Author Archives: kinderkath

Leading and Learning – a reflection of the journey thus far

Posted on by
Reply

ETL504 has opened my eyes to a world of possibility – one where change can be made. I started this subject with preconceived ideas of what leadership was, having had a taste of it in my earlier career. I was happy to have those ideas expanded upon, and they certainly were. While collaboration and working alongside colleagues already came to mind as aspects of leadership (Marreiros, 2022a), I have since learnt about a couple of leadership styles which fit in with the collaborative nature of leadership which I aspire to. The video of a dancing guy (Hughes, 2010) made it very clear to me that to lead you must have followers, which may be obvious, but hadn’t been to me prior to this video. Reflecting on this video also made me realise that there is bravery in both being the first follower and the leader as Hughes (2010) so eloquently puts it “the first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader” (0:46). The bravery of those who lead is not to be underestimated.

Investigating different styles of leadership, such as instructional, transformational, distributed or servant was enlightening, particularly as I had previously thought that style of leadership was more of a personality choice, rather than including situational analysis of the position within a company, such as a school. As I noted in a forum post reflecting on an article by Blanchet (2022), I do believe that nurturing and building relationships with those you are trying to lead is of utmost importance and will certainly be continuing to use this as the first tool in any leading I do, one from a position of trust (Marreiros, 2022c). In a forum post regarding leadership for program adoption, I did analyse a situation which I had seen play out where wellbeing processes were being put into place (Marreiros, 2022b). So many aspects of the leadership process in this scenario were started off well, with professional development given, time allocated, however, the notion of change fatigue came through ending in a poor result to date. The idea of change fatigue was one which was new to me, and as shown in Dilkes, Cunningham and Gray’s paper (2014), it is not new. I need to be aware in my future practice that while I may be enthusiastic, not all parties will be, possibly because of this very reason of fatigue and cynicism. I also need to be aware of following up on projects which have been started and ensuring that reflection and evaluation are constantly and consistently used in the process of achieving an end goal.

The idea of backward mapping, as discussed in Holmes, Clement and Albright (2013), in creating strategic planning was a newer concept to me. Where, the reality is that you often have a goal in mind, the concept of stepping it backwards from the final goal made sense to me. Creating a plan for change, particularly longer-term changes, such as timetabling for collaborative teaching, will require such a strategy to be put into play.

As a teacher librarian without the formal authority of a principal or assistant principal I have come to understand the style of leadership which I now adopt and will continue to do so, is servant leadership. As Bier (2021) reports, servant leadership has the development of community and the advancement of all, along with ethical decision making at its heart. Something I aspire to have too.

References

Bier, M. C. (2021). Servant leadership for schools. Journal of Character Education, 17(2), 27-46.

Blanchet, M. (2022, Feburary 1). What does trust look like in a school? Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-does-trust-look-school

Dilkes, J., Cunningham, C., & Gray, J. (2014). The new Australian curriculum, teachers and change fatigue. The Australian journal of teacher education, 39(11), 45-64.  https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n11.4

Holmes, K., Clement, J., & Albright, J. (2013). The complex task of leading educational change in schools. School Leadership & Management, 33(3), 270-283.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2013.800477

Hughes, M. (2010, June 12). Leadership from a dancing guy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8MwBZl-Vc

Marreiros, K. (2022a, July 2). The likelihood of leadership. Stepping Bravely Into the Unknown – This Teacher’s Journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sbitu/2022/07/02/the-likelihood-of-leadership/

Marreiros, K. (2022b, September 5). RE: Program adoption [Forum Post]. ETL504, Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_62876_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_127077_1&forum_id=_281621_1&message_id=_4065843_1

Marreiros, K. (2022c, July 14). RE: What does trust look like in a school [Forum Post]. ETL504, Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_62876_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_127077_1&forum_id=_281618_1&message_id=_4113955_1

Your mission, should you choose to accept it!

