ERIC EJ1074342: Developing a Curriculum in Intellectual Freedom: What Our Students Need to Know

2015·2.4 MB·English

by  ERIC

All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
FEATURE
20 Knowledge Quest | Intellectual Freedom
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
Independent school librarians
have the privilege and the
DEVELOPING A challenge of crafting curricula
and establishing priorities for our
programs. How have we leveraged
these opportunities to inform
CURRICULUM IN
students about their rights and
responsibilities with regard to
intellectual freedom?
INTELLECTUAL
Respecting Divergent
Viewpoints
FREEDOM
I sought out the perspective of a
particular ninth-grade student on
the topic of intellectual freedom.
What Our Students
She attended our school as a sixth-
grader and then spent two years in
India before she returned to begin
Need to Know
high school. I asked her to compare
her experience at an international
school serving the children of
Jole Seroff diplomats and executives to our
[email protected] northern California independent
school. In her opinion, intellectual
freedom thrives in our school,
My interest in intellectual but she remarked that she misses
freedom was one of the the diversity of opinions among
predispositions that drew me to a her international peers. Hearing
career in school librarianship. I them articulate a broad range of
began working as a librarian at a positions helped her reflect on her
large public school eleven years own beliefs. So, while she praises
ago. Today I lead a team of three our community, she also indicates
school librarians serving about 450 a challenge posed by the relative
students in grades 6 through 12 at a uniformity of our population.
100-year-old secular independent
school for girls in Silicon Valley, Contrary to my previous experience
south of San Francisco. Like all in urban public schools, the
independent schools, we operate nonconforming viewpoint in
separately from the public school my independent school is often
system and are funded primarily by a conservative or religious one.
tuition. Beyond this commonality, Creating space for these positions
the profiles of independent to be heard respectfully can be
schools across the country vary a challenge when the dominant
tremendously, from schools with culture of the institution is liberal
multiple sprawling campuses to tiny and secular, but intellectual
urban schools, serving students freedom is undermined if the
from pre-K–12, including both school-wide discourse becomes
religiously affiliated and secular hegemonic. Colleagues at
institutions. About 10 percent other independent schools cite
of America’s students attend concerns that arise around student
independent schools (Council for journalism as ground zero for
American Private Education 2015). such struggles. School librarians
can contribute to an atmosphere
Volume 44, No. 1 | September/October 2015 21
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
that supports intellectual freedom message that our institution values potential of the written word to
by drawing attention to the subtle free access to information and effect societal and personal change.
messages about community values— trusts educators to help students Our students learn about common
messages that are communicated make good choices. This increased reasons for contemporary book
by virtue of what is included or freedom is scaffolded by an challenges and the advocacy role of
excluded from our curricular and acceptable-use policy that uses clear dedicated librarians. We examine
co-curricular offerings. language to outline expectations. ALA’s Freedom to Read statement,
Further, many independent schools affirming that each student,
have honor codes that are central together with her family, has the
Internet Filtering and Access
to a school’s identity. Building right to decide what is appropriate
to Information
on these ethical foundations, we for herself (2004).
The Internet filter in the public teach students the practical skills
schools where I began my career was and discernment necessary to We also explain how our collection
a constant irritant. The algorithm navigate the ever-growing world of is developed, highlighting the
was a blunt instrument that blocked information. difference between censorship
sites based on a list of keywords and and selection. Some years we’ve
impeded access to valuable teaching been fortunate to host Skype visits
Censorship and the Freedom
tools such as YouTube. Students with authors who have experienced
to Read
used proxy servers to dodge the Web censorship. This program has been
filter daily. With imprecise filters Promoting the freedom to read incredibly effective at making the
that were easily outwitted, I felt widely has long been a core aspect impact of book challenges tangible
complicit in creating a moral hazard, of library programs. Banned Books for students.
tempting students to break an ill- Week creates an opportunity to
conceived rule, and I feared being focus on this theme. Like many
Intellectual Property and
held responsible for students’ illicit libraries, we set up informative,
Fair Use
behavior on library computers. eye-catching displays that arouse
curiosity in our young patrons. Today’s students are not only
If we want students to act honorably consumers of information;
and responsibly, we must give them We also host a special program technology has increased
opportunities to earn our trust. for our eighth-grade students. opportunities to create and publish
Filters indicate an assumption that Collaboration with English teachers independently. Appropriating
they are not worthy of trust. Many aligns this program with study of The and remixing aspects of existing
independent schools, including Book Thief, a story in which control creative works is a significant
my own, offer unfiltered Internet of information plays a critical component of contemporary art
access to all students. This role. Marcus Zusak’s excellent and publishing. While students
unfiltered access sends the powerful book sensitizes students to the have a sense that much of their
use of copyrighted materials is
extralegal, they tend to have an
oversimplified understanding of
the law and their rights. How can we
