The Lighthouse Diary Entry # 24 - Literacy Month, Conversations, Dialogue and Discussions

I find myself closing the month of September struck by many insights gleaned from the practice of school librarianship. Needless to say, I am busier as ever. Productive, yes. But, Work From Home (WFH) and Online Distance Learning (ODL) can be exhausting. Now this means taking a step back and continuously figuring out strategies that will work best for me and my family. A work in progress.

I am keeping count of the many interactions I have had with students and colleagues this month. The consultations on research with students, particularly on the Extended Essay, the Senior Project and the Personal Project are investments in time and relationships. The session on Bibliotherapy which I led during our De-Stress Fest inspired me to create a Bibliotherapy program going beyond the dispensing of Bibliotherapy services. I facilitated a research skills session on Bibliography and Citations with our junior high school students last week. Earlier today I sat in the Theory of Knowledge classes of our grade 11s. It was an amazing experience listening to them respond to the texts about Martial Law. The texts they read came from books and sources in the library which I curated two weeks previous to the class. 

September is Literacy Month. Though we do not celebrate this in the Academy in any way, the activities, sessions and interactions I had with students and colleagues truly embody literacy skills development. I realize the value of our work in this age of WFH and ODL.

As the school's Teacher Librarian, I think, more than leading and journeying with students in finding answers to their questions, my role is to provide avenues of conversations, discussions and dialogues. The library remains to be a safe space for young people learning to find their way in the intricate system of the digital world and at the same time, keeping them tethered in their authentic selves. They belong to a family and a community made up of people. In the bigger society, they are citizens responsible for their own actions while relating with others with kindness and compassion.

Libraries today operating in the ODL environment may have all the tech tools to operationalize programs and to support instructional design and its delivery. But the interactions between librarian, student and teachers, the library staff and  library users are rich experiences to derive insights and the impetus to improve services and programs.

How do we now document the processes of conversations, dialogues and discussions? What can we do with the data and information gathered and gleaned from these thought processes? What languages are we creating? How do we determine our growth and development?

Summer Reading Program 2015

Here is the guideline of our library's Summer Reading Program. I will post the progress of the activity in the blog in the coming days.

Summer Reading Program Guidelines

1. Books from the BA Library collection can be borrowed over the summer. There is no limit to the number of books that can be borrowed. This is open to all members of the BA community. Book borrowing begins on May 22, 2015. All books borrowed during the summer must be returned on August 4, 2015.

2. Students, teachers and staff can sign up for a Summer Reading Passport. Registration begins on May 22, 2015. Those who sign up will be given a reading passport.

3. How does the Summer Reading Passport work?

1. A minimum of 10 books is required to join in this summer reading activity.
2. Upon signing up, you will be asked to define your reading goal.
3. Choose at least 5 books from the recommended list found in the Summer Reading Program brochure and 5 books of your own choice from the BA library’s collection.
4. Use the reading passport to record and log insights, reflections and responses on the books you have read.
5. Take a photo of the top 3 best books you have read from the 10 books and post it on IG using #booklove, #bestreadsofsummer and #griffinsread.
6. On August 4, 2015, return your completed reading passport to Mr. Flynn for a token or a reading award. Completed reading passports qualify as raffle tickets to the Back to School Book Giveaway Raffle Draw. The winner will be announced during the assembly.

Important reminder: Your reading goal must help you choose the books you will pick out from the recommended reading list and from the library’s collection.

Summer Reading Program (SRP) Schedule

May 18, 2015 Announcement of SRP via email

May 20, 2015 SRP Brochure distribution

May 22 - 28, 2015 Sign up days for Summer Reading Passport 2015

May 22, 2015 - August 3, 2015 READING TIME 

August 4, 2015 Return all books borrowed to the library

Five Questions #1: How to Encourage Young Adult Readers to Read Books

Participants asked me five questions after my group's session at the Rizal Library International Conference last October 22-23, 2014. I will be posting these and my answers one at a time in the blog. The first one is about young adult readers and how to encourage them to read books. 

Note that I am going to include additional information on my answers. So, if you were there at the conference, reading this post is still worth your time. :-)

How to Encourage Young Adult Readers to Read Books

First, the school librarian must know who his or her readers are. Generally, there are three kinds: the avid reader, the reluctant reader, and the non-reader. The avid reader is the easiest to lure. The reluctant reader is the choosy one, undecided and at times, hesitant to make a choice because they do not know the available reading materials as well as his or her own reading choices. The non-reader as the term implies, is not at all reading either by choice (aliteracy) or by nature and nurture factor. Non-readers may have negative experiences in reading or their brain functions in a way that reading can't be easily accommodated. Non-readers are students who were not diagnosed or assessed early on of their reading disability or learning challenges.

Knowing the reading materials available for them and written for them is the next strategy to make them visit the library and read books. So, the school library's collection development program needs to be sensitive to these kinds of readers.

For avid readers, book displays and book activity announcements during assemblies, through the library bulletin board and electronic means are enough to make them read. These readers are perfect book ambassadors too! They can help spread the word that reading is fun and that it is good for you! These readers enjoy talking about the books they've read and even writing reviews about it. Since teenagers rarely listen to the adults around them, they are more comfortable with peers. Avid readers can inspire and convince the reluctant readers to read.

Presenting an array of reading materials of varied formats and genre to reluctant readers is another way to make them read. Combining books with media and technology can entice them to jump into books and reading. Book trailers, FB and Twitter post on new books, book to movie adaptations are some of the promotional techniques that can be employed. I like blending technology with printed books.

As for the non-readers, their needs are special. So I work with their teachers in creating a book list for them. With the help of teachers, I am still able to reach out to these students.

I think the key here is knowing the reader and what book he or she likes. Ranganthan is still correct: to every book a reader; to every reader a book.

And this principle has plenty to do with how you build your school library's collection.

Lastly, there is also the matter on non-fiction books and how teens conduct research. The young adult reader doing research is another topic worthy of discussion.