Posted on by
Reply

Perhaps I’m showing my love of action movies too much in my blog, but the first thing that came to mind in looking at module 4.1 about Mission and Vision statements was ‘Mission Impossible’. While I hope that the mission of my school will not self-destruct in 5 seconds, it did start me investigating if my school had mission and vision statements in place.

Upon researching my school’s website, I only came across a vision statement which says:

‘At B*** Public School, we believe that every student should be challenged to learn and to continually improve in a respectful, inclusive, and high expectation environment. We support the development of students with a focus on student wellbeing, student academic growth and social success. Teachers, parents, and students will work in partnership to achieve this vision.’

According to Olsen (2016, November 10), a vision statement should be a statement of where the organisation is going and why it is going there. Olsen (2016, November 10) also includes a checklist to see if it is a vision statement which includes the following:

  • 5+ year goal
  • Written in future tense
  • Directional
  • Audacious
  • Descriptive

She also suggests that you can start the writing process with a statement like ‘We envision…’.

Using these suggestions for my school, the vision statement fits in most of these categories.

Thinking about the library in the school I have created a vision statement for it:

‘We envision a school library which enables students to be social, literate, innovative, ethical and critical thinking learners.  Students will belong to a community of learning and literacy, where they are actively encouraged to become seekers of ideas and information.’

 

Unfortunately, my school does not have a mission statement… yet.

Olsen (2016, November 1) reports that a mission statement should be about why an organisation exists. It should be sustainable over time, have a staff connection and be memorable. It should also be short enough to print on a t-shirt (and want to be worn on a t-shirt too)!

I wonder what my school will come up with for a t-shirt…

References

Olsen, E. [virtualstrategist]. (2016, November 1). How to write a mission statement [Video}. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1xs4I349cdc

Olsen, E. [virtualstrategist]. (2016, November 10). How to write a vision statement [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7yBUBmciQBk

Driver for change

Posted on by
Reply

Picture this… I’m completing my second course of university study and in the lecture theatre of about 150 students equally taking on further study, Ken Robinson’s latest offering is one of the course materials. Brilliant!

Of course, we are all going to incite change within the primary school system that we are heading into with eyes open as to the flaws which it contains and we would not continue to perpetuate within the walls of the classrooms we were soon to inhabit…

Problem is, this did happen in 2010, and, unsurprisingly, I have not been able to change the world of education as we know it. As I reflect on the state which Australian education is in, what is spoken about in has not been bettered, but has continued along the conveyor belt it has been on already. So, how can I make a change?

I realise that what I have shared has negativity in it’s core, and this might be because I continue to see the Creative Arts, which I love, pushed aside for another standardised data collection. However, all is not lost, I can make a difference from within.

When thinking about a difference I can make, it is to make change societally; through education of not only students, but their parents and my colleagues. It has been said that all are ‘experts’ in education because they have been educated themselves…, however, through relevant sharing with adults about evidence based education processes, this ‘expertise’ may grow in all.

Creating a culture of investigative learning, through research and a place of collaboration in the library is one way which change may occur. Allowing children and teachers the opportunity to gain skills and awaken and encourage divergent thinking, or as Robinson (2010) describes it as ‘an essential capacity for creativity’ (8:01). The capacity to work in groups and in an exploratory way is something which a librarian needs to strive for.

Structurally, a librarian can think of the physical layout of the learning space and encourage collaboration in this way. Thinking about my own library, I currently take students for lessons while teachers are released from face to face teaching. A future dream of mine is to teach collaboratively in the library with class teachers, so that while curriculum content is covered, there are the information skills and research skills which a teacher librarian can offer are taught simultaneously.

