A change in mindset regarding standards

 

A change in mindset regarding standards

As an educator we are held to various standards to meet the needs of our schools and students yet whenever I initially hear the concept of standards, I get nervous because I think of them as rules to follow and checklist items to complete.  But what if I change my mindset to view standards as guidelines and avenues to pursue to enhance student engagement and creativity.  I can change my outlook of them from confining my efforts to opening new pathways expanding my opportunities and programs with my students.  With this new outlook I embarked on my mission to evaluate and compare standards from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to help me best assist my library patrons.

Both AASL and ISTE have standards to empower learners with choice and educators with parameters to renovate teaching.  This is done by establishing standards that allow for individualized customization and implementation plans to best meet student needs while adhering to curriculum requirements.

AASL standards are based around their shared foundations of inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage. Within each of these foundations are domains of think, create, share, and grow. Individual standard frameworks with competencies are provided for the learner, librarian, and libraries. What I like about these is that they are open for creative interpretation.  For example, within foundation of explore, domain create, and competency 1 “school librarians stimulate learners to construct new knowledge: 1. Teaching problem solving through cycles of design, implementation, and reflection” (Freedman & Robinson, 2019, p. 13). While this standard known as  V.B.1. may sound confusing (and believe me it can be) the beauty of these standards is that they are open for librarians to develop programs, resources, and activities of their choosing to best meet user needs. For example, school librarians Alice Robinson and Jennifer Freedman meet this standard uniquely, Robinson with Botley robots and Robotikits and Freedman with a marshmallow challenge involving engineering.

Check out for https://standards.aasl.org/ for help understanding AASL standards

                                                         

ISTE standards are similar in their openness to a variety of implementation methods available and that they have specific standards to be met for learners and educators like AASL as well as for tech coaches. ISTE guidelines are specific to using technology in education to inspire learners and offer options to best meet their individual needs and increase intrinsic motivation. For example, Empowered Learner 1b: demonstrated how teachers can empower the learner by offering a selection of project options for customization.

For more information on ISTE check out https://www.iste.org/standards

Why is this idea of meeting individual needs so important?  Because it is our job to meet learners where they are, engage them to learn, and motivate them to get to the next level.  With a more personalized approach we can accomplish this. Both AASL and ISTE have standards that positively impact education and I recommend that both be referenced when designing educational programs.  Want more information?  Be sure to review the provided links to begin your lesson planning.  My enthusiasm for these standards has revealed that I definitely have had a change in mindset.  Standards can be fun and inspiring.

 

References

Freedman, J. & Robinson, A. (2019). Transform your teaching by unpacking the AASL standards integrated framework and implementing shared foundation V: Explore. Knowledge Quest, 47 (5) 11-15.

International Society for Technology in Education (n.d). ISTE standards for students. ISTE.org. https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students