21st Century Learning and Thinking Space

The 21st Century Learning and Thinking Space

Creating 21st Century thinkers. https://www.pxfuel.com/en/desktop-wallpaper-jmfsi

A 21st school librarian needs to be able to redefine the library space to ensure best-practice access to information and knowledge in order to bring about the process where students become critical and creative thinkers.

In order to do this, the TL must backward map what it wants for students and provide the best resources for them to address the changing needs of the ‘learning’ evironment, but also the ‘thinking’ environment. For me, this is the most critical aspect of the library space and should be the philosophy under all library decisions because I, with all other TLs, am in the free learning space which is ultimately responsible for creating life-long learners who are excited about acessing, evaluating and synthesing the depth and breadth of good and bad information around them.

One of the ways the TL can do this is by creating a space where students can meet to create their own self-directed learning environment. According to Loh (2018) the 21st Century Library should be a space of ‘reading, research, collaboration, studying and doing’. This space may mean that students can access white boards, small meeting spaces, quiet areas, comfortable and functional furniture, charging ports, spare pens as well as reading and knowledge material.  Alternatively, doing can be an activity that directly relates to reading, and can be reading groups, literacy circles or finding a book that builds pleasure and interest in students.

Part of the backward mapping must be to provide information to support teachers create the best learning space in the Australian Curriculum and give students access to information in order to complete set tasks and assessments.  Mitchell (2020) notes that planning for curriculum changes requires the biggest time and money resource in education apart from face-to-face teaching, and librarians can help teachers through accessible access to online resources such as Scootle or any electronic subscription resources that the library manages. In the optimum situation librarians can act as a liaison between faculties to create information-rich material in a shared and collaborative environment with the by-product of reducing the work load of teachers (Chadwick, 2016).

Digital material provides librarians with additional opportunities for students to think critically about the information around them which comes from a variety of sources, both reputable and popularistic.  Librarians need to be able to take the opportunity to increase students’ digital literacy and their ability to evaluate material that they can readily access, according to O’Connell et al. (2015) this could mean incorporating ebooks as a significant alternative to physical resources so that students can access material in a 21st Century environment but also create inbuilt motivation and differentiation strategies.

While many of these strategies build a critical space for students, it is also important to allow a creative space for students to build interest and connection with information and reading. Creative spaces can be through maker-spaces, a librarian directed book club with incorporated craft or writing opportunities. The library also needs to have a blended space and resources to allow this multi-use creative space and librarians need to consider furniture, storage and resources to allow this opportunity.

Resources

Chadwick, B. (2016)  Curriculum-engaged school libraries and teacher librarians value curriculum-alignment of resources , International Association of School Librarianship. Selected Papers from the IASL Annual Conference, 2016, pp.1-30.

Loh, C.E. (2018). Envisioning the school library of the future: A 21st century framework. Singapore: National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330618940_Envisioning_the_School_Library_of_the_Future_A_21_st_Century_Framework [accessed Jan 15 2020].

Mitchell, P. (2011). Resourcing 21st century online Australian curriculum: The role of school libraries.  FYI : the Journal for the School Information Professional, 15(2), 10-15.

O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). [R]Evolution in reading         cultures: 2020 vision for school libraries. The Australian Library Journal,     64(3), 194-208, https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2015.1048043