(BC Teacher: 2007 January/February)
The Ministry of Education recently sent out notices to all students in the province offering them a "free" public library card.
Coquitlam teacher, Jennie Boulanger wrote the following letter to her MLA:
Dear Diane Thorne, MLA
I am a resident of your constituency and an elementary teacher in Burquitlam’s riding. Please find enclosed a class set of notices given to me today to distribute to my Grade 4 students.
If you could be so kind, please return these to Honorable Minister of Education Shirley Bond. I find it appalling that our precious tax (education) dollars would be spent on such an outrageous piece of (false), self-congratulatory propaganda.
I’m sure that there was at least one BC student not eligible for a free public library card prior to our current government’s probable policy change. What I’m not so sure of is why the money for this lovely letterhead and distribution to probably 500,000 students wasn’t spent on buying library books for schools instead.
Once again, we are subjecting our children to a shameless piece of advertising. "...our government’s way of encouraging you to ...enjoy the gift of reading." Indeed.
Unfortunately, my 10-year-olds didn’t receive these to take home. Instead we discussed how this "news" seemed strange, considering that we have been to two local public libraries already this school year and already had our "free" library cards for some time. Some students brought up concerns about saving our trees instead of using paper needlessly for notices such as these.
Perhaps (if a Spring Session is held) you could bring up some of our future-voters’ concerns in Legislature. Thank you for considering my request.
Jennie Boulanger, Coquitlam
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Monday, December 11, 2006
Thousands spent on free library cards
(BCTF E-news, Vol. 6, no. 5, December 11, 2006)
The minister of education has spent thousands of dollars sending letters to parents of all K12 students telling them their children are now eligible for a free public library card.
Most public libraries in the province provide cards free of charge already. Some people are upset at this enormous waste of money, especially in light of the number of school libraries that have been closed or had their hours reduced.
There is over fifty-years research showing that a well-stocked and properly staffed school library will improve academic achievement.
The minister of education has spent thousands of dollars sending letters to parents of all K12 students telling them their children are now eligible for a free public library card.
Most public libraries in the province provide cards free of charge already. Some people are upset at this enormous waste of money, especially in light of the number of school libraries that have been closed or had their hours reduced.
There is over fifty-years research showing that a well-stocked and properly staffed school library will improve academic achievement.
Friday, December 1, 2006
The teacher-librarian: A students’ best bet to acquire information literacy skills
(BC Teacher: 2006 November/December) by Lesley Edwards
One of the truly gratifying aspects of my job as a secondary school teacher-librarian is the work I do with teens helping them to become better at finding useful information on the Internet.
I remember the Grade 12 student who appeared in the library with panic written all over her face. "I spent all weekend searching the web for information for my project and couldn’t find a thing. The assignment is due in two days." I asked her what her topic was and immediately pulled up three great sites using a Google search. She looked at me incredulously. "How did you do that?" she asked. Now this was a hardworking, intelligent student and yet she was flummoxed by a simple search. She had no idea how to use keywords effectively.
I remember a class doing a project on substance abuse. They had been given clearly defined questions to answer and yet several of them were having difficulty. When I checked with them to see what keywords they were using for their search they replied, "Shrooms." With a little coaching they were able to come up with the term psilocybin, which netted them sites from sources such as Brown University’s health education page. They learned that a search using slang results in sites that offer unreliable or biased information. I then directed them to the links provided at the bottom of Brown’s page where additional reliable information could be found.
Without expert guidance, how many students will learn to use a directory like the Librarian’s Internet Index at http://lii.org/, or go beyond the first page of Google to discover how to do an advanced search? How many know about the great online databases that many schools and all public libraries subscribe to? How many know that even the creator of Wikipedia does not recommend it for student use? And finally how many know how to evaluate a web site for accuracy, authority, and reliability?
Try this at home. Do a Google search using the keywords "Martin Luther King." The first hit seems great, but closer examination shows that it is hosted by Stormfront, a white supremacist group. Similarly, the first result of a Google search for "In Flanders Fields" takes you to the American Arlington Cemetery site, the second is a Belgian museum with nothing about the poem. The eighth is hosted by a Canadian white supremacist group—the Canada First Immigration Reform Committee. There are great teaching and learning opportunities here, but those "teachable moments" are too often lost when teacher-librarians are not part of the research process.
Public librarians also offer great information services but are more likely to provide the answer teenagers need rather than teaching them how to find the answer for themselves. When a class comes to the school library to do research, I make sure that part of their session includes learning and practicing information literacy skills.
