I am interested in using the Forest of Reading next year (Grade 5). What are some ways that you have seen it used? Is it more suitable for a club rather than a classroom?
The problem of lost or overdue books is such a major concern. So much $$$$$ lost! Some of the more common methods to deal with overdues use negative reinforcement, I would love to hear about more positive methods people have seen or heard about that were effective.Maria
Similar to Maria's comment, what are some alternative ways to have students 'work off' their fine, or methods that re-inforce the lesson of responsibility (possibly also to parents) without owing money? And a quick question, at what point (i.e. how much time needs to have passed) before a book is considered lost? Courtney
How have some secondary librarians approached collecting fees for printing/photocopying? Are the printers normally in an office or behind a counter so that librarians can monitor their use? I have no experience in the library, but during my Practicum I noticed a lot of students approaching subject teachers to use their office printers, so I'm thinking maybe there were issues around access. If you are going to collect money, the honour system seems inadequate in this case...Lauren.
For Courtney: In response to your inquiry about teaching responsibility, I have also been racking my brains about how to get this message across to students and parents! I now I myself have been guilty on occasion of failing to remind my own forgetful children about returning books (and failing to teach them techniques for remembering to return them)! Maybe increasing awareness of the issue with parents/children might be a start--a promotional campaign or public service message showing partially empty, ragtag shelves with the tagline: "the book that's under your bed fits here" or something like that. You can emphasize community responsability by giving parents/children figures about cost per book, budget numbers, etc. I wonder whether it would be possible to post such a video on you tube (teacher tube?, school tube?) and link to it from the school e-newsletter or something? Or just do a paper flyer? Just a thought. Lauren.
I would like to create a map of my school library and post it up for new students/staff. What type of computer program/tools etc. could I use to create a map of the library? Ann Truong
For Maria, Courtney and Lauren: On the topic of $ and returning library books, maybe on the first school newsletter/email to parents, schools could outline the price of textbooks for each subject and reveal the data for lost library books. This might give parents, students and teachers a clear picture of how serious a problem we face with students not being responsible for their school resources. On a positive note, we could provide suggestions and tips for parents, students and staff on taking care of their school textbooks and library resources. At the school level, we could create a display board, certificates, announcements, podcasts, assemblies etc. to showcase students/staff or classes that return resources/books on line. These "responsible citizens" could get points and prizes or healthy snacks.
You can use Word to create a simple floorplan--shapes for chairs, etc. are probably in clip art (access via the Insert pull-down menu). Create rectangles or circles with the shapes tools, then label with text boxes. I can show you tomorrow in the lab if you want. Lauren.
Response to Anne: MS Publisher has always been useful for me. You can easily create a map that students can use. I'm sure that Smart Ideas Software could be used as well.
Having a library without an automated system has proven to be challenging. I KNOW I can fundraise and buy the software and scanner myself, but it seems that it would make more financial sense if ALL the schools would get on board! I'm sure every elementary school has lost thousands of dollars every year....... How do I get my board to the year 2000 when it comes to managing a library???
With tight budgets and high costs, is it appropriate to approach businesses or companies to donate/sponsor a project (Forest of Learning or books related to their field) in your library? What are the "rules" or ethics? Are there programs like the Indigo grants that exsist? Deborah
- Have classroom teachers sign up to monitor the library for the lunch period each day of the week, or even a monthly schedule...
I noticed that once teachers went in on their day to do this, (having had lunch on their spare of course), their students who are in their classes started coming into the library to talk to that teacher. THis way, once the students are in the library, they can be persuaded to take out books.
There is a chance that I may be in a secondary library next Sept. and this concerns me on two levels: 1) I am not ready to give up teaching, even though I now realize that there should be a lot of teaching involved in the teacher-librarians day, in all the schools I have taught in, they have been under-utilized. I am guilty of this myself because I usually bring my students to the library only for research. How can I convince some reluctant teachers that my job is not only to scan and shelve books. 2)There are so many databases and resources that many teachers have no idea about which the Ministry and Boards are dishing out a lot money for. They certainly are not very well advertised. the teacher librarian is a bottomless resource pool, but if I do not know about these resources today, how am I going to know about them in September? How/when/where do librarians get informed about these so they can liase with the teachers? I keep trying to convince myself that this is on-the-job training and it will come to me, but I am not so sure!
For Michelle's Post: How do I get my board to the year 2000 when it comes to managing a library???
