Bridge Builders on the Reading River

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Bridge Builders on the Reading River

• Are You a Wanna Be LMS?

Johan Koren johan.koren_at_coe.murraystate.eduLibrar
y Media Program Murray State University
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Summer and Reading

• The joys of summer reading
• To those of us in the teaching professions,
  summer means two or three months of involuntary
  unemployment. Certainly, teachers need to
  recharge after the long academic year. Some of
  us (like our students) must find summer jobs. But
  whatever we do, the summer holds one delicious
  promise reading for pleasure.
• Frederick Smock, poet-in-residence at Bellarmine
  University , Louisville Courier-Journal,
  Saturday, June 10, 2006

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Problem Finding the right book?

• Summer reading
• We know what you want, because we want it, too
  Something fun to read this summer. So why is the
  right book so hard to find?
• Where are the page-turners that don't make you
  feel like you're pouring Karo syrup directly over
  your brain?
• Laura Miller

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Summer reading for kids

• Summer Reading Loss
• Young readers who don't continue to read over the
  summer especially those who are reluctant or
  at-risk are likely to lose crucial ground. One
  summer off can sometimes mean a whole school year
  of struggling academic performance.
• Research clearly shows that the key to stemming
  summer reading loss is finding novel ways to get
  books into the hands of children during the
  summer break.
• Bridging the Summer Reading Gap By Anne
  McGill-Franzen and Richard Allington

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Reading at any time

• . . . the good news
• We know that the more children read, the better
  their literacy development. There is now
  overwhelming research showing that free voluntary
  reading is the primary source of our reading
  ability, our writing style, much of our
  vocabulary and spelling knowledge, and our
  ability to handle complex grammatical
  constructions. It has also been confirmed that
  those who read more know more . . .
• Stephen D Krashen, Children's Literature Very
  Good News and Very Bad News

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Bridging the gap?

• The Connectors
• The targeted reader benefits from a caring adult
  (teacher, library-media specialist, parent) who
  takes the time to understand the reader not just
  in the terms of reading level, but also in the
  terms of interests, motivation, developmental
  maturity, prior knowledge, purpose for reading,
  and available scaffolding support.
• Jack Stenner, Matching Students to Text The
  Targeted Reader.

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Right Book at the Right Time

• Knowing Books, Knowing Kids
• When . . . school librarians talk about the
  right book they understand that this
  deceptively simple phrase describes an
  extraordinarily complex idea. The right book is
  one that speaks to a child in some way. And, it
  is not always a book. It could be a magazine or a
  Web site that matches the interests of the child,
  is at an appropriate developmental and reading
  level, and addresses one or more needs of the
  child, whether for entertainment, information or
  learning to read.
• Literacy and the Role of the School Library

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Bridge to Higher Scores

• School Libraries Work!
• As mounting evidence affirms, school libraries
  staffed by qualified library media specialists do
  make a measurable difference on student
  achievement. Whether that achievement is measured
  by standardized reading achievement scores or by
  global assessments of learning, school libraries
  and library media specialists are a powerful
  force in the lives of Americas children.

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What is a librarian?

• A person who helps or teaches people how to
• Search for information
• Browse through information
• Learn about information
• Enjoy information

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What do we mean by information?

• Comment from a former faculty member at the
  library school in Oslo, Norway
• . . . you know, theres nothing as fluid as
  the information concept its like . . . an
  amoeba!
• From a group interview for dissertation
  research, Fall 1989

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What is a school librarian?

• A person who teaches children how to
• Search for answers to questions using appropriate
  sources
• Browse for answers to questions using
  appropriate sources
• Learn about problem solving using appropriate
  sources
• Enjoy using appropriate sources

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What does a media specialist do?

• Selects and acquires resources
• Organizes resources
• Disseminates resources
• Manages the library media center
• Facilitates learning
• Collaborates with colleagues
• Provides a leadership role in her school

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LMS a leader?

