The Changing Role of the TL

An article in Teacher Librarian (October 2009) recently caught my eye.  At the end of our course, the  role of the teacher librarian was briefly discussed.  This is a topic that never dies among teacher librarians.  We are constantly discussing and debating the aspects of our evolving positions that we see as critical, as well as those aspects that get thrust upon us. An article by Elizabeth Marcoux and David V. Loertscher ,  The Role of a School Library in a School’s Reading Program ,discusses the ‘ideal’ situation for a teacher librarian, one that is less of a book manager and more of a fundamental professional in the development of reading initiatives in an elementary school.   Marcoux and Loertscher challenge us to delve into the ‘ideal’ elements listed in their article, and to think deeply about how we can incorporate these ideals into our individual, less-than-ideal daily working situations. 

Perhaps what stands out most prominently in this article is the need to have a full-time, credentialed teacher librarian in each school.  As a full-time staff member, the TL could best contribute to reading initiatives and collaborative planning between reading professionals and classroom teachers.  It should also be noted that the authors supported having a full-time qualified support personnel working in the library to best prepare, catalogue, repair, and organize materials.  As full-time TLs, the ideal situation would be  for us to be part of a ‘reading leadership team,’ assisting in the planning and decision making  of a school’s reading program(.  As part time librarians who do not work in the schools every day, it is easy to be ‘left out’ of this reading equation. 

Marcoux and Loertscher further emphasize the importance of the TL to be a visible member of the staff who can see the bigger picture by reaching out to community groups, parents, and even national and international organizations through the Internet.  These activities help to minimize the old belief that the library is a warehouse of books, waiting for customers to visit.  Overall, the authors challenge us to expand our isolated role into that of visionary and leader.

Marcoux,  Elizabeth and David V. Loertscher (2009). The Role of a School Library in a School’s Reading Program  Teacher Librarian, October 2009.

"The Boy Problem?" Librarians, moms, and their boys...

I just finished reading an excellent article in the School Library Journal titled The Boy Problem.  As the mother of a baby boy, I read with personal and professional interest.  As my husband and I are both avid readers, we naturally assume that our son will also turn out to be one.  We’ve filled his room with tons of books - cute and tactile board books along with our favourite classics for him to grow into.  We could never possibly have a ‘reading problem’ with our son, could we?  Leonard Sax sets out to discuss in this article the much discussed and researched issue of boys lagging behind in reading achievement and enjoyment.  As one boy claims in this article, “I’d rather be burned at the stake that read a book!”   How can librarians – and parents – start to change this gender gap in reading?

It was interesting to note, according to Sax, that video games have played a significant role in replacing boys’ leisure time pursuits.  Forget the hand-eye coordination excuse!  Video games and hand held digital devices are taking up too much time.  I recently observed my 12 year old nephew with fascination as he worked with his iphone.  It is so full of ‘apps’ and digital activities that he was happily content to sit with it for an hour, oblivious to the world around him.  He was ‘lost’ in it, like many of us get lost in a good book.

 More importantly, I found Sax’s point about the changing role of masculinity interesting.  Sax claims that popular culture has transformed role models for boys.  Look at some dads of television that our boys are watching:  Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons.  None of them are ever portrayed pursuing reading, or even anything that does not follow a laugh track.  Goofiness, laziness, stupidity, and slacking off are funny and are constantly represented on TV.  On all of these shows mentioned, it should be noted that it is the female figures – the moms and sisters -  who are often the smarter voices of reason and stability.  Talk about entrenched gender stereotyping in every episode!

Back to the question of “what can we do?”  Sax suggests that we aim to meet the needs of squirmy, talkative boys.  For example,  librarians could  institute a “Noisy-Time Storytime” wherein students are invited to not sit quietly, but rather  to actively participate in the story as it is read, making comments, sit, stand, and lie down, and tap, click and rock as needed. 

Sax also suggests and revisiting of the curriculum in general to meet the needs of boys at their developmental level.  A five year old boy, for example, in Sax’s opinion, is possibly not ready to be taught to read.  He equates this with trying to teach a three year old girl to read, for instance. 

Myself, I will continue to make quality book purchases that I think are best aimed at their hard to please readers.  Moreover, as librarians, we should be enlisting the help of boys when looking at print and online catalogues.  The more involved  they are in the process, the more likely they will become active participants in the school library. 

Lastly, despite the foreboding nature of the research on this topic, my husband and I will quietly and doggedly continue to read to our toddler each night, and ply him with books at each stage in his developmental years!

