Puzzles in the library

One thing that has become a bit of crowd puller this term at my current school is jigsaw puzzles.

It began simply out of a pastoral care period. The students had an opportunity for one period to work on puzzles or play board games in the library. A group had spent the fifty minute period working on a puzzle and we didn't want it to be dismantled.

We left it on the table and as students came to the library, they then took the initiative and the puzzle has taken shape.

It is not finished. Sadly there have been two incidents of students walking past and smashing the puzzle to pieces. Fortuantely, they get reassembled quickly.

It's proving to be a great recreational activity to promote because it requires:

• Collaboration (people working together)
• Problem solving (does the pieces fit etc? Should we work on borders first)
• Organisational skills (sorting pieces by colours, types, featured objects etc).
• Concentration

In addition jigsaw puzzles have a:

• Calming effect on the students.
• May attract students that may not normally use the library for reading or for learning during break times.
• Ability to fill time like when waiting your turn to access printing services.

I look forward to spending the summer working on some 4D puzzles which have been a challenge to those who have done it. 

Teaching Availability for 2018

As the end of the year approaches, I need to remind people of my availability for work in 2018.

At this stage, I am available for either casual, temporary or full time employment as a Teacher Librarian in 2018.

If you know of a school that requires the services of a Teacher Librarian or need a "locum" to fill in, please contact me.

More information is available here.

HallowRead Trivia

Recently , I was looking for ideas to do a library activity focusing on Halloween. I searched the OZTL_NET forum for ideas and liked the idea from one contributor of referring to Halloween as "HallowRead", to encourage reading.

I created a "HallowRead" quiz to challenge the Readers Club students focusing on Fantasy and Horror books. It was quite challenging but fun.

I will share this with you:

Questions
Answers
Answer Sheet

Thankyou to those on the OZTL_NET forum who shared their ideas.

Sydney Writers Festival @ Cabramatta Library- October 19 2017

Yours truly with Jessica Townsend, Author of the recently released book - Nevermoor.

Fairfield City Council recently hosted a Sydney Writers Festival workshop for students attending schools within the Fairfield City Council Local Government Area.

I took a group of sixteen students from Mary Mackillop Catholic College, Wakeley to attend the sessions. Those attending were given some excellent writing tips from the following authors:

• J. C. Burke - What to consider when writing a short story e.g. Ensuring that you know your (main) character
• Marlee Jane Ward - To write, you need to constantly develop your writing skills.
• Evelyn Scott (Poet) - Poetry is feeling, not telling. Poetry must be able to evoke emotion.  

Jessica Townsend went on a different tangent focusing on she was motivated into writing and was a keen writer from a very young age. Like the other writers, it takes time to reach your ultimate goal. For the girls, this was their big highlight of the day

Her recently released book Nevermoor has already been signed up for a film adapation by 20th Century Fox, and is being released in 28 countries.  She is an author to watch. I am in the process of reading Nevermoor and hopefully will update you soon on what I think.    

Time to ditch printed magazines?

Last year, I shared insights on ePeriodical apps including Pressreader and Zinio. Recently, I was told by a colleague about the relevance of Periodical Collections in school libraries.

They advised me that it is no longer worth spending. The argument was that newspapers and magazines incurred unnecessary expenses because of the easy disposal, whereas a book has a longer shelf life.

I can see their point, particularly as apps such as Zinio will allow you to access back issues for a period of time and once "loaned", it is yours forever. You can download copies to your app, delete them and if you need it again in the future download it again.

The digital replica can in effect have the life that a printed book would otherwise have.

However, studies show the preference for printed resources. Is forcing one to go digital the right way or wrong way?

While the benefits might include access to a greater variety of periodicals, ease of convenience, access to back issues and less maintenance of the periodical collection, the downside is that school students lose an opportunity to locate content from printed periodicals or seek out a printed copy if they enjoy the web content.

What is interesting though is that more magazines e.g. Time Magazine actually provide free digital subscriptions to print subscribers. Even if you take out a digital only subscription, you will have to pay the same price. You might as well get the combined subscription and provide the online login (via your intranet or learning management system).

With access to Australian newspapers, the web services provided for digital replicas and websites to schools is still poor with unfriendly interfaces along with the high costs of providing the service. At this stage, it would be preferred that a printed editions be made available and a single login (via your intranet of learning management system) to the website and digital replica. The digital access would only work for access on a web browser.

As for magazines, abolishing the entire print collection won't work at this stage. Rather, concentrate on the popular titles and cull the less popular ones. If a school can afford a zinio or Pressreader subscription, it should be used to supplement the existing collection. Public Libraries have scaled their collections of printed magazines while providing others online.

And try and see if your subscription includes digital access as to get the best of both worlds, particularly where printed and digital subscription is equal to the price of a digital only subscription.

Libraries as an "extension of the playground"

I recently raised on two Teacher Librarian forums the idea of the library acting as an “extension of the playground.”

I received more than a dozen responses and have decided to share some of the information that was received or posted. Thankyou for your contributions.

Some do not support the idea of the library acting as an extension of the playground citing the library as a learning space and/or reading occurs. Loud conversations etc are not encouraged. One response was explicit in that the library was “not the playground”.

Another response cited personal experience where the application of the idea attracted the disenfranchised as opposed to those who may be seeking the library for learning, reading or even quiet activities e.g. board games. This stemmed out of the idea that libraries were in the eyes of teachers spaces for socialising.

Other responses supported the idea of the library as a “community” space during break times to allow students to access library services in a more informal manner. Social activities of a passive manner are allowed e.g. board games, playing (appropriate) games on computers, reading, homework and quiet chatter. Interestingly there was no reference in the postings and discussion to the library as an “extension of the playground”.

So then the question is, what is meant by the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground?"

To understand the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground”, it required me to define what is meant by “playground”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it “refers to a piece of land used for and usually equipped with facilities for recreation especially for children”. So if applied to a library during a recess or lunch break, the library must be equipped with facilities for recreation in order to be deemed a “playground”.

Therefore if the concept were applied, as Teacher Librarians, it would be our responsibility to provide students with appropriate recreational activities to keep them engaged.

I do have concerns with the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground” in terms of the wording of the phrase. The word “playground” can be opened to many interpretations, as suggested by one contributor. Some may see this phrase as allowing behaviours allowed in outdoor settings to be applied indoors. If allowed, it creates concerns for learning and social needs along with safety of others. There are one or two schools which I have observed personally as adopting this approach. This has created behaviour management issues, particularly as they may behave in a manner that would not normally engage in within the normal classroom setting. Students complain, insisting they have a right to engage in the behaviour e.g. sitting on a table or entitled to warnings despite the imminent risk of safety.

Therefore we should not apply the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground”. I have supported the concept of libraries as a recreational space during break times within the context of encouraging recreational activities that are passive when compared to normal playground activities - whether it is playing board games, card games, (appropriate) computer games or reading. Quiet chatter while seated is acceptable. It is important that it is explicitly stated as to what is allowed and not allowed in the library during break times along with expectations for behaviour. I would involve students and staff in the process as a means of encouraging ownership of library spaces and resources.