Saskatchewan Library Association Conference

The Power of Our Voices: Public and School Libraries Acting on Behalf of Marginalized

Adolescent YouthDr. Barbara McNeil

Why I am here

I am here to share, listen, learn, and act. I am here to

engage in a number of problem-posing scenarios with you,

on matters that I believe are important to us.

I am here because I acknowledge that I am part of two

socially conscious professions: teaching and librarianship. I

am here because I believe we need to continuously work

toward the creation of a democracy—one in which all

participants can—have the opportunity to—influence the

decisions that affect their lives (Busching and Slesinger,

2002, p. 6).

The research that I will speak about today emerges from

an explicit intention to work with a group of adolescent boys

who struggle in key areas of school literacy. Ensconced in

a vision of social justice, our research was premised on the

idea that success in key areas of school literacy would

better equip the boys to participate and influence the

decisions that affect their lives and that of others.

Referring to the idea of social justice, educational theorist

and philosopher, Maxine Green (1998), explains that

“Justice….is incarnated in human action in spaces where

people live together. Most of us would agree that there

should be an equitable, a fair distribution of goods and

services..., and surely, people ought not to be used for

others’ benefit, certainly not without being consulted.

Indeed, one of the requirements in a just society ought to

be that everyone affected by a decision ought to have a

part in making the decision” (cited in Ayers, Hut, & Quinn,

1998, pp. xxviii-xxix).

At the heart of this vision of democracy are the values of

justice, equity, and citizen responsibility, In a true

democracy, the core values of justice and equity are

embodied in daily life. Who gets what would be determined

through a political process involving participation among

equals (Ayers, Hunt, & Quinn, 1998) rather than by a

system such as we have now in which all might be able

participate, but a few benefit from privileges that are

denied others.

I believe that participation in democratic processes aimed

at creating justice and equity are accelerated with, by, and

through literacies and cultural practices that can be

learned in schools. This includes the development of skills

and abilities to read the word and the world critically,

and understand the codes of the language of power so that

they might be able to use it for self-actualization and social

transformation for justice and equity.

However, we continue to have systems of domination that

create the unequal social conditions that we have now and

the students most affected by these conditions are not

getting the full benefits of schooling—especially in key

areas such as literacy. Failure to receive the full benefits of

schooling in literacy curtails the possibilities of students

such as those who participated in the study. Limited literacy

achievement can inhibit participation in democratic

processes and students’ capacity to work for social

transformation that could lead to greater equity in school

and in life and society.

Through our research, we wanted to teach in opposition to the

existing inequality of races, classes, and sexes. Like

Busching and Slesinger (2002) we believe that failure to teach

critically against domination in society means allowing dominant

forces a free hand in school and out (p. 7). With such beliefs,

our research, our actions, and that of the student participants’

were premised on four dimensions of engagement:

Empathy—Compassionate concern for others’ welfare

Critique—A critical discussion of taken-for-granted issues and

institutionalized decisions

Hope—Learning from others who have successfully challenged

undemocratic and unjust systems (e.g., Woodrow Lloyd, Tommy

Douglas, Viola Desmond, Maude Barlowe, Martin Luther King

Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela…

Action –Doing something to further a just society

The Library Connection: On Whose Behalf Are you a Librarian?

Librarian, Anne Sparanese (2008) explains that she became an

activist librarian when she realized that her library was not

serving “the whole of our community” (p. 74). In order to create

change, Sparanese operationalized the four dimensions of

engagement suggested by Cherland and Edelsky (2002) .

Empathy for those underserved or not served at all (the 40

% of the community who were African-Americans, as well as the

Spanish-speaking communities).

Critique of her library’s service to minority populations

Hope—Deciding to remedy the situation and taking action

by applying for grants to support collection development and

outreach programs to the targeted groups.

The Library Connection: On Whose Behalf Are you a Librarian?

Data from Statistics Canada (2009) reveal that Saskatchewan

Has a graduation rate of approximately 70%. Therefore, 30 % of

our students are dropping out of high school.

