AASL & ISTE Standards: How they relate to school library practices
In the
article “65 years and counting AASL and school librarians- Still champions of
intellectual freedom”, Helen Adams discusses the many challenges that school
librarians face. These challenges include things such as administration not
understanding library needs, challenges to library books and materials,
filtering internet sources, and growing privacy issues. All of these issues
fall under the idea of ‘intellectual freedom’ which is “deeply embedded in AASL’s
standards” (Adams, 2016).
The
AASL standards focus on four domains: Think, Grow, Share, and Create. Through
these domains, librarians focus on the Shared Foundations: Inquire, Include,
Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage. These domains and foundations are the
backbone of the AASL standards and the “leaders and members are the true force
behind all efforts to support students’ intellectual freedom and their First
Amendment right to read and access information in school libraries” (Adams,
2016).
Whereas,
I feel, that the AASL standards focus on the whole child being a life-long
learner in all subjects and areas, the ISTE standards seem to focus more on digital
learning. ISTE have standards for students, educators, leaders, and coaches.
Each set of standards focuses on the specific needs of the intended user. The
ISTE standards promote students being responsible participants in the digital
world, educators facilitating learning with technology, and educators
continually improving their practices.
School
librarians must use both the AASL standards and the ISTE standards in order to
ensure we are providing the very best education to all school-aged children.
Unfortunately, many of the issues discussed in “65 Years and Counting” by Helen
Adams are everyday struggles for school librarians. In my first year as an
elementary school librarian, I am already seeing these firsthand. There are books
that the students want, yet I know that I would not have the support of my
school or district if I purchased them due to the topics discussed. In
addition, although my shelves are full of books, I have recently learned exactly
how out of date much of my collection is. In order to correct this problem, I
need the support of my administration, and I am unsure that I can currently
make that happen. As a parent, I understand how some would want to censor what
students are reading, yet as a librarian, I can also argue that children need
to have access to reading material that interests them, regardless of the
level, recommended age, or topic. We must have life-long learners, most
importantly, students who love to read.
References:
AASL.
(2019). AASL Standards Framework for Learners. [online]
Retrieved from https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AASL-Standards-Framework-for-Learners-pamphlet.pdf
Adams, H.R. (2016). 65 Years and counting: AASL and school librarians -Still champions of intellectual freedom. Knowledge Quest, 45(1), 34-41.
ISTE. (2019). ISTE standards for educators. [online]. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
ISTE. (2019). ISTE standards for students. [online]. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
ISTE. (2019). ISTE standards for educators. [online]. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
ISTE. (2019). ISTE standards for students. [online]. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Jayme,
ReplyDeleteI love the title "The Lively Librarian"! I agree with your point that the AASL standards do more to promote lifelong learners and readers, while the ISTE standards are more centered around just digital learning.
I also inherited a collection that was pretty out of date. I'm still working to get my copyright dates up but I started by weeding a little at a time and then did a big weed during closing inventory. I was also able to purchase a lot of newer nonfiction with the profits from a book fair and this helped a lot. Maybe this could be an option for you as well.
Kristi
I currently work at the 9th grade campus of a high school. We just split off last year and our library is very bare. Without much of a budget, our librarian has had to be very creative and thrifty. She has built up part of her collection from perusing clearance shelves and some from public library donations. It's amazing to me how little a school is willing to invest in such an important part of the school. Add in diversity to a small budget and the problem of filling our libraries with what our students want to read grows exponentially.
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