The current March/April issue of Knowledge Quest focuses on giving “Power to the Pupil: School Libraries and Student Agency.” So…what is student agency and why is it important to our practice as school librarians? These two questions are the propelling force behind this issue of Knowledge Quest. The concept of student agency is comprised of motivation, engagement, and voice. This three-pronged approach comprises the lens that will focus this special issue of KQ with the following six feature articles:
- Philip Williams gives a passionate overview of the student agency concept and includes practical measures school librarians can take daily.
- Joy Fleishhacker offers the opportunity to think of collection development as a way to allow students to chart their own personalized course through the process of acquiring knowledge.
- Vivian Alvarez examines how engagement in the library settings can be sparked and skills essential to lifelong learning can be fostered through the use of tabletop gaming.
- Michelle Easley provides a practical look at existing programs focusing on student agency and personalized learning facilitated by the school library program and the library collection, especially its e-resources.
- Crystle Martin prompts exploration of student voice as it relates to video gaming and coding. This is an excellent and timely vehicle for an in-depth look at student voice and linking students’ personal interests to in-school learning.
- Nancy Jo Lambert gives practical advice for creating genuine readers with student agency through the implementation of flexible scheduling as she recounts her own experiences with getting other stakeholders onboard with the implementation.
Developing a culture of student agency in the school library can be accomplished in many ways. The feature articles are dedicated to framing the concept of student agency and giving practical tips for encouraging student agency in your library.
About the Guest Editor
Andrea Paganelli is an assistant professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She is a member of AASL and is currently serving on the Knowledge Quest Editorial Board and the AASL University Presses Book Selection Committee. She coauthored the articles “The Makerspace Experience and Teacher Professional Development” in Professional Development in Education and “Making STEAM Across the Curriculum. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education” in the Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016. She also wrote the Jan/Feb 2016 KQ article “Storytime in a Digital World: Making a Case for Thinking Outside the Book.”
Read her Guest Editor Column, “Power to the Pupil: School Libraries and Student Agency.”
Knowledge Quest, Volume 45, No. 4 – Power to the Pupil: Student Agency in the School Library
Features
Student Agency for Powerful Learning
Philip Williams
Personalized Learning Environments and Effective School Library Programs
Michelle Easley
Collection Development: Stocking Library Shelves for Student Success
Motivating Readers through Science-Focused Fun
Joy Fleishhacker
Creating Genuine Readers with Flexible Scheduling
Nancy Jo Lambert
Engaging Students in the Library through Tabletop Gaming
Vivian Alvarez
Expressing Youth Voice through Video Games and Coding
Crystle Martin
Articles
Public School Librarians and Academic Librarians Join Together to Promote Diversity and Reading
Grace M. Jackson-Brown
School Librarians and Open Educational Resources Aid and Implement Common Core Instructional Content in the Classroom
Krista Welz
Column
CBC Column
Adventure Play
Adam Shaughnessy
Departments
President’s Column
Empowering Learners: That’s What It’s All About!
Audrey Church
Guest Editor Column
Power to the Pupil: School Librarians and Student Agency
Andrea Paganelli
Author: Andrea Paganelli
Categories: KQ Content
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