Using Toastmaster's evaluator program in Information Literacy assessment (or everyday life!)

The following is my discussion post for lesson 10 in my Information Literacy grad class at SJSU.  I know not all of you are clamoring for Information Literacy assessment information, but how I tied that topic in with giving and receiving criticism is relevant for a lot of us!
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The assessment readings this week made me reflect on my six years as a member of Toastmasters International, a public speaking organization.  As a fun aside, I met my husband of 15 years in a Toastmasters club 17 years ago.  Good memories! :)

When looking for ways to assess your Information Literacy program, ask your students and other faculty members how your program could be improved in a way that illicit's a useful and constructive response. Don't ask "Did you like the session on searching the school database?"  That will give you a "yes" in most cases because the person you ask may not want to really tell you what they thought.  It's easier to say "Yes" than get into a discussion (or debate if you are defensive or insecure about asking for constructive criticism).   Instead, ask "What is one thing that would have improved the session for you?"  or "Do you have a suggestion of how I could improve that session to help you more?" I learned this technique in Toastmasters-it was part of the technique they called "sandwiching".   (I'm not home right now and can't look in my old TM folders, but after doing a search on TM website, I don't see the term "sandwiching" listed on their website, so maybe that was a term someone else introduced in our club.  At any rate, the result is the same)
In Toastmasters,  one of the core principles was to learn how to "evaluate to motivate". It has helped me in so many other areas of my life.  According to the Toastmaster website:

Begin and end your evaluation with a note of encouragement or praise. Commend a successful speech or leadership assignment and describe specifically how it was successful. Don’t allow the speaker or leader to remain unaware of a valuable asset such as a smile or a sense of humor. Likewise, don’t permit the speaker or leader to remain ignorant of a serious fault: if it is personal, write it but don’t mention it aloud. Give the speaker or leader deserved praise and tactful suggestions in the manner you would like to receive them.

Using the above technique ("sandwiching") made me feel much more comfortable as an evaluator (assessor).  Not too many people I know like criticising someone's work.  Giving people suggestions seems so much more palatable than criticising their work.  After all, I may suggest something that everyone else thinks isn't important.  It's up to the person receiving my suggestion to take the advice or not.  As a receiver of information, just knowing I had the power to take their advice or not, made me feel less anxious about receiving it in the first place.

On the other side, to me, receiving "suggestions" is so much easier than receiving "criticism".  When I receive criticism, I often think to myself "It's a suggestion, not a criticism".  This self-talk makes me feel less defensive and more accepting of other people's perspectives and opinions.

It's hard to accept criticism (and compliments!).  If we truly want to increase student learning, then people need to know we are truly willing to accept their criticisms and compliments, without getting defensive or dismissive, respectively.  Using the "sandwiching" technique I learned in Toastmasters helps both give and receive constructive criticism.

The above technique can be very helpful when considering assessments. If we are receiving feedback about our program, the technique above allows us to not get defensive about any criticism's of the program we created.  We can view them all as suggestions, which to me is so much easier to swallow!

Toastmasters International. (2011). Evaluator: Evaluate to Motivate. Retrieved
     April 16, 2011, from http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MemberExperience/
     MeetingRoles/Evaluator.aspx

Final reflections for the School Library Media Center class

Reflection #7

Reflect on the semester's readings, discussions, assignments, etc. Has your vision changed? What are you looking forward to implementing in your school library program? What worries you about the profession? What are the challenges?

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on this semester’s readings, discussions, assignments, etc. I thought the textbooks were ok, the discussions were better, and the assignments were excellent. I can use every single assignment that was done in this class in my professional career right now. In fact, I am! I have referred to the class wiki’s many times to review articles that I had starred as “to read later”. The synthesis essay allowed me to pull what I felt were the most important aspects of the key issues affecting school library programs today: research, reading, technology, instruction, and advocacy. The environmental scan forced me to take a realistic look at the challenges the library I work in face. The social media assignment ended up being a blessing-in-disguise because I never would have looked at infographics unless I was assigned to that social media tool. I now think I have a much better appreciation for how beneficial the visual aspect is for a lot of learners. I’m incorporating many of the social media tools the class groups shared with each other into my school library program. I’m currently creating a VLC for my middle school library. I would not have known where to start if I hadn’t created one with my team. The PLC and infographic will be used for the rest of my career, although I’m sure it will look much different as my career grows.

