http://www.metricsandlibraries.org/
Defining New Metrics for Library Success
School Libraries
Anita Brooks Kirkland
@AnitaBK
Jeanne Conte
@contej
University of Toronto iSchool Symposium, in partnership with Dysart & Jones Associates
April 22, 2014

Our communities, boards, management and institutions are asking for
stronger and better measurements of our impact and value to help them with
decision making and prioritization.
http://www.metricsandlibraries.org/
Assessing and Communicating the Efficacy of School Library
Programs: Evolving Practice
Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for Effective School
Library Learning Commons in Canada
Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach
and Assess Learning

http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/

http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/

“Yes, but what do you DO that makes a difference to student learning?”
In the current educational climate
there is a very clear mandate for a shift from
putting our emphasis on finding and accessing to
knowledge building. It’s where education is going.
We are talking about standards-based education.
We are talking about accountability. We are talking
about evidence of achievements.
Todd, R., Kenney, B. (Interviewer) (2006). Ross to the rescue: Rutger’s Ross Todd’s quest
to renew school libraries. School Library Journal 52 (4) 44-47.
Dr. Ross Todd, Rutgers University

Canadian Library Association
(ATLC & CSLA), 2003
A Vision for School Libraries in Canada
Revisioning School Libraries:
A.Learning Centres for Lifelong Learning
B.Active Learning Environments
C.Gateways to the World
D.Resource-based Teaching and Learning
E.Collaborative Teaching and Learning
Standards for Managing School Library Programs
●Staffing School Libraries
●School Library Collections
●School Library Facilities
●Information and Communication Technologies

Canadian Library Association
(ATLC & CSLA), 2003
Leading Learning:
Standards of Practice for Effective School
Library Learning Commons in Canada

Whereas the focus of the library program in the
past was on building strong collections of
resources and assisting users to find and use
them effectively, the goal now is to build learning
communities and make connections among
learners, thus facilitating knowledge creation in
the school community.

Standards
Facilitating Collaborative Engagement to Cultivate and Empower a
Community of Learners
Advancing the Learning Community to Achieve School Goals
Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach and
Assess Learning
Fostering Literacies to Empower Life-Long Learners
Designing Learning Environments to Support Participatory Learning

Standards Themes
Facilitating Collaborative
Engagement to Cultivate
and Empower a
Community of Learners
Vision for
Learning
Design for
Collaboration
Partners in
Collaborative
Learning
Student and
Community
Partnerships
School
Administration
Partnerships
District
Administration
and Consultant
Partnerships
Advancing the Learning
Community to Achieve
School Goals
Planning for
School
Improvement
Principal
Collaborative
Role
Teacher-
Librarian
Collaborative
Role
Teacher
Collaborative
Role
Support Staff
Collaborative
Role
District
Administration
and Consultant
Collaborative
Role
Cultivating Effective
Instructional Design to
Co-plan, Teach and
Assess Learning
Instructional
Leadership
Instructional
Partnerships
Engaging with
Inquiry
Approaches
Differentiated
Learning
Technology for
Learning
Assessment
for, of and as
Learning
Evidence
Based
Practice
Fostering Literacies to
Empower Life-Long
Learners
Literacy
Leadership
Engaging
Readers
Information
Literacy
Critical
Literacy
Digital Literacy
and
Citizenship
Cultural
Literacy
Literacy
Partners
Designing Learning
Environments to Support
Participatory Learning
Designing for a
Collaborative
Physical LLC
Designing for a
Collaborative
Virtual LLC
Designing for
Accessibility
in the LLC
Designing for
Responsive
Print and
Digital
Collections
Designing for
Creativity and
Innovation
Designing for
Participatory
School Culture

Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach and Assess Learning
Themes
Instructional Leadership Instructional Partnerships
Engaging with Inquiry Approaches Differentiated Learning
Technology for Learning Assessment for, as and of learning
Evidence-Based Practice

