Today Josh Stumpenhorst @stumpteacher is directing a library revolution and evolution to Learning Commons at his school. And yes, they'll be flying drones in the library! Let's talk about the focus groups and critical questions driving this transformation from a place where students “have to go” to a place where they “want to be.” He also discusses the importance of literature and creativity in the library. Let's do this!
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Below is a transcript modified for your reading pleasure. For information on the guests and items mentioned in this show, scroll down to the bottom of this post.
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Transcript for Episode 128ย
Josh Stumpenhorst's Learning Commons: Drones, Literature, and Creativity
Shownotes :www.coolcatteacher.com/e128
Download the Transcript
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Twitter: @stumpteacher
Why Reinvent the Library?
Vicki: Oh, Iโm so excited! Today we have Josh Stumpenhorst with us, and he is just one of the most motivating, exciting teachers, and he has a new learning space in his library. So, Josh, tell us what excites you about what youโve done.
Josh: Yeah, Iโm super excited about the new space. I was in there the other day, and they had quite literally gutted the entire space and are re-doing everything from the flooring to the colors, the lighting, the furniture. Iโm just beyond excited to be able to see what students are going to be able to do in this new space coming up in the fall here.
Vicki: So, whatโs the purpose?
Josh: The purpose wasโฆ we โve kind of as a district have been rebranding our libraries. In fact weโre not even calling them libraries, weโre calling them learning commons. And the goal here is to have these spaces be more flexible, more design thinking, more maker space kind of oriented so that literacy is still going to be such an important part for bringing all these other things in to really create a truly enriching space for kids and for teachers.
What Kinds of Changes are Happening in the Library?
Vicki: So what kind of things are you bringing in?
Josh: Weโre going to be starting a coding academy, so we have a little space, a little creative lab where weโre going to have all of these different tiered activities for kids to work through to code, with the pinnacle being weโve got these brand new Parrot Drones, which Iโm super excited to get kids playing with. Theyโre going to fly drones through obstacle courses that theyโve coded. Itโs just with Spheros, with drones. Weโve just got all these great activities that are going to allow kids to learn about coding, but also for some of our more sophisticated kids to really develop that skill set and that digital literacy.
Vicki: Josh, youโre going to be flying drones in what used to be called a library, but now is a Learning Commons? Youโre literally going to be flying drones in there?
Josh: Yes. That is the honest to God truth, and I cannot wait. We had a couple. We got them the end of this last school year, and the kidsโฆ I was flying them through, just to tease them for this coming year, and theyโre just, as you can imagineโฆ the kids are beyond excited.
How Do Librarians Feel About These Changes?
Vicki: OK, some librarians listening to this are sick to their stomach right now. How do you tell them why youโre doing this?
Josh: Yeah, and Iโve already heard the bellyaching and the groaning, and the, โWhy would you need a drone in the library?โ And of course my initial reaction is, โWell, why NOT?โ And itโs really taking these spaces and some people think, โWell, we need to get rid of the books.โ And thatโs not true. We need a combination of all of these things because we know that kids are going to go into a world or are living in a world where all of these things are there. And the way in which they interact with technology is going to be a huge part of their futures. And so anytime we can bring these kind of learning opportunities into the school, then we should. Thatโs what weโre doing. Any time that you can get kids excited about interacting with technology, to me thatโs a huge win.
Josh's “Stump Speech” About Why We Need Changes in the Library
Vicki: Youโre known as โStump Teacher.โ I want you to give me your โStump Speech.โ Take us inside, for when you pitched this kind of thing to your administration. Why this shift? What do you tell people when youโre selling, or youโre trying to pitch this so you can have this in your library?
Josh: The nice thing is that I have a fantastic administrator who supports and pushes me to do these things. We had the conversation, and the end goal of this is that there are a lot of library spaces that are underutilized. Theyโre places where kids go to check out a book, and are yelled at if they talk too loud or make too much noise. Kids donโt generally WANT to be there. One of the first things I did when I took over this job was that I started having focus groups with kids, and I said, โTell me what you love about this space, and tell me what you hate about this space.โ And those conversations are what have driven our huge shift, in not only just the physical space, but also the pedagogical thought behind why weโre doing these things and making this space a place that kids want to be and are engaged in learning all the time, all the kids, and the teachers. Thatโs kind of the end goal, to make this a space that is useful, empowering, and โ you know what โ a little bit of fun, too.
The Results of Student Focus Groups About the Library
Vicki: So Josh, what shocked you the most about what the kids said in these focus groups?