For me, teaching information literacy is all about the process, the skills of finding information, judging its quality and usefulness, paring it down to essentials, and recombining it in ways that challenge the user to employ higher-order thinking skills. It’s about using information ethically and with integrity. We don’t hand teenagers the keys to the family car without training them to drive, so why are we so willing to turn them loose on the Internet without strategies for navigating successfully and staying safe? Who better to provide solid Internet-use strategies than a teacher-librarian?
Lesley Edwards is a teacher-librarian at Seycove Secondary School, North Vancouver.
For further information, read the following:
• "The Crisis in Canada’s School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Re-Investment" by Ken Hancock at www.peopleforeducation.com/librarycoalition/Report03.pdf.
• A report prepared for the National Library of Canada, "Elementary and Secondary Schools: The Role, Challenges and Financial Conditions of School and School Library Resources in Canada" at www.collectionscanada.ca/9/14/index-e.html
• "School Libraries and Student Achievement in Ontario" at www.accessola.com/osla/graphics/eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf.
One of the truly gratifying aspects of my job as a secondary school teacher-librarian is the work I do with teens helping them to become better at finding useful information on the Internet.
I remember the Grade 12 student who appeared in the library with panic written all over her face. "I spent all weekend searching the web for information for my project and couldn’t find a thing. The assignment is due in two days." I asked her what her topic was and immediately pulled up three great sites using a Google search. She looked at me incredulously. "How did you do that?" she asked. Now this was a hardworking, intelligent student and yet she was flummoxed by a simple search. She had no idea how to use keywords effectively.
I remember a class doing a project on substance abuse. They had been given clearly defined questions to answer and yet several of them were having difficulty. When I checked with them to see what keywords they were using for their search they replied, "Shrooms." With a little coaching they were able to come up with the term psilocybin, which netted them sites from sources such as Brown University’s health education page. They learned that a search using slang results in sites that offer unreliable or biased information. I then directed them to the links provided at the bottom of Brown’s page where additional reliable information could be found.
Without expert guidance, how many students will learn to use a directory like the Librarian’s Internet Index at http://lii.org/, or go beyond the first page of Google to discover how to do an advanced search? How many know about the great online databases that many schools and all public libraries subscribe to? How many know that even the creator of Wikipedia does not recommend it for student use? And finally how many know how to evaluate a web site for accuracy, authority, and reliability?
Try this at home. Do a Google search using the keywords "Martin Luther King." The first hit seems great, but closer examination shows that it is hosted by Stormfront, a white supremacist group. Similarly, the first result of a Google search for "In Flanders Fields" takes you to the American Arlington Cemetery site, the second is a Belgian museum with nothing about the poem. The eighth is hosted by a Canadian white supremacist group—the Canada First Immigration Reform Committee. There are great teaching and learning opportunities here, but those "teachable moments" are too often lost when teacher-librarians are not part of the research process.
Public librarians also offer great information services but are more likely to provide the answer teenagers need rather than teaching them how to find the answer for themselves. When a class comes to the school library to do research, I make sure that part of their session includes learning and practicing information literacy skills.
For me, teaching information literacy is all about the process, the skills of finding information, judging its quality and usefulness, paring it down to essentials, and recombining it in ways that challenge the user to employ higher-order thinking skills. It’s about using information ethically and with integrity. We don’t hand teenagers the keys to the family car without training them to drive, so why are we so willing to turn them loose on the Internet without strategies for navigating successfully and staying safe? Who better to provide solid Internet-use strategies than a teacher-librarian?
Lesley Edwards is a teacher-librarian at Seycove Secondary School, North Vancouver.
For further information, read the following:
• "The Crisis in Canada’s School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Re-Investment" by Ken Hancock at www.peopleforeducation.com/librarycoalition/Report03.pdf.
• A report prepared for the National Library of Canada, "Elementary and Secondary Schools: The Role, Challenges and Financial Conditions of School and School Library Resources in Canada" at www.collectionscanada.ca/9/14/index-e.html
• "School Libraries and Student Achievement in Ontario" at www.accessola.com/osla/graphics/eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Testing scheme doesn’t improve score
(BCTF E-news, Vol. 6, no. 3, Nov 20, 2006)
The BC Liberal government has been claiming it wants to improve student achievement, and by that it means test scores. Last year’s Grade 7 Foundation Skills Assessment reading scores are the lowest in five years, the same length of time the government has been in power.