Reference

Robinson, K. [RSA Animate]. (2010, October 14). Changing education paradigms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Inspirational Instructors

Posted on by
Reply
As I head into my second semester of having my own school library to run, I want to take this opportunity to think back on those people in my life who have been inspirational in my professional career.
Way back in the early days of my teaching career, when I was a Preschool Co-director at the ripe old age of 20, my Co-director took me under her wing and walked alongside me. She let me make decisions on my own and allowed me opportunities to reflect with her on where there were personal areas a strength and areas which needed strengthening in my teaching and leading a preschool centre.
When I changed direction in my teaching path to primary school, my mentor teachers walked alongside me, allowing me opportunities to reflect with them on best practice and encouraging me in opportunities of leadership in the school. These are not the only inspiring people I have worked with.
Motivational-Quotes-174
Am I seeing a pattern – absolutely!
All the people who I have been inspired by have taken the opportunity to do so by walking beside me. While there were elements of heirachy in some of the relationships (ie. a team leader or principal), these people took the time to get to know details about me and what made me unique in the school setting.
Another attribute which these people had was the ability to make me reflect, be it by creating reflection opportunities which were formalised in the school, or by asking questions about what I was doing and giving honest feedback. As I think about one person in particular, they encouraged me to apply for positions of responsiblity within the school and provided additional training to do this on numerous occasions. Showing trust in me and my abilities.
While there are many other attributes which these people also have, it is the relational ones which stand out the most to me.
Certainly something for me to ponder in my opportunity to lead from the library.

The Likelihood of Leadership

Posted on by
Reply

As I leap into Teacher Librarian as Leader in the upcoming trimester, I would like to take the time now to reflect on where I think this subject and the content will take me.

In my career I have taken the opportunity to participate in leadership training as a classroom teacher in Victoria. While doing this training I had the opportunity to shadow Principals and Assistant Principals, looking at their different leadership styles, along with some theory about leadership. I believe that this subject will add to what I have already experienced, adding more depth and understanding to what leadership looks like. While participating in this former training, my goal had been to lead from within, showcasing wellbeing programs which were of great benefit to the school I was working in. It gave me an opportunity to work alongside teachers by collaboratively working with them in the implementation of this specific program, along with organising whole school events.

Now as I come to this subject with a focus of leadership from the library, I think of the context of where I am now, and where I would like to be. Ideally collaboration with teachers and the time to do this is ultimately my goal in the position of Teacher Librarian, however, current circumstances, such as being the person who provides teacher release time, do not allow for this in a scheduled timeframe. This means that I will need to focus on how to come alongside teachers and leadership in a busy working environment to see how I can assist in the goals of the entire school. I hope that this subject will give me theoretical understanding of how to work with all; the reluctant, the enthusiastic and those in-between.

Now to move forward and learn…

Literary Learning Program – Resource List (for Years 1 and 2)

Posted on by
Reply

Resource List

This kit has been developed to target the learning needs of Year 1 and 2 students at an Sydney public school, learning through a Geography unit entitled ‘Peoples and Places’. With over 87% of students in the entire school coming from an English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) background, the linguistic diversity amongst the students is immense. While traditionally this school has had a high proportion of new arrivals to Australia within the community, two years of Covid19 restrictions has changed this demographic, as well as having a significant effect on the literacy learning opportunities for this cohort of students. As such, this kit has been designed to cater for students who are only at the very beginning of their literacy journey to those who are on their way. High visual content and predictable texts have been considered in selecting the texts to assist with English language development of EAL/D and other students (NSW Department of Education, 2020). As travelling has been restricted for a high proportion of these students lives, this kit will create literary traveling opportunities to places beyond a 5km radius.

