Assignment 2: Collection Evaluation Report

This evaluation report is to determine whether the current collection is able to sufficiently support a Grade 9 novel study unit for an English class.  The students read the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.  They have had discussions about the book and as a class and generated research topics that were of interest to them.  Some of the research topics included: the Indian Act, Indian Treaties, Indian Reserves, Residential Schools, Colonization, and Reconciliation.  Something I noticed as I was compiling a list of books in the collection to support this unit of study, perusing through the collection physically and online, the language used to describe Native Americans has become more politically correct as their status as a group of people has gained broader awareness and become more prominent at different levels of society.   It is interesting to see society’s changing attitudes reflected in some of the books in the collection for this unit of study.  This change is especially evident in the more recent or newly acquired additions to the collection.

 

Looking at my list of resources (28 items) to support this unit of study, my topic search results are as follows: residential schools (15 items), Reconciliation and Indian Reserves (7 items each), Indian Treaties (3 items) and Colonization (2 items) and Indian Act (1 item) came up.  I am not surprised that the collection contained a fair number of resources on the topic of residential schools as it is a recent topic of interest in the educational system as well as in Canadian society.  However, the results are small for the topic of Indian Act, Colonization and Indian Treaties and suggesting that a few more books of this topic could benefit the students doing this unit of study. 

Physically, the books are in good shape.  Some are a bit discoloured due to perhaps their age. The oldest book I have on my list is twenty-four years old; perhaps this one needs to be weeded out of the collection.  The majority of resources I have listed have been published within the last ten years, which means most of the information is fairly up to date.  There are a variety of media to support different types of learners in this unit of study as well ranging from DVDs, atlases, CDs, comic books, fiction and non-fiction books, and an illustrated series of books on the history of Canada.  There are even more resources available online via online research databases including Ebsco.  Through Ebsco, the Canadian Points of View Reference Centre can be found where there are many up-to date literature regarding current native issues.  Another useful online resource is the Gale Canada in Context database. There are also teaching kits and teacher resource guides to assist the teacher in further expanding discussion and promoting learning in this unit of study. 
 

The books and resources that I compiled came from the 300 (Social Sciences) and 900 (History and Geography) section of the collection.  In the 300 section there are a total of 434 items, of which I selected 5 items, and in the 900 section there are a total of 986 items, of those I chose 9 to include on my list.  The average age for the 300 section is 19 years old and 20 years old for the 900 section.  I wanted to avoid using outdated materials so I was careful to select the more recent titles that are a match to the topics in the unit of study.  Additionally, I selected 6 books from the General Fiction section. There is a total of 1878 items in this section and the average age is 10 years old.  The remaining 8 items on my list consist of DVDs (2), a CD (1), teaching kits (2), and teacher resources (3).

 Looking at the Titlewise report, as of October 14^th 2016, there is a total of 6639 in the Delta Secondary School Library Collection.   The average item per student is 4.9, which  is well below the recommended 20 items per student based on the school population (Asselin, Branch, Oberg, & Canadian School Library Association Staff, 2003).  I think this is probably due to the shift towards online books and resources.  The average age of an item in the collection is 17 years old.   The most popular section in the collection is the Young Adult and the Adult section, which makes sense as this is a high school and that would be the targeted group. The entire collection consists of 38% fiction with an average age of 10 years old and 62% non-fiction with an average age of 20 years old. Furthermore, the report indicates that there are 2640 items that Titlewise considers “aged” titles and 884 items that are 2011 and newer.  The numbers seem askew to me; it should be the reverse.  This library is in need of weeding, and then purchasing new items to add to the collection, those would be my biggest recommendations for improving the collection.

 

The process of conducting a collection report has been immensely informative to me about how to effectively support and collaborate with other teachers in students’ learning.   Despite the low item count for a school with a student population of 1350, the current collection along with the online resources, does a good job supporting this particular unit of study.  However, the Titlewise report revealed the overall deficiencies in the library collection, specifically the ratio of old materials to new and the need for a cull.  I suspect that the lack of a guiding document such as a library policy and procedures on selection and weeding may have contributed to the state of this collection.

 

Works Cited

 Asselin, M., Branch, J. L., Oberg, D., & Canadian School Library Association Staff (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian School Library Association.

 

 

 

LIBE 463 Assignment #1

LIBE 463: Community and School Analysis and Report

The Community: Ladner, Delta

Ladner is one of three subdivisions of the Municipality of Delta (Ladner, North Delta and Tsawassen). With the developments of condominiums to support the village’s population growth, it is quickly becoming a suburb. Looking at the 2011 census, the Municipality of Delta has a population count at 99,863 (Focus on Geography Series, Census 2011).  Of that figure, Ladner accounts for 18,545 (“Ladner Delta Neighbourhood, 2012”).  The median age was 42.8 years compared to the national median age of 40.6 years old.  As well, the median income was $71,590, which is much higher than the national average of $54,089.

Ladner is a small historic fishing village located in northwest Delta.   The main industries in Ladner are fishing and farming, however, many are employed in retail, services, manufacturing and construction as well (Cowling, n.d.). Although the village has seen changes in the demographic make up over the years, as more Chinese and Indo-Canadian farming families have moved into the area, Ladner is still a predominantly Caucasian community. Ladner is also home to the Delta Municipal Hall, the Delta Police Station, and the Delta Hospital. Longtime residents say that Ladner has a ‘small town’ feel to it with a good sense of community.

