3/14
Already ~ one day into the course I feel like I definitely would thrive in a Middle School library.
Thoughts ~ love young adult fiction and helping students find matches. Really excited about the idea of creating a diverse collection and being able to put in the hands of a student a perfect fit when they need something they can relate to!
3/24
Great week of thinking. I had a jumpstart on the readings prior to a busy work week so I was able to think and reflect about the materials all week and then create my responses to the readings over the weekend.
By far i found the strategies in the Rose article super helpful. To be honest, however, if I had been asked to simply read the article without having to dig deep for the strategies and create an infographic I might now have realized the gems enclosed. This made me realize that providing a product or the construction of an artifact or real world product can really help one engage with the material. This is helpful when you have some 'time' not if it has to be done too quickly.
I love the idea of offering 'infographics' and other materials on incorporating reading strategies into all areas of the curriculcum.
Where schools have 'reading specialists and interventionists' working with struggling and low proficiency readers I would think they should be more involved in working 1:1 with all teachers in the classroom and providing workshops/materials to promote the development of these strategies to support learners.
Support ALL learners and differentiating strategies is key. If a student has strong reading comprehension and passion for a novel, it is not developmentally appropriate to tell them to stop and put sticky notes for 'connnections' if that discourages them. That happens all the time, even to my own son in elementary school who was subsequently punished for not stopping his independent read to put sticky notes in his book.
I like the idea of providing targets, questions, projects, projections and also 'flipping' with videos, images, etc on the topic prior to reading to help students get engaged with the overall idea/ theme or concept.
On to week 3!
4/1
What is one thing that you can take away from this week's class and implement right away with students? How will you do so? Why is this the one thing that you chose?
Working with Middle and High School students means that you don't have structured time with them but I find them very 'hungry' for activities that they can participate in. I like the idea of organizing an informal book club that can meet online and face to face during a lunch block and having time to meet to read maybe during a lunch block.
Audio books are really invaluable to me as an adult but I don't see the high school students appreciating them as much as they would if we could just snag them. Another idea would be to start a lunch time or 'mentor block' audio read where you play the audio in a quiet room each day while we have our lunch and then have a quick 5 minute talk each close about the characters, predictions, etc.
This was a great unit for me to work in because reading is something EVERYONE can love and removing all the structure and 'testing' from it to just enjoy the read is the best! :)
4/8
When I was librarian at a high school this year I had a junior young gay man tell me he didn't have any friends and although I didn't stay at that school in the short time I was there, that young man did have friends. He would come to the library and I would make him tea and we would talk for a long time each day. We would talk with other students who would come to the library for the same reason and many of the kids who normally wouldn't talk to each other did AND became friends. I had a young man from India who nobody spoke with because he was quiet and didn't speak English that well. Through the same actions and initiatives I was able to help bridge a solid friendship with him and another student and when I left many, many students knew who he was and were at ease talking with him. I know it was not an official 'safe' space but I think it is the safe space I envision, where we learn about each other, we are intrigued and share our individual differences and celebrate life together. What we 'are' becomes secondary to 'who' we are.
4/20
Wow, I think engaging with people is really important. If kids hate to read you have to make it fun! As a librarian promoting reading can be done by getting to know the kids and then suggesting books. It's hard because in HS most students visit the library by choice and the non readers might not but some do. If you see kids repeatedly in the library not really doing anything, engage them in reading with magazines or even asking 'did you read this' and start a conversation. Learn what they like and use things like graphic novels as the 'gateway'. That's one approach. Alternative media can help if you have the ability to provide audio books.
If a student says to me I need an easy book, I don't read well, then we find a good match for that reading level. I show them how to identify books if they are tagged lexile or grade level. Also, having a 'series' on hand like Magik that you can hook them in as it is an interesting and popular genre and an easier read. If that works, go from there into the Golden Compass series etc.
Getting to know the 'non readers' during the mandatory English class visits where they have to select a novel.
It would be great to get more reluctant and non readers in a summer read club so offering a graphic novel and a book recommended for reluctant readers is good as well as books that might interest both boys and girls. If there was a 'reward' for full participation, like credit for an English assignment and a subway catered book discussion at the end, it might bring some of those kids in. In a sense it is rewarding them for reading but it is subliminal and more of an incentive.
Those are my thoughts.
4/28
Think about the issues and trends discussed this week. What are your thoughts about how they will affect the function of the school library and how you will address them?
The things that interest me the most are marketing, future librarians, and the re genrefication.
As I continue taking my courses for LMS Certification I realize that I was really on the right track working at WRHS as the librarian. I feel much more confident moving forward as a LMS and will be better equipped to take charge in a different school in the future! The school I started my LMS career was negative to say the least. Administration didn't provide guidance or support and within my first month had a website, was partnering with some teachers, fixing a very corrupt cataloging system, starting a coding club, to name a few. I realize I took on too much too fast, got zero engagement on my efforts which reduced my confidence and ultimately resulted in being miserable. If I had just this much knowledge back in Sept I would approach my job so much differently!
#1. I would not be concerned with the lack of engagement and mass feedback with my outreach initiatives. I would be grateful for the 'few' who do engage and build on small successes.
#2. Future libraries. I am now intrigued with The Library of Things and would look to expand our collection to include some extended items (like a guitar, for example).
#3. Regenrification. I would get started and set up the collection by genre (fiction) and do serious displays and promotion.
#4. Read more. I would make sure I was reading more each day and visible to students. I would promote reading more and start lunch book chat.
Still, that toxic environment was not the place I wanted to spend my days and it is really important to stay positive and mentally fit if you are going to have such an important role. Hopefully, I will find a good fit in the future.
Week 8
I am so blessed to have become part of the library community! Having always considered a day of reading a good book one of the best days ever, I find myself reading more and discussing more. I understand more about struggling and reluctant readers and how I can help them engage with books.
Right now I am not working in a library so my means of promoting reading are through Twitter, Good Reads and discussions with my sons. Cameron, is 19, a marine and a computer guru, yet his request this week was to mail him the 'Marvel Heroes Encyclopedia' so I did. He grew up loving books that had pictures and as a teenager read as many marvel comics and graphic novels he could get his hands on. My other son, Ryan, is a fitness nut and still listens to books that we discuss often. His favorite genre is fantasy that involves dragons and magic. He introduced me to the Septimus Heap series years ago (which I have been known to reread), Eragon, and others.
I plan to expand my PLN to build more relationships with YA librarians and focus on this for my future career as a librarian. I don't know where or when that will be but I'll keep reading in the meantime.
Last edited: Tuesday, 1 May 2018, 7:16 AM (1651 words)
Anita Cellucci Sunday, 13 May 2018, 9:22 PM
Grade: Completely Meets Expectations