As of today, my vision has not changed. I must say though, that my vision has had many ups and downs this semester. I was discouraged by the CSLA conference in November and specifically how many teacher librarians had been reassigned to teacher positions. The economy in California, and the general lack of school library programs in the CA schools, combine to create a frustrating view of the future for Teacher Librarians.

I am looking forward to implementing many things in my school library program. In the first paragraph, I mentioned that all of the assignments that we have done can (and are) be implemented in my school library program immediately. The item I’m most excited about implementing is the VLC. It will be so forward thinking for my school. I know it will get a lot of use and will really help pull the library “to the front of the technology pack” on our campus.

I’ve lamented many times about what worries me in the profession. To name a few concerns, the economy, the lack of school library programs in California schools, and the fact that TL’s have to constantly fight to justify their existence come to mind. These concerns are also the challenges for the profession. The bottom line for me thought is that being a Middle School Teacher Librarian is a passion of mine. I love being in a middle school library. That’s what I keep coming back to even when I’m feeling down about the industry.

I feel like I’ve written too much negative stuff this last month about the industry (at least I know I’ve been thinking a lot of negative stuff), and I’m feeling a little better about it, so I think I’ll leave it at that.

Reflection #6-Advocacy and the School Library

What is the role of advocacy in the school library? To whom should you apply advocacy efforts? Why? In investigating advocacy efforts, what do you see that you like? What concerns do you have? What challenges are facing school libraries?


The role of advocacy in the school library must be interwoven into all of the library activities. For example, during lunch, when students get upset that I can’t let them come in because the library is full, I tell the kids to let the principal know they can’t come into the library because there isn’t enough room.

Advocacy efforts should be applied to everyone. I advocate to students, friends, teachers, administrators, district people, city officials, neighbors, etc.

In investigating various advocacy efforts, here are a few that I like:

1. Having parent volunteers. I have found that having parent volunteers has done more for my advocacy efforts than I could have done on my own. When a parent comes in and sees for themselves what actually happens in the school library, they are always surprised at how busy and dynamic the school library is.

2. Disseminate information (Woolls, 2008). Since starting my job in August, I have sent two lists of new books via the PTA newsletter. I have received feedback from many parents that they saw my lists and really was impressed that the library had been able to get new books, especially books that have just been published.

3. Loudspeaker advertising (Woolls, 2008). My school has “HPTV”. Announcments are made every morning. I can go on HPTV weekly and make announcements. I think it would be a good medium to booktalk, announce contests, announce webcasts, discuss new material, give library tips, and other similar ideas. HPTV is a good vehicle because the first period of each day is longer than the rest of the periods to accommodate HPTV announcements. The culture of the school is that everyone should be listening to the announcements and that teachers aren’t instructing during this time. I would have a pretty receptive audience.

I have many concerns about school libraries, especially California school libraries. I am at the California School Librarians Association (CSLA) conference in Sacramento as I type. Of the four workshops I went to today, all of which had Teacher Librarians as presenters, three of the workshops had Teacher Librarian presenters that had been reassigned to a teacher position. These people are well known in our industry. This afternoon, at the SJSU SLIS presentation by Dr. Sandy Hirsch, the new SLIS Director, someone asked if the Teacher Librarian program was going to continue given all of the Teacher Librarian layoffs. I don’t remember her exact words, but she said something about the program continuing for now, and that they would look at it again in the future. It was a very disturbing answer. Then, when I went to the SJSU SLIS CSLA reception after that, I found out that Doug Achterman has also been reassigned to a teacher position in his high school. That really shocks me. He was a Teacher Librarian in a high school. I honestly didn’t think Teacher Librarians in high schools would ever be affected.

There are many challenges facing school libraries, especially in California. The major challenge is the budget issue. Because of the dire budget situation in California, many Teacher Librarians are losing their jobs, and being reassigned to teacher positions. Schools are not only reassigning Teacher Librarians, but also closing their libraries. I honestly don’t know if the school libraries will recover from all of these budget cuts.

I’m actually more discouraged about being a Teacher Librarian than I ever have been. I am so surprised at all of the well-known Teacher Librarian’s that have been reassigned to teaching positions. I had been slightly encouraged by the California adoption of the Model School Library Standards. Now, I’m not sure they are even going to make a difference.

Oh well, for now, I’m going to put on my happy face and go to the California Young Reader Medal Awards and forget about all of the school library issues!

Bibliography

Woolls, B. (2008). The School Library Media Manager. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Love this mindmapping software for K-12-Check it out.

