Monthly Archives: May 2021

Reflections for ETL402

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Using literature in a primary school library setting seems an obvious choice in the teaching of a range of literacy skills. This subject gave me the chance to obtain and analyse fictional literature to explore characters, settings, complex narratives and develop an understanding and familiarity of authors and illustrators alike. My understanding of literary learning was stretched, prompting me to look at literature in a critical and analytical way. How do I find and select appropriate literature to teach concepts embedded in Key Learning Areas (KLA’s) such as history?

I was aware of some literary award sites that promote quality literature (Piper, 2021a) such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia (Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2021). Reading the rigorous selection processes that occur for books to be shortlisted and awarded, I began to understand the value of using literary awards as a means of recognising quality literature. Obtaining and reading some of these books showed me the value they can add to a range of KLA’s. The recognition and inclusion of cross-curricula priorities in the NSW syllabus demonstrates that students’ understanding, knowledge of and application of inquiry skills is necessary for viable discussions about our world (NSW Government, 2021). Researching the use of literature in KLA’s, I was presented with various lists of suggested texts that can be used to support the NSW curriculum (Board of Studies, 2017; NSW Department of Education, 2017a; NSW Department of Education, 2017b). Similarly, resources were made available supporting the use of literature when teaching history (Australian School Library Association, 2012). These lists showed me new resources I can use in my future teaching programs.

Using quality literature necessitates the practical use of a range of teaching strategies that highlight particular qualities of texts. Through my research I was made aware of explicit strategies. Some of these strategies include dialogic reading (Whitehurst, 2013), word clouds (Wolff, 2020), book trailers (Clarke, 2017) and digital timelines (Cox, 2012) to name a few. It quickly became clear to me that I was already implementing dialogic reading with great success. In a school where reading has been highlighted as an area for improvement, using picture books to teach and enhance concepts or themes is a reliable way to engage students regardless of their ability and backgrounds. Now that I am aware of other strategies that promote literary learning, I will endeavour to increase the use of strategies, such as word clouds and digital timelines, to engage all my students in their understandings of literature.

Creating a literary learning resource kit challenged me to think about the qualitative value of resources available. I questioned my bias in selecting and including specific literature in my school library (Piper, 2021b). The more I thought about the possibility of bias and others’ input and recommendations, I realised the focus needed to be about the quality and usefulness of texts and more importantly the clients of literature in the school. As a teacher librarian I aim to nurture the educational needs of children so that they may grow to be informed citizens able to make appropriate choices. As a facilitator of library resources, it is my goal to ensure literature is inclusive, appropriately selected, informative and engaging for students in my school.

 

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2012). Primary school resources to support the Australian history curriculum (pp. 1–13). Australian School Library Association.

Board of Studies NSW. (2017). Suggested texts for the English K-10 Syllabus (pp. 5–85). Board of Studies NSW. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/english-k10-suggested-texts.pdf

Children’s Book Council of Australia. (2021). About the Children’s Book Council for Australia. The Children’s Book Council of Australia: Since 1945 – Your Connection to Story; The Children’s Book Council of Australia. https://cbca.org.au/about

Clarke, R. (2017, March 19). How free book trailers can be used to inspire reading and writing. Teach Wire: Your Link to the Best in Education. https://www.teachwire.net/news/how-free-book-trailers-can-be-used-to-inspire-reading-and-writing

Cox, C. (2012, January 12). Creating timelines. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-timelines

NSW Department of Education. (2017a). Human Society and Its Environment Guide to using picture books in History K-10 (pp. 1–54). NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/key-learning-areas/hsie/media/documents/history-es1-s1-s2-s3-s4-s5-guide-to-picture-books-in-history.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2017b). Using picture books for intercultural understanding (pp. 1–27). NSW Department of Education. https://www.hsiensw.com/uploads/4/7/7/1/47718841/picture_bks__intercultural_understanding.pdf

NSW Government. (2021). Learning across the curriculum. NSW Government Education Standards Authority. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/history-k-10/learning-across-the-curriculum

Piper, J. (2021a, April 27). Getting to know children’s literature. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/04/27/getting-to-know-childrens-literature/

Piper, J. (2021b, May 3). To include or not to include…. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/05/03/to-include-or-not-to-include/

Whitehurst, G. J. (Russ). (2013, April 24). Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read Aloud with Young Children. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-reading-effective-way-read-aloud-young-children

Wolff, R. (2020, March 8). The best free word cloud generators to visualize your data. MonkeyLearn Blog. https://monkeylearn.com/blog/word-cloud-generator/

 

To include or not to include…

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As a classroom teacher in the TL role in my school, I am slowly getting to know the content of literature available to students. Having subscribed to the Australian Scholastic Standing Orders I get first hand interactions with new literature needing inclusion into our school library collection. These books are often well known texts familiar to students, short listed and notable texts evident in literary award lists, such as CBCA, or books by familiar authors such as Aaron Blabey and Anh Do to name a few.

As I set myself the challenge to read a number of texts so that I can promote and suggest reading material to my students with familiarity and understanding, I also find myself subconsciously dismissing texts as inappropriate for my students. I hadn’t quite taken note of this consciousness until the idea was suggested in the reading material: What influences my choice in including or censoring texts from the library?

The reading habits of my students certainly influence the inclusion of popular series such as Ninja Kid, Bad Guys and Alice-Mirand to name a few. Familiar authors such as those mentioned earlier add to the influence. But what about censorship? I have often been open with my students encouraging them to provide suggestions for new content for our school library and on a few occasions I have silently dismissed a few ideas. Ideas I thought weren’t considered ‘great’ reading material. But was I right to do so? How did I come to this conclusion? Certainly my age, my cultural understanding of ‘what is right’, my knowledge of colleagues approvals and thoughts on text choice influence my decision to include or dismiss new texts.

The Reading Bill of Rights certainly challenges my perceptions and intentions. In a primary school setting, I do need to be selective to ensure literature is age appropriate, relevant and meaningful for my students. I also need to ensure there are texts that will engage all my readers from all their varying backgrounds.

As I add a range of texts to my collection, thoughts of the students interests are increasingly at the forefront of my mind. When I better understand the recommendations made by students, I can familiarise myself with new literature of a similar theme, style and structure. Aiming to partner students with a book that is within their reading capabilities will continue to foster a love of reading.