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Our new space!

4/9/2017

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The former public library children’s room is getting a makeover and becoming the learning commons for Pamlico County High School. Although the term ‘commons’, which Google states is “land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community” has been around for a long time, the phrase ‘learning commons’ is much newer and less familiar. So allow me if you will to answer a few questions about what a learning commons is and how it will impact the students of PCHS.

What is a learning commons?
​
Envision a combination of hands-on museum, library, art studio, and computer lab where students are actively engaged and directing their own learning, an active environment where imagination and innovation meet opportunity. It is more than a library, where physical books are housed and circulated, although it certainly includes that. It is more than a third space, where people can meet to share ideas and talents, although it also certainly encompasses that. A learning commons is a place that inspires and incubates ideas, helping students to solidify and internalize course content and to broaden their understanding of the world.

How does this happen?
It happens by providing students with real-world opportunities to express their own voices, by encouraging connections across the curriculum, and by exposing students to new ways of thinking about their futures. The space will hold a wide variety of materials, including craft supplies, Makey-Makeys, Little Bits, and robotic kits, all designed to help students develop problem-solving skills, communication skills, and perseverance. PCHS teacher Ariel McGowan believes this approach will be beneficial to her students. "I am extremely excited for a learning commons where my students who learn more easily when up and moving can have a place to work with teachers and our media specialist to create projects and other hands-on learning activities. I think I will see an increase in student engagement and comprehension!"

What does it look like?
A learning commons may look chaotic to a casual observer. There may be some students sitting on the floor, others jumping around in a corner, and still others yelling at a table. But look more closely and you’ll notice that the students on the floor are working on a collage about Persephone, the ones jumping in the corner are excited about a breakthrough they just made while designing their own multi-terrain drone, and the ones at the table are yelling encouragement for a teammate who just made a brilliant move in a strategy game. On another visit to the learning commons, you may find students engaged in an engineering design challenge, working through the problems in a BreakoutEDU game (an educational version of Escape Rooms), or sewing cloth bookmarks that light up with electrical circuits.

But why?
Students need opportunities beyond the classroom environment to construct their own meaning from all the information they encounter throughout the day. They need exposure to new technologies in order to more fully imagine their own futures. And they need access to tools and equipment to explore their own interests and build background knowledge. Teacher Vicky Ward gives another reason for providing a learning commons. "Many of my students struggle in the traditional classroom setting, so I am looking forward to having the learning commons room to have hands-on activities and resources to work with."

Our learning commons hasn’t yet opened, so our students don’t quite understand the concept, but they are excited about having their own space, which they are helping to design. Kenny Stoltzfus’ architecture and drafting students have measured the room and created scale drawings to use in planning the layout of the space. Other students have helped pick out paint colors. Nearly 100 students responded to a survey about what they would like to do in the learning commons. And students, staff, and families are participating in StickTogether, a collaborative art project which will hang in the new room.

PCHS teachers are looking forward to having an easily accessible space designed just for their students. Lynn Hardison is excited about the possibilities, and comments, “Health related and inspired materials will be more readily available to my health science students.” English teacher Megan Phillips says, “The students of PCHS deserve a modern media center with options that are geared towards them. I look forward to what we will now be able to explore in a judgment-free zone designed with an eye towards the future we expect our students to be successful in.”

That’s what it’s all about! The learning commons aims to help our students be prepared for whatever the future brings and for jobs that don’t yet exist. It will develop mindsets that will help our students become the creators and innovators we need to move our country forward. The learning commons will be an integral part of PCHS, preparing future-ready students, and giving them a new reason to come to school.

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Students add stickers to a StickTogether poster, a collaborative art project designed to help with prediction skills, precision, and team building.
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Students reinforce classwork by measuring, making a rough sketch, then creating a scale drawing of the learning commons’ floor plan which is being used in designing the layout of the space.
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My letter to the TownDock editor

4/9/2017

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Our shared collection is no more. In this post, I explain to our community why this was necessary. This was in response to a post on TownDock which got moved to the beginning of the attached link.

In reference to the TownDock post of March 30th regarding the library, I appreciate the opportunity to clarify a few points.
The Pamlico County Public Library is housed within the high school and pays a nominal rent to the school district for the use of the space. At the time it was built, there weren’t many differences between the purposes of a public library and a school library. 

But school libraries are no longer the quiet study halls of our youth. 21st century school libraries are the heart and hub of the school. They aren’t just about books; they’re about technology, collaboration, and creativity. They contain areas for STEM exploration (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), creating multimedia presentations, and having Skype calls with authors and experts around the world. 

These activities involve a lot of movement, discussion, and active engagement. Public library patrons have made complaints about such student activity in the library. School administrators have been working with public library board members for years to come up with solutions to address our diverging needs. 

Additionally, the school has struggled with how to make the library available to students while still keeping them safe in the public space. Recently, a swipe card system was put into place which keeps the public out of the school building, but has also made the library less accessible to students and staff. 

Because our public library is part of a regional library system and the school collection was shared with the public library, books purchased with school funds for student or staff use were required to circulate to all ten public libraries in the region on a first-come, first-served basis. Meanwhile, our students were paying fines to the library system for books that were owned by the school. For these reasons, among others, the school decided to separate our collection from the public collection. This gives us the ability to use our own circulation system, allowing us to integrate digital resources and to more readily meet the curricular needs of our school.

In order to maintain this separate collection, meet the demands of a 21st century school library program, and address student safety issues, we need a space within the library that is not open to the public. The room that has recently been the children’s room opens directly to the school, so can be safely accessed without a swipe pass, and was in fact used by the school system for decades. 

You may recall that at the beginning of this school year, the library was rearranged and what had been the young adult room was converted into a quiet study space. This move was done in one week without closing down the library. That is why, once it was agreed by both school and library administrators that it made sense for the school to reclaim the former children’s room, a month’s notice seemed sufficient. So on February 16th, a formal request was made for the school to be granted use of that room by March 15th. 

While it is unfortunate that on March 29th the library temporarily closed, the decision to do so was not because they had little notice. I recognize that the public library is a valuable resource to our community. I hope the citizens of Pamlico County agree that we also have a responsibility to do what is best for our students. 

Thank you, 
Jen Baker, MLS
School Library Media Coordinator
Pamlico County High School

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    Ms. Jen Baker, MLS

    Having spent time as an ice cream scooper, a tadpole tender (and slide slicer), a radio announcer and a reel-to-reel splicer, Ms. Baker has finally found her dream job & is excited about sharing ALL the things with you!

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