my path in life took many unexpected twists and turns. One commonality I discovered was that keynote speaker Laura Damon-Moore (with whom I fortuitously shared a shuttle to the hotel) also studied theatre in her undergraduate years, and went on to be a successful public librarian, author, and speaker! I spent way too many years looking back and regretting my intense focus on theatre (and not taking enough “real” classes, which I later had to do to become a teacher/librarian), but finally my choices have become more legitimized as I discover myriad interdisciplinary relationships and how librarianship is at the heart of virtually every other profession.

Listening to Chris Bashinelli’s world view and the advice he gave to the young people in attendance empowered me to go back to my school with my own mission to emphasize experiences and relationships rather than the acquisition of material goods. How fitting it was to hear from someone who gave up a life seemingly filled with glamour and celebrity to travel the world and create meaningful connections with people of other cultures. He emphasized the importance deep listening –without judgment – and a willingness to step out of one’s comfort zones. Hearing these words validated something within me as I contemplated my own journey towards librarianship.

Everyone I encountered displayed true passion for the acquisition of knowledge, and it was clear how all of us know how important it is to develop literate members of society. From conversations about books to board games, we are all birds of a feather (or, since we were in Florida…flamingos), flocking together to learn more so we can do more for our students. I felt deep connections with my new colleagues, as if I had known them for many years. I felt welcomed, valued, and a part of an interdependent group of top-notch professionals.

Refreshed, renewed, and filled with inspiration, I know I can gaze around my library and incorporate many ideas I acquired along my #AISLTampa2015 journey. The final message I took away was this: everyone needs a librarian, and it feels good to be needed. We build the future.

 

Ms. Selene Athas

Media Specialist

Middle School/Preschool/Kindergarten

Holy Trinity Episcopal Day School

 

 

Spring Reading!

Spring Reading!

 

Well, here it is – that time of year when I’m ready for the relaxing days of summer and yet feel as if there’s just not enough time to get EVERYTHING  done that needs to get done.  Getting the ordering done so the purchase orders will paid before summer (and get paid from this year’s budget – not next year’s), inventory, getting ready for inventory (we do inventory twice a year because there’s a summer program here), putting all the videos, current fiction, research books and everything else that isn’t nailed down away in our Media Room and hope no one goes into that room over the summer.  Finalizing projects, organizing everything and just rushing through to get it all done and ready for  the next school year!

I know you all can relate!

In the meantime, there is my 9th period rotation class of 6th graders.  These lovely students spent the first semester with me learning about Library Skills, research skills, how to access books, databases, etc. in the Library.  How to find fiction and non-fiction books, learning how to evaluate a website and all they need for citations.  Quite the grueling first semester with being new to the school as well.

So now I have the students for second semester and the last thing they want is a repeat of first semester.  So what do I do with this group?  What to do so that they will want to be in the Library and enjoy themselves.   I spent a lot of time (and a few failures) and a couple of years before I hit upon the perfect solution that’s been successful.  At least so far…

We read.

I know.  Totally radical, right?

Here’s how we do it.

On the first day of rotation (I have them for 4 or 5 days), I talk about how I order all the books in the Library and what a great resource book reviews are to me.  I then show them 2 books reviews, one professional and one written by a young adult.  Then I tell them to go and get any book they want.  There are some guidelines I try to have; it must be a book they haven’t read before, preferably a genre outside of their comfort zone, it can be a fiction or a non-fiction book.  After they choose, we all (including me) sit down and read silently for the rest of the period.  At the end of the period, they get a bookmark and put the book on a designated book truck.  They cannot check out the book until the last day.

On day 2, the students open a word document and write the title, author, publisher and copyright date of the book, as well as a brief summary of what the book is about, at least so far in their reading.  Then they read until the end of the period. Silently.

On day 3, their opinion of the book is added.  However, I encourage them to explain and write with some details as to why they like or dislike the book.  None of this “it was good, I liked it” or “this was bad, I didn’t like it”.  When they are finished adding this information, they continue to read. Silently.

One day 4, they put all the information together, perhaps add information they have since they started reading and create a book review. No special embellishments, just a paragraph with the information and their opinion. The book reviews are printed out and placed on one of the display windows that has a sign that reads “Book Reviews, 9th period Rotation”.  The books are displayed on the shelf, if the student chooses not to check it out.  A lot of students stop by to read the book reviews.  Some are former students and some are current 6th graders who are “showing off” their work.  I’m happy that the display gets a lot of traffic.

There has been a lot of success with these book reviews.  The students are meeting some of our Scope and Sequence goals; opening, saving and printing a Word Document, subject analysis and searching for information. I read each review before it’s printed out and make minor (or sometimes major) editorial comments to help them write more effectively. In addition, I get to hear things like “I didn’t like this book at first, but now I like it” and “why can’t I take it home, I want to continue reading?”.  It’s great that the students sit and read, I’m not sure if they get time for that in their daily, busy lives.  I also find that after the first day, they come to the class anxious to get their book and continue reading.  In every class I have done this activity, every student reads and enjoys it.  Sweet.

It doesn’t hurt that I get some silent reading time, either!

Happy Friday!