What did you notice?
While exploring the West Bloomfield Township Public Library, I noticed the amount of people who were there. Before going to the library, I assumed that people may not be there because of the time (dinner time). I was happy to see that people of all ages were at the library enjoying and exploring literacy and technology. Physically, the library was huge, and made up of three different sections. There are sections for young adults, children, and the main library with a large section for tables and computers. The inside of the library was very modern and beautiful. Everything was very accessible and the colors were vibrant in the kid’s wing, which made the atmosphere very exciting. I was very excited to see all of the awesome resources for community members of all ages. Even in the kid’s [large] section of the library, there were computers and audio sets for them to use, as well as a reading stage, play areas, and various games involving literacy.
What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you?
I was surprised, as I mentioned above, by the amount of people at the library. There were about 30 people using the computers in the main area; most of them looked like high school and college-aged students who were doing homework. There were also about 20 kids and parents/tutors in the kid’s section of the library as well. I was not surprised by the amount of literacy I observed throughout the library. Members of the community were taking part in all aspects of literacy, speaking, listening, looking, writing, reading, etc. Literacy was also in a variety of forms throughout the library; there were bulletin boards, book shelves with the genres labeled, computers, music, books, paper, theatre section (for kids), audio materials, etc. I absolutely loved exploring this library; I cannot wait to go back and partake in some of the activities this year.
How has this community experience helped you learn about your school, students, and families?
This community experience taught me a lot about the possible resources that my students can use, right in the community. In talking with my students about the library, I have learned that many of them take trips there with their families. Knowing that students take time to go to the library tells me that students and their families find literacy to be an important part of developing as a learner. I would love to take a class field trip to the library or just continue to encourage kids to go by keeping them updated with upcoming events at the library. I also learned that the library can be a great place for ELL students to go and explore too. There are an abundance of resources catered to kids or adults learning English, and vice versa.
How will this experience help you in your teaching?
I think this experience will help me in my teaching because I can now check-out books from the library and encourage my students to do the same. I see the library as a new resource for both myself and my students. Page 449 in the Compton-Lilly article says, “Heath noted that even children who were considered deficient by school standards brought rich experiences and understanding to the classroom that teachers could build upon, access, and develop.” I also think exploring the community of my students will allow me to better understand their interests and experiences. This will facilitate me in my quest to make connections from the students to the academic content. As Heath mentioned in the article, every student comes to the classroom with their own knowledge and experiences. It is the job of the teacher to pull that knowledge and those experiences out of the children to both gain insight into their world and work to make meaningful connections.
How will it influence your thinking about your students’ as literacy users and learners?
Exploring the West Bloomfield Township Public Library will influence my thinking about my students’ as literacy users and learners in a few ways. Being at the library reminded me of how much technology is a growing part of my students’ everyday lives. This means I need to say on top of the newest technologies as well. At the library, students were able to grow and develop as literacy users and learners through the diversity of books and available technology. I strive to keep my students interested in what we are doing in the classroom by bringing in hands-on literacy opportunities as well as opportunities to explore literacy through different medias (reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing.)
Very cool, Kendall! I also checked out my community’s library and had similar findings. It warms my heart to hear you talk about how many people were at the library and using its resources to the fullest. Libraries in general (now that I can appreciate their full worth) are absolutely amazing places, and often I feel that they are not taken advantage of enough by the community. Hearing how you were excited to be in the library and were excited to go back really says something about your community’s library.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that the kid’s area is large, the same was true of Novi's library. It is great that students have that area available to them and even cooler that you found evidence of several different kinds of literacy learning occurring there. I did not think to look into English language learning opportunities at Novi (and now wonder what they offer), its great that your library has that. I wonder if you can use that to help your teaching as well.
I felt the same as you did about technology when I explored about my community. It blows my mind that we will be preparing students for jobs that don't even exist yet. I often wonder _how_ we do that...but I guess we just evolve as society does.