Standards in Harmony: AASL and ISTE in the School Library
When
thinking about how to blend national standards into meaningful student
experiences, Elizabeth Burns’ article, “Standards in Action: Designing with the
AASL Standards Framework,” offers powerful insight. Published in Knowledge
Quest (Vol. 47, No. 5), Burns emphasizes how the AASL Standards provide a framework
for designing instruction, not just a checklist. This made me wonder, how do
the AASL Standards compare with the ISTE Standards for Students, and how can
they work together in a future-ready library?
When
thinking about the similarities of both AASL and ISTE, they both emphasize
student agency and inquiry-based learning. Burns’ article focuses on how the
AASL Shared Foundations (which are: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate,
Explore, and Engage) can be used to scaffold instruction across grade levels.
The ISTE
Standards for Students promote similarly aligned skills such as Empowered
Learner, Knowledge Constructor, and Creative Communicator. In both frameworks,
students ask questions, pursue knowledge, use tools to create new ideas, and
reflect on their learning.
AASL Shared Foundations Framework
Picture Description:
A visual representation of the AASL Shared Foundations "Engage” in a circular
diagram with colorful icons for each standard.
When
thinking of some of the differences between the two, one major difference lies
in focus. As Burns illustrates in her article, the AASL Standards guide how
students work with information and ideas especially in literacy-rich
environments like the library. It’s about curating sources, engaging ethically,
and developing personal meaning.
Meanwhile,
ISTE’s focus is on how students use technology tools to gather, analyze, and
present information. It includes skills like computational thinking, digital
citizenship, and global collaboration. ISTE reaches across content areas, while
AASL is deeply embedded in literacy and information use.
Burns
stresses that the AASL Standards are meant to be flexible and contextualized to
each learning community. This makes integration with ISTE both natural and
necessary. Together, the standards support students in becoming critical
thinkers, responsible users of technology, skilled researchers, and creative
problem-solvers.
When I
envision these standards working together, I think of a fifth-grade class
researching environmental issues. The students could use AASL’s Inquire and
Curate foundations to develop guiding questions and evaluate credible sources.
Then, using ISTE’s Creative Communicator and Global Collaborator standards,
students could design a digital campaign to educate their community.
Elizabeth
Burns’ article reminds us that standards should support and not limit instructional
creativity. By thoughtfully aligning AASL and ISTE Standards, school librarians
can empower students to thrive in both academic and digital landscapes. The
library becomes more than a quiet room of books, it becomes a launchpad for
innovation, equity, and lifelong learning.
References
Burns, E. (2019). Standards in
Action: Designing with the AASL Standards Framework. Knowledge Quest, 47(5),
16–21.
American Association of School Librarians. (2018). AASL Standards Framework for
Learners. https://standards.aasl.org
International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE Standards for
Students. https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Hi Diamond,
ReplyDeleteI think you chose the perfect title for this post. These standards are great separately, but together they can be something even better. Having standards that focus on general learning and then having some for technology learning really brings together what many librarians have to teach. I also really like your idea for what these standards would look like in practice. 5th grade is a great grade for doing and teaching about research. Having standards that gives you something measurable will help guide how we can improve their skills and what we teach them.
I really appreciate your vision for how the two standards can both be utilized in conjunction with each other. As a classroom teacher, I typically only use one set of standards, so the thought of two sets has been difficult for me to grasp. Your example of the fifth grade research using both is starting to help me see how using both is possible. The phrase that AASL standards are about the 'how' was also a bit difficult for me to grasp. As a classroom teacher, I'm more accustomed to standards telling me 'what' to teach. Again, your example has begun to clarify that concept.
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