We have been asked to consider how we might use the ASLA evidence guides or the AITSL Standards for Teacher Librarian Practice in our own practice.
I was thinking of combining 7.3 (engagement with parents/carers) as well as 4.1 (supporting student participation). Very early on in this unit I thought about how library spaces within our school could be used for showcasing student products, and / or evidence of learning. Preferably these physical displays would be linked to specific units that the TL had been involved in. Students of ALL ages (and I teach the big ones!) will stop and look at well designed physical displays with lots of visuals….particularly if it has anything to do with their own class 🙂
I don’t see a lot of parents or people from the wider school community in our libraries but I think a Google classroom school library website highlighting new books and student/teacher activities could be a way of getting information out there. We get emails from the TLs updating us in regards to resources, but I am unsure whether anything goes to the wider community; I would have to check. Invitations to come and browse in the libraries, with a book chat and a cuppa at the end may be able to ‘hook’ interest from the community. They may not be overwhelmingly attended, but from classroom experience, it only takes one or two parents to get excited about something to get the word out and gain knowledgeable support from the community. I wonder if there could be a culture of “that area is for the students and I don’t want to interrupt” and that is why we don’t see it used often by others or ? (Time to get out the INF447 Introduction to Research skills!)
I also looked through the IFLA school library guidelines, as I am in an international setting. I appreciated how they gave world-wide practice examples of many of the guidelines.
References
Australian Library and Information Association. (2014) AITSL standards for teacher librarian practice. https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf
Australian School Library Association. (2014). Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/evidence_guide_prof.pdf
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2015). IFLA school library guidelines. http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf