Grant Wiggins, the author of Educative Assessment and President of Authentic Education, recently shared the experience of a veteran high school teacher shadowing a student. “It was so eye-opening,” writes the teacher, “that I wish I could go back to every class of students I ever had right now and change a minimum of ten things – the layout, the lesson plan, the checks for understanding. Most of it!”
Some of the key takeaways from the experience were:
Students sit all day, and sitting is exhausting.
High School students are sitting passively and listening during approximately 90% of their classes.
You feel a little bit like a nuisance all day long.
The post has been so popular that Wiggins has even done a post-script. In it he summarizes the comments he’s received and makes a call for more teachers to shadow students.
The message of understanding students can apply to Academic Librarians as well. Jessica Olin’s recent post about the subject points out how the “Pedagogy of Convenience” should be overturned and librarians should strive not to teach things like “we’ve always done it” but rather engage students.
What do you think? Are you changing how you engage students?
Walk alongside another librarian for a day to see how alike or different your worlds are!
Image by Pings and Needles. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
The CMLE shadowing service is relatively new, but promises lots of potential in Central Minnesota. CMLE staff pay attention to the details of academic, public, school and special libraries in 319 locations in 12 counties. Through our work in the field, our communications to library staff, and our use of tools like our Quick Question Polls, we strive to have a good grasp on the library landscape in Central MN. Then, by using that knowledge, our staff can play matchmaker and connect you to a library setting other than your own. We call this activity shadowing.
Who could benefit from a CMLE shadowing experience?
Many librarians wonder wistfully whether they made the right decision back in library school about what type of librarian they wanted to become. Maybe shadowing can provide clarity without the professional risk of changing jobs!
Are you a para running a school media center, wondering if you should pursue a degree? Particularly in K-12 schools, the experience of media specialists can be quite different, depending on whether the school is moving into Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or One-to-One Initiatives (1:1). CMLE staff know which schools are in these stages of transition and can provide you with the right fit.
Are you an academic librarian trying to anticipate how the high school student coming out of a BYOD or 1:1 school might approach a college experience differently? Will there be impact on how you provide an academic library or teaching experience?
Are you a high school media specialist feeling beyond stretched as you single handedly run the media center and teach classes? Are you wondering if a public or academic library might be a better fit for you?
Are you a special librarian, working fairly solo (often not feeling so special), and wondering if it might be time for a larger setting and a team of people with whom you can work?
If any of these scenarios sound like you, our shadowing program may be a good option for you. Or, maybe you are simply a curious person, willing and anxious to understand a bigger library world….that is ok too.
If you are interested in setting up a shadowing experience, please make contact with me to sort out the details. I will help you with connections and logistics.
As an organization CMLE has a unique voice! Comprised of more than 300 members, resonating over 12 counties, as individuals and as a unified collective our members benefit! As a catalyst for library personnel, CMLE strives to encourage career development opportunities that actively engage our members. A few months ago, CMLE launched a pilot program in which our member(s) could elect to spend a day “shadowing” another librarian/media specialist working in a different library type. The goal of the “Shadowing Program” is to provide a platform to support continued professional growth and build awareness. Through this program, we hope participants will uncover commonalities, discover potential differences, and observe plausible approaches to current issues.
Here is their story: School Librarian Walks Alongside Academic Librarian! Narrative by Maria Burnham, K-12 School Media Representative at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School shadowing Amy Springer Academic Librarian, College of St. Benedict’s/St. Johns University.
Maria Burnham
Snow and Insight
Stepping onto the campus of St. John’s University was like coming home for me. And on a beautiful snowy March day, the scenery couldn’t have been any more surreal. Big, fluffy white flakes clung to the boughs of the pine trees, students bundled up in hats and scarves made their way from class to class, and the towering abby’s bell greeted me with it’s familiar ringing-the day was postcard perfect.
As a St. Ben’s grad, I was excited to spend the afternoon on campus, stepping back into a setting where my days were full of reading, writing, analyzing and debating. Walking into the Alcuin library, I was unsure of what to expect from this shadowing experience I verbally agreed to with CMLE. All I knew was that Amy Springer from CSB/SJU was expecting me at noon and I carried with me a hundred questions in my mind (only about 10 of which were written down on paper).
It turns out that my experience with academic librarians in my lifetime has been pretty limited-a quick trip to the reference desk or a book checkout at the circulation desk is about all anything every amounted to in my time at St. Ben’s. Not to brag, but I guess I’ve always been a pretty library-savvy student, even in my college days when my research needs were more than a Google search away. So when preparing for my shadowing day, I wanted to learn more about the post-secondary world and whether or not I was sending my high school students fully prepared for college in the 11 years I’ve been a high school educator both in the classroom and in the library.
From the moment I stepped in to Amy’s office, it was clear that I was in good hands. Her office, although small and practically windowless, is welcoming and friendly thanks to the fun framed pictures of famous hanging around the room. With a warm smile and a handshake, Amy began to introduce me to her world.
Our first hour together was spent at the reference desk. Amy showed me the format and options that students have in communicating with librarians. Email or chat, CSB/SJU students have options in finding research answers without even physically setting foot in the library. These remote contact options got me thinking, “When my students are stuck in their research from home, what are their options in finding answers to their questions?” At CSB/SJU, students can also utilize the librarian who is sitting at the actual reference desk, but most students access library help electronically. I watched the process of Amy responding to a few emails, and as she finished answering the students, we spent time talking about the specialty areas of the librarians on campus and how they each log any reference questions they receive in order to track frequency and types of questions that are coming in from students. Overall, I found the reference routine to be efficient and thorough, and I love the idea of tracking student questions and library responses.
Amy Springer
After our time at the reference desk, Amy treated me to lunch. Over lunch, along with two of Amy’s colleagues, we discussed eBooks and their place in libraries. Considering I have yet to dabble in the eBook world, I had many questions for this group as I see this part of the library world changing every day. From what I gathered from our discussions, the eBook world continues to evolve and there is no prescribed formula for eBook success. And maybe there never will be, but it sure makes for an interesting discussion considering the varying formats and quirks in working with the publishing world.
Back at the library after lunch, Amy gave me a tour of the library where I saw some of the unique parts of the facility. I also met many of the other librarian staff in the Alcuin library including the archivist and the interlibrary loan associate. It’s clear that departmentally the library staff work together along with their student workers to meet the needs of their patrons.
Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the day was talking about Facebook and Twitter. Amy is in charge of social media marketing for the college libraries we discussed the power of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. She uses Hoot Suite to manage her posts and to track the traffic of her clientele. Each day, she posts about a variety of topics including recent acquisitions of the collection.
At the end of my visit, I felt invigorated from the information I received and from the potential collaboration I see between high schools and post-secondary institutions. For example, St. Ben’s and St. John’s hosts a “Digital Commons” on their library site, a place where faculty and student writing and projects can be published for all to see. How powerful to be able to see the work of professors and students! As I’m talking to my senior high school students preparing to leave the cozy nest of high school this spring, I will be showing them the expectations and standards of projects at a post-secondary institution. Even Amy Springer is published in the Digital Commons with an article about using pop culture in research lessons to maintain student engagement. After all, who wouldn’t pay attention if the goal was to research the outlook of Snooki’s business dream?
At the end of my visit (which arrived in the blink of an eye, it seemed), Amy said that she learned just as much from me as I learned from her. That’s quite the compliment considering I walked away with my head spinning with information and ideas. Spending the day with another librarian-someone who understands the job, mainly its pitfalls and triumphs-was incredible. For a majority of the time, I spend my days and weeks as a department of one. But not on that snowy, March day. That day, I felt the power of collaboration.
CMLE recognizes that change is afoot in schools and media centers. Change is also happening at CMLE as we have a new strategic plan that includes a refined focus on serving school media centers. Because of this, it’s a perfect time for CMLE staff to reach out and connect with our K-12 media centers.
This visit by CMLE was to Dassel-Cokato High School [DCHS] on Tuesday, January 2nd. The media program at Dassel-Cokato [DC] is incredibly exciting and forward thinking, and led by non-other than MEMO Media Specialist of the Year, (and CMLE’s former Board President) Paul Beckermann. Paul has been with the DC district for 25 years, first as an English teacher, and for the last seven years as a Media and Digital Learning Specialist.
The first order of business was to set-up a likely day for a visit to the school. With busy holiday schedules, we eventually landed on January 2nd. And, you know what that means, right? … Yes, it was the first day back to school after winter break! Perhaps not the most typical day, but certainly an exciting one! When I walked into the school, I instantly felt the energy of the students and staff. After checking-in, I made my way to the DC Media Center. Already upon my arrival at 7:45 AM, students and teachers alike were utilizing the library – some using computer terminals, others chatting or working quietly by themselves. This was so great to see, especially considering that it was their first day back!
After meeting with Paul in his office, he showed me around some of the office area and introduced me to a few teachers as well as staff members. I really got a sense that there’s a lot of great camaraderie, teamwork, and mutual respect there. Next, we went back to his office, so he could oh-so-quickly check email, and briefly show me (in his Moodle) what he was about to teach to the 8:10 Journalism class. And, off we went!
Paul and I were greeted by English teacher, Ms. Georges, at the classroom door, and the 22 student class started with the school announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance. Now that took me back! 🙂 Next, Ms. Georges introduced the Journalism project, which focuses on photos and photo editing. Then she turned the class over to Paul so he could instruct the students on using Serif’s PhotoPlus for photo editing. Paul explained to me that PhotoPlus is similar to Adobe Photoshop, but is substantially cheaper. What was interesting to me about this whole process is, not only does Paul spend a great deal of time teaching “traditional” information literacy workshops (mostly for English and History), but he’s also the go-to guy for huge projects like choosing software for the district (as Chair of the District Tech Services Committee), and later, teaching students and faculty how to utilize that software.
Paul teaching photo editing to students.
And, it doesn’t stop there! Paul is also responsible for instructing five sections of the DCTV [Dassel Cokato TV] course – a class that produces news and announcements for the school in a format similar to a 15-minute news show. This DC news program is broadcast to the entire high school on Thursdays, and is a great example of hands-on learning. The DCTV course is a blended learning classroom, with students working independently through parts of the course while receiving direct instruction from Paul on other skills. Because of the time required to instruct these five DCTV classes (which meet every day – throughout the school day) Paul (and the other DC Media Specialists) operate on a flextime system, which affords greater opportunity for flexing their “average” daily schedule to accommodate teaching requests throughout the day.
Of course, the flextime should be good indication as to just how much of Paul’s time is spent teaching. Paul estimated that on average, he spends about a third of his time teaching students, a third of his time teaching/providing professional development to staff/faculty, and the final third working on administrative duties. As previously indicated, Paul teaches five sections of DCTV, provides IL instruction in many classes (mostly History and English), and provides technology/media instruction in still other classes. Beyond his classroom teaching, he, and the other DC Media Specialists, are responsible for providing professional development and continuing education training for their teachers – they teach a strand during staff development days. Also, if Paul goes to a conference, you can bet that the information he picked up there, will quickly and efficiently be passed on to the teachers. Additionally, Paul is on the District Staff Development Committee (some of that administrative work he was talking about), and as such, plays a key role in determining upcoming staff development focus areas. One example of a key focus area for staff development at DC is “best practices for digital learning” – a project undertaken by the DC media team.
Though things are going incredibly well at the DCHS and its Media Center, Paul wouldn’t be the professional he is without some worries. Paul wants “to do everything right”. He mentioned that he feels a lot of responsibility for leading the school in its development of 21st century learning, and wonders about the best way to train staff, and how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Paul emphasized that it’s not about the tools, it’s about learning… and applying the best tools to ensure those 21st century skills are being absorbed and learned by students.
When asked to identify things that are going especially well at his school or in his work, Paul talked about DC’s four-year plan for becoming a 1:1 laptop school. Currently, all the English classes have carts with laptops within the rooms, and each year, more laptops will be rolled out to individual classes, until three years from now, all students should have their own laptop. Additionally, he’s proud to report that their circulation is up 588% over the least 5 years – and is happy that there are so many students interested in literature and works of fiction. He’s also very proud of the whole DC School District’s K-12 Media Program. The Media Specialists work well together and they share common goals for their program. Ultimately, these common goals ensure an easier working relationship between all staff and faculty, and a better flow or continuation of learning for students from grade to grade and from school to school… A flow that was quite evident after Paul brought me to the Middle School’s Media Center (housed within the same building). Like the High School, the Middle School’s Media Center also offers a top-notch and quickly evolving media program, led by Paul’s wife and fellow Media Specialist, Pam Beckermann.
Without a doubt, Paul is a leader at his school, within the district, and beyond. Throughout my time with Paul, so many teachers, staff members, and students sought him out for help and conversation. The interactions were so casual and easy, it spoke volumes to the fact that those at the school are familiar with Paul and his many abilities. Clearly, Paul and the work he does is much appreciated and valued. I felt privileged to have spent the morning shadowing him, and to have learned (at least to some degree) what a “day in the life” is like for Paul.
CMLE provides support services to 319 libraries/media centers in twelve counties of Central Minnesota. We work with college librarians, special librarians (hospital, prison, historical socities) and public librarians. It is probably no surprise that the largest group are our 265 media centers. All libraries have a variety of services and focus areas, but it is within the media center group that we see the most variety. Some schools have district level media directors in addition to media specialists in each school. Some schools have no media specialists. And, in some schools, the media specialist has a tight focus within the media center only, in other schools, the media specialist is taking the lead on moving the district into the one-to-one (1:1) computing world! And, as you can imagine, we have everything in between too!
CMLE is in a perfect position to understand these variations and identify meaningful relationships and partnerships between our different library types. And we strongly believe that all types of librarians have similar goals, yet different ways of going about the work they do. This academic year, we will be piloting a shadowing program. We believe that there is power in walking in someone elses shoes for a day; shadowing them to see what is entailed in a typical day. We will help arrange opportunities for librarians to spend a day with a different type of libraian. We believe these shadowing experiences will help us understand what we all have in common, and enable us all to speak about libraries using one voice. We believe it is possible that all librarians may very well have the same goals; falling along the lines of education! Are you interested in a shadowing experience? Let me know at papost@stcloudstate.edu
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
Grant Wiggins, the author of Educative Assessment and President of Authentic Education, recently shared the experience of a veteran high school teacher shadowing a student. “It was so eye-opening,” writes the teacher, “that I wish I could go back to every class of students I ever had right now and change a minimum of ten things – the layout, the lesson plan, the checks for understanding. Most of it!”