Josh: What shocked me was how so many of the vast majority of them saw the library as a place they HAD to go. It was someplace they went with their English teacher when they needed to check out a novel. Or it was a place that they HAD to go with their history or science teacher when they needed to check out a nonfiction book for research. It wasnโt a place they WANTED to be, and I was kind of a little hurt by that, thinking, โWell, you know, why wouldnโt you want to be in the library?โ But then, you know, as we started these conversations, they were asking me, โWell, why would we want to come here?โ And I think that anytime you can take that question to heart as an educator, โWell, why would a kid want to be in your class, in your school, in your library?โ If we donโt have a good answer to that, then we do need to relook at what weโre doing.
Why Would Students Want to Go to the New Learning Commons?
Vicki: So why do they want to come there? Theyโre obviously going to be driving drones, and youโve got full color and lighting and that sort of thing. But what are your โwhyโs now?
Josh: Well the โwhyโs are that itโs going to be a space thatโs all about learning and in the broadest sense of the word. And weโve got these collaborative spaces for kids to work together when theyโre working on their group projects. Yes, we have the technology and the cool toys theyโre going to be able to play with. But itโs also a place where they can come and have a conversation about a book. One of my big things that I have been pushing is this whole idea of literacy growth โ because it is still a library, and I believe in this day and age and our political and social landscape in this country โ having those conversations around some really tough topics that literature can allow us to, is a great space. So just having kids want to come and have conversations about what theyโre building, what theyโre reading, what theyโre doing, and what theyโre learning โ and just have them WANT to be there. Thatโs the goal.
The Biggest Mistake Librarians Make When Moving to the Learning Commons
Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake many librarians or Learning Commons leaders make these days?
Josh: I think one of the biggest problems they have is that people think that this shift to a Learning Commons is about innovation and creativityโฆ and thatโs true. But they still want to hold onto the old bard of compliance and the standardization of the space. When you do that you canโt have innovation and creativity if youโre still obsessing with compliance, youโre still obsessing with the rules of noise or the rules of managing the resources โ which are a critical part of what we do — but sometimes our librarians focus so much on the management piece of the library that they miss out on the just incredibly powerful learning component and connections that you can make with kids in those spaces.
What About Keeping Up with the “Stuff?”
Vicki: But do you feel like some librarians feel overwhelmed? I mean, theyโre supposed to keep track of everything, right? I mean, thereโs all this STUFFโฆ and now youโre adding more STUFF.ย I mean, youโre adding little pieces of LEGOs and itโ justโฆ For those talented librarians, and librarians are very talented, and do many things that I know I couldnโt do. But is it asking too much? Are they going to be overwhelmed? Can they do this?
Josh: I think, you know, itโs one of those questions where itโs a double-edged sword for sure. All of those things are important. Itโs important that I keep track of my STUFF, as you put it. But I often say this to some of my colleagues, โItโs just a book. And if a kid doesnโt return a book, Iโm not going to spend hours tracking a kid down, harassing the kid, and obsessing over it. Weโre going to move on to the next day and the next activity, because itโs just a book.โ And I donโt mean that to be any sort of negative thing, but I think sometimes we shift our focus, and itโs no different than a classroom teacher obsessing over missing work or missing papers when the real value of what a teacher does is making that connection with a kid. So as a librarian, yeah, itโs a lot of stuff. And I think thatโs OK, because I donโt sit down very much. Thatโs what makes the job exciting and fun.
Libraries are Still About the Students
Vicki: I think the contrast is, โItโs just a book,โ and again weโre not meaning that disrespectfully. But when you look at those kidsโฆ Itโs a child.
Josh: Yeah, and youโre exactly right. And so I could spend my time running my reports of how many books I have out, how many fines Iโve got to find, you know, to track the kids down. But Iโd rather go up and have a conversation with a kid about something theyโre reading, or working them through the problem theyโre trying to figure out with their Sphero and the maze on the ground, or something like that. To me, thatโs going to pay dividends in that childโs life way more than tracking down a missing book.
30-second Pep Talk for Teacher-Leader-Librarians and Media Specialists
Vicki: OK. Josh, give us a 30-second pep talk on why we need to level up our libraries.
Josh: I think we need to level up our libraries because while a lot of us like to say that the library is the center of innovation and creativity, sometimes itโs just talk. We need to actually back that up with some action because the library should and can be and will be the hub of learning in a truly — to use a kind of a catchy term — the โfuture ready school.โ The schools of the future and the hub of learning, of technology, of literacy, and personal growth. Thatโs where our libraries need to be. And Iโm really, really excited about ours going there โ and so many other ones that are already there.
Vicki: The biggest thing I want to come back to is, โIs your library a place that kids HAVE to go, or is it a place they WANT to be?โ And that question really tells a lot about your library.
END
Some of the links in this transcript are affiliate links.
Full Bio As Submitted
Josh Stumpenhorst
Josh is a junior high learning commons director in Naperville Community School District 203. Heโs author of The New Teacher Revolution.
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