ETL402 Literature Across the Curriculum

Teacher Librarians (TL) have that immeasurable task of engaging and encouraging their students to continually visit the school library. This course certainly has changed how I think about the different methods of getting students interested in reading and building a strong reading ability throughout their schooling.

Storytelling has certainly been a constant while growing up or even as part of my teaching craft. Williams (2010) encourages teachers to approach storytelling in a more flamboyant way, building interest and bridges throughout the curriculum (p. 6). This means that students can experience new ways to display knowledge either through real-world scenarios or during topics that build a literacy skill, for example, scanning for important information in a non-fiction text.

Exposing students with literary learning that encourages them to not only enhance their own literacy skills, but to also work together in small group settings is incredibly beneficial! This type of learning certainly aims to provide students with opportunities to experience new ways to use their literacy skills when interpreting new information or building knowledge about a particular topic. However, having this natural ability to use language with creativity and ease is something that needs to be learned and harnessed over a long period of time (Holbrook, 2013, p. 81).

I really enjoyed the exploration of hypertext fiction during this course and the ways that this type of literature is being used to develop numerous storylines. The opportunities are certainly endless as this type of storytelling creates different links to literature in new found perspectives that appeal to the reader.

Multimodal literacy certainly has become more prominent in our literate world too. Providing more opportunities for students to get continual exposure of this type of storytelling is excellent for engaging them with creative writing. Providing more than one meaning when reading a particular story, allows for more in depth analysis and explanations to take place during literacy discussions. Discussing multiple meanings, particularly through picture books, certainly demonstrates that students are able to comprehend new information and provide personal answers either through written text, visuals or even videos (Walsh, 2010, p. 212).

I certainly believe that my future practice as a TL will definitely need to take advantage of more online services that distribute and stream hypertext narratives. Not to mention the fact that augmented reality is becoming more prominently used to assist with teaching content across several subjects is amazing! This type of exposure to digitally formatted narratives and non-fiction work will encourage learning through many ways and allow students to be more open-ended when developing their own opinion for a new topic (Unsworth & Macken-Horarik, 2015, p. 64).

Creating more exposure to literature in multiple settings, whether it be the school library, the classroom or part of home life can certainly strengthen a young reader. Getting adults involved as reading models and interactors is an incredibly vital approach to improving reading motivation (Strum, Riddle & Fox, 2017, p. 5). Having a variety of resources available to use, either physical or digital, makes the experience of reading and literary learning even more exciting. With so much digital content becoming available to the reader, it provides a great opportunity to work collaboratively with others to gain knowledge from literature and other teachers or even their peers.

References

Holbrook, P. (2013). Tradition, authority, and innovation in literary teaching and learning. English in Australia, 48(2), 79-89. Retrieved from https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=568196381562427;res=IELAPA

Sturm, B. W., Riddle, M., & Fox, L. (2017). Storytelling’s impact on school library circulation. School Libraries Worldwide, 23(1), 1-14. DOI: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.14265.23.1.001

Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211–239. Retrieved from https://www.alea.edu.au/documents/item/63%20%5B27

Williams, A. (2010). Library aloud! Storytelling and reading aloud give your school library a buzz. The School Librarian, 58(1), 4-6. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/57736632?accountid=10344

If you told me 15 years ago that books would be heavily introduced into a digital screen, I would have been baffled by the way someone could think that way.

Although here we are, displaying and reading quality literature has become a way of life from many people around the world. We are constantly exposing ourselves to screens and that is particularly how we interact and interpret new information. It certainly gets you thinking, particularly what that would mean if the need for eBooks rose exponentially over night. However, I don’t think that will happen immediately as we are all incredibly different and enjoy our reading in different settings.

I for one, prefer the hard copy when reading fictional stories. It draws me in and allows me to track my progress by looking at the spine of the book, allowing me to understand how quickly I am able to comprehend this new story and information.

I found it really interesting to observe many, many different forms of electronic literature on the organisation website (http://collection.eliterature.org/1/). It demonstrated to me that we are exploring new forms of media and comprehend and building interest based on reviews, digital advertisement and connection with other readers (particularly when looking at chat forums).

Does this mean that the hard copy will eventually be totally gone and eBooks take their place? That could be the case, only time and the evolution of reading will show that. I definitely am intrigued by the concept of total digital storytelling, which can expand multiple pathways of reading. Providing all these open-ended options is something that can influence not only the reader, but more importantly the writer, whose job becomes so much more complex as they determine where a set of characters are going to journey when brainstorming these immeasurable ideas.

Having a variety of genres is certainly an immensely fantastic thing as it allows the individual reader to develop a personal preference for the types of books that they like to read. The library collection can always be expanding in every genre or section, depending on how the Teacher Librarian (TL) organises the collection and expresses interest in all of those students or people that visit this place where imagination grows. I always appreciated, and still do, the fact that the TL can be so invested in both organising the library collection and to encourage students in using their own literary skills during library lessons. The fact that students are all different means that there can be a different genre for any one of us. The TL can have that overlooking opinion to assist their students to building their interest and encouraging them to do well in comprehending new story lines and character development that can also be displayed from the people situated in our lives.

With more information and texts being accessible on digital devices is creating a constant change of how we enjoy our reading material. Having a physical copy can still be incredibly beneficial as it seems more concrete and encourages the thought that people of all ages can bring a personal opinion when referring to a book in this wonderful pastime. I honestly think it’s great that there is a shift between the physical and digital as it provides both children and adults with the opportunity to enjoy their text no matter the circumstance (whether enjoying a book at home or while travelling on a plane).

The physical copies certainly encourage the idea of creating a personal library that can be accessible to others if need be; particularly if you talk up a new text to a friend and they immediately want to read it. However the digital platform is now creating more ease for saving both space and time when it comes to accessing these sources of information and stories. This means that people are constantly needing to find their personal balance as screens have become an incredibly crucial part of the world today. Information and stories can be portrayed in lots of digital formats which is now changing the future of reading and comprehending meaningful texts or current news events.

Harvey (2015) highlights these main points as part of the interaction between children and their reading:

1. Print is alive and well in the children’s book space
2. Board books are the fastest growing print product among juvenile titles
3. Media tie-ins play a significant role in juvenile book growth
4. Personalization is the trend to watch in 2016
5. Interactivity needs to be additive to the story

I think it’s interesting that all of these points create new meaning to link personal preference, whether it be physical or digital, with growing attraction to new series or books by particular authors. The future of children’s literature certainly is going to always change to suit the user, but does that necessarily mean the Teacher Librarian (TL) has to be the only person to encourage other readers? Contact with literature can be demonstrated in numerous settings, whether it be in the various classrooms during their school years as well as through connecting with friends to encourage one of the best pastimes – reading!

Reference:

Harvey, E. (2015, December 8). Five trends affecting children’s literature. In Book Business. Retrieved from https://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/what-we-learned-from-the-top-trends-in-childrens-literature-webinar/