Sax, Leonard (2007).  The Boy Problem.  School Library Journal  September 2007.

Argh...Student Choice vs. Parental Preferences in the School Library

While this might be a bit off-topic for our coursework, I must vent a bit about the issue of a students' right to personal choice when it come to library selection.  Just this week, I had two different, well-meaning moms approach me and ask me to keep their primary boys  from selecting 'junk' during library book exchange.  By junk, they were referring to the widely-purchased, and well-regarded DK Readers series, levels 1 - 4, which feature eye-catching 'boy' subjects such as Batman, Spiderman, and Star Wars.  Apparently, Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not also fall in the 'junk' category, along with pretty much anything that his not a standard 'chapter book."  One rather bewildered third grader usually comes to library time armed with a sticky note from home bearing titles from which he is 'allowed' to choose.  Needless, to say, this boy does not really enjoy library time, and is anxious to find a book from his 'list' so that he can breathe a sigh of relief.

Luckily, one mom approached me at a time in the day when I actually had time (!) to give her a little tour of the library and a "talking to."  I explained that students get required reading in their classrooms, at-home reading books from their teachers, etc... that library time should be THEIR time to choose a book of interest to them, not necessarily one at their particular reading level.  In fact, if all students were ONLY allowed to take out books at their reading level, then library time would literally take hours.

The word needs to get out about multi-literacies.  The act of reading is an all-encompassing technique which involves visual cues,  prior knowledge, connection-building, visualization, and questioning.  It is not simply the ability to decode words. 

The venerable Ron Jobe stated it best in his book, Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners when he described the the critical importance of 'appeal.'  Children will not choose books that don't hold some sort of personal appeal or connection for them.  Once that connection is made (a 'gross' cover, a familiar character in the title, a creepy-crawly photograph), students will naturally want to  read about that topic.

In the end, does it really matter if our students are reading chapter books or graphic novels for pleasure?  Think about the wide range of 'pleasure' reading that adults do: newspapers, magazines, comics, TV guides, blogs, Facebook conversation threads,  MSN headlines... it is ALL reading and it is ALL valid.

As Jobe concluded, we must give ourselves and our children 'permission' to pursue our own interests in reading.

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Works Cited:

Jobe, Ron (2002).  Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners. Markham, Ont: Pembroke Publishing

Geographical Reference Sources - "what's good?"

Are print atlases a thing of the past?  Are online sources a faster, speedier, more reliable source for geographical questions?

Happily, print atlases seems to be a steadily- used reference tool in my school.  I recommend the Nystrom Canadian Atlas as a whole-class set.  It has a great teacher’s guide, and colourful, clear images.  The student copies are soft covers, though and need reinforcing.  I agree with many of you that a class set is not a library budget purchase.  However, I do recommend a full class set being purchased out of learning resource money.  It is not always easy physically for students to share, and as a left-handed person, there are just some things I can only do ‘one way’ and leaning to the right to study from a book is not one of them!

I do also enjoy the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada and the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of the World.  Both editions are reasonable priced for quality hardcovers (approx. $30.00 - $40.00) straightforward indexing, clearly labelled images.  It fits most of the criteria that Riedling sets out:  it has a simple, clearly- defined scale, colourful, clear, and legible images, and Scholastic Canada is a widely-used and recognized publisher of school learning materials. 

I have been checking out some of the online geographical sources that Riedling recommends, such as The Map Machine Atlas and The Lonely Planet.  The Lonely Planet was a bit too busy and full of advertising.  It is rather like a trip planning site than a site useful to elementary students.  I enjoyed the Map Machine Atlas.  It has a great downloadable feature which allows students to view maps in 3D.  It’s connection to the National Geographic Society lends authority and reliability to the site. 

It was interesting to read that Riedling states that any atlas (actually any reference material) five years or older is considered “historical.”  New class sets of atlases every four or five years will definitely stretch school budgets! 

Bibliographies - print and online

This was an interesting question to tackle, mostly because there is quite a bit out there to use.  Firstly, I have to mention that I continue to use a couple ‘old’ print lists.  They sit on my desk as a quick reference:

Meet the Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)

Meet the Canadian Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)

Every Teacher’s Thematic Booklist (Scholastic)

Yes, these were published in the 1990’s (for the record, when I was still in high school!!)  but I find these print copies useful, especially when talking to parents and teachers who are looking for the ‘golden oldies.’  Also, I find that, more and more, classroom teachers are returning to classic picture books and, less frequently, older novels to create a balance between old and new.

