Month: May 2023

Literary learning

My understanding of literature in learning was limited prior to this topic and I have tried to show my understanding and changes towards this in my blog post “Responding to literature – what is enough?” (Proctor, 2023, May 14) where I spew some inflammatory comments about the absurdity of literature in my content area, only to read, reflect and build an understanding of how it can support the learning I was already developing in my students. As a teacher librarian I feel that this is something I can help support teachers with, even if I am still not an expert in literary response strategies yet. I feel I am getting used to the simplicity of some ideas like bento boxes which can have layered meaning beyond their surface (Valenza 2019), and the complex language and theories that underpin the pedagogy of literary learning.

Social and cultural issues as they apply to the use of literature in education

In reflecting on the cultural issues that are involved in literature my main focus came via the lack of First Nations books in the collection at my school (Proctor, 2023, April 22). This led me to seek ways to build the collection that decolonised the library and made students feel that their voices and stories were valued and reflected in their space (ASLA, 2018). The growth in queer fiction at my school has been exciting for some students and thrown up challenges as well, with a new prayer room being made inside the library space. Some students of different faiths have expressed disapproval of these new books and sparked conversations around inclusion, acceptance and literature with many students and staff (Oltmann, 2016).

Role of librarian in promoting literature across the curriculum

I am only new to the role of librarian and have been on a mission to promote formats other than Manga including the library space to encourage reading in a safe and engaging space (Proctor, 2023, May 2). There are a vast variety of text types in the literature that can be used to promote literature in the curriculum and for the enjoyment of a range of readers (Winch and Holliday, 2014). My own awakening with this came through the format of picture books, which as a secondary teacher only new to the role I had never engaged in this format before deciding it was too simplistic for the needs of my learners and beneath me to indulge. In fact they can be an entry point to literature analysis for all readers where postmodern pictures books have multiliteracies and layered meaning created through the interaction of the reader and the text (Goldstone, 2001/2002), but similarly still operate as short narratives and images supporting text.

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2018). ALIA-ASLA policy on school library resource provision. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-policy-school-library-resource-provision

Oltmann, S. M. (2016). “They kind of rely on the library”: School librarian serving LGBT students. Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, 7(1). http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Oltmann_They-Kind-of-Rely-on-the-Library.pdf

Proctor, D. (2023, April 22). Decolonising a library collection – the benefits of inclusive collections that adequately represent First Nations voices. Teacher librarianship – the journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/davidproctor/2023/04/22/decolonising-a-library-collection-the-benefits-of-inclusive-collections-that-adequately-represent-first-nations-voices/

Proctor, D. (2023, May 2). Engaging readers – wedded to ideas and challenging traditions. Teacher librarianship – the journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/davidproctor/2023/05/02/engaging-readers-wedded-to-ideas-and-challenging-traditions/

Proctor, D. (2023, May 14). Responding to literature – what is enough?. Teacher librarianship – the journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/davidproctor/2023/05/14/responding-to-literature-what-is-enough/

Valenza, J. (2019, May 4). Building beautiful book bentos. School library journals. https://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2019/05/04/building-beautiful-book-bentos/

Winch, G & Holliday, M. (2014). The reader and the text. In G. Winch, R. Ross Johnston, P. March, L. Ljungdahl & M. Holliday (Eds.), Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (5th ed., pp. 109-128). Oxford University Press.

The title of this blog is a question I asked myself when looking at lists of literary response strategies, which on their surface looked simplistic. I admit that this was a precursory glance, but even after digging I feel that almost any learning strategy used in teaching could fall under this category if there was a teacher librarian or university researcher around. I imagine to anyone else they are never referred to in this way.

But my beef is not the rebranding of teaching or learning strategies, or the countless hours and money going into research ensuring they do in fact work for literature analysis. My question is rather around the depth needed for a rigorous literature response strategy.

Take book bento boxes for example: still images of a small number of items to represent meaning derived from a text (Yung, 2020). Is that… it? Perhaps layered within the next step of annotations of each item included in the box or links to external sources of information (Highfill & Kloos, 2017, Kloss, 2016). Is that enough? Is more needed to successfully have engaged in a literary response?