Among the provinces, Prince Edward Island recorded the

highest high school graduation rate at 85.4%, while Alberta

recorded the lowest at 65.0%.

The high school graduation rate at the Canada level

in 2006/2007 was higher for females (75.3%) than for males (67.6%) (Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/090827/dq090827d-eng.htm

• We work with students who drop out of school and who are vulnerable to dropping out (Bowlby, 2008).

• We have information from Statistics Canada that indicates that the majority of those who drop out are young men (Bowlby 2008); we know that many young women drop out too and we are equally concerned about them.

Data from Statistics Canada (2008) indicatethat:• Potential employers avoid hiring high school drop-outs. • The unemployment rate among drop-outs is double that of other

20-24-year-olds, a reality that will be reflected in their earnings and their prospects in the longer term.

I have looked at considerable literature and understand

that multiple factors contribute to dropping out of school

(poverty, school climate and social adjustment, learning

difficulties, family difficulties and/or responsibilities, personal problems, and anti-social behaviour (Epstein, 1992;

Fortin, Marcotte, Potvin, Royer, Joly 2006; Jonker 2006; Terry 2008;

Wise, 2009).

I agree with Wise (2009) who states that “adolescent literacy [is] the

cornerstone of student success” (p.369) and hold the view that students

who are successful in schools are less likely to drop out.

I am here because I believe that librarians, teacher-librarians,

teachers, and others can work together to foster the development of

higher levels of literacy for adolescents who struggle in this area.

Literacy Results for Saskatchewan 2008

• Nearly 4 out of every 10 children in SK are struggling readers i.e. their reading skills significantly hinder their ability to master the curriculum (average classroom).

• Reading performance has declined from 2000 to 2006.

• Many youth have not made the transition from “learning to read to reading to learn” at age 9 or 10.

Saskatchewan Literacy Results continued

• Strong correlation between performance and socio-economic status

• Vulnerable children are not distributed evenly

• The proportion of struggling readers in some schools is as high as 75%

On Whose Behalf are you a Librarian?

In view of the data presented, I pose the following questions:

-How should libraries respond ?

-What can school and public libraries do to help?

Will we stand by or is it possible to use the power of our voices to act

on behalf of Saskatchewan children and youth—especially those who

are dropping out of high school and are likely to be vulnerable to

unemployment, poverty, and other socially limiting possibilities? Can

we become activists and advocates for change?

Using our Voices to Support Saskatchewan’s Children and Youth

The subtext of the research project that I will present is one

of activism, advocacy, and collaboration in order to make

the world—our society—a more democratic and socially

just place. The research positions school and public

librarians and their libraries as agents of positive social

change—agents that can actively work with and alongside

marginalized boys and girls who struggle in key and other

areas of school literacy. The research report invites

participation in dialogue about the library’s role in educational

equity for vulnerable and other youth in Saskatchewan.

The Social Location of the Researcher

I am a liminal individual, I am in a state of transition—I stand on the threshold of multiple worlds professionally and socially —I occupy an in-between space—one of alterity; one that is ambiguous (that of the Other). For example: I am a teacher, teacher-librarian, and now an assistant professor who draws on both of these worlds constantly and simultaneously Ladson-Billings and Donnor, p. 281, 2005; Turner, 1967; Wynter 1992).

I am shaped by my class, ethnicities, gender, language, race, and thehistorical moment in which I live. I am deeply interested in actualizing a critical, caring, moral and generous pedagogy (Frank, 2004; Freire, 1970, McLaren, 2003; Noddings, 2005).

With further reference to my social location in this research, I

was, to use the words of Tedlock (2005), a participant observer

and actively engaged in the observation of my participation.

Tedlock refers to this practice as autoethnography (p. 467).

Tedlock explains that during this activity, the researcher reflects

on and critically engage with her own participation within the

ethnographic frame. Autoethnography transcends self-

referentiality by engaging with cultural forms that are directly involved in

the creation of culture (2005, p. 467). In our case, joint construction of

meaning via socially conscious young adult literature within the

sociocultural framework of literature circles.