When the education minister was questioned about the test results she said, “We have to ask ourselves, which [initiatives] are working and which ones are not.”
Closing school libraries and increasing class sizes haven’t helped students develop literacy skills. On the contrary, there is 50 years of research showing that a properly staffed and well-maintained school library is the best way to support academic achievement.
The BC Liberal government has been claiming it wants to improve student achievement, and by that it means test scores. Last year’s Grade 7 Foundation Skills Assessment reading scores are the lowest in five years, the same length of time the government has been in power.
When the education minister was questioned about the test results she said, “We have to ask ourselves, which [initiatives] are working and which ones are not.”
Closing school libraries and increasing class sizes haven’t helped students develop literacy skills. On the contrary, there is 50 years of research showing that a properly staffed and well-maintained school library is the best way to support academic achievement.
Monday, October 23, 2006
National School Library Day
(BCTF: 2006 Oct 23)
October 23 is National School Library Day. "School libraries help lay the foundation for lifelong learning and students read more when they have access to a variety of materials to enhance learning," says BCTF President Jinny Sims. "Student achievement is linked to access to school libraries and it’s important that schools are well-resourced with curriculum-based collections and strong library programs." The annual survey of school library learning conditions conducted by the BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association points to a drastic need to support school libraries. In light of the government's stated commitment to literacy, the erosion of school library staffing and resources simply does not make sense.
October 23 is National School Library Day. "School libraries help lay the foundation for lifelong learning and students read more when they have access to a variety of materials to enhance learning," says BCTF President Jinny Sims. "Student achievement is linked to access to school libraries and it’s important that schools are well-resourced with curriculum-based collections and strong library programs." The annual survey of school library learning conditions conducted by the BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association points to a drastic need to support school libraries. In light of the government's stated commitment to literacy, the erosion of school library staffing and resources simply does not make sense.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
BCTF salutes teacher-librarians
(BCTF News Release: 2006 October 19)
Teachers around the province are celebrating the work of their peers through their support and acknowledgment of National School Library Day, October 23.
The BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) says this day highlights the connection between reading and learning. President Jinny Sims says, "We are concerned about the lack of specialist teachers such as teacher-librarians, who foster our children's love of books. School libraries help lay the foundation for lifelong learning and students read more when they have access to a variety of materials to enhance learning. Our school libraries are staffed with professional teacher-librarians who know what information will stimulate and engage students."
Sims says student achievement is linked to access to school libraries and it's important that schools are well-resourced with curriculum-based collections and strong library programs. "The government must fully fund school libraries," says Sims, "not only by ensuring the shelves are well-stocked with current and cutting-edge resources, but by staffing the libraries with full-time teacher-librarians. It's alarming that in BC, only 18% of school libraries have a full-time teacher-librarian."
The BCTF is heartened that the provincial government wants BC to be world's literacy leader, but Sims says, "in order for that to happen, we need sufficient funding. School libraries should be places for our children to expand their knowledge and to feed their love of learning. Instead, they have become the hallmark of budget constraints and many school boards have been slow in repairing the damage that years of budget cuts have done."
Sims says the BCTF applauds the hard work of teacher-librarians and recognizes the unique struggles they face.
Teachers around the province are celebrating the work of their peers through their support and acknowledgment of National School Library Day, October 23.
The BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) says this day highlights the connection between reading and learning. President Jinny Sims says, "We are concerned about the lack of specialist teachers such as teacher-librarians, who foster our children's love of books. School libraries help lay the foundation for lifelong learning and students read more when they have access to a variety of materials to enhance learning. Our school libraries are staffed with professional teacher-librarians who know what information will stimulate and engage students."
Sims says student achievement is linked to access to school libraries and it's important that schools are well-resourced with curriculum-based collections and strong library programs. "The government must fully fund school libraries," says Sims, "not only by ensuring the shelves are well-stocked with current and cutting-edge resources, but by staffing the libraries with full-time teacher-librarians. It's alarming that in BC, only 18% of school libraries have a full-time teacher-librarian."
The BCTF is heartened that the provincial government wants BC to be world's literacy leader, but Sims says, "in order for that to happen, we need sufficient funding. School libraries should be places for our children to expand their knowledge and to feed their love of learning. Instead, they have become the hallmark of budget constraints and many school boards have been slow in repairing the damage that years of budget cuts have done."
Sims says the BCTF applauds the hard work of teacher-librarians and recognizes the unique struggles they face.
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