Lost in a phase...

Module 9: Summarizing and Discussing Phase 2 Topics and Interests

Where did Phase 2 go? I feel like we just started and now it is time to move into the final stages of this class already!

(Pinterest, 2017)

Phase 2 of this course encouraged me to explore some resources and stumble upon types of library environments that I previously did not know existed. Before this course I had not blogged, tweeted, or purchased and downloaded an e-book onto my home computer. So many new experiences; all of them manageable and not scary. Reading the blogs of my peers has also been a valuable exercise in participatory learning and sharing, as I have saved and bookmarked many of the resources my classmates posted. 

If I selected one topic from Phase 2 that resonated with me the most, I would say it was Module 5: Fostering Reading Culture in Schools. I think reading is the basis for everything in life, and often we focus much of our explicit reading skills teaching in the primary grades. I think that we still need to explicitly teach these skills in the intermediate grades, especially as many of our students are EAL learners and newcomers from all over the world. Additionally, during this module my classmates shared so many ideas that I want to try with my own class in the future. I especially liked Brittany Shoemaker’s book circle idea, because I thought that is a lovely way to start the day and encourage students to read books they may not select on their own.

(Lunn, 2016)

Another takeaway I will leave this course with is to allow learning to be messy and to apply design thinking into teaching more often, because success is not a straight and predictable line. ICT 

(Board of Innovation, 2016)

ICT and its use in the educational setting constantly evolves, and teachers have to go-with-the-flow and adapt to changes (I especially enjoyed reading Katy Connelly’s blog on this topic). Thinking about letting learning being "messy" I am curious about STEM education and how a learning commons could provide support.

How could I incorporate that into a library space?
Can the learning commons have a "maker space" or an "unmaker space"?
What would that look like?
How would that be made possible?

(Jolly, 2017)

How would such a space be managed?

These are questions I feel I will probably explore in the near future. A book I am interested in reading is, "STEM by Design: Strategies and Activities for Grades 4-8" by Anne Jolly.

In my own professional practice, I plan to seek out development opportunities so that as the teacher librarian, I can have a solid knowledge base to teach both students and colleagues. I will continue to embrace and explore online resources, and evaluate their educational usage using critical thinking and evaluative resources provided by ERAC.

References 

Board of Innovation. (2016). Insight into our Design Thinking Workshops. [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.boardofinnovation.com/blog/2016/06/22/design-thinking-workshop/

Connelly, K. (2017, October 13). Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://katyconnelly.blogspot.ca/2017/10/take-chances-make-mistakes-and-get-messy.html

Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium (ERAC). (2017). ERAC achieving together. Retrieved from https://www.bcerac.ca/index.aspx

Jolly, A. (2017) STEM by Design: Strategies and Activities for Grades 4-8. Retrieved from http://www.stem-by-design.com/

Lunn, N. (2016). Want to Be a Writer? Come to Our Smart Women Week Literary Master Class. [Picture]. Retrieved from http://www.redonline.co.uk/reviews/book-reviews/how-be-a-writer-smart-women-week-lliterary-masterclass

National Academics of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2014, March 6). STEM Integration in K-12 Education [Video file]. Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlPJ48simtE

Pinterest. (2017). Explore Does It Work, It Works, and more! [GIF]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/94505292157346492/ 

Shoemaker, B. (2017, October 3). Fostering a Reading Culture in School [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://bshoemaker12.blogspot.ca/2017/10/fostering-reading-culture-in-school.html

"Peace Libraries" - a place of healing

Module 8: Developing World Libraries

When I initially searched the World Bank’s website for library projects in developing nations, my exploration found multiple reports of basic educational improvement bids that ended unsuccessfully, in many cases due to isolation and an unsettled political climate.

For example, in Zanzibar, a region of Tanzania in East Africa, there was a bid in 2011 to the World Bank (Abdalla, 2011) to help create a school reference library of textbooks for secondary students. When searching for follow-up data, it appears that by 2014 the outcome was unsatisfactory due to political unrest (World Bank, 2014).

Can libraries be successful in a developing nation?

I dug further, determined to find a success story.

It seems that in developing nations libraries are more than repositories of physical books. Other forms of literacies, like financial literacy take precedent over reading for pleasure. Access to government data and assistance completing forms for subsidies is how public libraries help citizens most.

One specific library project I explored online was through the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), a global organization founded in 1927 that represents libraries and information services access for everyone. 

(Libraries for Peace, n. d.)