The issue becomes not so much distance, objectivity, and

neutrality as closeness, subjectivity, and engagement. This is a

change in approach that emphasizes relational over

autonomous patterns, interconnectedness over independence,

translucence over transparency, and dialogue and performance

over monologue and reading (p. 467).

This kind of participation and observation of participation

allowed me and the other researchers to connect the

autobiographical impulse (the gaze inward) with the

ethnographic impulse (the gaze outward) (Tedlock, 2005,

p.467).

Anchored in critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; McLaren,

2003) the researchers were knowing and active

participants in the process of acting upon our ideas about

social justice and equity.

Genesis of the research

Grounded in my lived experiences in secondary schools, trends in the literature (Bussière, Cartwright, & Knighton, 2004; OECD, 2009; Lemke et al., 2001; Lemke & Gonzales, 2006). This literature states that the boys who struggle the most in literacy, mathematics and science—all areas assessed by PISA—are those who are poor and experience hardships based on their social class, ethnicity, and/or race.

The research is also grounded in observations from my home and community life that supports what the literature says about gender and literacy (Asselin, 2003; Haupt, 2003; Jones, Fiorelli & Bowen, 2003; Scieszka, 2003; Welldon, 2005).

The research stems from a desire to foster direct instructional collaboration between principals and teacher-librarians and to see greater interactionbetween teacher-librarians and marginalized adolescent boys.

A team Approach

This research flows from a desire to foster direct instructional collaboration between principals, teachers, and teacher-librarians.

The principal holds considerable power in schools. The teacher-librarian has power. The school library, where it exists, can be site of tremendous power. The classroom teacher has power. The power of these key actors can be combined to enact meaningful transformations and advance the scholastic achievement of all students.

In view of some of challenges that face marginalized adolescent boyswho struggle in school literacy, we believe that a team approach is essential for success. Our research operationalized a team approach as we engaged leadership for literacy and social justice.

Literacy and Why Adolescent Literacy Matters Now

If knowledge is power, then literacy is the key to the kingdom.

For centuries, the ability to read and write have given power tothose who possessed it, although access to book learning—indeed, tobooks themselves—was often limited to a privileged minority…We inhabit a digital age in which written texts are more widely and democratically available than ever before. A prerequisite for access, however, is still the ability to comprehend and appraise those texts. Individuals who lack strong skills for finding, understanding, and evaluating written information cannot easily arm themselves with that information or use it to advance the causes they value. And because afree society depends on informed and autonomous citizenry, the loss is not theirs alone…Literacy is the cornerstone of freedom….Ippolito, Steele, Samson, 2008: Harvard Educational Review, 78,1, 1-5.

Research on Gender and Literacy

Rattner (2008) states that it has been known since the 1960s that mostly working-class boys and working-class minority boys who are slower to read and require more intervention. However there has been little mainstreamconcern over the situation until fairly recently….

*****Breaking News…The Toronto District School Board is seeking to act…What is driving the actions of the Board… See The Globe & Mail, Wednesday, October 21, 2009: OntarioBoard pushes for ‘boy friendly’ school (A1 and A 7).

Theoretical FrameworksThis research is grounded in three theoretical perspectives. • The critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire (1970), a theorist who linked

literacy to social justice and others in the critical tradition (McLaren, 2003; New London Group, 1996; Peterson, 2003).

• Advocacy research. We base our work on the literature surrounding the emerging role of the school principal as practitioners and advocates for social justice (e.g.see Fennell, 1999; Shields, 2009). We use the work of Theoharis (2007) who theorizes that principals must act as advocates of social justice to enact meaningful change.).

• In addition, we draw on critical and sociocultural perspectives ofliteracy (Gee, 1996, 2003; 2004; Lankshear, 1997; Rogoff, 1990; Tatum, 2005)

Theoretical Frameworks• The research project was an expression of praxis—reflection and

action upon the world (Freire, 1970) in order to transform it, to make it better for some marginalized adolescent boys who struggled in school literacy and through it, my colleagues and I wanted, among other things, to use critical pedagogy to engage the participants in their own acts of criticality and transformation.

