This document discusses learner agency and how school libraries can promote it. It summarizes the American Association of School Librarians' mission and standards for 21st century learning, which emphasize empowering students to think critically and become skilled researchers. The document outlines the rights students have to think, create, share, and grow. It argues school libraries provide a safe environment for students to exercise these rights by enabling them to access information, think critically, make mistakes, and reflect on their learning. Photos illustrate how learner agency looks in practice in school libraries.

1. School Libraries & Learner Agency
#jeffcok12
Nancy White
21st Century Learning &
Innovation Specialist
Academy School District 20
Twitter: @NancyW
Photo by Fancy Jantzi, CC licensed on Flickr

2. Think- Pair - Share
Learner Agency is to future success as
_________________ is to __________________
#jeffcok12

3. 2007: AASL Reveals New Standards

4. AASL Mission for School Libraries
“The mission of the school library program is to
ensure that students and staff are effective users
of ideas and information; students are
empowered to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic
readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of
information.”

5. AASL Standards for the
21st Century Learner
• Think
• Create
• Share
• Grow

6. Safe Environment
Dispositions
Skills
Learner
Agency
Responsibilities
SelfAssessment

7. Photo by Mamamusings, CC licensed on Flickr

8. Colorado response to AASL Standards
• Vision Committee Looked At:
•
•
•
•
Skills
Dispositions in Action
Responsibilities
Self-Assessment Strategies
Photo by Fancy Jantzi, CC licensed on Flickr

9. Learners have
Rights!

10. The Learner Has the RIGHT to…
Think
Create
Learners
have rights!
Share
Grow
Educators must create the conditions
for them to do so.

11. The Learner’s Bill of Rights
committee:
• Chair: Jody Gehrig, Director of Libraries, Denver Public
Schools
• Mary Beth Bazzanella, District Office, Jeffco School
District
• Cheri Hilton, South High School, Denver Public Schools
• Nance Nassar, State Library
• Carol Peterson, Instructional Technology, Poudre
School District
• Nancy White, ET-IL Information Literacy Specialist,
District Office, Academy 20 School District

13. Question and be curious

14. Have personal ideas
Photo by Mountain Ridge Library

15. Choose how to learn and share
understanding

16. Plan and participate in learning at an
appropriate level

17. Grapple with challenging ideas or
concepts
Photo by Fancy Jantzi, CC Licensed on Flickr

18. Access the information and resources
needed
Photo by Buffy Hamilton, CC Licensed on Flickr

19. Accessing information
Curating!
Low Agency
High Agency
Based on chart by By Ronald J. Bonnstetter: Available
http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/jcannon/ejse/bonnstetter.html

20. Participate in and contribute to a
learning network
Photo by Buffy Hamilton, CC licensed on Flickr
Photo by San Mateo, CC
licensed on Flickr

21. Think critically, solve problems and
make decisions
CC Photo from Wikipedia, Gulliver Academy

22. Make mistakes and learn from them
Flickr CC Licensed Picture by Buffy Hamilton, The UnQuiet Library

23. Reflect on learning
Microsoft Clipart

24. This is what agency looks like in
a school library!
Picture cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

25. Nick Rate, principal at Kumeroa-Hopelands
School in New Zealand wrote:
“Some of the key words that describe student
agency:
enabling, empowering, self-monitoring,
goals, feedback, meta-cognition, active,
responsive, self-directed and meaningful.”
Rate, Nick. (2013, June 4). “Student Agency.”
Available http://nickrate.com/author/nick/

26. In the school library, students…
• Are enabled
Picture cc licensed by Matthiu Aubry on Flickr

27. In the school library, students…
• Are empowered
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

28. In the school library, students…
• Practice selfmonitoring
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

29. In the school library, students…
• Set and follow
goals
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

30. In the school library, students…
• Receive feedback
Picture cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

31. In the school library, students…
• Are guided to
practice metacognition
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

32. In the school library, students…
• Are active
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

33. In the school library, students…
• Are responsive
Picture cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

34. In the school library, students…
• Are self-directed
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

35. In the school library, students…
• Find Meaning
Pictures cc licensed by Alaska Library Association on Flickr

36. Think- Pair - Share
Libraries are to Learner Agency as
_________________ is to __________________
#jeffcok12

37. Here’s What it Looks Like
Arvada West High School Library
Susie Lackey, Teacher-Librarian

38. Reflect-now its your turn
• What’s one or two things you are going to do
next week to increase your students agency?
• How might you work with your school library
to accomplish this?
tinyurl.com/librariesandlearneragency

39. Thank You!
Nancy White
Twitter: @NancyW
Blog: d20innovation.d20blogs.org/