An integral part of the role of TL is engaging students, teachers and the broader school community to ensure fictional texts are valued and embedded into teaching and learning programs. TL’s are in a unique position to support learning within a school as they work with teachers across all learning areas, and therefore should engage professionally with colleagues by consulting and collaborating with classroom teachers (Ryder, 2021, p.23). It is recommended that TLs attend faculty meetings to showcase new texts to their colleagues and highlight the value of including fiction into units of work (Novak, 2016). They should show classroom teachers how works of fiction closely align with the Australian Curriculum’s Cross-Curricular Priorities and General Capabilities, as well as how they link to key curriculum areas – not just English. It is strongly recommended that Teacher Librarians also source and acquire teaching materials and study guides relevant to these texts, as this will make it easier for classroom teachers to adopt them into their programming and thus maximise their uptake.
Certainly, the power of fiction to add value to the social and academic growth of high school students is extensive and compelling. Whilst curriculum teachers, particularly those who teach subjects other than English, may not have the confidence or knowledge to integrate fiction into their learning areas, or may not fully understand its value, a proactive TL can adequately resource the curriculum and provide a wealth of knowledge about fictional texts which support learning. Indeed, non-fiction texts provide factual information, but it isn’t always the best format for students to connect with, relate to and understand (Monbiot, cited in Foran, 2018). In addition to building background knowledge of the topics, fiction helps us to feel a personal connection and empathise with others as it allows readers to be transported into worlds and experiences beyond their own (Whitten, Labby & Sullivan, 2016, p.51). It can humanise issues, making them real and more readily understood, and allow students to glimpse perspectives that textbooks and informative texts may not be able to provide. It is therefore vitally important that fiction is used to enhance the curriculum. Fictional texts that focus on sustainability, such as climate fiction, can empower young people and ‘actively contribute to societal transformation’ and this has been deemed an important global educational focus (UNESCO, 2019, para.5). They can also offer reassurance (Howard, 2011, p.53), equipping students with the belief that environmental change and mitigation of climate risks are possible, and support learning across many curriculum areas.
Teacher Librarians should endeavour to create ‘excitement’ about fiction within the school community (Merga, 2015, p.7). This can be done through promoting texts by curating book displays of texts. It is also recommended that TL’s promote books through articles and reviews in school newsletters, author talks and book trailers (Ryder, 2021, p.21).
Ultimately, fiction is immensely valuable for students, and a passionate Teacher Librarian who believes in the transformative power of fiction to offer insight into people, places and experiences beyond our own can positively enrich a school.
References
Foran, J. (2018). Review of ‘Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age in Crisis’ by George Monbiot. 2017. Journal of World-Systems Research, 24(2), 483-487. doi:10.5195/jwsr.2018.866
Howard, V. (2011). The importance of pleasure reading in the lives of young teens: self-identification, self-construction and self-awareness. Journal and Librarianship and Information Science, 43(1), 46-55. doi:10.1177/09610390992
Merga, M.K. (2015). “She knows what I like”: Student-generated best-practice statements for encouraging recreational book reading in adolescents. Australian Journal of Education, 59(1). doi:10.1177/0004944114565115.
Novak, B. (2016). It’s time: Let’s improve schools’ perceptions of teacher librarians. Connections, 99, 1-3.
Ryder, L. (2021). How teacher librarians impact students’ reading engagement: A NSW case study. Scan, 40(5), 17-26.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. (2019). What is education for sustainable development? https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/what-is-esd
Whitten, C., Labby, S., & Sullivan, S.L. (2016). The impact of pleasure reading on academic success. The Journal of Multidisciplinary Graduate Research, 2(4), 48-64.