Ideas! Ideas! Ideas!

When this course first started back in September and I took a look at the Vision of the Future project, I truly didn’t have many ideas.  I was just starting out in my new position as a teacher librarian and really didn’t know what I was in for entirely.

Now, two months of school have passed.  The ideas on how I would love to move our Library Learning Commons forward have grown exponentially.  This has happened from the numerous blog posts I have read in this course over the past few months. The ideas have also continued to grow because I have increased the number of individuals in my professional learning network who are teacher librarians and media specialists.  Additionally, the ideas have also continued to come based on conversations with my colleagues, administration and parents as they are sharing some of their thoughts and ideas with me. I am excited about the enthusiasm that has been shared with me from my colleagues, administration and parents as this has helped create a positive atmosphere in the school about the Library Learning Commons.

However, with all the ideas which have come forward I am also feeling the pressure of the ever growing to-do list.  I want to continue to move our Library Learning Commons forward using the Leading Learning - Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada but this then makes an endless list of to-do tasks.  The ideas shared in the blog posts from this course on creating a culture of literacy provided an endless amount of opportunities which are far too many to try in one year.  The ideas shared even in my own school community have created so much potential but a to-do list which couldn’t even be completed if I worked 18 hours a day.  

My hope in my final vision project is to start to compile some of the ideas which have come forward and create a one-stop shop for a variety of stakeholders.  My initial thoughts include creating a Symbaloo, a shared Google drive or even a website. My vision for this final project is creating something that is continually evolving to meet the needs of my school community and something that is easily updated, adapted and changed if necessary.  

I would like my Final Vision Project to somehow address the following goals if possible:

I am excited about where this Final Vision Project may lead and the opportunities it will possibly provide. 

Leading Learning – Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. (2018). Retrieved from http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/

Learning Journey

This phase of blog posts provided ample opportunity for research and reflection.  I found I was very comfortable writing about creating a culture of literacy and professional learning communities. These two topics are passions of mine and I enjoy researching and learning more about them both. Creating a culture of literacy posts were the most relevant posts for my current situation as this is an area my school is currently putting a lot of attention towards this school year.  I enjoyed reading how other schools and libraries are promoting literacy. Through my own exploration and the explorations of others in the class, I continued to learn more about the role of a Teacher Librarian. The role of a Teacher Librarian is multifaceted. Teacher Librarians might be called on to do a variety of roles in our schools. We also have to be flexible in our own learning to accommodate the educators and students in our buildings.  With these multifaceted roles it also became clear from the variety of posts the role of the Teacher Librarian continues to evolve. It will continue to evolve as we experience curriculum changes and budget constraints. Our students and colleagues come to school with a variety of different skills and we must adjust to meet their demands.

The specific module which resonated with me that requires some additional professional knowledge is the subject of World Libraries.  This is an area I had never explored until Module 8. I found reading some of my peers’ posts very interesting and educational. It was interesting to view how my colleagues support different literacy organizations based on their school, church and community involvements.  I feel this is an area in which I have to explore further and continue to educate myself about. The other aspect in Module 8 regarding the use of mobile devices is something which also has never been a concern in my current educational setting. I am very fortunate to work and live in a very affluent area where the lack of access to devices or internet has never been a concern for our school or students.  The concerns in my school are about using devices effectively to maximize student learning. My school is 1:1 at all grade levels and is well supported by infrastructure.

My top 3 takeaways are:

READ, READ, READ
To foster a reading culture in schools, you need to be a reader as well.  This includes reading picture books, non-fiction, novels and professional books around literacy.  If you know books, authors and the research, you will be better equipped to have conversations with everyone in your building - staff, students, administration and parents.  

Share your Enthusiasm

This applies to fostering a culture of reading in schools as well as professional development.  Share your enthusiasm for literacy and learning with anyone who will listen. Your enthusiasm toward certain ICT skills and pedagogy and your willingness to learn will help set the stage when talking to your colleagues. It can become contagious and will undoubtedly assist us in creating a learning culture.

