20 Tips for Better Book Displays

Sometimes when confronted about creating a new book display, my mind can go blank and that happened to me recently for some reason. Some of the ideas that are suggested tend to go along the lines of the American School Year, which follow their seasons, not ours.

I needed remind myself of the some of the rules that can make a book display a good one.

Also I thought I'd share a link  with tips on how to make a library display more eye catching. It was prepared by Lynne Mannolini, a library officer in Western Australia. It can be anything library related as well where you can apply it to.

Picking the right book with the PLUS Model

I wrote this feature on picking the right book as part of a library report for the newsletter at Marsden High School, I based it on this article which suggests applying the PLUS model.

From time to time, I will have a student say to me “I don’t like reading”. Why might a student resent having to read? There are many factors at play. We may be told that we have to read a certain book as part of our learning and that it doesn’t interest us, or we may feel that our level of reading is “not up to scratch” against our peers.  

In the past fortnight, I have completed The Sky is so Heavy by Claire Zorn and Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French. I enjoyed reading both of them, and was quite tempted to not put the books down.

So how do you pick the right book to read? I recommend applying the PICK method (Purpose, Interest, Comprehend, Know the Words).

Purpose - Finding the reason/s why we are reading the book. Hopefully it is for fun or to learn something new.

Interest - What interests us in our lives like our activities and pursuits. There might be topics or themes that relate straight back to it. Have a look at the cover/s, read the blurb on the back cover or flick through the pages of a book to help you make a decision. In the library, books can be identified through genre stickers (Fiction) or by organising books by subject (Non-Fiction) to guide students.

Comprehend - Selecting a book according to our reading ability and being able to understand the information that is being presented.

Know the Words - Understanding the language or words used. If it is too hard, do not select it.

So how did I apply this model with my recent reading? I read the books for enjoyment, but also to recommend to students (Purpose). I enjoy reading Science Fiction and books set around historical events. For instance, Pennies for Hitler is set in World War II Europe and Australia (Interest). My understanding of the events of World War II also guided me in my selection of Pennies for Hitler while The Sky so Heavy allowed me to challenge my understandings of the outcome of a Nuclear War on society (Comprehend). Given that the books were written for younger audiences, I knew I would have little difficulty understanding the language (Know the Words).

There are other tools available to guide in the selection of the right book. The library catalogue is available online and includes reading lists to guide your reading. As mentioned, genre stickers have been placed on Fiction books to identify them by genre. Library Staff are there to assist as well.

Accreditation Complete

I logged into my BOSTES account this week and found that my status is now proficient which means I am now officially recognised as a teacher in NSW. This will open some new doors for me professionally.

I would like to thank Waverley College and the following staff in particular for their support in getting the evidence together and completing the paperwork:

• Ray Paxton (Head of College) - for his constant support in my work at the College.
• Tony Moore (Director of Personnel Services) - Guiding me through the steps involved in submitting the evidence and ensuring that my portfolio complied with standards set by the College and BOSTES.
• Lynsey Porter (Head of English) - Giving up her time to complete a lesson observation during Term 4, 2015 and providing useful feedback to support my professional practice.
• Sherri Falkinder (Acting Head of Library) - Liaising with senior staff when needed and for providing me with time to prepare the portfolio. 

Also, a big thanks to Jenny Williams (Former Head of Digital Learning & Information Services, MLC School Burwood) who was able to sign off samples of evidence from my work as Teacher Librarian (Acting) in 2014 at MLC Burwood. 

Kids & Family Reading Report

I am working my way through the Kids & Family Reading Report which has been published by Scholastic.

So far I have been quite surprised at some of the findings and the enthuaism that kids have for reading, even if it is not being visibly expressed.

Yes the results drop through secondary schooling, because more time is required for one to engage in academic reading and study.

But one element of interest to me is how nearly three quarters of kids would read more if they could find more books that they like.

I have to remind myself about knowing the students, their reading habits but also their interests. I have noticed in partticular that conversations that you have with students in the library are important to guiding students.