I don't know how often things like this happen or if the principal will get insulted by this, but.. - bring it up the in the staff meeting (works out well, if the meetings take place in the library...heheh) -also bring in some students on your side and you can give a small presentation on the library as an introduction to other teachers, in one of the begining of the year staff meetings
- this way you can convince them that you really, really , really need an automated system and it will make things a whole lot easier to promote literacy on you part, have more time... :)
Does anyone know of any effective strategies for keeping students out of the library when it is closed? Our school is open concept, meaning the hallways run freely through either side of the library, and frequently students will wander in when there are no staff members around to use the computer or take out books. My homeroom is situated on the opposite side of the building so I have no sightline as to who is in the Library. In the past, I've posted timetables when I'm there, informed teachers not to send students over, and made announcements on the P.A., but still find students unsupervised on computers or wandering through the shelves when I arrive. Anyone else know of a similar situation in their library, and what is done about it?
Response to Ann: If you have Smartboard software on your computer (you don't need a smartboard to use it!) I find making glass blueprints easy. I use the shapes tool (squares, rectangles, etc.) to build an arrangement of desks and then clone them as many times as necessary. You can then drag them around to the locations you want, rotate, flip, resize, etc., to fit your needs. Once you get the hang of it, it is a real time saver.
Response to Loretta: We've done Red Maple in the past and find it works best when you can get staff involved as much as possible. One year, I introduced the books during a staff meeting and asked if anyone was willing to read a book or two and have discussion groups with our Grade 7 and 8's at some point in the future. Most staff members selected books and got an early start on the reading, and a few months later we had lunch book club meetings in the library with food incentives. Staff and students would come in and discuss one particular book on a predesignated day. The next week we would have another book discussed by a different staff member. Most of the meetings focused more on the snacks than the books, but we found this kept the interest in the program going. Also, it was good encouragement for the kids to see all of their teachers interested in the same books as they were!
At one of my schools, the t-l requested at a staff meeting if there were any teachers willing to read one Silverbirch book. Then each teacher was an "expert" on only one of the books. Once a student read a particular book, he/she looked on a list posted in the library (or outside the library) to see which teacher they had to go and see to "conference" with about the book. It worked really well because it got all the teachers on board AND the t-l didn't have to read each of the 10 selections all on her own. (very time-consuming). I really liked conferencing with students too and talking about their thoughts on the book we had both read. After the conference with the student, the teacher initialed the student tracking sheet to confirm a conference had taken place. I think the t-l needed that to know who was eligible to vote??
Response to Brad: Does anyone know of any effective strategies for keeping students out of the library when it is closed? Why are you trying to keep them out? Are they hurting anything in the library/computers? I imagine it may be messy after they leave but maybe this is where a library ambassador program or school volunteers come into play. Loretta
Deb: About approaching companies to donate or sponsor a project....my guess is just ask your admin. what his or her thought are...but keep in mind that companies rarely do anything out of the goodness of their heart. It will almost certainly mean signage of some sort saying something along the lines of "Our Forest of Reading program proudly sponsered by Coca Cola!". Your school would have to judge how that would work in your community (would parents be icked out by that? would the staff??).
From David: So I realise that the teacher-librarian is becoming much more of a facilitator of teaching oriented environment in the library than maintaining a traditional shhhh-be-quiet monastic quiet place of study. I'm just wondering how TL's manage to balance the need for a quite place of study for students with the commotion and inevitable noise that come from conducting, say, a co-operative learning lesson in the library. That is, with all this stuff going on, how does a TL still keep the library a quiet place to read and think?
From David, for Lauren: Yes, the printer is usually kept behind the librarian's desk at our school and the librarian collect the incoming dimes. This is practical, but then is kind of inconvenient because you have to be in two places at once if you're directing a lesson or helping a student and then someone comes along and wants to print off their homework. I'm sure some bigger schools might have printing cards as a solution, but that stuff is always alienating to use and would seem complicated to manage at times. I guess I favour the human approach, inefficient as it is.
From David, For Karthiha and Courtney: I like the idea of a rotation of teachers meeting in the library at lunch. The trick is getting them to volunteer for something like this with all of the extra-curriculars (I know I had 5 last year). However, I think you're onto something Karthiha; if teachers are available for their students once in a while in the library, students WILL come to see their teachers. I could see this evolving in a kind of "study hall" environment for students who need catching up on missed assignments, etc. And to respond to Courtney's query, perhaps strong students could work off large fines by offering tutorial assistance to peers during this study hall time. For at risk students (i.e. those students for whom an appearance at study hall can be a bloody miracle), perhaps atonement for their fine can be earned by several consecutive appearance at the lunch study period. But as for the perfectly "average" student, I am not sure what would be fitting service would be to work off a fine.