Resource 1
Bibliographic Details McCormick, P. D. (2021). Advance Australia Fair (T. Flowers, Illus.). Scholastic Australia.
Format Picture Book
Genre National Song
Annotation The lyrics of the updated Australian National anthem are the sole text for this story. Alongside this, the illustrations provide a storyline which showcases Australians in all walks of life all around Australia, including Antarctic territory. Readers journey through the different landscapes which display iconic landmarks some of which are immediately recognisable to early childhood students, some which would need teacher explanation. This resource can add depth of understanding to both the National Anthem and the multicultural nature of Australian society.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)
Supplementary Resources National Anthem Background Information (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2022)

 

Resource 2
Bibliographic Details Lester, A. (2004). Are we there yet? (A. Lester, Illus.). Penguin / Viking.
Format Picture Book
Genre Travel Fiction
Annotation While traveling around Australia is not possible for everyone, this book takes readers on this journey. With the very familiar phrase of ‘Are we there yet?’ connecting with anyone who has been on a trip longer than 1 hour, the landscape of Australia is explored. This text may need to be read in stages, however the geographical skills which can be gleaned from the text are numerous. For example, directional reading of a map is explored throughout the illustrations and landmarks of significance to both Indigenous Australians and tourists are brought to life.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) discussion of why people visit other places, identification of factors influencing people accessibility to places (NESA, n.d.-b)
Supplementary Resources Further lesson ideas (Reading Australia, 2022)

 

Resource 3
Bibliographic Details Pennachio, M. (2013). Somewhere in Australia (D. Snell, Illus.). Scholastic Australia.
Format Picture Book
Genre Stories in rhyme, Australian stories
Annotation This book takes the form of the traditional song ‘Over in the meadow’, however, presents the animals and locations as Australian ones. With links to numeracy and the lyrical nature of the text, ‘Somewhere in Australia’ lends itself to interactive read-alouds or possibly sing-alongs. Readers may investigate the habitats mentioned in the text and make links to the ecosystems which Australia has.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)
Supplementary Resources Instrumental Over in the Meadow (Wiggly Karaoke, 2021)

 

Resource 4
Bibliographic Details Toy, M. (2020). The great Australian bite (M. Toy, Illus.). Five Mile.
Format Picture Book
Genre Stories in rhyme, Australian stories
Annotation This fun, rhyming story weaves its way through the states of Australia through the dreams of a young student daydreaming in class. Besides the obscure geographic references such as ‘Eggs and Bacon Bay’, this book provides illustrated references to the states through which it travels. It provides many opportunities to discuss geographic locations as well as reasons why people visit different places. It lends itself also to investigations of proper nouns and the conventions of using these, as this knowledge will be imperative for child led geographical research of the places mentioned in the text.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) discussion of why people visit other places (NESA, n.d.-b)

 

Resource 5
Bibliographic Details McCartney, T. (2018). The Gum family finds home (C. Booth, Illus.). NLA Publishing.
Format Picture Book
Genre Australian stories
Annotation This picturebook takes a koala family on an adventurous journey through many geological wonders in Australia. Included in the book are photographs and facts about the geological features, such as Karlu Karlu’s importance in Dreaming stories, giving the enjoyable story some factual information to digest as well. Like other resources in this kit, map exploration and research of places in Australia could easily be investigated from the book.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)

Cross Curriculum Priority-  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Histories and Cultures (ATSIHC): CCP-ATSIHC OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), n.d.).
Supplementary Resources Additional Teacher notes for book engagement (NLA Publishing, n.d.)

 

Resource 6
Bibliographic Details Tisdell, S. (n.d.). The river [Video]. Story Box Library Pty Ltd. https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/stories/the-river
Format Online video
Genre Australian stories
Annotation Tisdell (n.d.) commences the reading of this online story by giving a sensory perspective of the land from which she reads the story. This focus on the senses and gratitude could be expanded to the students with their own local sensory walk in their locality or other experiential tasks involving the senses. The book itself also takes a multi-sensory approach to storytelling looking at evocative language explaining the area the story is set; a river with animals living in the ecosystem. This too links with aspects of the Science curriculum content for Stage 1 Living Things (NSW Education Standards Authority, n.d.-a).
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)

Cross Curriculum Priority-  ATSIHC: CCP-ATSIHC OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways (ACARA, n.d.).

