Reading is more than just an escape (Assessment 2 – Part 2)

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Why read?

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At the beginning of this subject we were asked to consider this question and Shelley (2021, November) summed up my thinking in a comprehensive list. I currently work as an English teacher in the secondary system and we have spent the past four years building an independent program called ‘Read, Think, Succeed’. We have taken students to Readings Bookshop to choose books for purchase, created student reading ambassador roles, and successfully argued for a weekly 70 minute session for every English class from years 7-10 to participate in a literacy lesson that has discussion at its centre. I am confident that we have researched and are imparting the message that reading is everything BUT… it is everything in the context of English.

 

What’s next?

In my blog post The bright future of children’s literature (Kempinger, 2020, November 22), I identified several areas of interest, but there are two that I feel inform my next steps after completing this subject. These are critical thinking through and visual literacy.

With English teachers on the right track, my focus as a teacher librarian is across other curriculum areas. Throughout this subject my work has revolved around the humanities and this has shown me the enormous potential of using fiction to bring another layer of meaning and understanding to students’ comprehension of the (often quite difficult to image) world beyond their personal experiences.

Critical thinking

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We want students to be able to take information and apply their knowledge and experience to think critically about the information that is presented. Are they ready and able to do this without support? In my experience, rarely. Fisher & Frey (2018) identify the value of discussion between students as a way to deepen understanding. My intention this year is to collaborate with humanities teachers to understand the topics that bring with them the challenge of empathy (such as the ANZAC experience) and provide selected fiction texts in varying formats that can be used in the classroom to develop this. Without the empathy, the critical thinking will be unlikely.

Visual literacy

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Complex images surround us in the form of advertising, commentary, comedy and story-telling. If we are to understand the nuance and/or multiple meanings presented in visuals, we need to be able to interpret them. Jaffe & Hurwich (2019) explain that students needs to be able to “read’ an image before they can think critically about the message being imparted.

Although graphic novels and picture books do form part of our current library collection, more care needs to be taken when selecting these titles so that there are opportunities within them for unpacking meaning, discussion and critical thinking.

Multi-literacies

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This idea is multi-faceted. On one hand I want to bring more variety into the library and on the other hand I want students to have more opportunity to show their learning in a variety of ways (including those in the resource kit that I created).

In the discussions for module 5, I talked about the use of podcasts to engage students (Kempinger, 2022, January). This is an area that I will continue to explore to see what is available, of good quality, and listened to by students already, and how they can be best promoted.

References

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2018). Raising reading volume through access, choice, discussion and book talks. The Reading Teacher, 72(1).

Jaffe, M. & Hurwich, T. (2019). Worth a thousand words: using graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kempinger, N. (2022, January 9). Podcasts [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/

Shelley, S. (2021, November 20). RE: 1.1b: Why read? [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/

Where is YA literature headed?

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It seems likely to me that, in the future, children’s literature will increase its focus on building empathy, creating connections to role models, and providing escape from stress. Dr. Margaret Merga’s (2020) research into the impact of reading and school libraries highlights the well-being benefits to young people who read for pleasure. As we navigate a world that continues to adapt to the challenges of a global pandemic, this result is of particular importance.

Books that show how young people manage adversity, build resilience and find hope appeal to a wide range of readers. Those who are experiencing adversity themselves and those who seek to understand the world beyond their own community. Young people are consuming vast amounts of media. If authors do not ensure that their content matches the complexity of ideas and experiences that young people are facing and encountering in this forum, are they holding up their end of the bargain? There is an opportunity here to help young people to navigate the information they are receiving through a lens appropriate to their life stage.

So, who will drive this change? I see this coming from two spaces- librarians and, mostly, young people themselves. Social media platforms such as BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok are already filled with young people who are promoting their love of books to other users. @abbys_library3 has over 84 thousand followers on TikTok,  happyindulgence on Instagram has over 13 thousand followers, and thisstoryaintover has over 67 subscribers on BookTube. These content creators use social media to promote reading and specific books that young people are then keen to get their own hands on. School librarians then need to be aware of these platforms and utilise them within their spaces by identifying trending books and creating displays that tap into this aesthetic.

Reference List

Merga, M.K. (2021, August 9). Books offer a healing retreat for youngsters caught up in a pandemic. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/books-offer-a-healing-retreat-for-youngsters-caught-up-in-a-pandemic-165247

Status

A whole new world (Assessment 2 – Part 2)

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Working out how to support my whole school community in the myriad ways that a good teacher librarian (TL) should is something that has worried me… until now.