• The library media specialist
• . . . is a leader in helping teachers, students,
  and others learn how to gain access to the
  concepts, facts, and opinions provided by both
  traditional and technological information
  resources.
• Information Power (ALA/AECT, 1998), 85.

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Becoming an LMS

• Kentucky Teaching Certificates
• Base Teaching Certificates
• Elementary/Middle/Secondary School (Primary
  through Grade 12) - Preparation includes one or
  more of the following specializations art,
  foreign language, health, physical education,
  integrated music, vocal music, instrumental music
  or school media librarian

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Preparation for the specialization

• Approved program of instruction
• Praxis II Specialty Exam
• 0310 Library Media Specialist

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Approved Programs I

• University of Kentucky SLIS
• M.S.L.S., Rank II and Rank I
• All students seeking certification in school
  media librarianship at the University of Kentucky
  need to hold a valid teaching certificate or a
  Teacher Internship Statement of Eligibility or
  its equivalent.
• On campus program

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Approved Programs II

• Eastern Kentucky University
• LIBRARY SCIENCE - Masters of Arts in Education 
• Master of Arts, Rank II Non-degree and Rank I
  Non-degree programs leading to initial
  certification as P-12 school media librarian are
  offered. 
• Students entering the Library   Science program
  must be certified as classroom teachers. 
• On campus program

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Approved Programs III

• Western Kentucky University
• Western's Library Media Education (LME) program
  offers undergraduate minor and graduate Online
  Master Of Science In Library Media Education
  Degree programs of study in the areas of school
  library media services and educational
  technology. 
• Teacher certification is not a requirement for
  admission to the program.

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Approved Programs IV

• Murray State University
• 30 credits for Rank I, consisting of a minimum
  of three hours of graduate credit in professional
  education and 27 credit hours in the
  specialization field of library media, including
  a supervised practicum.
• Requires a previous Rank II classification
  (Master's Degree or Fifth Year Program) and a
  teaching certificate
• Online program

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Focus of a Library Media Program ?

• Developing school media specialists who are
  capable of
• Working with knowledge (Knowledgeable)
• Working with technology (Adaptive)
• Working with children (Empathetic Culturally
  sensitive)
• Working with their fellow teachers
  (Collaborative Leaders Proactive)
• Working with themselves (Reflective Lifelong
  learners Decision Makers)

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So, how do you teach this stuff?

• Reading Observing
• Reflecting
• Discussing
• Reflecting
• Practicing
• Reflecting
• Modeling

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Context and Meaning in Reflection

• Reflection Journal
• . . . the idea is to provide for you an area
  where you can do your own private (at least
  private from the rest of the class!) reflections
  on what you will be reading, learning and
  struggling with during this semester.  . . . in
  some ways, you could look as this as a kind of
  counselling session, but not so much in the sense
  that I will be the counsellor--more that you will
  yourself be, and I'm just the assistant coach
  who's there on the side observing how you're
  doing and maybe putting in one or two
  suggestions or comments that would seem
  appropriate.  

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Alternative routes?

• Recruitment plan for position of school media
  librarian
• If a fully certified person is not available for
  the position of school media librarian as
  attested by the local school superintendent, the
  superintendent, on behalf of the local board of
  education, may request a one (1) year approval
  for the assignment of a classroom teacher . . .
• Prior to employment as a media librarian, the
  applicant shall have completed the nine (9)
  semester hours of the school media librarian
  specialization
• During the first four (4) weeks of the school
  term, the applicant shall participate in a
  practicum of one (1) week designed to allow him
  to demonstrate competencies in administration and
  organization of school library media programs

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Alternative Certification

• University-Based Alternative Route to
  Certification
• Allows completion of the preparation program with
  concurrent employment in a school district. A
  candidate receives a Temporary Provisional
  Certificate and participates in KTIP or KPIP
  (internships). The candidate must complete all
  requirements within three years (two years for
  administration) and pass all required
  assessments.
• You are a candidate for this route if you
• Have a bachelor's or master's degree and
• Meet university admission standards.