 

Resource 7
Bibliographic Details earth.google.com. (n.d.). Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? [online video game]. https://earth.google.com/web/@17.90693717,-12.41937117,-34606.6327455a,57359668.97d,35y,0.00004064h,18.19296234t,0r/data=CjwSOhIgYmU3N2ZmYzU0MTc1MTFlOGFlOGZkMzdkYTU5MmE0MmEiFnNwbC14LXgteC1zcGxhc2hzY3JlZW4
Format Interactive online game
Genre Mystery
Annotation This resource takes the 1980s version of the computer game of the same name to the next level. Users must solve the puzzle of where Carmen Sandiego is traveling in the world by solving clues which directly relate to 3D images on Google Earth. A great introduction to geological maps online. Facts about each country visited are included in the clues and will require students to use online research to work out the answers.
Curriculum Connections Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) identification of factors influencing people’s accessibility to places
Supplementary Resources Flags of the world images (Countries-ofthe-world.com, 2008-2022)

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures (version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/

Countries-ofthe-world.com. (2008-2022). Country flags of the world. https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/flags-of-the-world.html

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2022). Australian National Anthem. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/australian-national-anthem

NLA Publishing. (n.d.). The Gum family finds home: Teachers’ Notes. https://pegiwilliams.com.au/pdfs/teachernotes/9780642279255.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2020). EAL/D advice for schools.  NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/policy-library/associated-documents/eald_advice.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.-a). Living World. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-new-syllabus/content/2762

NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.-b). People and places. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/geography-k-10/content/1178

Reading Australia. (2022). Are we there yet? Copyright Agency. https://readingaustralia.com.au/lesson/are-we-there-yet/

Wiggly Karaoke. (2021, September 25). Over in the meadow (karaoke) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppPZqDEQL0k

Literary Learning Program – Book Bento Boxes

Posted on by
Reply

Book Bento Boxes

As a Bento Box in Japanese culture provides a sampling of culinary delights, presented beautifully, so too does a Book Bento Box (BBB), showcasing a sample of themes or moments from within a piece of literature (Bales & Saint-John, 2020). The premise of a BBB is to have students create a visually appealing array of items which have significance to the book which has been read. These items would be photographed or physically placed in small sections around the book or image of the book cover, which the box is being created about (Yung, 2020). By its very nature, a Bento Box is carefully and thoughtfully selected items in it, which transfers to what is required of students in a BBB.

This strategy is one which takes a creative and hands on approach to students exhibiting the knowledge which they have gained through the stories. To link and teach the skills which are set out in the Australian Curriculum for Critical and Creative Thinking, the process of creating a BBB needs to have inquiry questions and guidelines for the students to ponder so they can show how they identify and organise ideas, create possibilities, reflect on the processes in the task and show their reasoning (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), n.d.). For example, with looking at the geographical outcomes required within this unit of study where descriptions of features of places and the connections that people have with places an inquiry question of ‘What item could you choose to represent a place within this story?’ would create the opportunities for the students to show what they know and justify how they know this by their selection (NESA, n.d.).

The resources which would lend themselves to this strategy are:

  • Are we there yet? – Alison Lester (2004)
  • Somewhere in Australia – Marcello Pennachio (2013)
  • The Great Australian Bite – Mitchell Toy (2020)
  • The Gum Family Finds Home – Tania McCartney (2018)
  • The River – Sally Morgan (2021) (Tisdell, n.d.)

The BBB could be started by reflecting on the sensory questions which are raised in the reading of The River by Tisdell (n.d.). The focus on seeing and hearing would be components which could be explored and as a class teacher led lesson, 6 items could be chosen to be samples to include in the BBB. Suggestions of items could be a small figurine of a turtle, a blob of mud, a frog shaped guiro and others which are collaboratively suggested by students. Teaching the focus on presentation would be necessary and this is now where collaboration with the teacher librarian could come in to play. Once an example had been established the other stories, which would have been read prior to setting the BBB task could be the literature which students create their own BBB from.

