One regularly hears phrases bandied around schools such as "Every teacher is a language teacher"; or "Every class should start with 10 minutes of reading" and you'd be hard pressed to find a teacher who doesn't agree in theory, that reading is a good thing. But then there is the "reality" of supposed too little … Continue reading Content plus
About to start our second week of school, and after the first 3 days of teacher planning week I'd just like to make a quick shout-out to some people who make a librarian's heart very happy! The new teacher, overloaded with moving continents with a family who came into the library and borrowed 4 books … Continue reading Librarian Crush – Folks I’m loving right now
Last weekend I had the privilege of being invited to join the first children's literature festival in India, hosted by Neev Academy in Bangalore. What a fabulous weekend it was. One of my constant concerns as a librarian here in Singapore in an international school is that I don't feel that my collection reflects the … Continue reading Celebrating the joy of reading
During the vacation I've been catching up with some podcasts, including listening to a few new ones that were recommended to me by friends. While there are some great educational podcasts out there, sometimes while one is looking outside of the field that you are struck by things that are relevant. So it was with … Continue reading Can we be smarter with communicating benefits of reading?
How and to what extent can social intervention make a difference in boy’s reading motivation and skills at primary level? 1. Introduction and Context 1.1 Context of the case study report This case study is a post-hoc and ongoing action research analysis of an apparently successful reading club for primary school boys in an international … Continue reading Case Study – social intervention
I've been geeking out a little with some data in the last 24 hours, looking at the circulation stats of my blokes for the last 2 years plus the last month. Glancing through the table leads to the conclusion that they are in fact borrowing more books - I know that doesn't necessarily lead to … Continue reading Graphical lies and semi truths
Writing a case study with 3,000 words of which 80% are limited by procedural bits and pieces is proving to be a little frustrating because I am learning SO MUCH. So I thought I'd share some of it here, because heaven knows it could help someone somewhere somehow. Remember the whole thing about motivation? That … Continue reading Reading reluctance – factors
Did I ever mention how sweet my blokes are? And it must also be in large part since they have great supportive parents. Isn't it super when a parent sends in a permission form with this on the back? And when your students have been filling in a survey form on a lickert scale and … Continue reading Lovely little things
After our leadership meeting this week I asked our principal what she thought of my various options for my case-study and which would be most beneficial and meaningful for the school. By happy coincidence the senior leadership is looking at a number of things that tie in nicely with my ideas of what would … Continue reading Fortunate coincidence
Introduction There is a long history of research into the value of and elements contributing to the success of classroom libraries. They have an important role in ensuring accessibility of written works to promote fluency and skill in literacy and thereby contributing to academic achievement. But the literature appears to concentrate on elementary schools (Hopenwasser … Continue reading Applying spatial changes and design thinking to middle school reading– a three phase collaborative approach
Informative Flights - Musings of a Teacher Librarian 