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I think that Bonnie hit on something here.... maybe the problem that we
all face is the fact that in most elementary schools kids get 'library
time' once a week.  What is being taught might not be the biggest point
for this discussion...maybe the point is that the time they get to
spend in the library is an artificial time...one hour once a week. Most
of that time is spent in some sort of group activity and then to
quickly find a book to take home to read. There is little time for
authentic use of a library: random browsing for works of interest
and/or time to look for research materials for class or personal use.
In order to internalize the skills we learn in school, we need to use
them for something that we want. [This is Stephen Krashen's
"comprehensible Input" theory!]  In the library, this means that kids
would get to practice looking for things- lots of time to practice!
Even though they get 10 minutes of actual practice once a week for 3-5
years, it seems that that is not enough. When they go back to class
their research activities often don't include any of the library stuff
they just learned!
Maybe as a profession we should truly push to get more authentic time
in the library for our kids in elementary school: replace the scheduled
once a week group activity time  with a much more instructional and
inspirational time for our kids....and then, get their teachers to work
with you to assign AND TEACH research skills as a part of their every
day school life!
This is just an idea....
Connie Williams

On Jul 8, 2005, at 7:54 AM, Bonnie Martiny wrote:

>         Thanks for continuing this discussion. It has really made me
> think and
> has spurred me to be more determined to keep in mind my main goal
> (especially for 5th graders who move up from our school to middle
> school)
> is to guide students to be more skilled in finding information and to
> redirect them  to use the tools & skills  that they have been taught so
> they can be more independent in a library.
>         That being said I fully agree with Mariya as well. I teach K-5
> students
> and I really do teach them to use the card catalog, we do lessons on
> Dewey
> and who he was and why we organize books in libraries using his system
> etc.
> etc. and they do skill based hands on activities so they can learn to
> use
> the skills of finding books they want using the catalog but believe it
> or
> not the following year some still need a review and  have forgotten the
> difference between the tems "bar code" and "call number" and ask for
> assistance to find a book in the very short time frame they have to
> actually choose a book. After a library lesson that has usually been
> interupted several times by recess and pull out programs who use
> "non-essential" library time to do interventions, counseling it is
> hard for
> them to do more than just pick randomly. With little funding and a lot
> of
> district money having gone to our high school libraries. All three got
> major renovations, new facitities and resources as well as at least 25
> computers in each library where there are 3 librarians and whole
> classes
> come with their teachers which I think are all VERY GOOD THINGS!  But,
> I
> have only 5 computers in my library that the students use to search our
> online card catalog. ( My school is the smallest in the district with
> 260
> students, funding based on numbers and my library is so small these 5
> barely fit) In 30 minutes 20 -25 students have a hard time getting a
> turn.
> I must assist them. Having very little open time for students to be
> sent
> outside of the fixed time makes the task difficult but I promise you
> elementary librarians are doing our best to instill the skills and try
> to
> encourage students to be independent as possible without walking out
> of the
> library empty handed or with just anything grabbed off of the shelf.
> The
> worst times for me are when a student walks out dissappointed because
> they
> did not have time to find what they WANTED to read and I was too busy
> to
> get to them. I do not have assistance. I do have students who help
> others
> and  I will skip my lunch or planning time to get them to come back if
> their time and lessons allow. However,  I really do like my job and
> would
> not trade seeing the look on a kindergarter's face the first time they
> walk
> into my library for a new building. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all
> take some time during the school year to visit each other's libraries,
> elem
> to middle middle to high etc.(Professional development days ?) .  I'm
> sure
> it would be eye opening and a good way for us to help each other better
> perpare students to be lifelong users and lovers of libraies.
>
> Bonnie Martiny
> Media Specialist
> St Charles Elem
> Thibodaux LA
> bmartiny@earthlink.net
>
Connie Hamner Williams
Library Media Teacher
National Board Certified
Kenilworth Junior High
998 East Washington Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-778-4719
chwms@mac.com

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