Tag: TL’s role

The Gift of Reading for Pleasure

Theingi Tun on

 

 

“What a ‘gift’, to be immersed in the world of reading” (Travers & Travers, 2008)

In the 21st century learning environment, the right for a child to read is often taken for granted. The readings I have done has made me question whether we are truly enforcing and supporting the choice of children to reach their true reading potential?

The Book Whisperer in this video claims that her students enjoyed the reading so much more when we remove the entrapments of reading lessons such as book reports and dioramas(Reading Rockets, 2015, August 5). I have explored this theory in my discussion post about the diminishing culture of reading for pleasure. Reading is so much more pleasurable when the act is by choice. At the core, the reader should have the choice to reject, skip, highlight, share, embrace, and critique the literature that they choose.

So how do we create that ‘initial spark’? Ford et. al (2019) states that it is the duty of educators keep that fire going. To find books that reflects their life image, leading to self-identification and academic discovery(Ford, 2019). Extending from that I believe Teacher Librarians are in unique position to foster the ambers of that glow.

Movements such as “Read like a Girl” (Stower & Waring, 2018) project are examples of how a reading culture can be empowered through collaborative efforts of information professionals and educators. Again, it is often the elephant in the room. It is not enough that we have books on the shelves, it has to the right kind of books. If you want a child to read, you must find them the incentive to do so. Their reading pursuits need to be validated and valued. There must be connectedness and diversity that reflects the needs of the reader. The intergenerational exchange of ideas in “Read like a Girl with your dad” (Stower & Waring, 2018) is a wonderful example of book events that foster this spark for love of reading. It creates connectedness and meaning to the literature.

What is a good fit book?

Travers and Travers (2018) explain that according to Rosenblatt’s transactional theory there are two kinds of readers. Efferent readers read for information whereas aesthetic readers read for pleasure. Though, these identifications are on the different parts of the spectrum, depending on the interest and response of the readers they can be both efferent and aesthetic. Hence the engagement of the reader depends on whether the book creates interest and enjoyment. This connection happens when the theme or the message of the book fits the developmental stage of the child.

Book selection should be adapted to the developmental framework of the child. It is not enough to identify their reading level but the biophysychosocial factors that determine the maturity of the reader to understand and put the book in context.  Biological factors, Phycological and socio-cultural factors all play a part in determination of reader’s ability to relate to the text. The goodness of fit should be identified not only by the child’s ability to read the text fluently but also with the knowledge of the individual child’s Biopsychosocial make up (Travers & Travers, 2008).

Role of the TL

There are many aspects that TLs need to explore to fit the right book to the right child. The role they can play in finding a good fit book cannot be underestimated. However, the right kind of literature that fits the developmental stage of the child must be identified (Travers & Travers, 2008). Knowledge of the student body and the needs of the school community based on their biological, psychological, and social cultural makeup of the students must be reflected the development of collections. The scaffolding of learning occurs when the TL brings the book to life with intonation, facial expressions, gestures, questioning, and most of all the magic of immersion (Winch et al., 2014). Children inherently understand the library is a place for them to choose what they would like to read. This freedom is the gift of reading for pleasure.

 

References

Ford, et. al. (2019). I Want to Read About Me: Engaging and Empowering Gifted Black Girls Using Multicultural Literature and Bibliotherapy. Gifted Child Today, 42(1), 53-57.

Reading Rockets. (2015, August 5). Leading to reading [Video] [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/jqgjvauQmYU

Stower, H., & Waring, P. (2018). Read like a girl: Establishing a vibrant community of passionate readers. Alliance of Girls Schools Australia. https://www.agsa.org.au/news/read-like-a-girl-establishing-a-vibrant-community-of-passionate-readers/

Travers, B. E., & Travers, J. F. (2008). Children’s literature: A developmental perspective. John Wiley & Sons. John Wiley & Sons.

Winch, G., Ross Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2014). Literacy: Reading, Writing and Children’s Literature. Oxford University Press.

 

ETL401 – Assessment 3 – Part C Reflective Task

Theingi Tun on

There is underpinning urgency for us to stay relevant and to get out from the endangered species list.

Information Literacy

As mentioned in my blogpost “The information Elephant”, information can take many forms and its perception depends on factors such as the strata and culture it is born into. The concept of information literacy is not static and will continue to evolve with the information landscape and the digital environment(Fitzgerald, 2015).