This subject has shown me how to create re-usable learning objects so that it is possible to build and adapt a repository of school-based resources over time. This would include research guides, documents and templates that support the development of information literacy skills, and video tutorials (Kempinger, 2021a) that show how libraries can help.

Collaboration not isolation

A group of people working together.

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Until I reached out to a colleague to discuss ideas about an actual unit of study, I was directionless and confused. The ability to tailor a research guide to a specific purpose highlighted the need for content curation and not simply content collection. Choosing quality content, evaluating it before including it and providing annotations to explain why it has been included, means that the user can feel confident that it will be suitable (Oddone, 2020).

Couldn’t do it without technology

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Unfortunately, my school library does not have a robust online presence. This is something that needs to be prioritized if we want to work smarter and not harder. A library homepage that links to subject-specific research guides, researching templates, how-to instructions, and video tutorials creates consistency; something that teachers and students can trust. As South (2017) says, we want students to experiment without a fear of failure and the ideas outlined above can support this.

TLs are experts at evaluating resources for their suitability and know to consider a range of factors when selecting resources. The readability thread started by Gill (2021) is a great example of how online tools can be useful but teacher judgement needs to  be applied when choosing resources for students.

Online vs print

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Although there are a few useful references on the shelves in our library, we cannot compete with the variety that is available online(Kempinger, 2021b). But, can we simply send students online to find information?

While students are likely to be able to complete a google search, they are unlikely to be able to gauge the accuracy and reliability of the information they find. In order to support the development of information literacy skills, TLs need to ensure that they work with teachers to create useful and consistent processes that are embedded into the curriculum. These can then provide scaffolds for students within research guides; which is preferable to them finding their own unstructured methods (Gilbert, 2019).

The library website also needs to show best practice. It cannot be assumed that students understand how to effectively and respectfully use the broad range of tools that Web 2.0 has to offer. TLs can model “exemplary use of  social media, search engines, and collaborative research strategies” (O’Connell, 2011) when working with both students and staff.

Accessibility

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Finally, my eyes have been opened to WCAG (W3C, n.d.). It is one thing to be aware of accessibility and another to actively strive to understand and achieve it. By ensuring that learning objects produced by or in collaboration with the library are compliant, a conversation about the choices we make can be started. If we know how to make it easier for everyone to access learning, why wouldn’t we do it?

 

 

References

Gilbert, K. (2019, May 3). Libguides: In workflow, discovery, behaviour and space. Synergy, 14(2). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/v14220165

Gill, L. (2021). Online access. ETL 501 forum module 2: Print versus digital information sources. Response in Discussion Forums. CSU. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/forum?action=list_threads&course_id=_57506_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_114042_1&forum_id=_241167_1 

Kempinger, N. (2021a, September 19). Flip or flop? Passion for learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2021/09/19/flip-or-flop/ 

Kempinger, N. (2021b, August 1). Are reference sections going extinct? Passion for learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2021/08/01/are-reference-sections-going-extinct/

O’Connell, J. (2011). Web 1.0 to Web 3.0: A wolf in sheep’s clothing or a new culture of learning? Technology and teaching practice. https://teachwithict.wordpress.com/2011-symposium-the-communicative-affordances-of-online-tools/web-1-0-to-web-3-0-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing-or-a-new-culture-of-learning/

Oddone, K. (2020, April 3). Digital content curation: How to do it right! SCIS. https://scis.edublogs.org/2020/04/03/digital-content-curation-how-to-do-it-right/?sbe-followsubs=true

South, S. (2017). School libraries as incubators – where good ideas hatch!​ Scan, 36(1). https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36–2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch-

W3C. (2019, July 11). Introduction to web accessibility. Web Accessibility Initiative. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

Flip or flop?

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The idea of flipped classrooms is not unfamiliar to me. My school investigated it as a potential learning tool about five years ago. Staff participated in professional develop, some then went on to trial flipping their classrooms and then it slowly disappeared. There was no formal feedback to staff from those who had trialled it and it was never mentioned again.

Thankfully, I have been able to talk with those teachers who have used a flipped classroom both successfully and unsuccessfully.

Those who have experienced success tend to work with VCE students and report that these students are aware of content demands, regularly complete set homework and have college-based consequences if they are falling behind (academic interviews, scaffolded learning plans and supervised study hall).

