After having some discussions and getting to know each other a bit, I would ask my mentee what work her district was doing with DEI or what experience she had with this work. Based on their exposure to DEI, I might offer Bishop’s “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” and/or suggest they try some of the tests for hidden bias. Like all of our professional development, our work on inclusion should be ongoing.
I would invite my mentee to create goals around the shared foundation of include in the school library domain. We would of course look at the standards for include for the library. I would ask my mentee to start with a written (or Flipgrid!) reflection on “What would an inclusive library look like?” “How will I know when I’ve created an inclusive library?”
I would encourage them to collect data that they would analyze and reflect on to create their goals. I like the SWOT analysis on p.43 of Developing Inclusive Learners & Citizens Activity Guide. Every new librarian should know this information about their school and the larger community. Who is in their community? For example are there a lot of English Language Learners? What percentage of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch? Are there affinity groups? Is there a GSA? I would ask a coaching question regarding the SWOT analysis like, “As you look at these findings what resources do you think would be important to have in the library to support your community?” “What do you want your students to find in the library?”
Next, I would have the mentor look at their collection statistics. How old is the collection? How are resources distributed? (fiction vs. nonfiction, electronic vs physical, reading levels, etc.) What’s the circulation look like? Data can immediately help drive initiatives but in the long-term, it can also be so helpful for advocacy, so running these reports and being able to look at changes later can be encouraging. I might suggest a diversity audit of a single genre as that would be a more manageable undertaking than the entire collection.
I would have my mentee use form 3-2-1 Planning (K-2) to set goals for the space and collection. I like the simplicity of this form. It feels manageable: 3 goals, 2 success indicators, 1 strategy or resource you’re considering.
I would want to check in with my mentee at a set point and ask them to reflect on their progress. At this point, I would offer some coaching questions like, “What are you noticing about the way the students are using the space?” “Why do you think the books that are circulating are being chosen?” “What changes could you make that will help you achieve your goals?”
Data, Reflection, Goals, Coaching, reflection, data, reflection, goals, coaching, reflections....
Your scenario, as described in your blog and highlighted in your excellent FG post, shows that you have created a thoughtful process for when and how to invite your mentee to examine issues of inclusion in the school library. It’s not just about the collection, but extends to the environment and the virtual space-lots to think about. Self reflection is a fine first step, and the Bishop article is the gold standard. The Diversity Guide is rich with good ideas, and the SWOT exercise can be targeted in many ways, and this would be perfect. Although, when I assign a SWOT task, I have been using the acronym SWOB, instead. The T-threat seems value laden, so I use B-barrier, a bit softer, but to the point! I also really like the table in the Diversity Guide that provides guiding questions for each area. Analyzing data is an essential skill for school librarians and this is an opportunity to dive in. Once the goals are refined a bit, transferring them to a SMARTIE format is actually easy. The timeline for implementation can be adjusted when you continue to check in with the mentee.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts about Julie Stiver’s Shared foundation:Include. We will look at that more closely in the fall.
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Data, Reflection, Goals, Coaching, reflection, data, reflection, goals, coaching, reflections....