For David: So, how does a TL still keep the library a quiet place to read and think? I think the answer is - they don't. Elementary school libraries are barely big enough for one class - additional students adds to the creative chaos. Perhaps if your high school library is larger an area can be sectioned off for quiet work. Both public and university libraries have such areas...and students should be taught this library etiquette:)
For Diana: One of the things that I learned in this course was that I should be approaching my Teacher-Librarian lots more. I truly felt like I was imposing when I asked for something I felt was “extra” just for my class. So, be very clear from the beginning about your role as a T-L. I think you need to have a “Help me to help you” approach, or give a little talk about “How I can make your teaching life easier”. No teacher would ever really turn down help! As for introducing new resources, food does work. Have a “lunch in the lab” where you provide dessert and showcase new resources. Also, in some schools I’ve been in, the administration has been supportive and covered teachers’ classes so that they could meet with the T-L. This shows commitment on the part of the administration to support the library and no one has to give up any preparation time, leading to happier teachers with a more open attitude. Courtney
In response to David: How to keep the library a quiet place to read and think while at the same time having it be a place of collaboration? I think it is important to have both as well. I think the way the library is layed out is key. I am lucky at that at my school library there is a great layout. It is not just one wide open space. The lab is a room unto itself, there is a quiet study space with cubicles, there are a couple areas with lounge chairs grouped together there are two other areas with big circular tables and rectangular tables great for collaborating or bringing a class down for research. It's all about creating little 'nooks'. Even if the space doesn't easily lend itself to these nooks they can probably be created with the arrangement of furniture, shelves, dividers...As an aside, the quiet study cubicle area at my school library is often times empty.
For Deborah: I seem to remember Starbucks donating books to our school. There was a bin in the store with the name of a local school and somehow people could give books. Also, employees partnered up as sort of buddies with students, one time they would come to the school to read and the next time students would visit Starbucks and read there. I have no idea what this program was or if it is still happening… As well, when I taught downtown there was a company who provided free tutoring for 1-2 hours every week. We matched up students (in grades 5-8) who needed a bit of support and after school they walked over to the company building where each student had their very own tutor. The employees liked the ‘break’ in their day, the company got to show how they were giving back to the community and students got some one-on-one attention. I would think that if Parent Councils could support a Forest of Learning program, then a company could as well, but you may need to approach it rather than a “This program brought to you by *****”, more of a shared learning experience (i.e. approach a local company and ask that they have a team of employees who read the books at the same time, donate copies of the books to the school and have everyone meet together as a sort of book club.) Courtney
For Diana: TL have the potential to be valuable resources for teachers. I too like Courtney was hesitant to ask my TL for anything extra. But also, many times I did not know what she could offer. When she would suggest specific activities or lessons (whether it be to show my classes certain databases that suited their project, or teach them specific stategies for research or citing sources)I found that really helpful and would definately take her up on it. So, that is something I will strive to do as well. When teachers come to book a class for research, ask to see a copy of their project or just discuss it with the teacher and then suggest a few things you could do with them. See what the teacher wants. I think the learning will definately be on-going as a TL. There is so much out there. We won't be experts at the beginning and that's okay. I think the #1 thing is communicating with teachers, finding out what they want/need and doing our best to help them and help students in their learning.
I have the same issue as Brad with students that are unsupervised in a classroom/library. I allowed students to use my classroom in the morning,at lunch and after school to complete assignments, practice their presentations etc. but my last vice-principal came around and gave firm reminders to all teachers that "students must be supervised at all times." Even when teachers want to use the washroom,other teachers must supervise our students. Therefore, it is important to ensure that students are not wandering in the library using computers or hanging around without supervision because we as elementary teachers are liable if something happens to them during school hours.
Brad, my new vice-principal is very supportive and told me to direct the students to the office if students do not follow directions or expectations. These students get a phone call home from the vice-principal and a 50 minute detention if they "hang around".
Of course, if they need to access the library or computer lab to do research then they must follow our computer lab schedule which is posted on the door for every student and staff. So students are in the computer lab when it is opened. I am planning to do the same with the library in Sept. Hopefully, having a schedule will provide access for all students to use the library and the computer lab and still respect safety guidelines. Ann Truong.