Delta’s racial profile consists of: Caucasians at 67.5%; South Asians,17.2%;East Asians, 5.7%; Southeast Asians, 3.2; Aboriginals, 2.3%; Latin American, 0.7%; Black, 0.5%; West Asian and Arab each at 0.1%; Multiracial 0.7%; and Other at 0.3%.  These numbers suggest that Delta is a somewhat diverse city but tends to be a predominantly Caucasian community (“Delta, British Columbia. n.d.”).

The School: Delta Secondary

As highlighted on Delta School District website, the district has 24 elementary and 7 secondary schools.  Delta Secondary is located at 4615 51st Street in Ladner.  In 2015, Delta Secondary had the highest rate of special needs population in the district at 21.9% and an ESL population of 1.8%. In my discussion with the vice principal, the current enrollment number for the 2016-2017 school year is 1152.  In addition, there are 141 full-time international students enrolled at Delta Secondary.  The bulk of the local student population comes from the elementary schools in the area and from Tsawassen First Nations. The nearby elementary schools are Hawthorne, Holly, Ladner, Port Guichon and Neilson Grove.

According to Cowley & Easton (2016), Delta Secondary had a graduation rate of 96.8% in 2015.  Furthermore, the results of OurSCHOOL Secondary School Survey, which was taken between April 5 and April 13, 2016, reported the average mark in Language Arts was 76% while the Canadian norm was 78%.  In Math, the average mark was 78% while the Canadian norm was 76%.  In Science, the average was 80% and the Canadian norm was 77% (The Learning Bar, 2016). The survey highlighted 80% of students in school plan to complete high school in comparison to the Canadian norm at 83%. Additionally, 63% of students plan to continue on to post secondary education in comparison to the Canadian norm at 66%.  These numbers suggest that the students at Delta Secondary are being guided by teachers and counsellors effectively thus producing fairly high exam results and the graduation rate.

The Learning Commons at Delta Secondary operates Monday-Thursday from 8:00 am-3:30 pm and Friday from 8:00am-3:00pm. It operates on a budget of $6000 per year. In addition to regular services and class activities, the learning commons is used for staff meetings, clubs and student council meetings.  It has two floors, of which the first floor can serve two classes at a time, while the second floor, which is reserved only for grades 11 and 12, can further accommodate approximately another 30 students.  There are three seminar rooms that can be booked online on FirstClass. The main floor is well equipped with a photocopier, computers, seating, and pull-apart tables, making this a flexible and usable space that is able to accommodate a variety of school and/or learning activities. The Learning Commons operates on a flexible schedule but students need to present a written consent to the teacher-librarian to access the library during class time by way of a pink slip system that the teacher-librarian has implemented.

The Curriculum: English 9

An English class of 24 students will work in groups of 4 on a Novel Study project.  The novel the students will read is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  The English teacher will collaborate with the Aboriginal Studies teacher and the teacher–librarian. The learning commons will be booked in advance for the students to research aspects of indigenous culture to provide a context for understanding the novel. Topics of research may include:

• Residential Schools
• Indian Act
• Reserves
• Various Treaties

The contents to be covered will include:

• Elements of visual/graphic text
• Reading strategies
• Writing processes
• Presentation techniques
• Metacognitive strategies

Students are expected to demonstrate competencies in:

• Access information and ideas for diverse purpose and from a variety of sources and evaluate their relevance, accuracy and reliability
• Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking
• Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts
• Respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways
• Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view
• Exchange ideas and viewpoints to build shared understanding and extend thinking
• Use writing and design processes to plan, develop, and create engaging and meaningful literary and informational texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Use an increasing repertoire of conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Potential Partners/ Collaborators:

Some potential partners or collaborators include:

• The Pioneer Library
• The Fraser Valley Regional Library via interlibrary loan
• Speakers i.e.  Brad Marsden,  Workshops on Residential Schools and Colonization

Another potential partner for not only English teachers but also Socials and Science teachers to collaborate with is the Tsawassen First Nation.  Collaborating and working with Tsawassen First Nation in creating activities and projects driven by students’ queries and interest using primary and secondary sources. Additionally, with enough preparation a learning commons could set up a “human library” program, similar to the existing Human Library project, where students could “check out” a volunteer from the Tsawassen First Nation and engage in small group dialogue.  This kind of activity would require extensive preparation with the students to ensure respectful interaction.  However, having something such as a “human library” as a component of the learning commons will likely engage students and teachers and build relationship within the Tsawassen First Nation community.

References

Building Student Success - BC's New Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2016, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/90

Cowley, P & Easton, S. (2016, August). Report Card on British Columbia’s Secondary Schools 2016.  Retrieved from http://britishcolumbia.compareschoolrankings.org/pdfs/Fraser_Institute_Report_Card_on_British_Columbia’s_Secondary_Schools_2016.pdf

Delta School District. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.deltasd.bc.ca/content/schools/secondary

Delta British Columbia. (n.d) In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta,_British_Columbia

Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. (n.d).  https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CSD&GC=5915011

Ladner BC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.michaelcowling.com/ladner/

Ladner Delta Neighborhood Info. (2012, July 12 )  Retrieved from http://www.rew.ca/news/ladner-delta-neighbourhood-info-1.2096239)

The Learning Bar Inc. (2016). Report on Student Outcome and School Climate OurSCHOOL Secondary School Survey (4090) [Delta Secondary Highlights].