empower students to fully exercise
If we want students to act honorably
their intellectual freedom as content
creators, while instilling a respect
and responsibly, we must give them for intellectual property?
Our school library provides an
opportunities to earn our trust. Filters annual workshop on intellectual
property and fair use. This program
is linked to tenth-grade history,
indicate an assumption that they are
a course in which students study
American government and debate
not worthy of trust. controversial issues. We provide
background on the history and
purpose of copyright law, and
22 Knowledge Quest | Intellectual Freedom
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
examine case studies. Students
frame arguments both for and
against fair use in each case before
hearing the verdict found by the
courts.
A colleague at another independent We can help students
school described the “culture
of attribution” her library has
been instrumental in building.
see attribution as
Taking responsibility for use
of copyrighted materials also
means taking ownership of the
contribution made to the scholarly not just a chore but
dialogue or aesthetic culture
by remixing, juxtaposing, and
reflecting on the works of others.
as an opportunity
Our students are introduced to
the Creative Commons licensing
structure as an alternative to the
“all rights reserved” approach. We to participate in
can help students see attribution
as not just a chore but as an
opportunity to participate in
creation and sharing
creation and sharing of knowledge.
Privacy Rights and
of knowledge.
Responsibilities
In our networked age, students face
complex questions of privacy. We
recognize the benefits provided by
technologies like smartphones and
GPS, but we know they produce
huge quantities of data about our
private lives. Intellectual freedom
is curtailed when we are subject to
surveillance. Even strictly legal and
non-embarrassing information can
be misconstrued; even our trusted
retailers and institutions can be
hacked.
As an introduction to these
thorny issues, we teach a lesson
to mark ALA’s Choose Privacy
Week. Our eighth-grade students,
who study American history and
travel to visit the nation’s capital,
are primed to consider privacy
rights within some historical
context. We examine the Fourth
Amendment, which guarantees
freedom from unreasonable
Volume 44, No. 1 | September/October 2015 23
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
Intellectual freedom is not a value Jole Seroff is the
director of library and
we hold in a vacuum but, instead, in a information services at
Castilleja School in Palo
particular time and place. Alto, California. She is a
member of AASL. She blogs at <http://library.
castilleja.org>. Jole received the Distinguished
search and seizure. We clarify A Question of Values Service Award from Castilleja School in
that, because these restrictions 2013. She has presented at AASL National
Intellectual freedom is not a value
apply only to government agents,
we hold in a vacuum but, instead, Conferences, ALA Annual Conferences, and
students in public schools have
in a particular time and place. the Internet Librarian Conference, and she was
more legal privacy protection than
Throughout history and across the
students in independent schools an invited speaker at the School Library
world today, unfettered access to
(Massachusetts n.d.). We also Journal Leadership Summit 2014. In
information is the exception, not
consider the limitations of the
the norm. It is our responsibility to June 2015 at Castilleja School, she hosted
amendment; sharing information
exercise and defend this freedom “Research Relevance,” a two-day colloquium
with a third party may forfeit the
in our own society, while striving
“reasonable expectation of privacy.” for school librarians teaching research skills to
to understand the historical and
Students compromise their privacy K–12 students.
political contexts that frame this
rights when they share personal
issue differently in many cultures
information with service providers,
around the world.
including social-media platforms
and search engines.
Reflecting on our instructional Works Cited:
program through the lens of
Students Google their own American Library Association.
intellectual freedom has reinforced 2004. “The Freedom to
names, examine the results, and
a few key tenets. First, library Read Statement.” <www.
are counseled on how to manage ala.org/advocacy/
instruction is always most relevant
their digital footprints. We suggest intfreedom/statementspols/
to students when it is linked to freedomreadstatement>
they keep their personal accounts
classroom curricula. Second, when (accessed March 14, 2015).
and usernames separate from
we’re training students in matters Council for American Private
their more formal, school-related involving ethics and personal Education. 2015. “Facts and
online identity. We remind them Studies.” <www.capenet.org/
choice, it is key to avoid being overly
facts.html> (accessed February
that college admissions officers
didactic; instead, we help students 22, 2015).
and potential employers will
understand their options and Electronic Frontier Foundation.
one day evaluate them in light of
provide them with tools. Finally, we n.d. “Privacy Badger: A Project
their digital profiles. We coach of the Electronic Frontier
cannot do our best work in isolation.
students on reviewing privacy Foundation.” <www.eff.org/
It is essential to enlist the support privacybadger> (accessed March
settings for services they use and
of colleagues if we are to build a 14, 2015).
urge them to consider the benefits
culture of intellectual freedom in Massachusetts Committee for
of cloaked browsing and anti- our schools. Public Counsel Services, Youth
tracking browser extensions such Advocacy Division. n.d. “School
Search and Seizure: An Overview
as Privacy Badger (Electronic
of the Law.” <www.publiccounsel.
Frontier Foundation n.d.). This net/ya/wp-content/uploads/
year students created short video sites/6/2014/08/school-search-
and-seizure.pdf> (accessed June
public service announcements
9, 2015).
based on “factsheets” we provided
on topics such as strong passwords
and protecting users’ privacy while
engaging with social media.
24 Knowledge Quest | Intellectual Freedom