STEAM at Roebuck Elementary

 

School Librarians are expected to follow the AASL Standards to make sure the school library is supplying the best possible resources and learning outcomes at all grade levels. I was tasked with interviewing a few lovely librarians based on this Domain: 

Domain: Create

Competencies: Learners adjust their awareness of the global learning community by:

• Interacting with learners who reflect a range of perspectives.

• Evaluating a variety of perspectives during learning activities.

• Representing diverse perspectives during learning activities.

    

The next school librarian in this interview series is Audrey Leedman from Roebuck Elementary in Spartanburg District 6. This school is heavily STEAM based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). Here they focus on the 4C’s (communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking). Audrey states that, “communication and collaboration are important in helping students learn and adjust awareness of the global learning community.” This is why their school focuses on STEAM because it applies multiple perspectives from learners during these activities. 

Some of the resources in their library program that implement these competencies are hands-on activities. This includes their Project Lead the Way (PLTW) lessons all the way down to the centers that include magnets, dominoes, and cards. By allowing their students the opportunity to work with each other and learn from one another is an important component of their lessons in the library. Audrey highlights that she collaborates with classroom teachers as often as she can! This involves collaboration between related arts and core teachers. The students will put on a performance, and then parents and guardians are invited back into the classroom to see projects that their students are working on. It is a great way to build community in the school; plus, it gives students the feedback and praise they need to continue to work hard on what they love. 

Now, all of this seems to show a perfect school library, but Audrey says, “communication and collaboration can be hard, even for adults!” Sometimes, students get frustrated when their idea isn’t the one chosen, or the solution to a problem isn’t one they thought of. As the elementary school librarian, she works hard on resilience and working through frustrations when things don’t go their way. When combining a variety of perspectives brings a lot of wonderful growth opportunities that don't come without growing pains.