LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Hi folks,
A media specialist new to the profession recently asked me, in effect:
How does one keep a (secondary) media center from becoming
a studyhall, recreation area, or dumping ground for students?
This seems like a fairly common problem (and a good question). At least it
was a battle I seemed to fight over and over in my 12 years as a building
media specialist. I have a few thoughts about the problem, but I believe
LM_Net could discuss this for our mutual beneft.
I'll start the ball rolling with a little collection of my thoughts on the
subject, then you all can either chime right in or send me you ideas
<palsdaj@vax1.mankato.msus.edu> and I'll post a hit in a week or so. How's
that?
Unfortunately, education is only one of three tasks with which society has
charged its schools. The other two - child care and child socialization -
seem to be particularly apparent in the unstructured areas of the school:
the hallways, lunchrooms, and many media centers. Of these areas in which
students have freedom of movement, discretionary time, and a choice of
activities, the media center is the only one with an academic mission as
well. While we need to acknowledge that media centers must share the
school's obligation to contain children and honor children's need to
socialize, media specialists can and should bring the academic mission to
the fore.
So how can we do this?
1) Schedule meaningful activities.
If the media center is being used by whole classes doing research
or other kinds of study, the physical plant will not accommodate large
numbers of non-directed students. The teachers of the classes using the
media center will help support and enforce a climate of purposeful
activity.
2) Add technology
Tables full of idle children tend to cause problems; students at
computer terminals, whether involved in writing, searching, drawing, or
even playing, rarely do. While I have never felt it was the school's job to
entertain children, I certainly believe it is our duty to involve them. And
few things involve this generation of kids like interactive media. And the
funny thing is, the more of themselves computer users need to invest in a
program, the longer the program stays involving. Fill your media centers
with technology, not empty tables.
3) Provide a "study service" and/or share your space.
The more adults in your media center, the more likely you will have
a productive area. Make a space for an adult-run study skills center,
talented and gifted program, parent volunteers, or other academic support
programs which need a home. The old idea of the library being a hushed room
behind closed doors is passe. Work is not always a quiet activity; learning
is usually accompanied by terrific sounds: laughs, questions, instructions,
sharing, surprises.
4) Have few, mission-driven rules, agreed upon by all stakeholders.
All my media centers, K-12, operated under three rules for patrons:
* be doing something productive
* be doing it in a way that allows others to be productive
* be respectful of others' persons and property
If I were to run a media center again, I might just adopt the one rule that
governs the Glen Urquhart School in Massachusetts: "No student has the
right to interfere with the learning of another student or the purpose of
an activity." The key to simple rules is working with children and teachers
on common understandings and applications of them. For example, is reading
a magazine being productive? Is napping? Is cartooning? Is playing Oregon
Trail? Consistent enforcement of such rules is challenging, but good for
kids who as adults will be asked to apply guidelines to their behaviors,
rather than always adhere only to set rules.
5) Provide alternate activities.
Have things for students to do who do not seem to have school work.
Provide books, newspaers and magazines for personal interest reading.
(Reading practice materials, I like to call them.) Design activities like
reference scavenger hunts, puzzle centers, or individual viewing of
filmstrips or videotapes. Save a few tasks for the physically restless
students: putting up bulletin boards, reshelving materials, dusting, shelf
reading, collection mapping, equipment maintenance, magazine check-in,
newspaper bundling.
6) Change the school climate
Teachers and the principal of your school need to share your vision
of the media center as a place for work, for learning, for productivity. If
they don't, your job will be nigh on impossible. You can change the views
of staff by sharing successes your program has afforded students. Educate
your staff about current media center philosophies and your goals. Serve on
your site-based management team to make good school policies and rules -
especially those which apply to your media center. Work to change teaching
strategies so that the resources the media center provides are essential to
the educational process. Help your school find other options for the
containment and socialization functions of the school - restructured days
without studyhalls, student commons areas, open gymnasiums, intelligent
schedules, etc.
Folks, we all work in the real world. I have had plenty of studyhalls in my
media centers when the principal simply couldn't find another room large
enough. Plenty of my patrons have been the kids, a teacher or studyhall
monitor simply couldn't stand for another minute. Some kids have come to my
media center for every reason under the sun - but to study. Did I ever
create a perfect learning environment - an intellectual gymnasium? Nope.
But I know that my media centers were places kids found interesting, safe,
non-threatening, rich in interesting materials - not to mention valuable
when working.. As one of favorite classroom "ejects" occasionally reminded
me,"Mr. Johnson, the media center is my home away from home." High praise.
Doug
Doug Johnson, District Media Supervisor | As long as there are tests,
Mankato Public Schools, ISD 77 | there will be students praying
Box 8713, Mankato MN 56002-8713 | in school.
507-387-7698
djohns1@west.isd77.k12.mn.us or
palsdaj@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
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