• Critical pedagogy serves the goal of social justice because it is intended to and can lead to what Freire (1970) refers to as conscientização—“learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality” (p. 19).

The problem we perceived was the growing number of marginalized adolescent boys who are not succeeding in school literacy and we wanted to take action.

Perspectives on Literacy

• The research project was guided by sociocultural and critical views of literacy (Freire, 1970; Gee, 1996, 2004; Gutiérrez, 2008; Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978). These complementary views of literacy assert that school literacies are situated, embodied, constructivist, dynamic sociocultural practices (listening, speaking, thinking, reading, writing, responding, valuing, acting etc.).

• These sociocultural practices are learned from and between people (e.g., more knowledgeable adults and peers) over extended periods of time as they interact and carry out a variety of activities geared toward constructing meaning, acting in, and upon the world.

Research Questions

• Can literature circles promote the literacy growth and development of struggling and marginalized adolescent boys?

• What is the influence of engaging a principal, a school library specialist, and a participant researcher in a literature circle designed to promote critical reading engagement among a group of striving/marginalized adolescent boys?

• What can we learn from/about the literacy practices and the interactions of adolescent boys engaged in a critical literature circle characterized by caring, connectedness, and explorations of the social construction of gender/masculinities, social justice, and equity?

Qualitative case study (Stake, 2005; Merriam, 1998, 2002).

What is a case study? Qualitative research specialist Robert Stake (2005) argues that case study is not a methodological choice but a “choice of what is to be studied…By whatever methods, we choose to study the case. We could study it analytically or holistically, entirely by repeated measures, hermeneutically, organically or culturally, and by mixed methods—but we concentrate, at least for the time being, on the case….As a form of research , case study is defined by interest in an individual case, not by the methods of inquiry used. The name “case study” is emphasized by some of us because it draws attention to the question of what specially can be learned about the single case (p. 443).

The driving question behind our research is: What can be

learned about the single case? With regard this research , the

case is that of two university researchers, a high school

principal, and 11 adolescent Grade 10 boys who struggled in

key areas of school literacy: reading and writing.

Stake (2005) argues that a case is “bounded system” – it has

particularities and or features. In this instance, the case is

bounded by gender, grade, and performance in school literacy.

Stake identifies three types of case studies: intrinsic,

instrumental, and collective/multiple case study. Ours is an

Instrumental case study.

This means that though we had an intrinsic interest in the case,

in what happened between these particular boys, the

researchers, and the school principal, we were also interested in

the case based on its potential to provide insight into an issue:

that of leadership, literacy, and social justice. In this scenario,

the case as Stake points out, “ facilitates our understanding of

something else. The case still is looked at in depth, its contexts

scrutinized and its ordinary activities detailed, but all because

this helps us pursue the external interest” (p. 445). For this

research the external interest is growth and development of

school and other literacy practices among marginalized

adolescent boys through the intentional acts of the school

principal and significant others.

Research Methods

Selection of the principal

We selected the principal using reputational sampling (Merriam, 1998).

We worked with a particular principal at a particular school based on his reputation as a caring instructional leader, committed to progressive social change and the overall principles of social justice.

Also, the principal had a reputation (among students and teachers) for being anindividual who “stood up for his principles.”

The principal is the leader of a secondary school in a mid-size urban centre that serves a diverse student population (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural, linguistic, racial) and offers a broad range of programs.

Research Methods

• Using the sociocultural process of literature circles (Daniels, 2002), the researchers, principal and students engaged in a book discussion group based on their reactions, thoughts, ideas, and feelings to the socially conscious texts they read.

• In addition to guiding the students to make personal connections to the literature they read (e.g., social, class, race, culture, and gender), we were very much interested in initiating explicit conversations about social justice issues and the boys’ social construction of gender and masculinities.

Research Methods

• The researchers provided a corpus of young adult literature from which students made their selection but which were also suited to the purposes of

the research.