Be Kind to Yourself

After reflecting on these past four weeks. One thing that continued to surface was the abundance of resources, materials and ideas available.  There are many different ways to foster a reading culture, develop your ICT skills and build professional communities. With the abundance it can feel overwhelming.  You will want to try everything. Some things you will try and it will work out great. Other activities will not go as planned. At the end of the day, it is more about the willingness to try, experiment and continue to grow while still being kind to yourself and know you are doing the best you can.

Fostering a Reading Culture - Everyone has a Role to Play

Fostering a reading culture in our school has been the number one goal since we started school a mere 23 school days ago.  This goal is in conjunction with our district’s goal of more students will achieve a minimum of one year’s growth in literacy.   

I would like to share with you just a few things we have been doing already this year to try and foster a reading culture.  We started the school year off on a professional development day brainstorming and talking about how to make literacy visible in our school.  Through the various brainstorming ideas, we plan to take them and use them throughout the year.

At the completion of this PD session we went on a staff field trip to Indigo Book Store to already begin to foster a reading culture.  Each staff member picked out 3 books to add to our school collection. We then created a bulletin board for the first day of school titled, “Guess Who is Reading?” This bulletin board allowed for students to ask teachers about the books they purchased as well as teachers shared some of their books with classes.  

This year we also became a member of the Alberta Reads Network and we are starting off with the wee reads program.  Wee reads targets students in kindergarten and grade one who would benefit from additional support through read alouds.  Community members read to two students for 30 minutes each week for 8 weeks. The Alberta Reads Network recommends 50 books students should read before the age of 8.  As a school, we purchased these books and now have them on display as soon as you walk into our school for parents, students and community members to read.

I am a strong believer in using every opportunity possible to foster a reading culture in schools. This means, if I can create an event around a book, author’s birthday, or holiday - I will.  

One of my favourite ways at the very beginning of the year to foster a reading culture is Dot Day.  For many years, I celebrated Dot Day in my own classroom and it then grew to a few more classrooms, and last year my entire school participated.  This event opens the doors to having us share books with students, share messages in books and allows for us to celebrate books. By having this event earlier in the school year, it starts us on the path of showing how we value reading. Every year, we try to celebrate Dot Day through various activities related to the book.

Another event that happens at the beginning of every October is Read In Week. This year we had over 12 community members come into our school to share their passion for reading and their favourite books.  

To be perfectly honest, I feel like I have so many ideas on how to foster a reading culture in schools that I truly do not have enough school days to implement everything I want to implement.  I would say this is my biggest challenge when it comes to fostering a reading culture. Sometimes I have so many ideas, and they often fall so close together that I have to be more selective so I am able to maximize the purpose.

Although, I have shared a few things we are already doing this year.  I would like to share a few other things I have done in the past and continue to do.

Many of you are familiar with #classroombookaday.  I have been doing more than a book a day in my classroom for many years.  Over the years we have kept track of the books in a variety of ways including Shelfari, Good Reads, and most recently Biblionasium.  Every year, we set a goal of how many books we will read aloud together. Once we read that many books aloud, we have a reading party.  I have included my wakelet of one year when our goal was 309 books. This wakelet shows how we celebrated.

Finally, I am also a strong believer in connecting students with reading by providing them opportunities to connect with authors & illustrators.  You can do this in many ways such as through Twitter, Author Visits, or even through Skype Visits. Any opportunity students have to make a connection, they are more likely to pick up another book by that author or illustrator.

The following are two fantastic resources, I have read which have guided me on my journey of fostering a reading culture in my classroom and school. I would recommend these if you are just starting on your journey.

Lead with Literacy by Mandy Ellis

Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp

Calgary Reads. (2015). wee read trailer [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX0jLu1vuZ4

International Dot Day. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

Readin. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.readin.ca/

wee read - Calgary Reads. (2018). Retrieved from http://calgaryreads.com/programs/wee-read/