For Diana, Since both of us described similar experiences with our Teacher-Librarians being an untapped resource, it would be a great idea to present at a staff meeting to let teachers know what the library can offer them in terms of partnership. I bet this would yield great success. Try it!
One focus I would like to have in my future library is Canadian Literature. It's important to get students thinking about authors as REAL people, just like them who grew up in Canada and made writers of themselves. This would motivate many of them to develop their writing. I found this helped my 3C (College Prep English) male students believe in themselves somewhat (even if they tried to hide their interest because it's "not cool". Any ideas on how we can make writing cool?
In response to buying books on a limited budget, I found out that my local library sells books it doesn't need anymore for 50 cents to 1 dollar. I looked through the cart and found that some were recent enough to buy and use in my classroom! Are we allowed to buy those and use them in our library if we find some useful?
In my secondary school, I think our Librarian may have it a bit easier in the sense that she has a library secretary who deals with the administrative side of life in the library. She leaves the B/W printer in the lab where students can have access to it, but the printer is empty of paper. Students pay her for the number of copies and she gives them the sheets which they load into the printer. This seems to work and it makes sure the students are recognizing how much they are printing and not wasting paper. Economic and ecological too! - Diana
I know you are treading a very fine line here. Trying to explain your needs without someone perceiving an insult is really hard, especially when that person is a Principal who can make your life a misery if they chose to. Perhaps you could show him a spreadsheet of sorts showing how much money was spent on books in comparison to how much money was lost on books not returned over the course of a school year. Perhaps a projection of how many years of continued losses would add up to the cost of an automated system. Just a suggestion. -Diana
I am interested in using the Forest of Reading next year (Grade 5). What are some ways that you have seen it used? Is it more suitable for a club rather than a classroom?
ReplyDeleteThe problem of lost or overdue books is such a major concern. So much $$$$$ lost! Some of the more common methods to deal with overdues use negative reinforcement, I would love to hear about more positive methods people have seen or heard about that were effective.Maria
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Maria's comment, what are some alternative ways to have students 'work off' their fine, or methods that re-inforce the lesson of responsibility (possibly also to parents) without owing money? And a quick question, at what point (i.e. how much time needs to have passed) before a book is considered lost? Courtney
ReplyDeleteHow have some secondary librarians approached collecting fees for printing/photocopying? Are the printers normally in an office or behind a counter so that librarians can monitor their use? I have no experience in the library, but during my Practicum I noticed a lot of students approaching subject teachers to use their office printers, so I'm thinking maybe there were issues around access. If you are going to collect money, the honour system seems inadequate in this case...Lauren.
ReplyDeleteFor Courtney:
ReplyDeleteIn response to your inquiry about teaching responsibility, I have also been racking my brains about how to get this message across to students and parents! I now I myself have been guilty on occasion of failing to remind my own forgetful children about returning books (and failing to teach them techniques for remembering to return them)! Maybe increasing awareness of the issue with parents/children might be a start--a promotional campaign or public service message showing partially empty, ragtag shelves with the tagline: "the book that's under your bed fits here" or something like that. You can emphasize community responsability by giving parents/children figures about cost per book, budget numbers, etc. I wonder whether it would be possible to post such a video on you tube (teacher tube?, school tube?) and link to it from the school e-newsletter or something? Or just do a paper flyer? Just a thought. Lauren.
I would like to create a map of my school library and post it up for new students/staff. What type of computer program/tools etc. could I use to create a map of the library? Ann Truong
ReplyDeleteFor Maria, Courtney and Lauren: On the topic of $ and returning library books, maybe on the first school newsletter/email to parents, schools could outline the price of textbooks for each subject and reveal the data for lost library books. This might give parents, students and teachers a clear picture of how serious a problem we face with students not being responsible for their school resources. On a positive note, we could provide suggestions and tips for parents, students and staff on taking care of their school textbooks and library resources. At the school level, we could create a display board, certificates, announcements, podcasts, assemblies etc. to showcase students/staff or classes that return resources/books on line. These "responsible citizens" could get points and prizes or healthy snacks.
ReplyDeleteFor Ann:
ReplyDeleteYou can use Word to create a simple floorplan--shapes for chairs, etc. are probably in clip art (access via the Insert pull-down menu). Create rectangles or circles with the shapes tools, then label with text boxes. I can show you tomorrow in the lab if you want. Lauren.