Intellectual Freedom, Censorship and other fun topics

Discuss the issues surrounding intellectual freedom, censorship, selection, and in loco parentis in school libraries.  Do not restrict your comments to print format only, and consider how long standing programs (such as AR, or highly restrictive filtering) may play a role in intellectual freedom issues.  How will you deal with these issues?

Intellectual freedom, censorship, selection, in loco parentis, AR (Accelerated Reader), and restrictive filtering are important issues in school libraries.  My experience, as a Mom, school volunteer, graduate library student, and now as a librarian at a middle school, is that most people’s first reaction is very strong, either for or against, all the above issues.  I’ll use myself as an example, since I used to think differently about all of these subjects.  I do find it much easier to talk about these issues with people who feel differently than I do since I also used to think that way.  

Before being in library school, I was a parent who wasn’t educated about intellectual freedom, censorship, and selection.  I wish every parent could learn what I  have learned.  If they did, I think there would be less issues with intellectual freedom and censorship. In my library classes, I have read and discussed many different reasons why it’s so important to have Intellectual Freedom and to try to stop censorship.  For starters, it’s our right to have Intellectual Freedom.  

A parent is generally the person who challenges a library resource.  It  is usually done to protect the child or because the parent truly wants what’s best for their child.   The heart’s in the right place, but the level of knowledge about the issues is not sufficient to make an educated decision.  What is really amazing to me is that the very subject that the parent is trying to protect their child from is still going to find its way to their child.  As a parent, do you want your child to get the information from a friend (who may not have the correct information), or would you want your child to find the factual information in a trusted library resource, followed by an open and bonding conversation between you and your child?

If you’re a librarian, it’s so important to make sure that the library you work for has a collection policy.  The school library and district I work at has a collection policy.  All the resources in the library have been approved by the district.  If a parent were to challenge a material in my library, I would first let them “vent”.  I would then ask them if they have read the entire resource.  If the answer is no, then I would ask them to please read it before challenging it.  If they decide to still challenge it, then they can do that.  I will give them the triplicate “Reconsideration” form.  I know that I have the backing of the district, so I am completely relaxed about any potential challenges.  It’s also important for the librarian to remember that it’s not a personal attack, and that the person probably is really trying to protect their child.  

I have learned that just because I don’t like a book or internet resource, or don’t want my child reading a book or looking at a certain website, doesn’t mean I should stop other children from reading that book or looking at that website.  That decision should be left up to the parents of that child and ideally the child has some input as well.  It’s so important to remind people (and ourselves) that a librarian or other parent is not in loco parentis (acting as the parent).  Only a parent should act as a parent of their own child. 

Organizing two different Banned Books Week events, for two very different audiences, has also helped me further my appreciation for honoring Intellectual Freedom and trying to stop censorship.  I have been the chairperson of two Elluminate (web conferencing software) Banned Books Week events at SJSU SLIS (School of Library and Information Science). Seeing how passionate people were about reading from their favorite challenged or banned book was really enlightening.  

The other event I organized was a week-long celebration of Banned Books Week at the middle school library where I work.  I pulled all the challenged and banned books that our library had on the shelves and put them on a couple of carts with caution tape around the cart.  One of the volunteers put signs on the shelves such as “Where did all the Twilight books go?  Come ask Mrs. Renton about Banned Books Week.”  That week was so awesome!  So many kids told me they really loved Banned Books week and they were shocked to see so many of their favorite books on the Banned Books week carts.  A lot of the students initially thought they couldn’t check out the books on the cart.  When I explained that they definitely could check them out, and that we were celebrating their freedom to be able to do so, they still didn’t seem to really grasp the concept.  I tried to think of ways to explain it to them, and came up with two items that seemed to help them understand.  The first thing I did was ask them what their favorite book was on the Banned Books Week cart.  I then asked them what they would think if they asked to check out that book, and I said “No, you can’t check that out because it’s been banned.”  They all thought that was either “stupid”, or “crazy”, or “not right”.  I told them they were exactly right and fortunately they can check out those books.  I also explained to them that just because they may not like a book, or I may not like a book, doesn’t give them or me the right to stop other people from reading it.  Between those two ways of explaining Intellectual Freedom and Censorship, they were able to understand the concept much better.  (I know we are meant to be discussing books and other resources, but for Banned Books Week, I did only discuss books-I’ll change that next year to incorporate other resources).  Because of my classes at SJSU, and my involvement in different Banned Books Week events, I have come to really respect individual’s right to read what they want. 