• We invited the boys to make suggestions about the texts they would like to read. We were interested in knowing who they are, their interests, and

dreams

The books were carefully and purposefully selected to match the reading interests and development of the boys in the literature circle.

• Since we decided to work with marginalized boys who struggled in literacy, we chose a wide range of texts that were accessible and that were from a variety of genres (e.g., novels, picture books, song lyrics, and poetry etc.

The Students

• Diverse grade 10 boys who were identified through conversations between the teachers and the principal based on the students’ achievement in school literacy.

• Striving readers and writers with rich and complex lives (e.g., some of the boys were workers, others provided care to their siblings..).

Why Literature Circles?(Daniels, 2002)

A recognized pedagogical framework that:

• Gives choice in the selection of reading materials (interest and needs)

• Allows dialogue and meaningful exploration of texts.• Can be used to create a caring, nurturing, reading

community• Encourages critical examination of texts• Is sensitive to problem-posing learning• Rests on making connections: text-to-self, text-to-text,

text-to-world• Can lead to sustainable literacy development

Literature Circles: Modified and Contextually Tailored

• Group meetings aim to be open, natural conversations about books, so personal connections, digressions, and open-ended questions are welcomed.

• The teacher(s) serves as a participant, guide, a member and is conscious of his/her power…Constant negotiations. This is a change…(We were more than facilitators). We provided guidance. We were in dialogue, we were in relationships with the students.

• Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation.

• A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room.

Enhancing Literature Circles

Our literature was infused with the pedagogy of care (Noddings, 1996, 1999, 2005).

Care Theory:

• “Caring now refers properly to the relation, not just to an agent who “cares,” and we must consider the response of the cared-for…

• Children need more than a “caring” decision; they need the continuing attention of an adult who will listen, invite, guide, and support them” (Noddings, 1999, p. 13).

Enhancing Literature Circles

• A caring relation requires the engrossment and motivational displacement of the one-caring, and it requires the recognition and spontaneous response of the cared-for (Noddings, 1996, p. 38).

• Caring practices cannot be separated from knowing or doing because, in the human world, caring practice is always bound up in knowing and doing (Benner & Wrubel 1989, cited in Benner, Gordon & Noddings,1996).

Enhancing Literature Circles

When we care-when we are in the position of carer—our consciousness exhibits two fundamental characteristics. First, we are in a receptive mode. We attend non-selectively to the cared-for. We are, at least momentarily, engrossed in the other’s plans, pains, and hopes, not our own. Second, we feel our motive energy flowing toward the other. We want to help in furthering the plan, relieving the pain, or actualizing the hope.

Literature circles as we constructed and lived them, allowed us to demonstrate that “to live is not only to be in relationship, but to turn toward the other, ready to meet him or her where he or she is. To live is to care deeply for the other” (Buber, 1970, p. 67).

Enhancing Literature Circles

We predicated our literature circles on a moral vision that included generosity.

Frank (2004) explains that:

“Generosity is the opposite of [the] humiliation of feeling trapped in a situation you did not create and cannot control. Generosity asserts its own choice, trusting the promise that if you choose for the other, you will make your own life possible” (p. 22).

I take up Frank’s vision of generosity and its invitation to see ourselves as hosts, those temporarily in a position to offer care and to see our students as guests—those needing care (2004, p. 10-11).

Enhancing Literature Circles

Enhancement of the literature involved the fusing of Freirean (1970) ideas with those of Noddings (2005) and Frank (2004) through an orientation that all three advocate: the importance of dialogue. Roberts explains that to “live well, on the Freirean view, is to transform the world Through reflective, critical, dialogical action (2000, p. 43).

Dialogue was fundamental to literature circles with the boys. We acted as communicative beings, willing to enter relationships with one another and create a social world around or mediated by the use of texts (Roberts, 2000).

Frank argues that people realize themselves through dialogue with others (and others have the power to block this realization). He states that “what dialogue enables, refusal of dialogue can deny” (2004, p. 23). Our literature circles allowed for self-disclosure—for students tospeak.

The Literature Circles

• The literature circles were scheduled to take place twice per month from 3:30 – 5:30 P.M.