As others have stated, NoveList k-8 is an excellent source, comprehensive and up-to-date.  Our school district provides this site for free for school and at-home use.  I also continue to use the Canadian Children’s Book Centre site (http://www.bookcentre.ca) frequently for biographies and for current information on literacy awards and author visit info.  Also, the information at ERAC (Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium) (https://bcerac.ca) is critical.

Cafe Society? Expanding to meet the Wants and Needs of our Students

I was just  reading an excellent article by Debra Lau Whelan in the January 2008 edition of School Library Journal, Cafe Society:  Do School Libraries Need a Double Shot of Espresso?  The article brings to the table the question of the changing needs of school libraries and libraries in general.  It highlights several high school libraries that have incorporated small cafes, thus encouraging students to browse and spend more time in the library in a relaxed, coffee-house atmosphere.  Two distinct and entrenched sides have opinions on this concept.  One side is appalled with the idea of food services in the library, lamenting the cost, clean up, and overall image of cafes:  aren't we here to promote books, not caffeine?  On the other hand, more progressive librarians see it is as a way to encourage students to drop into the library.  Those who have established cafes have seen new faced arrive, as well as a rise in circulation.

I, personally, love the idea.  I am not the type of librarian to forbid water bottles or who goes around shushing her patrons. It never seemed to make sense to me to alienate the very group of people we are trying to attract.  We WANT students to WANT  to be in the library, and if that means bending some long-standing old-fashioned rules, then so be it.  Of course, we don't want a big mess in our libraries, or  to have coffee spilled over all of the books, but if corporations like Chapters are willing to take that risk, shouldn't we give it a try? 

 My husband and I have a favourite date night - going to Chapter's, browsing for books in mutual silence, and then meeting up for a cozy cup of tea at the adjoining Starbucks to discuss waht we read or purchased. The coffee bar concept is popular for a reason - it is a meeting place, and place for discussion, entertainment, book clubs, socializing, etc.  One school media specialst was quoted in ths article by saying, "I wanted a place where students could read, do research, and work on classroom assignments, but also socialize."  If our challenge is to get more students INTO the library in order to become familiar with and use the school library, this seems like a great palce to start. 

Dictionary Dilemma

I spent quite a bit of time this week examining the reference section of my school library, with special attention paid to the assorted dictionaries.  When I was growing up and  going to school in the 80's and 90's, the school library always had a huge, imposing, tomb-like dictionary on a special wooden stand - we dared not go near it!  To us kids, it screamed 'adults only!' 

In my current situation, I agree with what many of my classmates have stated- students are not well-versed in using a dictionary for everyday use.  They may have the alphabetizing system down pat, but they are not used to 'readability' factor - navigating multiple meanings, multiple spellings, word origins, and pronounciations guides that many dictionaries include.  In addition, students find navigating the small print challenging, and often are convinced that they word they are looking for is simply not there.

In terms of 'essential' print dictionaries, I recommend:

1. a French-English / English-French Disctionary
2 a dictionary of word origins
3.  the Scholastic Dictionary of Homonyms, Synonyms, and Antonyms (my personal fav!)
4. a Large-sized visual dictionary for little ones

(a note about the language dictionaries: I am still trying the teach my students (I am the French teacher,  too, or at least that's what they tell me!) how to properly use the French-English/ English-French dictionary.  These dictionaries are really two in one, and students need to understand how you use different parts of the book to look up a French word as opposed to an English word).

Many classmates have commented that the problem with dictionaries lies with the fact that students are not being instructed properly in their usage.  I certainly remember, as a child, "doing worksheets" on dictionary skills: choosing the correct set of guide words from a confusing list, alphabetizing rows and rows of words, and deciphering pronounciation keys.  Was this useful?  I certainly feel that I know how to use a dictionary well, but did this direct (and dry) approach  to student learning reach all students?   Perhaps the direct  teaching of dictionary skills is becoming overshadowed by the even-increasing curriculum, and the fact that online resources seem to be the wave of the future - are classroom teachers pushing dictionary skills aside for other topics?  The push to integrate learning and  to provide authentic learning experiences also has pushed aside dictionary skills.  When the need arises, a student looks a word up in the dictionary, and, through trial and error, find what he or she is looking for...this is a good learning experience, and one that is authentic and situational, but it does not provide the student with practice and mastery.