Suggested reading lists are always a good key because the popular or related items can easily be listed and identified. I have done that with the NSW Premiers Reading Challenge at Waverley College and the response from the participants has been very good. They actually asked me questions about the books and being able to recommend the item (or not). Why do a reading list? It can act as a guide given the overwhelming choice of books that a school library can offer these days.

I have noted it before, but if a student is a reluctant reader, I always ask them what their interests and hobbies are and then try to find a suitable book/s for them to read. I have found that they are more likely to engage as a result.

Also, getting kids to read is about giving them choices, like allowing one to read non-fiction if they wish instead of fiction. restrict Narrowing choices can put one off reading.  Neither, would I ever recommend what I have seen one English teacher do at one school - make their students select from one of two books to read and use poor behaviour as justification for that. If a student can choose what to read, won't they be more likely to do what is required?

Technology in the classroom: Is withdrawing the use of laptops from classrooms right or wrong?

Last month, there was media coverage relating to the decision by a Sydney school to ban laptops from use in the classroom because of views that they "distract" the learning process.  This does go against conventional views on the use of technology in the classroom.

From my experience, I can understand why  laptop use might be discouraged because students can be too distracted and makes managing student behaviour a challenge. But could the ramifications of such an approach cancel out the benefits associated with using technology in the classroom?

There are some learning tasks where a pen and paper approach might be more effective, but using  information and communication technologies does allow for transformative learning to occur as emphasised under the SAMR model. I have been a keen advocate for use of technology in the classroom because you can do more with technology than pen and paper technologies can do.

I have pointed out that students can present their information in different formats through technology  e.g. practice new words in a foreign language by recording a TV interview with a student acting as a famous sports star. You can find out information in real time or compare different perspectives.  

With so many demands in our lives, it is important that we are productive with the limited time that one has. Forcing students to handwrite assignments is a time consuming process, and presentation wise isn't as effective as typing it on a computer. Some students would be disadvantaged especially if their handwriting is poor. 

Students love using technology; best reflected in their everyday use of digital devices including phones, tablets and computers. If we can let students use the same technology that they use for recreation, why cannot we use it in an educational sense? They are more likely to engage than if I were to make students read from a textbook and answer comprehension questions. 

Also I felt the need to share this article by Anthony Segart, a student at St Andrews Cathedral School, Sydney as well because it helps support the reflections that I have made.  As an educator, I am obliged to equip students with the skills that they will need for active participation in a 21st century society. This includes equipping students with the skills that they will need in order to use technology effectively. 

He does make one additional point which is my challenge for me as an educator - How do I teach students to manage the distractions that technology can provide? Well one answer is making the lessons meaningful and relevant but also help students try to block out distractions, like we have to do in the physical world.

The benefits of OLIVER

In the current issue of Scan (Volume 35, Issue 1), Sonya Engelen outlines some benefits that OLIVER has bought to the students at Thirroul Public School.

OLIVER has become the standard for library catalogues in schools in NSW. Not only is it used in Department of Education Schools, but also through schools managed by the Catholic Education Office, Sydney and independent schools.

I have used or being exposed to other systems over the years and OLIVER is by far the best. Sonya has raised those benefits well like the Web 2.0 interface and ability to create lists containing resources for a topic. It simplifies the work in locating and selecting resources. As a teacher, I actually like creating and maintaining resource lists because it guide me in which resources to use in the classroom but also share it with students, so that they can actively use resources. This can be easily updated and changed as resources come and go.

Also the students can take ownership through providing book reviews, particularly if one is struggling to pick a book of their choice. This can also be tied into library feature reports in school newsletters

She does point one challenge in terms of educating students in how to login and access the catalogue, which is one challenge I'll have to set myself to do. At  Waverley College, I introduced students to the basics of OLIVER, like how to do a search, locate lists and identify the format of resources, but need to focus on the more advanced features like accessing the lists, advanced search features and even how to actually reserve a book without one having to go to the information desk.