AASL Standard Interview- Inquire

Introduction

    For this interview, I spoke with Christine Baker, who is the media specialist at Jackson Creek Elementary. Our discussion focused on the Inquiry shared foundation with a specific interest in the Share domain and competency. Our conversation focused on how the standard is currently being applied in her practice and her plans for future application.

Questions

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

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

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

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

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

Interview Recap 

    This specific competency details the student's ability to provide and respond to feedback from their peers. Currently, this is a challenge, as Christine explained that many of the students that she works with currently lack the social maturity and skills to receive any kind of feedback without immediately getting upset, angry, or defensive. Another challenge is scheduling. Christine often does research-based projects and collaborative activities with the students when they visit the media center, which is the perfect opportunity to incorporate some of the reflection and feedback elements from this competency. However, it typically takes multiple weeks of instruction for these types of projects to be completed. When juggling related arts rotations, school days off, and other events that take away time from the library, it can be difficult to complete these projects as they were initially designed, and often, the sharing and feedback portion that comes at the end is the aspect that gets cut in a manner of trying to get back on track with the unit pacing.

    That being said, she has had some successes with the implementation of this competency when working with the kindergarten classes on a weather unit where the students had the opportunity to read a Freddy the Frogcaster book, create their own weather news report, and then provide their classmates with feedback about how their news reports turned out. Another great example of implementation is the makerspace club that she started this year. After the students work together in small groups to complete challenges or projects, reflection time is provided at the end of the club session for students to reflect on their work and discuss successes and challenges with their group. This also provides them with real-time opportunities to work on how to discuss problems with their peers so they can solve them together by listening to each other‘s ideas and feedback. Even in this example, she has faced some difficulties with the students' attitudes towards the comments from their peers and having enough time to include this aspect at the end of the club session. However, she has seen great progress throughout the eight-week club with how the students handle this aspect of the inquiry process.

Implementation 

    The process of learning how to provide, receive, and act on feedback from others can be challenging, both for children and adults. Using what I have learned from this interview, I believe that students need well-crafted scaffolding, modeling, and guidance to help them learn how to navigate this concept. It can be difficult to hear someone critique your ideas or suggest ways that things could be done better, but that is part of the learning process, and it is our job to help students learn that it is okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. I plan to use sentence starters and phrasing suggestions to initially help students learn how to politely provide feedback to their peers, as well as statements for a response to feedback that has been provided. I also plan to incorporate many opportunities for the students to practice this concept so they can become more comfortable with sharing, providing, and receiving feedback and then use that feedback to make a difference. This can be done at the end of almost any activity, and I plan to incorporate it in various differentiated ways throughout all grade levels.

    This competency fits most naturally at the end of a research project or inquiry-based activity. I need to ensure that time is provided for students to share, reflect, and hear feedback from others consistently to help improve their reactions to and acceptance of suggestions from others. Incorporating collaborative activities such as makerspace projects is another great way to allow students a more natural outlet for sharing their ideas with their peers and acting on them. With more practice, the right scaffolding and guidance, and tools to help them frame the feedback conversation, I know our students are capable of achieving this competency, and it will help them be more reflective, accepting of imperfections, and focused on growth as they continue to develop as life-long learners.

Resources

• Inquiry process diagram
• Makerspace material suggestions
• Coding robots
• Building blocks/Legos
• Paper craft supplies
• Marble run kit
• Cardboard
• Duct tape

References 

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and School Libraries. ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.