AASL Standards
Standard 1: Use of Information & Ideas
Standard 2: Teaching & Learning
Standard 3: Collaboration & Leadership
Standard 4: Program Administration
* Click on the standard to go to that section.
AASL Standard 1: Use of Information & Ideas
School library media candidates encourage reading and lifelong learning by stimulating interests and fostering competencies in the effective use of ideas and information. They apply a variety of strategies to ensure access to resources and information in a variety of formats to all members of the learning community. Candidates promote efficient and ethical information seeking behavior as part of the school library media program and its services.
Summary: The I-Search is an approach to the research process that includes a learner-chosen topic and culminates in a project the learner can use to express the information that she has uncovered through the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of research materials.
Justification: I learned how the I-Search process encourages students to search for information efficiently and to use ethical practices during the research process.
Summary: The order required students to choose an objective, create an order of materials to support the objective, prepare a presentation to justify selection choices, and create a checklist of each step of the ordering process.
Justification: By creating an order, I learned the importance of making purchasing decisions that will promote literacy since these decisions impact all of the patrons.
Project: Program Development and Evaluation Plan
Summary: The PDEP included the creation of goals and objectives to improve the media program, a clear statement of the media center's philosophy and mission statement, an explanation of how budgets, committees, and personnel will be managed, and a plan for evaluating the media program.
Justification: By writing the PDEP, I learned how the mission statement and the philosphy determine the goals and objectives of the media center, which impacts how all other decisions are made in the media center.
Summary: The selection policy covered the policies for locating, evaluating, and acquiring new materials for a media center. It also provided a process for handling challenges and facilitating the selection of resources according to a logical plan. It also discussed philosophical issues such as: multicultural sensitivity and intellectual freedom.
Justification: When I wrote the selection policy, it required me to apply my knowledge of equitable access, legal issues, and ethical issues.
AASL Standard 2: Teaching and Learning
School library media candidates model and promote collaborative planning with classroom teachers in order to teach concepts and skills of information processes integrated with classroom content. They partner with other education professionals to develop and deliver an integrated information skills curriculum. Candidates design and implement instruction that engages the student’s interests, passions, and needs which drive their learning.
Summary: The collaborative units were planned with a group of classroom teachers and focused on integrating information literacy skills into curriculum content.
Justification: By collaborating with teachers to help them to integrate information literacy skills into their curriculum, the teachers learned that the media specialist can be an effective and knowledgeable teacher. The teachers were not familiar with the many roles that a media specialist can play. I learned first-hand that by collaborating with the teahcers, it will promote the program in the media center.
Summary: The I-Search is an approach to the research process that includes a learner-chosen topic and culminates in a project the learner can use to express the information that she has uncovered through the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of research materials.
Justification: By going through the I-Search process myself, I saw the tremendous benefits that resulted from choosing a topic that is personally relevant. This process is directly tied to the person and how they perceive and react to the information that they find during their search. After completing an I-Search myself, I then completed one with my students in my classroom
AASL Standard 3: Collaboration and Leadership
School library media candidates provide leadership and establish connections with the greater library and education community to create school library media programs that focus on students learning and achievement; encourage the personal and professional growth of teachers and other educators, and model the efficient and effective use of information and ideas.
Summary: The internship provides a real-world context for understanding the daily activities of a media specialist and encourages students to create personal visions for their media centers by requiring 100 on-site hours and 20 hours of documentation.
Justification: During my internship, I spent time in two different media centers, one of which was my own. While visiting another media center, I had the opportunity of cataloging and processing books. In the media center at my school, I was able to interact with the students and the staff members in a different capacity than as a classroom teacher. I felt very comfortable in this role and could see myself as a media specialist.
Project: Program Development and Evaluation Plan
Summary: The PDEP included the creation of goals and objectives to improve the media program, a clear statement of the media center's philosophy and mission statement, an explanation of how budgets, committees, and personnel will be managed, and a plan for evaluating the media program.
Justification: Writing the PDEP helped me to understand my role as an instructional partner and as a leader in my school.
AASL Standard 4: Program Administration
School library media candidates administer the library media program in order to support the mission of the school, and according to the principles of best practice in library science and program administration.
Summary: The order required students to choose an objective, create an order of materials that support the objective, prepare a presentation to justify selection choices, and create a checklist of each step of the ordering process.
Justification: The order project helped me to understand how to manage information resources in order to complete the steps of a media center order.
Project: Program Development and Evaluation Plan
Summary: The PDEP included the creation of goals and objectives to improve the media program, a clear statement of the media center's philosophy and mission statement, an explanation of how budgets, committees, and personnel will be managed, and a plan for evaluating the media program.
Justification: The PDEP helped me to understand how to manage program resources in order to have an effective media center. It also helped me to understand how the planning and assessment process in a media center differs from that of a classroom teacher.