This document summarizes strategies for developing curriculum partnerships between libraries and schools. It discusses how partnerships should be relationship-oriented and build over time, starting simply and focusing on practical adult learning. Key issues for partnership include information fluency, technology for reading, STEM/STEAM, and blended learning. Partnerships should focus on positioning the library as a resource and librarians as partners through a year-long curriculum. Simple tools like LEGOs can be used to scaffold more advanced topics in makerspaces, like 3D printing applications.

1. Strategies for
Curriculum
Partnerships: Lessons
Learned
Stephen Abram, MLS
Lighthouse Consulting Inc.
Leatherstocking Conference, Vernon NY
Nov. 19, 2015

2. What does a curriculum partnership look
like?
 Builds over time
 Starts easy
 Sustainable
 Integrated
 Relationship-oriented
 Focuses on adult, practical learning
 Aligns with value systems
 Saves time for a minor investment of time

3. When you’re doing it right you . . .
 Have a year long staff partnership curriculum
 You start with the ready – those early adopters, innovators, network leaners…
 You view resistance as requests for more information in a critical thinking
group of well educated and experienced teachers and administrators
 You focus on simple but key issues that make a difference and align with their
values
 You get good at partnerships with other libraries including public, you run PL
card programs to extend the resources (like VA), you partner with tech
providers like Gale, EBSCO, ProQuest, Apple, Google Education, LEGO
Education, LittleBits, etc.

4. What are the key issues?
 Information fluency (21st Century literacies) for teachers and learners
(they’re different)
 Dealing with reading issues using technology
 STEM and STEAM issues (The school library as laboratory for discovery and
exploration)
 Blended learning
 Flipped classroom

5. What does a curriculum partnership look
like?
 Teaching partnership training first . . . Positioning the school library as a
resource, positioning the school librarians as a partners for learning
 A year long (October – May basically) curriculum that builds so that your
audience and partners can plan their time investment.

6. Information Fluency
There’s so much on this!

7. Information Fluency
 There’s so much on this!
 Separate the teacher needs from the learners
 When you work through the classroom teacher and partners effectively with
project based activities you magnify your impact
 Work with administration to have endorsement of pilots, experiments, and
funding
 Work with teacher communications in the context of their challenges
(projects, needier learners, assignments, etc.)
 Start small and build – you can’t build a mountain quickly!

8. Leatherstocking Searches

9. STEM and STEAM
 Amongst us chickens here . . . Addressing non-PC issues
 Girls
 Boys
 Workforce preparation in the context of thinking and learning readiness
 Higher-Ed preparedness

10. It’s not just Makerspaces
 Makerspaces are a great tool and environment to have the real conversations
 It all relates to the realities of the world that will exists and the skills that
need to build incrementally.
 Have a good stump speech on the vision and the building block of why makers
are needed – in the arts, the engineering and design spectrum.
 Work with administration and other partenrs to build gradually and keep them
onside.

11. Ooohs and Ahhhs
 Printing an entire house
 Printing skin grafts
 Printing bone and skull
plates
 Printing guns
 Printing car parts (Jay
Leno)
 Printing original art
 Printing historic objects
 Printing food
 Printing jewelry
Prototyping and distributed
manufacturing with
applications in architecture,
construction (AEC), industrial
design, automotive,
aerospace, military,
engineering, civil engineering,
dental and medical industries,
biotech (human tissue
replacement), fashion,
footwear, jewelry, eyewear,
education, geographic
information systems, food,
and many other fields.

12. Professional applications (3D)
 Rapid prototyping
 Rapid manufacturing
 Mass customization (solo copies)
 Mass production
 Domestic and hobbyist uses
 Mass distribution

13. Simple and Easy Scaffolding
 LEGO® and duplo® and Mega Bloks®

15. Scaffolding
 Pre-school, Elementary, Middle School, High School
 Competitions, Communities, Hackers
 Mega Bloks large-size, primary colour – macro-motor skills
 Duplo – medium-size – motor skill and manipulation development
 LEGO – fine motor skill development, colour awareness, creativity
 LEGO Kits – instruction sets, reading, levels of complexity
 LEGO Mindstorms (LEGO Robotics) +software
 LEGO Software- e.g. LEGO Digital Designer (CAD/CAM),
 Mindstorms software (bluetooth), plus non-Lego free software like
BlockCAD, LDdraw, LeoCAD …
 LEGO Hackers – LegoBOT 3D printing (pictured)

16. Teaching with LEGO

17. LEGO Mindstorms®

18. LEGO® a place to start

19. 3D Photo Booth
http://hiconsumption.com/2012/11/3d-figure-printing-photo-booth-in-japan/

20. James Bond’s Skyfall Car
http://www.slashgear.com/james-bond-skyfall-crew-turned-to-3d-printers-
for-aston-martin-db5-stunt-double-12256594/

21. Filigree Skull
http://makezine.com/craft/3d-printed-filigree-skull/

22. Portrait Sculpture
http://blog.ponoko.com/2012/04/19/3d-printing-as-an-art-form/

23. Prosthetics
http://gizmodo.com/5993147/how-3d-printing-gave-this-man-his-life-and-face-
back

24. Clothing

25. 3D Home Printing in one day
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/02/13/protohouse-2-3d-printed-house-by-softkill-

26. Prototyping

27. Manufacturing
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/08/3d-
weapons/

28. Play & Learning
http://southweb.org/lifewise/fabrication-power-to-the-people-
why-no-government-can-stop-the-3d-printing-revolution/

29. Preservation and Study
http://www.geekosystem.com/staples-3d-printing/

30. Theatre
http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2012/04/23/mbtv-s02e08-scenic-

31. Bio-printing
http://on3dprinting.com/2012/07/06/infographic-go-on-print-a-liver-the-evolution-
of-bio-3d-printing/

32. Medical

33. Making for Libraries
 Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Little Bits
 LibraryBox
 Publishing, Art, Music
 Infographics
 Video & Podcasts
 Crowdfunding (Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, RocketHub, etc.)
 Your imagination

34. What are Books For?

35. 2010 Eduventures Research on Investments
 58% of instructors believe that technology in courses positively impacts student engagement.
 71% of instructors that rated student engagement levels as “high” as a result of using technology in courses.
 71% of students who are employed full-time and 77% of students who are employed part-time prefer more technology-
based tools in the classroom.
 79% of instructors and 86 percent of students have seen the average level of engagement improve over the last year as
they have increased their use of digital educational tools.
 87% of students believe online libraries and databases have had the most significant impact on their overall
learning.
 62% identify blogs, wikis, and other online authoring tools while 59% identify YouTube and recorded lectures.
 E-books and e-textbooks impact overall learning among 50% of students surveyed, while 42% of students identify online
portals.
 44% of instructors believe that online libraries and databases will have the greatest impact on student
engagement.
 32% of instructors identify e-textbooks and 30% identify interactive homework solutions as having the potential to
improve engagement and learning outcomes. (e-readers was 11%)
 49% of students believe that online libraries and databases will have the greatest impact on student engagement.
 Students are more optimistic about the potential for technology.

36. OMG – the Textbook!
36

38. Until the lion learns to write her own story,
the story will always be from the perspective
of the hunter not the hunted.

40. Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLA
Lighthouse Consulting Inc.
Cel: 416-669-4855
stephen.abram@gmail.com
Stephen’s Lighthouse Blog
http://stephenslighthouse.com
Facebook: Stephen Abram
LinkedIn: Stephen Abram
Twitter: @sabram
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