I’m seeing signs of spring - sunny days, 70 degree temperatures, flowers emerging  and handbook revisions. Many administrators are beginning to give thought to the revision process for student and faculty handbooks.

Does anyone in your building read the faculty handbook?
Is is a dry boilerplate mashup of policy speak?  

Maybe you can help. I know Teacher-Librarians have plenty to do - being part of these revisions is something worth adding to your agenda.  Currently I am working with our administrators and teachers to radically rethink our policy and approach to how we describe the use of technology in our building (more on that soon).  When handbooks are living documents expressing the philosophy/vision of a building they can make a powerful statement and form a foundation for shared action. 

Where to begin?  READING!

As Teacher-Librarians we are devoted to growing the reading lives of our students. Providing plenty of choice to students is a sure way to reach this vision.  Is there a statement about the importance of student selected reading in your district documents?  If not, now is your chance to help with some serious and meaningful revision. Create new directions in your building. (example from my building below)

(image from http://www.reellifewisdom.com/)

Here is the paragraph from my building’s handbook on independent reading.

INDEPENDENT READING

One of the most influential factors in students’ reading success is the extent to which they spend
time reading. One of a teacher’s most important roles in this process is to foster a passion
and sense of purpose for reading. Students should be provided considerable amounts of time
to read materials at their independent reading level. This will improve all aspects of reading
including fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Teachers should develop structures and
procedures that hold students accountable for independent reading during school and at home.
Many teachers conduct regular reading conferences with students to complete individual
comprehension checks and provide one on one coaching.

The Teacher-Librarian team at College Community is reading Allison Zmuda and Violet H. Harada’s Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century. Libraries Unlimited, 2008.  We’re a few chapters into this book but the impact has already been significant.  This reading is intended to help us reflect on our practice and look for areas of improvement.

  Two key elements are part of this work:

• protocols that lead to shared understandings such as Three Levels of Text http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/doc/3_levels_text.pdf from the National School Reform Faculty.
• based on our structured conversations using the protocol we identify clear goals for improving our practice, share the goal, and report back on progress.

For a snapshot of Zmuda and Harada’s thinking this article from SLM is a great place to begin:http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Zmuda&Harada2008v24nn8p42.html

Now you take a turn.  Find a peer, read the article, use the protocol, improve practice, share.  Can’t find anyone to read and reflect with in your network? Let me know, I’ll join you.

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skype: erniejcox