Caroline Freibauer
Curiosity Lures Science Teachers Into
The Library Learning Commons C
arlo Fusco is an environmentalist, a biologist, a chemistry teacher and a former head of science with a passion for technology. But when he watched a former math teacher colleague take over the school library learning commons, he knew that he wanted to take on the role of teacher-librarian. The Waterloo Collegiate Institute teacher stepped into the position more than six years ago when the teacher-librarian at his high school retired. And he has enjoyed every minute since. “I love it!” said Fusco, who enjoys working with both teachers and students. “For a lot of students, the library is a safe place where it is okay to be smart,” he said. “And I get to work with teachers to develop new lessons and explore new ideas.” Fusco is one of many teacher-librarians in schools across the province who have been able to leverage their STEM expertise to support inquiry, foster literacy across disciplines and, in many instances, become technology leaders.
and math high school teacher to become a technology leader at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Scarborough. He was practically working two jobs between regular duties in biology and physics classes and the time spent helping teachers navigate online platforms, such as Moodle and Google.
Although he still teaches traditional lessons around plagiarism, copyright and digital citizenship, Fusco also rolled out a one-to-one device program at his school and keeps his shelves stocked with interesting books about the quirky side of science.
“I was getting worked to the bone,” Tait said. “So, we had the idea that I could get some library periods where I could promote ed tech and work with teachers one-on-one to develop their expertise and enhance their teaching and learning experiences.
“When I go book buying, I look for books that humanize science,” he said. “Science is not a closed thing that only trained people can do.”
“It just so happened that the current teacher-librarian was retiring so the stars aligned, and I became the full-time teacher-librarian at Cedarbrae. I was a little panic stricken that first September morning sitting in the library alone, thinking: ‘OK, now what?”
And when he teams up with teachers, Fusco often will cover the more technical side of a lesson, explaining to students how to make and edit a video or providing podcasting workshops for teachers. “Part of our job is having the time to learn new things and share,” said Fusco, who shares his expertise beyond the walls of his school at provincial conferences. Brandon Tait’s fascination with education technology and his interest in seeing what students can do with it, led the science
That feeling didn’t last long. Tait launched many initiatives, including transforming the physical space to make it more appealing, winning “School of the Future” prizes, running a robotics team, making a fitness space for yoga and exercise equipment, and organizing a climate change summit as a Grade 10 culminating activity, which saw his school host student groups from across the city. He helped develop a STEM program with a multi-disciplinary team of teachers, which has Grade 9 continued on page 36
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