When selecting books, websites, or other resources for a collection, the librarian needs to be mindful that he or she is not censoring material.  Every librarian has their own religious, political, and social customs and opinions, but those particular customs and opinions need to be ignored when selecting material for a library.    

Restrictive filtering is a very difficult area for schools.  Schools have a responsibility to keep their students safe.  The intention of the filters is to keep inappropriate content away from students.  Unfortunately, some of the filters also block things that are appropriate, but may have an inappropriate word.  A common word that is often blocked in the filter software is “breast”.  Blocking the word “breast” also blocks recipes that call for chicken breasts and information about knight’s armor  (Woolls, 2008). 

A very sensitive subject for me is Accelerated Reader (AR). I was never against this program until I began working in a middle school library.  As a parent, I always thought “Oh, great, there’s a program that gives my child feedback about how well they’re comprehending what they’re reading.”  As a middle school librarian, it’s heart-breaking to hear a child say “Well, I was really enjoying that book, but my teacher said I can’t read it because it’s AR level is too low (or too high), or it isn’t worth enough points.   I keep on hearing students say “I need to pick an AR book.”  There is too much emphasis on all the wrong aspects of reading.  I think AR is a “buzz-kill”.  Let’s tell our children they have to read only “approved” AR books, make them read it, and then test them on it.  Yay, what fun for the student!  NOT!  But amazingly, everyone goes along with it.  I tell the students, “you can still read that book, and I hope you do because you’re enjoying it.  For this assignment, you will have to pick a book that matches the criteria your teacher has set.  But, please, don’t think that the book you are enjoying is not a worthwhile book.  If you’re enjoying it, it’s worthwhile.”  The basic problem with AR is that students are so focused on picking an “AR book” that they are missing the whole point of recreational reading and they are also being told what to read and more importantly, what not to read.  How sad.

Bibliography

Woolls, B. (2008). The School Library Media Manager. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

The Conservatives Among Us | American Libraries Magazine

Very good food for thought. It would be nice if everyone had this open of a mind and focused less on alienating and more on bonding. Pretty corny thought, I know...
The Conservatives Among Us | American Libraries Magazine

Reflection on my current understanding of the role and mission of school libraries (originally answered 9/4/10)

Describe your current understanding of the role and mission of school libraries.  What are/have been your experiences with school libraries and how has this colored your understandings of what a school library is an should be?

My current understanding of the role of the school library is to be the heart of the school.  To achieve this role, the school library must be a dynamic and vibrant asset that the students, teachers, and administrators need to help fulfill the mission of the school.  Equally, the school librarian must be a dynamic individual that stays at the forefront of current technology trends and resources to enable the library to remain relevant.

My current understanding of the mission of school libraries is what the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) set forth as the school library mission in 1998:  “The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.”  I think that I have known of the AASL mission for so long that it has become an automatic response when someone asks what the mission of school libraries are.  I do believe, at this time, that the mission reflects what I believe to be important about school libraries. 

My experience with school libraries was, unfortunately, non-existent until I had children of my own.  I don’t remember ever stepping foot in a school library (L) when I was a K-12 student.  I remember going to the public library, but not the school library.  As a parent of three children however, the school library became a very important part of my life (hence the library degree!).  

The moment I stepped foot in my children’s elementary school library, I thought “Wow, this place is amazing.”  I realized how special the library could and should be.  Because of all the budget cuts, there was no money to buy new books.  I began fundraising efforts that enabled the library to purchase over 300 books.  To make a long story short, the librarian and I didn’t connect.  Eventually, I realized there was not much more I could do for that particular library.  It was time for me to move on.

My experiences with my children’s school library only made me more passionate about wanting to become a school librarian.  I began to read everything I could about school libraries.  I bought professional books, joined list serves, became a member of the AASL and the California School Librarians Association (CSLA), and went to the CSLA conference in 2008.  The more I learned, the more I wanted to be a school librarian. I believe firmly that the school library should be the heart of the school.  I want the library to be the exciting place to be, the place where all school community members feel like they belong and are making a difference in.  I want to make learning about “becoming effective users of ideas and information” interesting and fun and cool.  I want the school community members to have “aha” and “wow” moments when they are in the library. 

 

I recently was hired to be the library assistant at one of the three middle schools in my town.  It’s a  paraprofessional job, which I am fine with for now since I have never actually worked in a library and my degree isn’t complete yet.  I definitely feel as if I am being treated professionally and respected.  I am so excited to be able to take all of the ideas I have had over the years and actually implement them in a real, live school library!