Erin Hansen
Specialist, Research & Learning Commons
Learning Innovation
ephansen@cbe.ab.ca
◦ Part of the larger CBE Learning Resources Strategy
Project link
“The purpose of this project is to assist
CBE schools in their transition to
Learning Commons in order to assist
teachers and students in their goal to
create personalized learning experiences
in collaborative learning environments…
This project will also lead the exploration
into the definition of what Learning
Commons look like in the broader
educational k-12 setting, and what they
could look like within the CBE.”
~ LRS Project Charter

•
For more information about Learning
Commons in the CBE, see the Learning
Innovation RLC website
Voluntary participation at the initiation of
the school
Best Practice:
 Need Administrative support
 Need a Learning Commons team comprised of:
 -Learning Commons Lead Teacher/Teacher-Librarian
 -Subject and technology specialists
 -Library support staff
 Whole school/staff conversation and participation
 No “cookie cutter” how-to solution – each site is
unique with many entry points into the process
 Money should not be a limiting factor


The Learning Commons is a physical place,
but it extends out to the whole school, and
far into the digital realm.
After the “place” – both physical and digital –
is established, the Learning Commons
becomes more a “way of being and learning”
with an emphasis on collaboration, cocreation, and sharing. Technology is
seamlessly integrated alongside text-based
resources.

Emphasis on Information Literacy and Digital
Citizenship skills.

Students no longer have trouble accessing
information – the shift is now to being skilled at
encountering information, knowing how to be a
discerning user, and becoming skilled at making
meaning from what is encountered.


Synthesis of the learning is then translated into
creation of new meaning in a collaborative way.
Students then work to share their information in
various ways using various technologies and
strategies – all accessible from the Learning
Commons.
Hawkwood School
(K-6)
Global Citizenship
Grade 3
Hawkwood School
Calgary Board of Education
AB Education Program of Studies
• Students will: 3.2.1
– appreciate elements of global citizenship:
recognize how their actions might affect people elsewhere in
the world and how the actions of others might affect them
• respect the equality of all human beings
•
• Students will: 3.2.2
– explore the concept of global citizenship by reflecting upon the
following questions for inquiry:
• In what ways can individuals and groups contribute to positive
change in the world?
• How do international organizations support communities in
need throughout the world (e.g., UNICEF, Red Cross,
Development and Peace)?
• What are examples of international organizations formed by
individuals (e.g., Free the Children, Médecins sans frontières
(Doctors Without Borders))?
• What are examples of international organizations formed by
nations (e.g., UN)?
It all started with a STORY
• One Hen by Katie Smith Milway
Our Big Question
• In what ways can individuals and
groups contribute to positive
change in the world?
KWL
What we THINK we KNOW (sampling)
-Ukraine needs better medical care
-Africa needs cleaner water
-helping people up if they fall down
-planting more trees
-Kenya does not have very good supplies for schools
-Peru has some poor communities
-Terry Fox made a difference in the world by raising money for cancer
-Washington made a difference as a president
-India has some poor people
-Peru needs school supplies
-going around the community to ask for money for the Children’s Hospital
-Jacket Racket and Toy and Food Drive
-Gingerbead Raffle for Gytoro
-countries with floods need help with new homes, clothing and food
-Red Cross helps people
KWL
What we wonder (sampling)
-is it possible to give money to Children's’ Hospitals around the world?
-How do you donate money? Who do we contact?
-Learn more about how we spread our help out and cooperate
together
-help India not be crowded
-learn more about endangered species so we help them
-why are some countries really poor?
-we need to learn more about what we are going to do to help and
what kinds of help that people need
-want to help countries that have wars so wars stop
-why do people in Tunis have to walk a mile to get water?
-where are the people who need help?
-why does New Dehli have overcrowded schools?
-why does Peru not have many schools?
-how do we deal with floods?
-some do not have enough food. How do we help?
We focused on these questions
•
•
•
•
•
What caused the individual/group to take action?
How did they get their message out to others?
What resources did they need to take action?
How did they take action?
What were the results?
Finding answers
Our Resources
• Websites http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b273/student/kidsmakeadifference.htm
• Books from our school library
Planning our Presentation (Websites)
KWL
• What we learned (a sampling)
-WWF helps endangered wildlife from being extinct
-The Red Cross started because of wars
-Greenpeace cleans lakes and plants trees
-The Ladybug Foundation helps homeless people get homes and find
jobs
-Free the Children fights against child labour
-Lots of groups help around the world to make the world a better place
-Henry Dunant started The Red Cross because people were getting
hurt.
-There are organizations that help people without clean water and
good sanitation
-Animals are endangered because of humans
-It is easy to get sick in some countries because they are dirty and they
don’t have clean water.
-There are a lot of homeless people in Winnipeg that need help
-There are many ways to help others
Our Big Think
Our Wonderful Websites!
• http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/Hawkwood/globalcit
izenship/index.html
We Shared Our Websites With:
•
•
•
•
•
Our classmates
Our teachers
Our parents
E.M. Baker School in Great Neck,NY
The world!
James Fowler High School
Before:

Flexible use of space
Belfast School (K-6)
video
Elementary (K-6)
video