It is envisaged that the BBB would be photographed from above by students and then placed on Thinglink (n.d.)for interactive elements to be added. As this program is not one which has been used in the school before, the teacher librarian could collaboratively teach how to use the website, such as adding an annotation to an item explaining why it was chosen. The benefits of teaching the use of this online tool are that students can add sound recordings or videos of themselves explaining their choices, or text, which allows for differentiation amongst the students, catering for the wide range of literacy skills within this cohort of children.

For more information about Book Bento Boxes and the effectiveness of use see Building Beautiful Book Bentos (Valenza, 2019). For information on how to set up Bento Boxes using Thinglink see #BookBento HyperDoc (Highfill & Kloos, n.d.).

 

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Critical and creative thinking (version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/critical-and-creative-thinking/

Bales, J., & Saint-John, L. (2020). Book bento boxes: Creative reading response. Scan, 39. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-39-2020/book-bento-boxes–creative-reading-response

Highfill, L., & Kloos, R. (n.d.). #BookBento hyperdoc original. docs.google.com. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FggkSwPyKx4YW1VlD9UB1b9FbfDBdQvEz93D2JgYUl4/edit#slide=id.p

Lester, A. (2004). Are we there yet? (A. Lester, Illus.). Penguin / Viking.

McCartney, T. (2018). The Gum family finds home (C. Booth, Illus.). NLA Publishing.

NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.). People and places. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/geography-k-10/content/1178

Pennachio, M. (2013). Somewhere in Australia (D. Snell, Illus.). Scholastic Australia.

thinglink. (n.d.). thinklink. https://www.thinglink.com/

Tisdell, S. (n.d.). The river [Video]. Story Box Library Pty Ltd. https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/stories/the-river

Toy, M. (2020). The great Australian bite (M. Toy, Illus.). Five Mile.

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

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

Literary Learning Program – Literature Trips

Posted on by
Reply

Literature Trips

Where a trip around Australia, or indeed the world, is not a feasible option to include within a curriculum, traveling in literature is. With the creation of online maps with 3-dimensional features and instantaneous travel via the internet, the world can now come to the students. While the use of maps in storytelling is something which has occurred for centuries, having a map on a device is one which is relatively new (Caquard & Cartwright, 2014). The use of narrative cartography means that readers begin to understand the relationship of potential time it takes to journey in the geographical spaces (Caquard & Cartwright, 2014, p. 101). One way which literature trips have been created online is through Google Lit Trips (GLT Global Ed, 2022) which provides some engaging age-appropriate resources for teachers to use, however, when it comes to the year 1 and 2 students this kit is designed for, creating their own online Lit Trips is probably beyond their literacy capabilities. This is where scaffolding and creating a conglomerate ‘offline’ version of a story map is what is proposed for this strategy.

This strategy comprises of the use of Google Earth and the game Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (earth.google.com, n.d.) as a starting point for discussion and research. Where the game takes students on a mystery solving tour, it addresses the needs of the geography outcomes of the NESA (n.d.) course content, GE1-1 and GE1-3, doing so in an engaging, interactive way. As a whole class the story would need to be navigated, with students searching for answers in small groups on devices along the way. For example, small groups of students will look up flags or geographical places to answer the clues in the game to help the whole class find the answer and progress to the next country in the game.