Response to Anne:
ReplyDeleteMS Publisher has always been useful for me. You can easily create a map that students can use. I'm sure that Smart Ideas Software could be used as well.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHaving a library without an automated system has proven to be challenging. I KNOW I can fundraise and buy the software and scanner myself, but it seems that it would make more financial sense if ALL the schools would get on board! I'm sure every elementary school has lost thousands of dollars every year....... How do I get my board to the year 2000 when it comes to managing a library???
ReplyDeleteWith tight budgets and high costs, is it appropriate to approach businesses or companies to donate/sponsor a project (Forest of Learning or books related to their field) in your library? What are the "rules" or ethics? Are there programs like the Indigo grants that exsist? Deborah
ReplyDeleteIdeas for colloaboration with teachers:
ReplyDelete- Have classroom teachers sign up to monitor the library for the lunch period each day of the week, or even a monthly schedule...
I noticed that once teachers went in on their day to do this, (having had lunch on their spare of course), their students who are in their classes started coming into the library to talk to that teacher. THis way, once the students are in the library, they can be persuaded to take out books.
Lure them in...hahahha
Karthiha
There is a chance that I may be in a secondary library next Sept. and this concerns me on two levels: 1) I am not ready to give up teaching, even though I now realize that there should be a lot of teaching involved in the teacher-librarians day, in all the schools I have taught in, they have been under-utilized. I am guilty of this myself because I usually bring my students to the library only for research. How can I convince some reluctant teachers that my job is not only to scan and shelve books. 2)There are so many databases and resources that many teachers have no idea about which the Ministry and Boards are dishing out a lot money for. They certainly are not very well advertised. the teacher librarian is a bottomless resource pool, but if I do not know about these resources today, how am I going to know about them in September? How/when/where do librarians get informed about these so they can liase with the teachers? I keep trying to convince myself that this is on-the-job training and it will come to me, but I am not so sure!
ReplyDeleteFor Michelle's Post:
ReplyDeleteHow do I get my board to the year 2000 when it comes to managing a library???
I don't know how often things like this happen or if the principal will get insulted by this, but..
- bring it up the in the staff meeting (works out well, if the meetings take place in the library...heheh)
-also bring in some students on your side and you can give a small presentation on the library as an introduction to other teachers, in one of the begining of the year staff meetings
- this way you can convince them that you really, really , really need an automated system and it will make things a whole lot easier to promote literacy on you part, have more time... :)
Karthiha
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know of any effective strategies for keeping students out of the library when it is closed? Our school is open concept, meaning the hallways run freely through either side of the library, and frequently students will wander in when there are no staff members around to use the computer or take out books. My homeroom is situated on the opposite side of the building so I have no sightline as to who is in the Library. In the past, I've posted timetables when I'm there, informed teachers not to send students over, and made announcements on the P.A., but still find students unsupervised on computers or wandering through the shelves when I arrive. Anyone else know of a similar situation in their library, and what is done about it?
ReplyDeleteBrad
Response to Ann:
ReplyDeleteIf you have Smartboard software on your computer (you don't need a smartboard to use it!) I find making glass blueprints easy. I use the shapes tool (squares, rectangles, etc.) to build an arrangement of desks and then clone them as many times as necessary. You can then drag them around to the locations you want, rotate, flip, resize, etc., to fit your needs. Once you get the hang of it, it is a real time saver.
Response to Loretta:
ReplyDeleteWe've done Red Maple in the past and find it works best when you can get staff involved as much as possible. One year, I introduced the books during a staff meeting and asked if anyone was willing to read a book or two and have discussion groups with our Grade 7 and 8's at some point in the future. Most staff members selected books and got an early start on the reading, and a few months later we had lunch book club meetings in the library with food incentives. Staff and students would come in and discuss one particular book on a predesignated day. The next week we would have another book discussed by a different staff member. Most of the meetings focused more on the snacks than the books, but we found this kept the interest in the program going. Also, it was good encouragement for the kids to see all of their teachers interested in the same books as they were!
Loretta:
ReplyDeleteAt one of my schools, the t-l requested at a staff meeting if there were any teachers willing to read one Silverbirch book. Then each teacher was an "expert" on only one of the books. Once a student read a particular book, he/she looked on a list posted in the library (or outside the library) to see which teacher they had to go and see to "conference" with about the book. It worked really well because it got all the teachers on board AND the t-l didn't have to read each of the 10 selections all on her own. (very time-consuming). I really liked conferencing with students too and talking about their thoughts on the book we had both read. After the conference with the student, the teacher initialed the student tracking sheet to confirm a conference had taken place. I think the t-l needed that to know who was eligible to vote??
