“It is literally neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about things that you don’t care about"
Dr Immordino-Yang
Dr Immordino-Yang
I found these drawings (books influence and say yes) in a sketch book belonging to a student who used to attend my school. She would read at any opportunity she got: lunchtime. recess time and even when she was waiting to come into class. It seems that even when it was free drawing time, she would be thinking about books. I was pretty excited when I found these in her sketch book. Let me begin by saying that it may seem like I'm about to go on a completely different tangent but I promise that I'll get to the point which is, "how can we get kids to love the school library?" When I say love the library what I mean is, want to be there, enjoy their time there, feel like they are interested, feel comfortable there and feel like they have had some input into how it's actually set up as well as contributing to the displays and selection of the collection.... This year is the Anniversary of the 50th year since Apollo landed on the moon. I tried to link that into my music curriculum by looking at some of the music that was popular 50 years ago as well as music that actually makes reference to space or has space in its title. Some examples included; "Walking on The Moon" by the Police (1979), "Space Oddity" by David Bowie (1969) and "The Planets" by Gustav Holst (1914-1916). I also asked the students to compile a "Spotify" playlist for themselves, pretending they were actually travelling to the moon themselves. One Friday night I decided to have a bit of a play with my mixed media art supplies and created a piece of work to hang up in my classroom around the space theme. It has a lot of textures because I used different kinds of papers, stamps, paint, glitter, foil, and even stars that I made out of resin. I framed it and hung it up in my classroom with a typed label made with my old dymo machine saying "please touch". It didn't take long for kids to notice the artwork and then a student approached me and said "I think you've made a mistake!" I wasn't sure what they meant until the next sentence was "it says please touch but don't you mean, please don't touch?" I assured them that I hadn't made a mistake and that I wanted them to touch the artwork and feel the textures of the different things. The interesting thing is that LOTS of kids commented and asked me if it was actually ok to touch the art. I was actually amazed and wished that I had the time, space and money to create a whole room of artworks that the kids could interact with. I had also been working on a cow called "Moonique" which was a mixed media piece. During the process, kids were involved and allowed to feel the textures and add different things to the piece. Sadly, "Moonique couldn't stay in my classroom because she was too big and had to be housed elsewhere. The first thing I noticed when she was moved is the sign that said "please don't touch!" I understand that kids break things and can damage things but the reason "Moonique" is mixed media, is because I wanted her to be an interactive piece. "Pat the cow, say the Ode to Cows rap and enjoy..." would be my preferred sign on display. How often do kids get to pat a life sized green cow after all? It's something fun and something memorable. This leads me to my point about getting kids to love the library. I understand that if you're a person managing a school library that you probably feel a bit protective over the books but it's pretty important that we don't forget who the books and the library are actually for... Recently there has been a fair bit of talk about "student agency" in terms of their learning. It's about making learning meaningful and relevant and giving students some choice. "To put it simply, student agency gives students voice and often, choice, in how they learn." (https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/student-agency/- accessed 26th October 2019) I think the concept of student agency is also very relevant in a school library. By letting students have input into authors and books, displays and spaces in the library, surely they will feel more invested and interested in being in the library. When kids walk into the library it should be inviting and interesting. What are the latest arrivals, what books do other students recommend based on different genres? What books do you, the librarian, recommend for different genres and age groups? Are the displays changed regularly, celebrating special events in a fun way and representing work across the school? Are there cosy spots to read, listen to music or podcasts and places to sit, work or play a game at lunchtime? And what about lunchtime? What an amazing opportunity for curious students to be involved in learning new skills, teaching other kids how to knit, play chess, draw or code a simple robot? Utilise human resources (including parent and grandparents) in and around your school community that can assist in running lunchtime groups so that activities are varied and the workload can be shared. "School libraries need to be much more than a repository for books and print resources to maintain their relevance in the digital age." (https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36,-2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch! - accessed 26th October 2019) Enthusiasm is contagious.... And for your viewing and listening pleasure: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-uK1b2DHZw References in order of appearance: "Walking on The Moon," Sting, The Police (1979) "Space Oddity," David Bowie (1969) "The Planets," Gustav Holst (1914-1916) https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/student-agency/ (accessed 26th October 2019) https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36,-2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch! (accessed 26th October 2019) "I went to The Library," Wiggles, Rock& Roll Preschool, 2005. www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-uK1b2DHZw
1 Comment
Carla Riles
27/10/2019 10:09:25 am
This is a great post Natalie, thank you! I am a teacher librarian one day a week and cannot wait to fully take the reigns of this position in a couple of years.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Author:
|