The release of the Information Fluency Framework created a sense urgency for me. The comprehensive nature of the framework with its 5 components (NSW Department of Education, 2021) gives a great starting point for the question of ‘what’ we should be teaching. Information literacy is the ability to think critically and reflect on the ethical implications while engaging with and consuming and creating information(CILIP The Library and Information Association, 2018). This ability needs to transfer regardless of the platform or the medium that the students engage with(NSW Department of Education, 2021). The framework also engenders the fact that students today are both producers and consumers of information(NSW Department of Education, 2021). I now realise the framework applies to me as a TL as well. I need to be information fluent to teach Information literacy.

The Inquiry Leaning Models

The exploration of the many information literacy and guided inquiry models in this unit has led me to rethink the pedagogical approaches that I have known so far and adapt it to the new way of thinking. I need to revaluate the shortcomings of my current model of delivering information literacy and consider a broader conceptualisation (Kutner & Armstrong, 2012).

To teach information literacy,  I need to go through an GID process of my own as mentioned in this forum post (Tun, 2022, April,30)  and explore the big questions.

Which model resonates?

When I compare the processes of the models, they have many similarities. They all include processes that can be taught, internalised and applied whenever a student has to search for information(Fitzgerald, 2015). The model that I have explored in detail is the Guided Inquiry Design Process (Kuhlthau et al., 2012).My understanding as mentioned in my forum post about guided inquiry(Tun, 2022, May 1st) is that it is deeply associated with the information Search Process model(ISP)(Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014). This model resonates with me to understand the information seeking process through the actions, feelings, and thoughts of the seeker(Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014). The students will go through the ISP to find the information, and the GID process is what the whole inquiry community is doing in guided inquiry (Fitzgerald, 2015).  It is about the learning about the journey itself.

How do I teach the GID process?

I am still learning how the whole process works. At each stage, it recognises the zone of intervention and supports the students to build the resilience required to get to the next stage(Kuhlthau et al., 2012). These are interventions during the instruction process to create deep learning about information seeking(Todd et al., 2005). The effectiveness of the GID process depends on whether the students had a chance to practice the acquired skills, have opportunities to reflect and have dialogue about their new understandings(Todd et al., 2005).

The TL’s role in inquiry learning

As a TL, I’m in a unique position to support the classroom teachers in advocating information literacy through research methodologies and inquiry based learning(CILIP The Library and Information Association, 2018). The value of collaboration is identified and discussed in detail in my discussion post for forum 4.2(Tun, 2022, April 21). The skill of  collaborative teamwork needs to be modelled  by the teaching team like any other information literacy skill(Kuhlthau et al., 2015). It is an essential one that transfers into the workplace(CILIP The Library and Information Association, 2018).

The effectiveness of GID process can been evaluated as it progresses. The body of evidence gathered through the rubrics and reflection sheets need to be reflected by the core team(Kuhlthau et al., 2012). The results should be shared as evidence of the library as a learning centre and the TL as information specialist(Todd et al., 2005).This data needs to be analysed and presented in a way to create interest, and leave our impression of the work we do as TLs(Oddone, 2021). This advocacy of our role leads to understanding and one of the most effective ways to promote the importance of the library(Oddone, 2021).

As there are many ways to perceive information, the way to teach information as a concept of literacy and guide children towards fluency is not a simple task. However, now we have the frameworks and tools to guide us. The urgency is to find our own zone of intervention, to create the shift, provide evidence backed up with data, and get out of the endangered zone.

 

References

CILIP The Library and Information Association. (2018). CILIP definition of information literacy 2018.

Fitzgerald, L. (2015). Guided Inquiry in Practice. Scan, 34(4).

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, K. L., & Caspari, A. K. (2015). Guided Inquiry Design Framework. In Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition : Learning in the 21st Century (Vol. Second edition). Libraries Unlimited.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2012). Guided Inquiry Design®: a Framework for Inquiry in Your School. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Kutner, L., & Armstrong, A. (2012). RETHINKING INFORMATION LITERACY IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(1), 24-33.

Maniotes, L. K., & Kuhlthau, C. C. (2014). MAKING THE SHIFT. Knowledge quest, 43(2), 8-17.

NSW Department of Education. (2021). Information Fluency Framework. Retrieved 30.04.2022 from https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf

Oddone, K. (2021). Story Telling With Data: Evidence Based Advocacy. Access (Online)(September).

Todd, R., Kuhlthau, C., & Heinström, J. (2005). School Library Impact Measure (SLIM). A Toolkit and Handbook For Tracking and Assessing Student Learning Outcomes Of Guided Inquiry Through The School Library.