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.
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