LIBE 477 Inquiry Blog Post 1

 Fostering a Reading Culture

Introduction

In order to establish a reading culture, we need to spark students' interest and excitement for reading. Ripp suggests it is important to know one's reading identity and help students develop their own reading identity (2017).  I am an avid reader today but my reading journey was complicated. I did not enjoy reading as a child, other than Archie comics and Garfield, but at that time comic books were not allowed in schools. It was not until I was a teacher that I realized I did not visualize when I read which led to lack of comprehension and recall.  

Personal Bitmoji, 2022

I would have no idea what I read after I finished, but I read fluently and as a result, fell under the radar. I thought I simply did not like reading and I found it odd that others did.  It was not until a decade later when my brother told me he enjoyed seeing "movies" in his head as he read that I realized something was wrong. At the time I was in the education program and spoke to my literacy professor who encouraged me to use the strategies and tools we were learning to teach myself to visualize. My brother emphasized that it was crucial I was reading materials of interest and knowing how I liked mystery shows, suggested I begin with that genre. This experience has allowed me to empathize with reluctant readers and motivated me to do what I can to instill a love of reading in students. I wonder how different my reading trajectory would have been if someone encouraged me to try different genres, or if we had graphic novels in schools. If I found material I enjoyed as a child, maybe my visualization skills would have grown organically.

Today

I am in my first teacher librarian position this year and have been trying many different strategies to foster a reading culture. I always start off library blocks with a read aloud and I am amazed at how effective this is as students are excited to borrow the book after they hear it.  Most of these books are straight from the shelf and have not been signed out in years. 

 

              Image 700225975 Shutterstock, 2022

The library has never been weeded and is cluttered with outdated books and poor signage. I have been working for months to remove outdated books and make clear, engaging signs to enable students to see what materials are available.  I have started putting some series in labeled bins and made small changes to increase visibility like placing some books face forward on the shelf to highlight resources.  I still have a long way to go, but when I finish a section, I make a point of showing students the new signs and explaining what they will find there.  As soon as I do this, circulation in that section explodes. I envisioned having a new book display but when I get new books in, I share them with students, and they get signed out with multiple reserves before they even hit the shelves! I started putting books in window displays depending on the theme or month and they would be signed out immediately as well.  Weeding data has shown poor circulation and I have learned that this is very much due to students not knowing what is available or being able to easily navigate the collection. 

 

In order to promote materials, it is key to know students and the collection.  Getting to know a students' reader identity or helping them understand their own, enables teacher librarians to better assist students in finding books they enjoy (Ripp, 2017).  I started asking students what books they would like to see in the library, and I order them whenever possible.  I am still learning what books are popular, so this is valuable task for me as well. 

 

The teacher librarian is in a unique position to foster a reading culture by connecting with staff and students and creating engaging opportunities for readers.  One of the first things I did in this school was put "I am currently reading..." cards on students' lockers to create book buzz (Miller, 2014).

Image from nerdybookclub.wordpress.com, 2012

Pumpkin Contest (personal image, 2021)

I was pleased with the success of these cards but found the younger students were not as interested as it was challenging for them to read and write.  I started looking for other ways to draw excitement about books and held a "Pumpkin Book Character" contest in the fall which created a palpable excitement in the school. I will definitely make this an annual event!  

Pumpkin Contest (personal image, 2021)

       To increase engagement and participation, I taught grades 3-5 how to make online book reviews through our district catalogue.  This was especially exciting as we were the first school to participate, and they were able to see their book reviews in an authentic real-world setting.

 

To increase accessibility to books, I allow students to sign out books on a clipboard on the 3 days I am not in the library and I removed limits on how many books students could borrow, making provisions that students who repeatedly lost books needed to keep borrowed materials in the classroom. I also removed the leveled reading labels from the library.  I TOCed in a library before where students could only take out leveled books and it always bothered me students did not have the freedom to choose materials.  After taking this program and learning how leveled materials disempower students, I felt even more convinced they did not belong (Parrot, 2017).  While I feel there is instructional value in leveled readers, I do not think they belong in the library where students should be encouraged to read what interests them and explore materials freely. Student levels were meant to be used for instructional purposes and kept private according to Fountas and Pinnell (Mulvahill, 2018).  As Ripp states, leveled books limit student choice and disrupt students' ability to develop their reading identity (2017).  Giving students choice in their reading increases engagement, motivation, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing and reading skills (Krashen, 2011).  Students learn the skills to self select materials and become empowered and independent in their reading choices (Scholastics, n.d.).

What's Next?

There are many things I would like to do moving forward to foster a reading culture within the school. I am currently planning a virtual book fair after spring break and would also like to have a book tasting event to provide students with a fun opportunity to learn about other genres and explore a variety of reading materials (Ruefle, 2018). In an effort to spark students' interest and include staff, I am designing "teacher's picks" to put on display in the library where staff can share a favourite book each month with students. I would like to connect more with families and the community by having family reading events and literacy events or having guest readers and author visits, but with covid, this is limited. This is something I will work towards in the future. In the meantime, I would like to create a virtual presence where I can connect to parents, share student work and book reviews, and promote the library learning commons as an inclusive welcoming environment. To raise more money for the library and encourage reading, I like the idea of hosting a readathon (Barrett, 2019). At a recent staff meeting, we discussed ways to make the school more inviting for readers. The topic came up about the library's physical space and how it is has old and uncomfortable furniture. This is something I have had concerns about for some time but with such a small budget, I was having trouble making changes. Fortunately, the staff has come together to see how they can pool some funds into the library space to make it more cozy and welcoming as a reading space. While I think this is necessary, it is useful to use a variety of strategies to create a welcoming, inclusive space.

"It's not how your learning community looks, it's how it feels..." Ripp, 2017.

Fostering a love of reading and a reading culture is one of my greatest passions as a teacher librarian. To do this, it is necessary to understand students' interests and make resources as accessible as possible to all members of the school community. The library needs to be a place that supports student choice and empowers learners to actively participate in their journey as a reader.

References:

Bitmoji (2022). Personal Bitmoji image. [Image]. Bitmoji.com https://www.bitmoji.com/

Krashen, S. D., Lao, C., & Lee, S. (11/30/2017). Comprehensible and compelling : The causes and effects of free voluntary reading Libraries Unlimited.

Krashen, S. D., & Ebooks Corporation. (2011). Free voluntary reading. Libraries Unlimited.

 Miller, D., & Kelley, S. (2013). Reading in the wild : The book whisperer's keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Mulvahill, E. on August 14, 2018. (2018, August 15). Organizing your classroom library by level? here's why you might reconsider. We Are Teachers. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.weareteachers.com/leveled-libraries-outdated/ 

Passive aggressive book promotion. Nerdy Book Club. (2012, February 29). [Image] Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/passive-aggressive-book-promotion/

 

Ripp, P., & Miller, D. (2017). Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315661131 

 

Ruefle, A. (2018, March 19). You can't taste a book by its cover: Book tastings in the library. Programming Librarian. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://programminglibrarian.org/blog/you-can%E2%80%99t-taste-book-its-cover-book-tastings-library 

 

Shutterstock (2022).   Image Item ID: 700225975. [Image]. Shutterstock, 2022. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/back-view-little-pupil-library-boy-700225975 

 

The power of reading choice - teacher.scholastic.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://teacher.scholastic.com/education/classroom-library/pdfs/The-Power-of-Reading-Choice.pdf?esp=TSO/ib/202104////label/card/classroom/reading/