• The library/reading specialist selected and ensured the books were made available to the students...

• The principal worked with boys at school (reminders, equipment…)

• The professor of Educational Leadership purchased thesnacks

• We all read the books and prepared our literature circle rolerequirements

• We started by meeting in a classroom and then moved to the school’s FoodLaboratory….A tremendous gift! It was located across from the library.

A Principal’s Journey

In the Circle…

September 18• I was thinking today about what participation in this

project will do for me personally and professionally.– I am hoping that professionally I will become a better

teacher/administrator. Most of my day and time is spent allowing teachers to do their job. I support what they do; their good work; and attempt to inspire and challenge them to grow professionally.

– Participation will help me grow as I will learn, apply and practice a new strategy that of Literature Circles.

– I will see a master in action, Barbara McNeil, and will learn from her and be able to model this with classroom teachers.

– Personally, it will also have an impact as I will have the opportunity to make close connections and perhaps develop relationships with a group of boys that I normally would not have the opportunity to engage with in a meaningful and on-going way.

October 8• The boys asked about getting time to read in class. Some do not

have a quiet place to read at home. I mentioned that I could provide a quiet place on a regular basis after school.

• This speaks to our middle class assumptions about everyone having a quiet home and can find a place to read or do homework if they want.

• I also know that some of these boys don’t have a positive adult male role model in their life. If I can be that and make a difference, however small, what a great reward that would be!

• Today I heard a complaint. Students complained about the way they were being taught. Complained about the undemocratic process of having to read books that did not engage them; having no choice in the books they are to read. – How do I respond as principal?

• Should students have choice all of the time? Can we balance a required reading list with a literature selection that allows for choice?

November 4

• The project is of personal interest that has professional implications. I am volunteering my time and the school division has allowed the project to take place at FWJ but I am not getting paid for it. So, how do I justify ‘stealing’ moments during the day or week to feed my interest in it?

November 5

• I’m trying to be a literacy leader. Yet, literacy leadership impinges on my other job. How do I get them to move closer together i.e. make my established or recognized traditional role more that of a literacy leader?

November 26

• Met with a teacher earlier today to review her professional growth plan. She indicated that a boy in her class likes to read but is very reluctant to pick a novel. I pulled “Bang!” off of my shelf and suggested that she show him the book and see if he ‘bites’.

• It was a great feeling to be able to do this.

February 10• I now have novels in my office. Titles we’ve read; accessible text.• It has changed my discourse with teachers. I can suggest titles and

ways of teaching; I can speak to students re: titles and make suggestions.

• Some students with behavior issues are struggling readers. As I work more with some of them, I ask the question about their ability to read. Some are confused by the question but for others they admit their difficulty.

• How can I engage my teachers and students to reader for enjoyment? Does the fact that reading is always connected with looking for answers to questions prevent students to read for enjoyment?

• I look at how I perform masculinity. What kind of male role model do I want to be for these young men? It’s important that they respect me as most young people look up to their principal. When they place me on a pedestal, I want to be worthy of the honor. If I am doubly blessed in that they want to emulate me, I want to be proud of the young men that they have become.

• I feel the same way about my son. This speaks to the personal nature of education and the personal nature of the project.

February 24

• As Barbara and I spoke afterward, we discussed that the project would probably work better if it was embedded within a classroom; where the researcher or research team could work with a classroom teacher.

May 19

• I have coached basketball at many levels and have developed relationships with students. But through the vehicle of lit. circles, the discussion has immersed us in a variety of topics so our relationship is deeper and richer as we speak openly.

• The literature is the catalyst. The boy of 15 and the old man of 54 are in a dialogue about significant issues not just making small talk.

Personal/Professional Reading

• My personal & professional reading has changed.

• I have read all or parts of: – The Literacy Principal– Deeper Reading – Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?– I Read It but I Don’t Get It!– When Adolescents Can’t Read– Reaching Reluctant Young Adult Readers– Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what

you can do about it.