Those who have stopped trying to implement a flipped classroom have been working with junior classes where, if we consider Earp’s (2016) tips for flipped learning implementation, the pain does not seem to be worth the gain. This is due to some or all of the following reasons:

  • Image by FotoRieth from Pixabay

  • a lack of device and/or internet at home,
  • a large number of students who are well below benchmark and are frustrated by the content that is delivered in this way,
  • families that do not support the completion of homework,
  • student organisational challenges, including difficulty in managing the distractions of working in an online environment.

For these reasons, I am not inclined to push a flipped classroom design with teachers. Those who find this works for them are already using it and those who are not, have an opinion that will not easily be shifted.

So, does this mean that I see no room for flipping in my own practice? Of course not. I see huge potential for flipping in the library research area of my school. Rather than delivering subject specific content, carefully developed video tutorials and documents can be provided to students through the library website to support research, note-taking, and effective searching. This would allow students to pick up skills as required and and at their own pace. Library staff are also available to answer questions or troubleshoot with students who need additional support.

By working with curriculum leaders, we can also ensure consistency of tools and scaffolds across the school by creating resources for our cohort of students, that support the teaching needs of staff and that are differentiated as required.

References

Earp, J. (2016, February 3). Homework culture key to flipped learning success. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/homework-culture-key-to-flipped-learning-success

Teachings in Education. (2017, June 20). Flipped classroom model: Why, how and overview [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BCIxikOq73Q

 

Why aren’t we blogging already?

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This module is helping me to understand the versatility of blogs. Up until this time, despite my experiences, I have viewed blogs as journals and thoughtful meanderings that are primarily there for people to share their thinking on specific topics with those who have similar interests. What a missed opportunity!

Due to this closed way of thinking, I have never really considered the ways that I can utilise a blog within the context of my school.  After reading two online articles by Kathleen Morris, I am excited to experiment. As a TL, I see potential for a library blog that could incorporate or link to profession learning and specialist subject area blogs. As a practicing teacher, I am interested in a class blog that incorporates a specialist subject area blog as well as student blogs and collaboration. Time and current work demands mean that I need to be realistic and strategic in where I start this exploration. My teaching load is predominantly in English and, for this reason, it makes sense to begin here. Spending so much of the past two years teaching remotely has also meant that having an innovative and engaging space for students is something that I am constantly on the look out for.

Ideally I would want to build a blog that expands over time. Knowing that it is not possible to “do it all” forces me to consider the steps to take to make this project more likely to succeed and become a way to support student learning. Morris (2018) refers to blogs as a “sweet spot” that allows the teacher to work with and mentor students as they are building skills and understanding across a wide range of literacies and competencies. This really resonates with me as my own experience would suggest that student growth is highest when they have opportunities to work in collaboration with peers and the teacher on authentic activities.

The steps that I intend to take:

  1. Set up a class blog for year 9 English (I have two year 9 English classes and I hope that this will lead to cross-class communication and collaboration). Focus on administrative information and advertise to my students and their families.
  2. Begin to showcase work that is occurring in the classroom and encourage class community comment.
  3. Incorporate subject area content and use this to support student skill development around finding information
  4. Incorporate student/student and student/teacher collaboration
  5. Reflect throughout the process and gather feedback from students and parents. Make adjustments as required.
  6. Present to staff in the school and offer PD and to work collaboratively to support others in this pursuit.

References

Morris, K. ( 2020, February 11). The top 10 ways blogs and WordPress are used in schools. The Edublogger. https://www.theedublogger.com/blogs-wordpress-schools/ 

Morris, K. (2018). Why teachers and students should blog: 18 benefits of educational blogging. Primary Tech. http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2013/03/08/the-benefits-of-educational-blogging/

Considerable considerations for resource selection

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When choosing resources for a school library, the main focus must be on the users. Who are they? Where are they coming from? What do they have access to? What can they confidently use?

In my setting, we cater to the needs of staff and students. The students are in years 7-12, have varied reading habits, study a range of subjects, have different reading abilities, cognitive abilities, interests and, supports (physical, intellectual, emotional) at home. The teachers run the gamut from technophobe to technophile and rely on the school library for curriculum resources, teaching and learning resources, and personal reading recommendations.

If the goal is to keep a level playing field where all can access the resources provided by the library, the above needs to be taken into account.

