BUILDING OUR EXPERTISE

The Crescent Centre for Boys’ Education: Discovering How Boys Learn Best

Boys and Sexual Citizenship - IBSC Course (Ashley Cridland)

Sexual orientation, family dynamics and gender discussions with boys as early as kindergarten, followed by conversations about pornography, masturbation, healthy relationships and consent as boys age, are integral to normalizing sexual citizenship. These findings from Dr. Ada Sinacore’s IBSC research, Responsible Sexual Citizenship for a Changing World were shared in an online course attended by Middle School teacher Ashley Cridland. “Besides teacher adoption, the largest hurdle for implementing this type of curriculum is parent buyin,” says Cridland. “As an educator at an all-boys school and mother of two boys, I always thought I was leading positive, insightful communication on these tough topics. It’s clear Canadian school curriculum has a long way to go to ensure equality and respect are ingrained in young men.” Cridland hopes to establish a forum where parents and teachers can find resources and courses for communicating with boys on these topics.

Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning - Winter Webinar Series (Trish Cislak and Rob Messenger)

The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning developed a four-part series aimed at helping teachers address student engagement, educational technology, project-based learning, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging that are all critical in the academic, social, and emotional recovery from COVID. These webinars provided participants research findings and strategies based on how the student brain learns, works and thrives. Rob Messenger and Trish Cislak participated in these timely webinars. They integrated new knowledge on student engagement, technology and belonging into the Grade 9 Portfolio pilot project in real-time. This experience has formed new practices for both the GLS10 course they teach in the summer and the upcoming Grade 9 research project on using digital portfolios to enhance student learning in the fall of 2021.

Embedded Librarian PD (Lisa Elchuk)

“With colleagues from the AISL (Association of Independent School Libraries), I participated in a month-long summer online PD about Embedded Librarianship via Library Juice Academy, an online professional development site for librarians.” An embedded librarian focuses “on the needs of one or more specific groups, building relationships with these groups, developing a deep understanding of their work, and providing information services that are highly customized and targeted to their greatest needs.” This definition fits well with the Crescent Libraries Team’s collective objective to meet students where and when they need us. Lisa has continued to integrate embedded librarianship into her teaching and instruction with the courses she had previously partnered with for this academic year. Upon reflection, 100% of faculty surveyed would request an embedded librarian again in the coming school year, and 100% said that having an embedded librarian adds appreciable value to their formative or summative project(s)/assessment(s). This experience will continue to elevate the skills continuum that represents our library continuum.

IBSC Ideas Lab: Professional Conversations for School Librarians in Boys’ Schools (Trish Cislak)

This interactive exchange among IBSC colleagues was an opportunity to learn and grow with others. Three modules focused on navigating the media landscape and empowering boys as informed citizens through media literacy initiatives, promoting inclusivity and diversity in our collections, and practitioner research and the school library. This network will continue in the future and will only enhance the offerings of the Crescent Libraries.