AASL D.VI Grow & Engage: Engaging Learners in Ongoing Growth

Introduction

Explore AASL D.VI Grow - Engage for K–8 classrooms with practical strategies, cross-curricular activities, and teacher tips that strengthen inquiry, communication, and responsible information use.

This competency focuses on how students take responsibility for their engagement with information. It asks learners to use technology thoughtfully, reflect on how knowledge is created, and inspire others to act responsibly. This standard highlights the habits that help students participate in communities of learning with confidence and care.

What Is AASL D.VI Grow & Engage?

At its core, AASL D.VI Grow - Engage asks students to personalize how they use information, reflect on the ethical dimensions of knowledge, and to encourage safe, legal, and responsible behaviors in digital and physical spaces. This looks different at each grade level, but the goal remains consistent: to help students grow as engaged, reflective, and ethical participants in their learning environments.

Key Student Actions in AASL D.VI Grow & Engage

Key Student Actions

Students demonstrate AASL D.VI Grow - Engage through the choices they make when working with information and technology. Their actions show not only skill but also awareness of responsibility.

• Select tools and strategies that fit personal needs and projects. This may include using graphic organizers, digital research platforms, or creative apps that help them learn effectively and present information clearly.
• Connect their work to ethical questions of fairness, safety, and attribution. Students think about why sources should be cited, how online safety protects communities, and what it means to share information responsibly.
• Model responsible information use for peers. They encourage classmates to respect copyright, practice safe online habits, and contribute positively in both classroom and digital spaces.

By practicing these actions, students learn to combine academic research skills, digital literacy, and ethical decision-making in ways that support inquiry across all subjects.

Skills Developed Through AASL D.VI Grow & Engage

By practicing this competency, students build:

• Self-awareness in how they approach information and technology.
• Perspective-taking as they consider the ethical impact of knowledge use.
• Collaboration skills that include modeling safe, responsible behaviors for peers.
• Communication skills that extend across subjects and audiences.

AASL D.VI Grow - Engage: Key Competencies and K–8 Activities

Competency I: Personalizing their use of information and information technologies

Students learn to make intentional choices about how they use information and technology, adapting tools to meet personal and academic goals.

K–3 Activities:

• Class Survey Plan (Math) – Decide together how to ask and record classmates’ favorite playground activities.
• Plant Observation Journal (Science) – Record growth in pictures or words using preferred tools like drawings or apps.
• Story Retelling (ELA) – Retell a class story using drawings, audio, or digital slides based on student choice.
• Community Map (Social Studies) – Draw or digitally create a map showing important places and label them personally.

K–4–8 Activities:

• Digital Research Organizer (Science) – Select preferred tools to record experiment results for class reference.
• Reading Response Format (ELA) – Choose to respond with an essay, an infographic, or a podcast to match personal style.
• Math Problem Showcase (Math) – Present solution visually, orally, or digitally to share reasoning with peers.
• Historical News Report (Social Studies) – Create an article, video, or slideshow interpreting primary sources.

Competency II: Reflecting on the process of ethical generation of knowledge

Students consider how knowledge is created, shared, and used, paying attention to fairness, attribution, and responsibility.

K–3 Activities:

• Photo Use Discussion (ELA) – Talk about why crediting photographers is important when using images in projects.
• Sharing Science Data (Science) – Record findings and discuss why honesty matters in classroom experiments.
• Class Book Project (ELA) – Add stories with names on each page to show authorship.
• Community Rules Chart (Social Studies) – Brainstorm class rules about fair information use and display together.

K–4–8 Activities:

• Research Citation Practice (ELA) – Write a short paper with sources credited correctly.
• Data Integrity Task (Science) – Reflect on how changing experiment results could affect conclusions.
• Digital Art Attribution (Art/Technology) – Share artwork and discuss how to credit source material.
• Debate Preparation (Social Studies) – Reflect on how source selection shapes arguments.

Competency III:  Inspiring others to engage in safe, responsible, ethical, and legal information behaviors

Students grow as role models, encouraging peers to act responsibly with information and technology.

K–3 Activities:

• Safe Search Lesson (Technology) – Show classmates how to use kid-friendly search tools responsibly.
• Book Borrowing Talk (Library) – Remind peers about fair turn-taking and caring for shared books.
• Picture Sharing Rule (ELA) – Explain why we should ask before using classmates’ drawings.
• Digital Safety Poster (Social Studies/Technology) – Create posters showing safe online habits for school display.

K–4–8 Activities:

• Peer Tutorial (Technology) – Teach classmates how to credit online sources in presentations.
• Social Media Simulation (ELA/Social Studies) – Create mock posts modeling safe sharing of personal information.
• Class Technology Agreement (Technology) – Lead group in writing guidelines for responsible device use.
• Community Awareness Project (Cross-Subject) – Design campaign promoting safe, ethical online behaviors.

Differentiation Strategies

Differentiation ensures every student can engage meaningfully with AASL D.VI Grow & Engage. Teachers can adjust task complexity, offer varied formats, and provide scaffolds such as templates, sentence starters, or guided examples. Advanced learners benefit from choice and leadership opportunities, while those needing support may work with visuals, peer partners, or simplified platforms. Flexible grouping, extended timelines, and multiple modes of expression help create equitable access across grade levels.

Quick Assessment Ideas

Teachers can quickly check understanding by reviewing student reflections, exit slips, or peer feedback notes. Simple checklists for ethical practices, short presentations on safe use, or rubrics that assess clarity and attribution help monitor progress without adding heavy grading tasks.

Teacher Tips for Competency

Guiding students in AASL D.VI Grow - Engage means showing them what responsible information use looks like in practice. Model ethical habits, set clear expectations, and provide tools that match developmental levels. Give students structured choices that emphasize safe, fair, and thoughtful engagement.

Practical tips for teachers:

• Model ethical information use through live examples of citation, fair use, and digital safety.
• Offer age-appropriate platforms, from drawing apps for early grades to research tools for older students.
• Provide structured options for projects, ensuring every choice highlights safe and responsible practices.
• Use peer review or reflection activities to reinforce ethical decision-making.
• Create leadership opportunities where students guide classmates in safe and responsible technology use.

These steps make this standard easier to integrate across subjects while helping students build lasting habits of ethical engagement.

What Students Gain from AASL D.VI Grow & Engage

Students learn how to take responsibility for their choices with information and technology. They become more thoughtful about how knowledge is created, how it should be shared, and how their actions affect others. Over time, this builds confidence, stronger collaboration, and habits that support learning across subjects.

Conclusion: Bringing into Practice

Start small by inviting students to reflect on how they use information or technology. Build toward collaborative projects where they model responsible practices for peers. With steady guidance, students shift from simply using tools to actively shaping a safe, ethical learning environment.

References & Image Sources

American Association of School Librarians. AASL Standards Framework for Learners.

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