To support the local needs of their communities, twenty “Peace Libraries” were deployed in Colombia after conflict ended with FARC rebels. These libraries became places of healing, where citizens could share their personal stories and lived experiences during the turmoil. They were also places where services could be accessed, and “[a]s one of the first public services to return to these areas, they not only symboli[zed] the re-engagement of government, but [had] a major role in dealing with inequalities. Reduced access to education and information ha[d] risked putting residents of affected regions on the wrong side of a development gap.” People could reconnect, which “allow[ed] them to become part of ‘a national network bringing previously isolated regions together’” (IFLA, 2017). These "Peace Libraries" become launching points for civic engagement, focused on literacy and IT skills using bibliographic, digital, and audiovisual collections, all in an effort to rebuild stable democracy to help the country move forward.

I could not find any specific photos of this "Peace Library" in Columbia, and I am left wondering what the physical space actually looks like – what IT is on-site? Is the access to information unfiltered and uncensored? It is unclear. However, this story captured my attention because the world feels like it is in such turmoil right now, and the idea of a “Peace Library” made me feel hopeful.

References

Abdalla, M. S. (2011). Zanzibar Basic Education Improvement Project supply
Of Library And Reference Books For “A” And “O” Levels. (Notice No. OP000
07949). Retrieved from World Bank website: http://projects.worldbank.org/procurement/noticeoverview?lang=en&id=OP00007949

IFLA. (2017). International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/

IFLA. (2017, September 21). Stronger, More Stable, More Inclusive: Libraries
Around the World Help Build Peaceful Societies. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/node/11843

Libraries for Peace. (n. d.). In Facebook [Profile pictures]. Retrieved 2017,
October 21, from https://www.facebook.com/pg/librariesforpeace/photos/?tab=album&
album_id=540755816108933

Silva, C., Moncada, J. D., & Avila, J. D. (2017, March 9). Peace and Sustainable Development in Colombia: Reflections and Actions from the Library Sector.
IFLA news. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/node/11257

World Bank. (2014). Tanzania - Zanzibar Basic Education Improvement
Project. (Report No. ICR3150). Retrieved from http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/698101468313200247/Tanzania-Zanzibar-Basic-Education-Improvement-Project


Please note: usually formatting of the references is easy within Blogger, and in past weeks there has not been an issue. For an unknown reason, it keeps adding spaces and breaking links if I change it this week, so I have left it as is. Do any of you know why this might happen? 

“Hands and mouth and eyes and BRAIN, I have reading power!”

Module 5: Fostering Reading Culture in Schools

The benefit of being on-call is seeing an array of how reading cultures can be fostered in schools in so many different ways. In a high school I experienced a designated Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) time throughout the entire school. This means that everything is quiet and calm, with no announcements and no interruptions so that everyone, teachers included, can read.

A few other things I have seen that I would use in my own classroom are:

(Knoesel, 2017)

Instead of “Silent Reading” I was in a class that chunked reading time into two sections:

“Read-to-Self”

and

“Read-with-Another” 

(Knoesel, 2017)

Students were able to select any type of reading material they wanted, as long as they were reading. Periodically, the teacher would have students write a few notes in their reading log about what they were reading and their thoughts and connections with the story or subject. Students were engaged, and as the teacher, I was able to read their log and ask further questions to continue the conversation. I also noticed that it is a useful way to get to recognize patterns of student reading and to get to know their interests.

Another practice I saw that I would like to use in my own classroom one day was reading boxes. Each student had their own personalized magazine box.

(Reilly, 2013)

These reading boxes were always stocked with at least: 1 chapter book, 1 picture book, 1 graphic novel, 1 information book, and 1 magazine. What I liked about this is it encourages students to borrow a variety of materials from the school library. I also liked that students had many books to choose from depending on their mood/interest that day.

A reading program that I have been learning about is Reading Power, created by Vancouver teacher Adrienne Gear. I had the good fortune of being a TOC in a classroom at her school, and she came in to do a reading and writing activity with the grade 2 students. I really like her reading strategies of: connect, question, visualize, infer, and transform. I would love this use this one day as a school-wide reading program. Currently, I see a lot of schools made the book bins, but then do not follow the lessons school-wide.  Consistency is an importance piece to this program, because it makes a common language used in all grades, which supports student success throughout their journey, as mentioned in this video posted by The Balanced Literacy Diet.

In the future when I am permanently at one school, I would love to implement Gear’s program school-wide to encourage young readers to think about what they are reading, zoom-in, and make connections.

References

Balanced Literacy Diet, The. (2011, November 19). Reading Power: Building Comprehension Skills (Virtual Tour) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5gxSIVanmM

Gear, A. (2010). Reading Power. Retrieved from http://www.readingpowergear.com/index.html

Knoesel, L. (2017). Reading [Photographs]. Retrieved from http://knoeselknews.blogspot.ca/

Reilly, M. (2013). Independent Reading Book Boxes [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://maryannreilly.blogspot.ca/2013/02/preventing-literacy-difficulties-in.html