Transitions
What changes do
we want to make?
Timelines
What are the
expected start and
finish times?
Strategies and
Actions
How will we
achieve
transitions?
Roles
Who is
responsible for
what?
Resources
What budget, time
and people are
needed?
Indicators of
Success
How will we know
the transition is
complete? How
will we know it is
working?
Planning and Leading Transitions to a School Library Learning Commons: Action Plan

Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach and Assess Learning
Themes
Instructional Leadership Instructional Partnerships
Engaging with Inquiry Approaches Differentiated Learning
Technology for Learning Assessment for, as and of learning
Evidence-Based Practice

www.togetherforlearning.ca

❖ The Learning Commons:
■ Physical
■ Virtual
❖ Reading Engagement
❖ Multiple Literacies
❖ Critical and Creative Thinking
❖ Discovery and Guided Inquiry
❖ Developing the Individual
Learning to Learn
www.togetherforlearning.ca

www.togetherforlearning.ca http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growsuccess.pdf
Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach and Assess Learning

Supporting Adaptive, Responsive Stances to
Teaching and Learning
Formative assessment [assessment for
learning] is a planned process in which teachers
or students use assessment-based evidence to
adjust what they're currently doing.
W. James Popham, Transformative Assessment (ASCD)

Evidence of Learning
C =
Conversations
P =
Products / Performance
O =
ObservationsTRIANGULATION

● plan assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction;
● share learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of learning to
ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared understanding of
these goals and criteria as learning progresses;
● gather information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end of a
period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and tools;
● use assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor
their progress towards achieving their learning goals;
● analyse and interpret evidence of learning;
● give and receive specific and timely descriptive feedback about student learning;
● help students to develop skills of peer and self-assessment.
As essential steps in assessment for learning and as learning, teachers need to:

Inquiry positions the teacher as an informed
practitioner refining planning, instruction and
assessment approaches in the continual
pursuit of greater precision, personalization
and innovation. A focus on student learning
drives inquiry. Data generated from student
actions and work compel teachers to
investigate new, engaging and relevant
questions about how and what their students
learn. These questions lead to informed
actions within the classroom, which in turn
serve to refine or initiate new investigations.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/capacityBuilding.html

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/capacityBuilding.html
Students are better able to evaluate and reflect
on their own learning and the collective learning
of the class when they have been part of the
learning process from the beginning, having
played an active role in the initial planning and
identification of main learning goals. In fact, a
key feature of inquiry-based learning is the
practice of revisiting initial theories and ideas,
both as individuals and as a class, and reflecting
on the ways in which current understanding
differs from the former. In this way, students
begin to experience learning as an ongoing
process, not an end point.

Learning to learn is a critical component of
student success. The Learning Commons’
information-rich and media-savvy
environments facilitate learning to learn. The
Learning Commons’ networked learning
experience and directed metacognition of what
is being learned – and how it is being learned
– facilitate learning to learn as well.
To improve their learning, students need
feedback and formative assessment
throughout a unit or project. They also need
opportunity and time to reflect and discuss
their findings with others.
https://www.accessola.org/OLAWEB/OSLA/Together_for_Learning/Learning_to_Learn.aspx

Discovery
&
Guided Inquiry

Cultivating Effective Instructional Design to Co-plan, Teach and Assess Learning
Teacher / teacher-librarian collaborative
inquiry for system change.
2012: Ottawa
Collaborative Teacher Inquiry and
the School Learning Commons
https://sites.google.com/site/treasuremountaincanada2/conte
http://lanyrd.com/2013/ecoo13/schpym/

It has been demonstrated that when librarians and
teachers work together, students achieve higher levels
of literacy, reading, learning, problem-solving, and
information and communication technology skills.
IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/libraries/manifestos/school_manifesto.html

In working together, teacher-librarians
in partnership with others can modify
the process, content, product and
environment to meet the needs of a
diverse student population. The result
will be empowered learners.
Together for Learning, p. 12
www.togetherforlearning.ca

http://www.metricsandlibraries.org/
Defining New Metrics for Library Success
School Libraries
Anita Brooks Kirkland
@AnitaBK
Jeanne Conte
@contej
University of Toronto iSchool Symposium, in partnership with Dysart & Jones Associates
April 22, 2014