Response to Brad:
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know of any effective strategies for keeping students out of the library when it is closed?
Why are you trying to keep them out? Are they hurting anything in the library/computers?
I imagine it may be messy after they leave but maybe this is where a library ambassador program or school volunteers come into play.
Loretta
Deb:
ReplyDeleteAbout approaching companies to donate or sponsor a project....my guess is just ask your admin. what his or her thought are...but keep in mind that companies rarely do anything out of the goodness of their heart. It will almost certainly mean signage of some sort saying something along the lines of "Our Forest of Reading program proudly sponsered by Coca Cola!". Your school would have to judge how that would work in your community (would parents be icked out by that? would the staff??).
From David: So I realise that the teacher-librarian is becoming much more of a facilitator of teaching oriented environment in the library than maintaining a traditional shhhh-be-quiet monastic quiet place of study. I'm just wondering how TL's manage to balance the need for a quite place of study for students with the commotion and inevitable noise that come from conducting, say, a co-operative learning lesson in the library. That is, with all this stuff going on, how does a TL still keep the library a quiet place to read and think?
ReplyDeleteFrom David, for Lauren: Yes, the printer is usually kept behind the librarian's desk at our school and the librarian collect the incoming dimes. This is practical, but then is kind of inconvenient because you have to be in two places at once if you're directing a lesson or helping a student and then someone comes along and wants to print off their homework. I'm sure some bigger schools might have printing cards as a solution, but that stuff is always alienating to use and would seem complicated to manage at times. I guess I favour the human approach, inefficient as it is.
ReplyDeleteFrom David, For Karthiha and Courtney: I like the idea of a rotation of teachers meeting in the library at lunch. The trick is getting them to volunteer for something like this with all of the extra-curriculars (I know I had 5 last year). However, I think you're onto something Karthiha; if teachers are available for their students once in a while in the library, students WILL come to see their teachers. I could see this evolving in a kind of "study hall" environment for students who need catching up on missed assignments, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd to respond to Courtney's query, perhaps strong students could work off large fines by offering tutorial assistance to peers during this study hall time. For at risk students (i.e. those students for whom an appearance at study hall can be a bloody miracle), perhaps atonement for their fine can be earned by several consecutive appearance at the lunch study period. But as for the perfectly "average" student, I am not sure what would be fitting service would be to work off a fine.
For David:
ReplyDeleteSo, how does a TL still keep the library a quiet place to read and think? I think the answer is - they don't. Elementary school libraries are barely big enough for one class - additional students adds to the creative chaos. Perhaps if your high school library is larger an area can be sectioned off for quiet work. Both public and university libraries have such areas...and students should be taught this library etiquette:)
For Diana: One of the things that I learned in this course was that I should be approaching my Teacher-Librarian lots more. I truly felt like I was imposing when I asked for something I felt was “extra” just for my class. So, be very clear from the beginning about your role as a T-L. I think you need to have a “Help me to help you” approach, or give a little talk about “How I can make your teaching life easier”. No teacher would ever really turn down help!
ReplyDeleteAs for introducing new resources, food does work. Have a “lunch in the lab” where you provide dessert and showcase new resources. Also, in some schools I’ve been in, the administration has been supportive and covered teachers’ classes so that they could meet with the T-L. This shows commitment on the part of the administration to support the library and no one has to give up any preparation time, leading to happier teachers with a more open attitude. Courtney
In response to David: How to keep the library a quiet place to read and think while at the same time having it be a place of collaboration? I think it is important to have both as well. I think the way the library is layed out is key. I am lucky at that at my school library there is a great layout. It is not just one wide open space. The lab is a room unto itself, there is a quiet study space with cubicles, there are a couple areas with lounge chairs grouped together there are two other areas with big circular tables and rectangular tables great for collaborating or bringing a class down for research. It's all about creating little 'nooks'. Even if the space doesn't easily lend itself to these nooks they can probably be created with the arrangement of furniture, shelves, dividers...As an aside, the quiet study cubicle area at my school library is often times empty.