Impact at School Level

• Used children’s literature in school PD– To introduce the importance of read alouds

and to demonstrate that significant issues can be discussed using low vocabulary texts, I read aloud Dr. Seuss “Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!”

– Used “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick” (no text) to examine Reader Response; provided copies to ELA teachers

Preliminary Insights:

Successes:• The boys read, conversed, connected, related to us and each other in nuanced

ways, and grew..

• The researchers also grew…Greater insights about the complexities of literacy learning with adolescent boys in anurban high school

• The research was inspiring. We had fun! We are on to something…

Challenges:• Time (to read, for dialogue, to respond, for relationship work…)• Material conditions of the participants• Research design (e.g., after school versus in school)• Limitations of the research and researchers• Visiting the public library is not a sociocultural practice for any of the

boys. The school library was not a significant part of their lives when we began the research. There was some change as the research progressed.

We have learned that…

• Literature circles are an effective strategy for supporting struggling/striving marginalized adolescent boys in school literacy

• Students need choice in what they read, in how they respond, and act on their engagements with texts…

• Teachers need support: they cannot do it alone. The teacher- librarian is indispensable and necessary for the success of teachers and students…

• We agree with Kuhlthau (2007) that teams of three are effective for supporting students’ development in literacy and other areas

• The classroom remains a site of oppression and disadvantage

We have learned that…

• Teachers’ power can be used in harmful and helpful ways.

• Guided assistance in literacy needs to be strengthened

in high schools in explicit, and structured ways

• Together, principals, teacher-librarians and teachers create a super power—an effective team for positive and progressive transformations in literacy achievement

• Research can be a way of moving toward others, of bearing witness, of starting conversations, of walking with and alongside striving/struggling high school students in agential ways…

We have learned that…

In addition to critical approaches, the success of literature circles is significantly enhanced through the explicit operationalization of humanist approaches: articulating pedagogies of love/humanization (Freire, 1970); pedagogies of care (Noddings, 1996, 1999, 2005; and pedagogies of generosity, Frank, 2004) and more…

When people learn as a cultural process, whether this be cooking, hunting, or how to become literate, they learn through action and talk with others, not by memorizing words outside their contexts of application or doing work sheets…

The texts students use need to resonate with their unfolding identities

(Gee, 2004, p. 39). Situated language and learning: A critique oftraditional schooling by J. P. Gee.

Lingering Questions, Lingering Tensions

1. Our decision to have a boys only literature circle

2. Issues of ethnicity, language, race, and social class

3. The material conditions of the boys involved in our study….

Some things that are certain

There are many youths who struggle with literacy in our province

They need considerable support

Schools can do more

Schools cannot do it alone

Teachers need support

We need community-based actions—a wider circle of people to

enact empathy, critique, hope, and action in service of youth…

Like Sparanese (2008), I believe in the Moon school of library

activism. Moon was activist editor of Library Journal,

(1959). He stated that “Libraries had a simple choice: to be a

significant thread in the social fabric, an active participant in

social change or to face an inevitable passage toward

irrelevance, possible extinction or an existence as some

kind of grey historical relic.” Socially responsible librarianship is

librarianship that is part of—not dissociated from society and its

needs, problems, and concerns. Intellectual freedom is not the

only ethic of the profession of librarianship and it is not a purist

value, separated from other democratic principles and human

rights.

Literacy is a human right and there are many

Saskatchewan youth who are leaving school without it and

who are dropping out of school because they are wrestling

with it and need the support of many caring people and

institutions in order to be successful at and with it.

Can the library be partners in action with schools (through

literature circles) and/or other sociocultural arrangements

to support the literacy growth and success of marginalized

adolescent boys and girls in Saskatchewan?

Social Dreamers

I am a social dreamer…and you, I hope are likely one too.

Therefore, I ask you to dream and enact socially conscious

dreams with me. Together, let us enact the role of

activist librarians to promote democracy and an informed

citizenry (through literacy) as our main and most important

mission. Let us work together to do even more to help

Saskatchewan children and youth and in this way build a

better Saskatchewan—one that is more socially just and

equitable than it is today.