Our budget, like many school libraries, is limited. Ebook subscriptions and databases have to be chosen with the biggest possible bang for our buck. This is something that is difficult to manage with so many different platforms that all provide different content. As highlighted in Gray (2017), choosing one of many options can leave libraries without desired titles and the shift from one subscriber to another means the loss of what you currently have- and possibly a shift to a different operating system.

My personal attitude is that it is currently better to help staff and students to access quality information through a well-designed and maintained online library presence, including support to access digital resources through local library portals.

References

Gray, M. (2017). Ebooks: To subscribe or not to subscribe? SCIS Connections (101), https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-101/ebooks-to-subscribe-or-not-to-subscribe

Are reference sections going extinct?

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School library reference sections seem to be getting smaller and smaller (at least in my experience). What I remember as a small room filled with books not to leave the library when I was in high school turned into a large shelf of books when I became a teacher and is now less than one shelf housing what look like texts that are being kept for nostalgia rather than usefulness.

Most resources can be found in a digital format and most students will go straight to Google when looking for information. We have noticed in our school library that the only time students show an interest in the print reference collection is when they need to bring a dictionary into an exam. Farmer (2014) brings up some interesting points around whether or not digital reference materials are better than print.

COST

Budgets are always tight in school libraries. This means that the choice to move to digital reference materials needs to be carefully considered. Online reference materials tend to come with a yearly subscription cost and may also require a setup fee. Although the resource itself may be amazing with hyperlinks, internal search engines, multimedia features, and constant updates to the information if it leaves little to no room for other spending, it will not be worth it.

 

VALUE-ADDING

It is also really important to consider which digital resources will work for your school. A resource that simply replicates the print text is not a useful tool to invest in.

It may be better to invest teaching time into supporting digital literacy in teachers and students so that they are better able to use what is freely available to them through public library systems or for all.

 

MAKE BEST USE OF WHAT YOU HAVE

Every library has different needs and different capacities to bring in digital content. Work out what your students want. Look at what you have. Fill knowledge gaps through education and continue to reflect, not be too precious about the ideas that have not worked out and keep updating to support the needs of your specific community of users.

Reference

Farmer, L.S.J. (2012). Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library. Rowman & Littlefield.

 

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

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As I work in the secondary setting, I was thinking about junior high school students when completing this activity. The increasing complexity is certainly a necessary consideration if we want our students to question, think, make choices, and have informed opinions.

The challenges that this activity highlighted for me are:

  1. The need for teachers to understand that just because today’s students have grown up with technology, it does not mean that they know how to use all of the technology that is available to them and, as such, time needs to be given to the development of these skills.
  2. Cost is a factor. Teacher librarians are a great place to start when teachers and students are looking for useful and free apps and sites that support teaching and learning.
  3. It is important to both use discretion and to have an open mind. Having a working knowledge of all that is available is simply not possible. Taking the time to investigate new technologies but also sticking with those that suit the needs of your specific cohort is an important step towards ensuring that you have expertise in the tools that are going to be used effectively. On the flip side, some students have confidence in a range of programs and apps that may be completely foreign to staff- let them use it, see how it works, learn from these students and work with them to discuss the pros and cons of the technology; empower them as experts.
ObjectiveQuestionResources/Web 2.0 tool
KnowledgeWhat is an ecosystem?Dictionary - print or online or basic textbook, eg. Wordnik, Visuwords, specialist glossary
ComprehensionList the different parts of the ecosystem and explain what they do.Google docs or slides, befunky
ApplicationUsing a diagram, show how the water cycle operates in an ecosystem.draw.io, pixlr
AnalysisContrast the natural water cycle with that used by our community.Creately, Canva
AnalysisExamine an ecosystem that has been damaged by human interference. Avoided how?Google maps
SynthesisIdentify an unspoilt ecosystem and design a way of preserving it.Google mapsGoogle Slides, Google Sites, youtube
EvaluationIs it reasonable that people pollute our waterways? Defend your answer.Survey monkey, prezi

The bright future of children’s literature

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What do we want? Young people who are passionate and independent readers!

When do we want it? Always and forever!

How can we achieve it?

STUDENT VOICE

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A conversation must exist between the students and those who are providing books (in this case I’m referring to the school library). Opportunities to try not only a range of genres but a range of formats allows students to develop preferences. When this is coupled with an honest and open dialogue about the different formats, libraries can make informed choices about what students will access and respond to positively.