ReplyDeleteFor Deborah: I seem to remember Starbucks donating books to our school. There was a bin in the store with the name of a local school and somehow people could give books. Also, employees partnered up as sort of buddies with students, one time they would come to the school to read and the next time students would visit Starbucks and read there. I have no idea what this program was or if it is still happening…
ReplyDeleteAs well, when I taught downtown there was a company who provided free tutoring for 1-2 hours every week. We matched up students (in grades 5-8) who needed a bit of support and after school they walked over to the company building where each student had their very own tutor. The employees liked the ‘break’ in their day, the company got to show how they were giving back to the community and students got some one-on-one attention. I would think that if Parent Councils could support a Forest of Learning program, then a company could as well, but you may need to approach it rather than a “This program brought to you by *****”, more of a shared learning experience (i.e. approach a local company and ask that they have a team of employees who read the books at the same time, donate copies of the books to the school and have everyone meet together as a sort of book club.) Courtney
Thank you Lauren, Michelle and Brad for sharing your computer skills. Now I just need to sit down and play with these different programs.
ReplyDeleteAnn Truong.
For Diana: TL have the potential to be valuable resources for teachers. I too like Courtney was hesitant to ask my TL for anything extra. But also, many times I did not know what she could offer. When she would suggest specific activities or lessons (whether it be to show my classes certain databases that suited their project, or teach them specific stategies for research or citing sources)I found that really helpful and would definately take her up on it. So, that is something I will strive to do as well. When teachers come to book a class for research, ask to see a copy of their project or just discuss it with the teacher and then suggest a few things you could do with them. See what the teacher wants. I think the learning will definately be on-going as a TL. There is so much out there. We won't be experts at the beginning and that's okay. I think the #1 thing is communicating with teachers, finding out what they want/need and doing our best to help them and help students in their learning.
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue as Brad with students that are unsupervised in a classroom/library. I allowed students to use my classroom in the morning,at lunch and after school to complete assignments, practice their presentations etc. but my last vice-principal came around and gave firm reminders to all teachers that "students must be supervised at all times." Even when teachers want to use the washroom,other teachers must supervise our students. Therefore, it is important to ensure that students are not wandering in the library using computers or hanging around without supervision because we as elementary teachers are liable if something happens to them during school hours.
ReplyDeleteBrad, my new vice-principal is very supportive and told me to direct the students to the office if students do not follow directions or expectations. These students get a phone call home from the vice-principal and a 50 minute detention if they "hang around".
Of course, if they need to access the library or computer lab to do research then they must follow our computer lab schedule which is posted on the door for every student and staff. So students are in the computer lab when it is opened. I am planning to do the same with the library in Sept. Hopefully, having a schedule will provide access for all students to use the library and the computer lab and still respect safety guidelines. Ann Truong.
For Diana,
ReplyDeleteSince both of us described similar experiences with our Teacher-Librarians being an untapped resource, it would be a great idea to present at a staff meeting to let teachers know what the library can offer them in terms of partnership. I bet this would yield great success.
Try it!
I forgot to sign my name above! Sherry
ReplyDeleteOne focus I would like to have in my future library is Canadian Literature. It's important to get students thinking about authors as REAL people, just like them who grew up in Canada and made writers of themselves. This would motivate many of them to develop their writing. I found this helped my 3C (College Prep English) male students believe in themselves somewhat (even if they tried to hide their interest because it's "not cool". Any ideas on how we can make writing cool?
ReplyDeleteIn response to buying books on a limited budget, I found out that my local library sells books it doesn't need anymore for 50 cents to 1 dollar. I looked through the cart and found that some were recent enough to buy and use in my classroom! Are we allowed to buy those and use them in our library if we find some useful?
ReplyDeleteResponse to Lauren:
ReplyDeleteIn my secondary school, I think our Librarian may have it a bit easier in the sense that she has a library secretary who deals with the administrative side of life in the library. She leaves the B/W printer in the lab where students can have access to it, but the printer is empty of paper. Students pay her for the number of copies and she gives them the sheets which they load into the printer. This seems to work and it makes sure the students are recognizing how much they are printing and not wasting paper. Economic and ecological too! - Diana
Response to Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI know you are treading a very fine line here. Trying to explain your needs without someone perceiving an insult is really hard, especially when that person is a Principal who can make your life a misery if they chose to. Perhaps you could show him a spreadsheet of sorts showing how much money was spent on books in comparison to how much money was lost on books not returned over the course of a school year. Perhaps a projection of how many years of continued losses would add up to the cost of an automated system. Just a suggestion. -Diana