Throughout this subject the most critical revelation for me as a teacher librarian has been acknowledging my own limited understanding of children’s literature and all its forms. I understand that this knowledge is something that grows over time and I feel that the more I have read throughout this subject the more I have realised the different modes and mediums that children’s literature comes in. At the commencement of the subject, I wrote that I felt I had a reasonable understanding of children’s literature however, I now see how much growth I need to do in this area and the need for regular time devoted for professional learning. Despite having a better knowledge base of children’s literature than most classroom teachers have, it is growth in this area that will assist me in being able to ‘foster reader development and make informed recommendations to emerging readers with different needs and interests’ (Cremin, T., Mottram, M., Bearne, E. & Goodwin, P. 2008, p. 458).

My understanding of literary learning has grown vastly and I can now see the practical curriculum support I can offer classes during library time and as an extra collaborative support within the classroom. Using literature to learn about the world around them is helpful for young students as picture books allow students to gain understanding from the words and the visual imagery. Hassett & Schieble suggests that picture books are particularly good for literature learning as the ‘images create alternative ways of shaping knowledge and bridging connections’ (2007) and the combination of the visual with the words allows them a higher complexity of understanding.

Moving forward from this subject into a new school year I feel that the biggest importance for me in my teacher librarian practice is to introduce more opportunities for students to respond to texts in a meaningful way; collaborate more with my classroom colleagues; and model the joy of reading for my students.

Allowing students to respond to texts and reflect on the stories gives them greater understanding. By incorporating more response strategies such as interactive read alouds I can make sure my students are comprehending the texts and ensuring that their thoughts and opinions are being heard (May & Bingham. 2015).

Through collaboration with classroom teachers, I can assist with their literary learning in a more hands on way and also introduce different ideas and ways of doing things that the classroom teacher may not have time to research. In the Transliteracies in the Library discussion forum Sarah and Tracey (2019) both noted that it is in important role of teacher librarians to be running lessons for the teachers in what different digital resources that are available to them.

Finally ensuring that I keep up my own reading practice as a teacher despite our increasingly busy lives is a hugely important part of the role and something that I endeavour to improve throughout 2019. This will not only increase my own literature knowledge but also allow me to make better, and more sincere, recommendations to both my students and colleagues.

 

Reference list

Cremin, T., Mottram, M., Bearne, E. & Goodwin, P. (2008) Exploring teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature. Cambridge Journal of Education. Vol. 34. Issue 4. P. 449-464

CSU discussion forum- Week 9: Module 5 (5.3)

Hassett, D., & Schieble, M. (2007). Finding space and time for the visual K-12 literacy instruction. English Journal. 97(1), 62-68

May, L. & Bingham G. (2015) Making sense with Informational Texts: The Interactive Read-Aloud as Responsive Teaching. Talking Points. Vol 27. Issue 1. P. 21-26

Personal blog post- The book was better