The next stage of this strategy is for students to create their own interactive story map, using a large physical map of Australia and post-it-notes, basing the maps on the following texts:

  • Are we there yet? – Alison Lester (2004)
  • Somewhere in Australia – Marcello Pennachio (2013)
  • The Great Australian Bite – Mitchell Toy (2020)
  • The Gum Family Finds Home – Tania McCartney (2018)

To create the story map students would need to work with one of the known texts, having been read them all prior to this activity. In groups potentially set by student choice of which text they wish to investigate; these groups would then collaborate to research places within the texts. A focus of how to work out place names within the images and text would need to be taught by the classroom teacher or teacher librarian so students have the best opportunity to recognise place names, as Milkshake Hills does sound fictional to most! Not only would students focus on the map position to place a label on their map, but students would include a fact about the place they have found in the literature. For example, in The Great Australian Bite (Toy, 2020), the illustrations have clues about the area of Australia, such as quokkas being in Western Australia, which would fit in with curriculum outcomes of finding out why people visit other places (NESA, n.d.). Scaffolding of the students’ investigations would be necessary to ask inquiring questions putting links to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders History and Culture cross curriculum priority (ACARA, n.d.).

For information to understand the benefits and pitfalls of Google Lit Trips please see Google-Lit-Trip Review (Aranda, 2018). While to further investigate ways to incorporate geography and literature see Literature + Story Mapping = Geography! (Bales, 2018).

 

References

Aranda, V. (2018, October). Google lit trips. common sense education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/google-lit-trips

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures (version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/

Bales, J. (2018, December 4). Literature + story mapping = geography! Jennie Bales. https://jenniebales.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/literature-story-mapping-geography/

Caquard, S., & Cartwright, W. (2014). Narrative cartography: From mapping stories to the narrative of maps and mapping. Cartographic journal, 51(2), 101-106.  https://doi.org/10.1179/0008704114Z.000000000130

earth.google.com. (n.d.). Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? [online video game]. https://earth.google.com/web/@17.90693717,-12.41937117,-34606.6327455a,57359668.97d,35y,0.00004064h,18.19296234t,0r/data=CjwSOhIgYmU3N2ZmYzU0MTc1MTFlOGFlOGZkMzdkYTU5MmE0MmEiFnNwbC14LXgteC1zcGxhc2hzY3JlZW4

GLT Global Ed. (2022). Google Lit Trips. https://googlelittrips.org/

Lester, A. (2004). Are we there yet? (A. Lester, Illus.). Penguin / Viking.

McCartney, T. (2018). The Gum family finds home (C. Booth, Illus.). NLA Publishing.

NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.). People and places. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/geography-k-10/content/1178

Pennachio, M. (2013). Somewhere in Australia (D. Snell, Illus.). Scholastic Australia.

Toy, M. (2020). The great Australian bite (M. Toy, Illus.). Five Mile.

Logical Literary Learning

Posted on by
Reply

Upon entry into ETL402, Literature Across the Curriculum I came with a mindset of looking at literature mainly through the focal point of physical book copies (Marreiros, 2022c). Perhaps my unconscious bias towards wanting a physical copy of something in my hands came from working in school environments with limited technology, but in hindsight now, I began this subject with a narrow focal point which has since significantly widened. The extent to which this has occurred struck me when researching for resources for Assessment 2. It dawned on me that the one computer game which I had played as a young child, was indeed a fiction text which has assisted me in my own transliteracy skills (Marreiros, 2022a). The inclusion of technology, whether late 1980s or 2022 is something which I cannot ignore as a means of engagement in reading. This is where the concept of practicing and persistence also come into play in the engagement of reading; as I commented in a forum post practice is required in maintain and extend upon what is known into the unknown (Marreiros, 2022d).

As I have studied this subject, I have become more aware of the literature which the teenagers in the household are using and the way in which they interact with it (Marreiros, 2022e). As Taylor (2018) indicates, teenagers expect a multisensory experience, which often has jumps between music in ears, while working on a keyboard. This is when I asked myself the question, why is this important? The skills of transliteracy need to be taught so that when students have more autonomy and choice in teenage years, they will have the skills to be literate. Studies, such as Aillerie’s (2019) which looks at how teenagers manage information and the potential implications on support in academic environments, fuel these thoughts. So, I have already put these thoughts into practice with sharing and collaborating with teachers in planning for literary learning in my school. Showcasing multi-modal texts which enhance and engage the learning in subjects other than English. Could I do more? Absolutely! However, that is the nature of teaching in the 21st Century, more can always be done and shared and collaborated.

