Announcing TMC7 2022

Canadian School Libraries is pleased to announce that the seventh biennial TMC Symposium (TMC7) will take place in New Westminster, British Columbia on Friday October 21 and Saturday October 22, 2022. The symposium is presented in partnership with the British Columbia Teacher Librarians’ Association (BCTLA). BCTLA’s Fall Conference will be on Friday October 21, and TMC7 will kick off that evening and carry on for the full day, Saturday.

TMC invites researchers, school library practitioners, educational leaders and policy-makers to move forward together and collaboratively explore ideas, inspire each other and build collective knowledge of the learning commons approach as part of sustainable school improvement.

TMC7 Call for Papers

We recognize the outstanding contributions so many of you are making to teaching and learning in Canada. Your work needs to be recognized by the greater education community – and documented, so that it can become part of the debate.

For TMC7, we invite exploration and research papers on issues in school library learning commons practice that speak to future possibilities for the library learning commons, post-pandemic. We suggest either teacher action research and/or academic research related to the theme and strands.

TMC7 Theme: Post-Pandemic Library Learning Commons: From Crisis to Intervention

TMC7 Sub-Themes:

• Increasing development of the virtual LLC and the development of innovative participatory learning opportunities
• Ensuring infusion of digital literacy skills and global competencies
• Continued growth in diversity awareness and action such as collection development, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion
• Attention to how the library supports wellness for both staff and students
• Expanding the engagement of students in making and doing in the physical and virtual LLC
• Outreach to the school community to inspire reading and learning

Find out more about TMC7

The Big Think: David Loertscher

David Loertscher spoke about the need to disrupt our current thinking about the Library Learning Commons.

The ways we access information continue to change, so David prompted the group to think about "Library Learning Commons ² or Library Learning Commons 2.0" as a school-wide learning commons and respond to these questions.

After an energetic discussion period, groups shared their answers which are linked in the TMC6 schedule.

“Yesterday, you had a Learning Commons. Tomorrow, take over the whole school! Be visible and indispensable.” 

David encouraged participants to “get around to it” with these reminder tokens: 

David has created a new School-Wide Learning Commons website directed towards the whole school.

Table Talk Snapshots Round 2

Our second round of Table Talks for TMC6 papers featured as many rich conversations as the first round!  Here are two tables' discussions:

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy in a Racially Homogenous School by Rabia Khokhar

In a racially homogenous school, Rabia wanted something specific to work towards in a Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) and equity framework. The role of the LLR to help students to become active citizens provided a great fit in developing critical consciousness.  

Orange Shirt Day offered an opportunity to provide library learning experiences to primary and junior grades to increase students’ knowledge of Orange Shirt Day. Rabia's guiding question was: “What role am I going to play in teaching the truth?” 

Introducing concepts of allies, reconciliation and discrimination to students in an accessible way was important.  Students started to think critically about Canada’s history of residential schools.

Participants suggested potential next steps including the KAIROS Blanket Exercise and Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada floor map. LLCs are great places to facilitate these, make these powerful connections for students, and to deepen this learning.

Participants also made the connection to Jennifer Brown’s site as a helpful starting point for working with the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada floor map. 

One participant worked with grade 7&8 Indigenous students on I Am Not a Number for an FNMI symposium and had students identify connections they wanted to make.  

During these processes, one participant has had Indigenous elders provide a healing space for students who find the learning emotionally difficult.

Participants also discussed addressing intergenerational trauma.

Reflections in the Library Learning Commons: Collaboration by Jennifer Brown

Jennifer has created a website with embedded podcasts and slides reflecting on her past 10 of collaboration.  

"I felt pretty strongly that I needed to jump into something I could add to and that models the tech and tools I’m working on getting students and teachers to embrace...Why not actually try it?"

We’re trying to work with our kids to see that slide presentations have a lot more potential than someone standing at the front of the class talking to you.  Embedding slides shows students ways we can use a more traditional method in creative ways.

“There are no rules as long as I’m serving my students.”

The site features a section on the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada floor map including the collaborative experience and planning, photos of set up, and documenting and sharing learning. 

Jennifer also wanted to demonstrate what an authentic learning walk that is developmental can be.  Students are now using the learning walk as a text two months later.  Looking at next steps, how can we make this interactive?

Lots of pedagogical documentation from Jennifer as a TL is featured on the site, including noticings, wonderings, discussions, and quotes.

Spotlight Speaker: Deborah Dundas

Deborah Dundas joined us to discuss her article, Who Do We See in Kids' Books? Star Survey Provides Insight into Diversity of Canadian Publishers and the Characters they Develop.  

This research began in March of 2019 when Deborah developed a survey to measure diversity specifically in Canadian publishing in 2018.

This required setting standards for what material is considered Canadian and who to target (approximately 55 publishers across the country).

The majority of participants reacted positively to the survey and the return rate was approximately 75%.

You can read the results of the survey in the article. 

Deborah plans to do the survey again this year and identified certain issues to consider further including representation of disabled people, who gets to read which books and their availability in small-town libraries, listing specific titles as a resource for educators, librarians, and communities, and a more granular breakdown of the authors and illustrators for a full picture of own voices representation.

Questions and comments from our TMC6 participants included representing the diversity of our school communities in collections (rather than of Canada as a whole) and considering the intersectionality of identities in books.