Coming from a background of a subject area that is constantly demanding evidenced arguments from factual sources, these strategies (boxed or not) can sometimes feel like the start of what I would normally pursue in student understanding within a unit of work. I am left feeling in an uncomfortable position where I cannot commit to saying, a discussion, annotation, a video clip etc are enough to show a high quality or deep understanding of issues covered in subjects like the sciences or humanities. My gut tells me that you just keep going and integrate further activities that layer upon these initial discoveries by connecting the literature and to the factual evidence. You ask students to show that the story they enjoyed has a place or basis in the contemporary world. I elevate and extend my students understanding of a text that opens the door to their understanding of complex issues (Haven, 2007) through building their confidence and connecting to increasingly concrete ideas where they can build more sophisticated responses that are more easily assessed (Bales & Saint-John, 2020). That sounds like it’s getting close enough.

 

References

Bales, J. & Saint-John, L. (2020, January). Book bento boxes: creative reading response. Scan, 39(3), 2-9. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/media/documents/vol-39/39-3.pdf

Haven, K. F. (2007). Story proof: The science behind the startling power of story. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Highfill, L. & Kloos, R. (2017). #BookBento HyperDoc Original [Google slides]. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FggkSwPyKx4YW1VlD9UB1b9FbfDBdQvEz93D2JgYUl4/edit#slide=id.p

Kloss, K. (2016, May 3). Book bento is every bookwork’s dream come true. Elle Decor. https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/fun-at-home/news/a8635/book-bento-instagram-account/

Yung, M. (2020, November 9). Book bentos: my first attempt. ELA brave and true by Marilyn Yung. https://elabraveandtrue.com/2020/11/09/book-bentos-my-first-attempt/

I started working as a teacher librarian last year in a school where within 4 weeks I was asked why students were talking in the library. Why games were being played. Why students were not reading or studying when in the library at break times.

My concept of a modern library was, as happens to anyone realising they might be in a horror movie, rapidly slipping away from me.

This extended to the literature on offer as well. Magazines that were now out of print sitting in display stands, non-fiction books that are 40 years old (and refer to countries that no longer exist), and fiction books that may have inspired reading when my mother was a youth. Pennac (2006) would find these barriers to reading particularly heinous.

This horror was not going to kill me or my readers!

This year we started defending ourselves, our spaces, and our collection.

We looked at how to weed and update our collection with modern fiction that students would enjoy (Sharp, 2018). We asked them what they wanted to see (Krashen, 2021) and addressed these areas first. Manga was the first to flourish from a small stand to its own zone, now spilling onto rotating display stands adorned with figurines from the titles we carry.

We looked at how students were using, misusing, and wanted to use the physical space. Privacy, group study and comfort were requested from students. Students not climbing over the brightly coloured, vinyl clad circus furniture was a request from the teachers. A refurbishment of furniture allowed for newly created nooks, high back chairs for private study and no opportunity for gymnastics practice.

We looked at engagement in the library space and connections to our collection beyond the fad of the new Manga series. Students who had written poetry were published and held readings in the library. Engaging displays directed students to the new genres created in fiction to guide students in accessing books they might connect with (Cornwall, 2018). First Nations literature was almost non-existent outside of some picture books, so this grew too.

Today the library space, collection, and the students accessing the space have all changed – its been a long 6 months.

 

References

Cornwall, G. (2018, July 22). How genrefication makes school libraries more like bookstores. KQED: Mindshift. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51336/how-genrefication-makes-school-libraries-more-like-bookstores

Krashen, S. (2021). Pleasure reading. Bring Me a Book: Research Roundup. https://www.bringmeabook.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BMAB_RESEARCH-BRIEF_Krashen_v6.pdf

Pennac, D. (2006). The rights of the reader. Walker Books.

Sharp, C. (2018, November 1). Free choice…with support: Game changer! [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/PiwiJWSIaFA