Reflecting on the trends of children’s publishing (Australian Writers’ Centre Team, 2020) has made me far more aware of the needs of the students I am teaching. While the trend for graphic novels is one I see reflected in my own school library (Marreiros, 2022b), the deep need of connection with people post lockdowns is seen within texts and platforms in which these stories are shared. The use of teaching strategies around fiction is one way in which this can effectively be done. In researching for strategies for assessment task 2, I was inspired by the numerous ways in which teachers can facilitate rich discussions to enhance learning across the curriculum. Blogs, such as Bales’ self-named sharing point (Bales, 2022), reminds me of the collaboration which the teacher librarian community have, one which I wish to emulate in the school environment in my role as a teacher librarian.

<p>Photo by <strong><a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photographer/767067?utm_content=clipUser&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pxhere">mohamed_hassan</a></strong> from <strong><a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1622288?utm_content=clipUser&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pxhere">PxHere</a></strong></p>

Collaboration – getting everyones wheels in motion.

Photo by mohamed_hassan from PxHere

References

Aillerie, K. (2019). Teenagers’ information practices in academic settings: What relevance for a transliteracy-based approach? Journal of librarianship and information science, 51(3), 737-745.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000617742463

Australian Writers’ Centre Team. (2020, July 17). 7 trends in children’s and YA publishing. AWC: Australian Writers’ Centre. https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/7-trends-in-childrens-and-ya-publishing/

Bales, J. (2022). Jennie Bales. https://jenniebales.wordpress.com/

Marreiros, K. (2022a, May 21). Engagement with stories. Stepping Bravely Into the Unknown – This Teacher’s Journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sbitu/2022/05/21/engagement-with-stories/

Marreiros, K. (2022b, March 5). Future of children’s literature – my vision. Stepping Bravely Into the Unknown – This Teacher’s Journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sbitu/2022/03/05/future-of-childrens-literature-my-vision/

Marreiros, K. (2022c, February 26). Pre-subject ponderings. Stepping Bravely Into the Unknown – This Teacher’s Journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sbitu/category/etl402-literature-across-the-curriculum/

Marreiros, K. (2022d, March 6). RE: 1.1b: Why read? [Forum Post]. ETL402, Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_59965_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_122288_1&forum_id=_271219_1&message_id=_3930347_1

Marreiros, K. (2022e, May 2). Technology and reading – is there a synergy? Stepping Bravely Into the Unknown – This Teacher’s Journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sbitu/2022/05/02/technology-and-reading-is-there-a-synergy/

Taylor, A. (2018, September 16). ‘Technology can bring books alive’: Harry Potter inspires novel with moving images. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/technology-can-bring-books-alive-harry-potter-inspires-novel-with-moving-images-20180915-p50407.html

 

Engagement with stories

Posted on by
Reply

Throughout this subject I have been hesitant to look beyond physical copies of items, thinking of the context of the library which I work in. However, I have had an epiphany while researching items for my literary kit assignment.

I stumbled across an updated version of “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?”

Carmen Sandiego On Apple IIc by https://www.flickr.com/photos/markgregory/

Carmen Sandiego On Apple IIc by MarkGregory https://www.flickr.com/photos/markgregory/

I am not naturally someone who is drawn to spending hours playing games on a computer, but something about this game in my childhood piqued my interest. The mystery and suspense, along with checking general knowledge (without a Google search I might add!) always had me wanting to spend time learning more.

It was not until finding a Google Earth version of this game that I suddenly realised that this was a computerised version of a ‘choose your own adventure’ or a detective story which I was heavily invested in.

Electric light

Suddenly the lights are on and I can see a world of possibility of engagement with stories in all avenues of places!

While having devices to showcase such online interactive stories is an issue at my school, I now am driven to find opportunities for students to be able to access these style of texts.