The Lighthouse Diary #38: Take What You Need

It has been a month since we went back to on-site work. WOW. A lot has happened since then. 

We have had an online visit from librarians of St. Schoalstica's College. We had three days of orientation and easing into hybrid learning routines that included the strict compliance to health protocols. We have identified work to prioritize in the library with the new working arrangements. And, given our practice of close shelf library procedures, we are getting continous book requests and reservations for online consultations from teachers and students.

On top of this, I have facilitated two research sessions for our juniors; read and marked Extended Essays; and lent supervision to my advisees on academic writing and self management. The report cards of my advisees were sent out two weeks ago and already, I am getting requests for one-on-one sessions on study skills. 

In my recent on-site work in the library, I noticed that students have picked up on the insipirational quotes we set up on our easel board. Nothing big, really. But it is our way of relaying the message that socio-emotional learning is important as we all make the transition yo hybrid learning.

Since students have taken an interest on the quotations we shared, there will definitely be a second batch. I will be adding recommended books or a book list the students can check and borrow when they find an interesting title. Our Book Drop and Pick Station has been set up as well so students can pass by the library to pick up or drop their books. By now, they already know how to send us emails for queries but a reminder for them to use the OPAC is necessary. And that will go into my to-do list. 

I just find it odd to be doing a task that pretty much looks like it is the 1st term. Then again, we are living in strange times and uncertainty is something we eat for breakfast. Life goes on, so Bangtan sings. We soldier on.

Our week after the Easter Break is for off campus work  but the line up of reports to write, projects to finish and yes, the provision of library sevrices for leisure reading and research is on-going. We are looking at conducting our inventory in June - God forbid another surge. From here on, we learn KOHA, our new library management system while the last quarter of the academic year winds down.

Creative Therapies 101 with SPUM Edge 2022: Bibliotherapy

The five sessions on Bibliotherapy I had with the learning community at St. Paul Manila University ended early this month. My gratitude goes to Dr. Brian Bantugan and Dr. Aimee Santillan Butial for making this possible. I may be the facilitator, but, as it alaways happens in the teaching and learning process, the teacher learns.

Here are five things I learned from the Creative Therapies 101 Bibliotherapy:

1. I learned that participants need to be introduced or to be reviewed on literary forms and media formats, including genre of literature before using texts for bibliotherapy.

2. Alongside this review are sample texts that must be read in between sessions or as asynchornous activites

3. When reviewing or providing input on the above mentioned topics, it is important to use a framework. I plan to use the "form follows function" concept to make a framework for this input session. 

4. Co-facilitators can make a difference in deepening the concepts presneted and discussed during the webinar.

5. Make use of social media platforms for engagement and extension of aysnchronous activities.

It was a big help that Dr. Bantugan presented research and theories during the sessions. His presentation on the theories surrounding creative therapies grounded the process of bibliotherapy as a legitimate strategy for the promotion and growth of socio-emotional learning.  

The Lighthouse Diary #33: What We Tell Ourselves During Tough Times

 

I am back to wearing the Adviser's Hat this academic year. One month into the term, I am still adjusting. How I wish it was like riding a bike again after a long while. Ah, the value of muscle memory. It is not the same with teaching children and students, or with trainig people in general.

What keeps my spirit up is the support of colleagues and co-advisers, as well as the honesty and diligence of my students. How admirable that they all could manage to show up and do the work as best as they can. This energy is evident in the online environment too. I discovered, it is not less real or inauthentic. There are signs to watch out for. Cues and clues to catch the sincerity from engaging with people online.

Suffice it to say that we are learning and adapting to this new normal. If anything, this change can bring about new ways to relate with people. What remains is the eagerness and the need to connect, to communicate and to create.

This self-care/self talk poster I made for my advisory class is aimed to remind my students that they are not alone in online distance learning. The quotes written on each block are words they wish to hear from me and from themselves during tough times.

At the start of the academic year, when we had our first group advisory session, I told them that the Diploma Program is rigorous. So, before we identified personal goals, we accepted that there are difficulties to face, eventually. Fleshing these out can come in later or in mid-term when submission of requirements and deadlines are pilling up on top of the other. So, I asked my advisees what they want to hear from me when things get really tough. What will they tell themselves?

The poster is evidence of their resilience, empathy and grit.

March 26 is International SEL Day!

 March 26 is International SEL Day by the SEL4US and The Urban Assembly. Sign up to advocate and participate in the campaign for SEL at home, in school and in the learning community.

BA Library Online: #MaslowBeforeBloom

This week in BA Library Online, I shared the #MaslowBeforeBloom school of thought that has been circulating in social media. 

A month ago, the #MaslowbeforeBloom school of thought broke the internet.The basic and psychological needs of young people must come first so that they can apply the high order thinking skills expected of them in school and at home. This conversation in social media is on-going. Resources online are abundant. Insights and reflections from educators, child psychologists and youth workers vary from personal experiences to professional practice as informed by research. Follow and use the hashtag to find out what the buzz is all about (if you haven't yet) over at Twitter, Facebook, IG and LinkedIn.

One resource about #MaslowbeforeBloom that is of interest is the collection of articles, videos, PDFs and podcasts put together by Youth Development Today (April 2020 Issue).The contents of the April 2020 issue focuses on processes to help parents, teachers and youth workers understand young people and ensure that they are ready to engage in learning in light of the pandemic.

The article on young people's use of technology as tool to develop relationships presents multiple viewpoints weighing on the pros and cons. It includes the kinds of technology young people prefer to use to keep them tethered to family, friends and relatives in this time of physical distancing. On top of the list is the use of Zoom and other video calls and conferencing apps. Then again, the Search Institute's Developmental Relationships Framework is a reminder on the essentials of meaningful connections we can forge with our students.

Click on the links and visit the websites!