DIVERSITY

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Although there continues to be a lack of diversity in children’s books, there is an increasing push for books that represent a wider range of cultures and experiences (Short, 2018). Students are unlikely to engage with books if their every experience centres on characters that do not represent their own selves.

Libraries (and educators) need to ensure that they provide contemporary titles that represent a wide range of cultures, gender identities, and abilities. This will allow all students to find a book that they can connect with and will also expose students to a world that they are perhaps not familiar with to develop empathy and inclusion.

CRITICAL THINKING THROUGH DISCUSSION

Image by Miranda Bleijenberg from Pixabay

As is highlighted in Wolf (2014), the discussion around the interpretation of texts needs to evolve to ensure that young people are developing the skills needed to unpack the added layers of visual and auditory elements to a narrative in order to fully and critically consider the author’s/illustrator’s purpose. To be able to do this, educators need to have experience with a range of text formats so that they are able to support the development of metalanguage and direct discussion to the ways in which these elements add to or alter the written word.

Young people are immersed in a visual culture with an emphasis on immediacy so the need for the ability to critically interpret and evaluate the information coming at them is vital (Duncam, 2002).

VISUAL LITERACY

Image by PixelAnarchy from Pixabay

Firstly, educators and librarians need to have experience reading, interpreting and discussing a range of illustrated books, graphic novels, visual narratives, and multimodal reading experiences. Through this, they will be able to develop their own knowledge of what these different styles of story-telling bring to a tale and then work with students to help them to also understand the ways that visuals can affect a narrative.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EDUCATORS

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I often come across educators who bemoan the way that students always seem to be one step ahead in terms of technological advancement and use this as an excuse to maintain a status quo in their practice. This is simply not good enough. It is the responsibility of educators to ensure that they are aware of the ways that students are interacting with their world so that they can support the development of skills that will allow them to successfully navigate and use these the tools available to them.

References:

Duncam, P. (2002). Visual culture art education. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 21, 15-23.

Short, K.G. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.

Wolf, S.A. (2014). Children’s literature on the digital move. The Reading Teacher, 67(6), 413-417.

Reflection (Assessment 2 – Part B)

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I know that I possess leadership qualities. I also know that my effectiveness as a leader is not consistent. The case studies in this unit of work have helped me to understand why this is so.

Control

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Having control is my comfort zone and I often find that I will take charge and get things done when I’m frustrated by a lack of understanding or when things are moving slowly. What I have failed to see is that I am not only creating more work for myself, but I am excluding others and preventing them from having a voice or making a contribution.

Moving forward I need to be aware of the importance of working outside of my self-imposed bubble if I want my impact to be across the whole school.  I cannot (and should not) try to perfect all of the skills that are required to make meaningful change. As was discussed in case study #1, working collaboratively and building capacity within the group will provide more opportunities for change (Harris, 2014).

Conflict

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In a previous post, I reflected on the way I respond to conflict and now that we are at the end of this unit of study, I see things differently. I am an active listener and am able to problem-solve but I tend to remove myself from conflict situations that are uncomfortable. If I want to be a leader, I need to be prepared to step up.

Case study #3 highlighted some strategies that I can use to prepare for uncomfortable conflict situations in the future. Rather than only working with those I like and see eye-to-eye with, I need to work towards developing positive relationships with all staff. I need to be prepared to model the professional behaviours that I expect to see in others (Gottlieb, 2012) and be clear in both the vision for the library and the overall vision for the school.

Advocacy & Promotion

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I was raised to achieve quietly and not toot my own horn. While it has been obvious to me for a long time that this strategy has harmed me, it is the work case study #5 that has helped me to understand why.

It is too simplistic to say that this trait has seen me looked over for positions of responsibility or meant that I have watched others take credit for my work- there are bigger stakes here. Advocacy and promotion affect my colleagues, my ability to fulfil the school and library vision, and student outcomes. If what I am doing is not visible, others cannot see how we can work together towards a joint goal.

I have been making the mistake of seeing advocacy as self-serving. I have been worried that I am showing off or will appear arrogant but it is my lack of advocacy that shows arrogance. A two-fold approach of listening to and supporting what others value (Weisberg & Walter, 2011, p. 111) and finding ways that we can work together will much better support my goals.

References

Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone. Creating the future.

Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/distributed-leadership

Weisburg, H.K. & Walter, V.A. (2011). How does advocacy develop leadership? American Library Association.