Appreciation

Thank you….We would love to hear your

questions….

Thank You!

The Teacher-librarian as a leader

Some literature on school librarianship emphasize collaboration between teacher-librarians and school principals (American

Association of School Librarians (AASL) & Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), 1998; Asselin, Branch & Oberg, 2003; Doll, 2005; Farmer, 2007; Oberg, 1995).

Farmer for instance, suggests that “teacher-librarians need to align their efforts with those of the school in general, and specifically those of the principal” (p. 1). Farmer (2007) rightly contends that “the chief catalyst for collaboration at the site level [of the school] is the principal, who serves as the vision-maker and curriculum facilitator” (p. 1).

School Leadership for Literacy and Social Justice

This research project is premised on the view that collaboration between teacher-librarians and principals can be extended into the area of research as well as in the joint planning and implementation of an instructional program such as the literacy project described herein.

In other words, the teacher-librarian and the principal can model instructional collaboration, by teaching students together in order to challenge inequity in student achievement (McKenzie, Christman, Hernandez et al., 2008).

Through such collaboration, each person will better understand their respective roles and see the rich potential of what they can achieve byworking together to combat social injustices.

School Leadership for Literacy and Social Justice

Within the conceptual framework of social justice and democratic schools furnished by Theoharis and Shields, a good school is one where inclusive community is anchoredin strong interpersonal relationships and ongoing dialogue. In this environment, principals and teacher-librarians, as critical educators, are called to address issues of equity and social justice.

References

Birdsall, W. F. (1982). Librarianship, professionalism, and social change. Library Journal, 107, 223-226.

Busching, B & Slesinger, B. (2002). “It’s our world too”: Socially responsive learners in middle school language arts. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Bussière, P., Cartwright, F., & Crocker, R. et al. (2001). Measuring Up: The performance of Canada's youth in reading, mathematics and science, OECD PISA study—first results for Canadians aged 15. Ottawa, ON: Minister of Industry (Statistics, Canada). Retrieved February 2, 2009 from http://www.pisa.gc.ca/pisa/81-590-xpe.pdf

Bussière, P., Cartwright, F., & Knighton, T. (2004). Measuring Up: Canadian Results of the OECD PISA Study, the performance of Canada's youth in mathematics, reading, science and problem solving—2003 first findings for Canadians aged 15. Ottawa, ON: Minister of Industry (Statistics,Canada). Retrieved March 31, 2009 from http://www.pisa.gc.ca/81-590-xie2004001.pdf

References Daniels, H. (2001). Looking into literature circles (Video VHS). Portland, ME: Plum Pictures (Producer) for Stenhouse

Publishers.

Daniels, H. (2002). Literature circles: Voice and choice in book clubs & reading groups. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (Myra Bergman Ramos, Trans.). New York: Continuum.

Freire, P. & Macedo, D. (2003). Rethinking literacy: A dialogue. In A. Darder, M. Baltodano & R. D. Torres (Eds.), The critical pedagogy reader (pp. 354-364). New York: Routledge Falmer.

Gee, J. P. (1996). Sociolinguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (2nd ed.). London: Taylor & Francis.

Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling. London: Routledge.

Haraway, D. (1991). Siminas, cyborgs, and women. New York: Routledge.

Iverson, S. (2008). Librarianship and resistance. In A. Lewis (Ed.) Questioning library neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian, 25-31.

Merriam, S. B. (2002). The nature of qualitative inquiry. In S. B. Merriam and Associates, Qualitative research in practice: Examples from practice, pp. 3-17. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

References

Sparanese, A. (2008). Activist librarianship: Heritage or heresy? In A. Lewis (ED) Questioning library neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian, 67-81.

Stake, R. E. (2005). Qualitative case studies. In In N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.), pp. 443-466. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Statistics Canada. (2009). Public school indicators. Retrieved May 4 from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/090827/dq090827d-eng.htm

Tedlock, B. (2005). The observation of participation and the emergence of ethnography. In N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.), pp. 467-481. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.