I've been really impressed at the creative ways everyone is using to introduce
their Kinders to the library. I really like the idea of framing the "rules" as
positives instead of negatives and in the kids helping to define the guidelines.
It is empowering. Thanks for sharing this.
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Barbara Braxton <barbara@IIMETRO.COM.AU>
> I'm sorry, but I have to come into this debate again because there is something
> nagging me ... and
> I think a different perspective might offer something.
>
> Some years ago in Australia, when there was a definite and definable shift in
> the way we managed our
> students, someone whose work I still highly respect, taught my colleagues and I
> to frame our
> requests for student behaviour in positive terms rather than negative. He said
> that in the phrase,
> "Don't run!" we will automatically put the emphasis on the word "run" and that
> is what the children
> will hear. They don't hear '"don't". It is the nature of the child and their
> developing audial
> perception. He said we were much more likely to have positive results if we
> expressed the behaviour
> we wanted - in this case to say "Walk!"
>
> That has always stuck in my mind and it certainly changed my teaching - even a
> few months ago when I
> started my last school year and the students were developing their own library
> behaviour codes
> (different codes for different grade levels), I was encouraging them to express
> their thoughts in
> positive terms. They actually find this quite difficult because they know what
> they should not do
> but re-phrasing it into what they should do is great vocabulary practice. So,
> "Don't get your
> library books dirty" becomes "Keep your library books clean."
>
> Anyway, all this is a preamble to responding to a message that talked about
> having a box of things
> about the care of books and discussing the items with the children - something
> that it appears a
> number of you do. When I read through the list of things, I was thinking., WOW!
> Wouldn't kids who
> apparently cannot say, let alone recognise their names to be able to check out a
> book be confused!.
> Here some YES things and some NO things, now which was which? All they remember
> are crayons,
> backpacks, stickers and so on.
>
> Now it may be that those of you who do this sort of thing do more than just tell
> the children why
> each thing is in the box - that wasn't explained in the message, but may I
> suggest, with my
> how-children-learn-effectively hat on, that you strengthen the message by having
> them really get
> involved by
> 1. Have two hoops on the ground, one with a very large tick (check?) mark in it
> for yes, and the
> other with a large cross in it for no. As students draw something out of the
> box, have a discussion
> about whether it is good for books or not, and have them place it in the
> appropriate hoop.
> 2. When the item has been placed in the hoop, attach a large tick or cross
> (cut from cardboard) to
> it to reinforce the message. Most learning at this stage is done by seeing and
> doing, and the
> crayons with a large cross on them will remain in the mind.
> 3. You might even continue consolidating the message by making a display with
> the hoops and the
> yes/no items.
>
> I apologise if some of you think I am stating the obvious but there are newbies
> amongst us who may
> well be struggling with this whole issue of how to make these book-care lessons
> effective, and the
> more ideas in the pot, the more they are likely to find a morsel that suits
> their tastes.
>
> And just for the record, because it has been mentioned a few times, I did NOT
> work at a perfect
> school. No one does. In February, at the beginning of the school year, we had
> 450 students with more
> than 40 nationalities represented and over 50 languages spoken in their homes.
> All our students
> have a unique borrower barcode that is printed on a class sheet with their name
> underneath their
> code. We got around the name issue by having the teacher accompany them on the
> first/ all visits
> so he/she could help us with those we didn't understand; the children all wore
> name tags that their
> teachers had made for those first few days before names were learned; and the
> children were able to
> recognise their names on the class sheet and point to it. Consequently, they
> all got to borrow on
> that first day.
>
> In terms of educating parents, I believe our parents are no smarter than
> anywhere else (and many
> have no English), but, on the whole, they are smart enough to know how to look
> after other peoples'
> property. If they aren't, then letters home are unlikely to make a difference.
> There was
> information about their child's borrowing in the school enrolment pack they were
> given and we have
> to assume that is read. (There's no guarantee that letters are read or
> understood either.) But, if
> we are discussing the woes of the dumbing-down of YA non-fiction, don't let's be
> guilty of the same
> thing and dumb-down our parents.
>
> Political correctness makes me feel I should be apologising for my strong stance
> in this discussion,
> but I won't. I am such a strong believer in the empowerment of kindergarten
> kids borrowing on their
> first day that I write what I believe after 33 years working with little
> children and a willingness
> to share that experience. No personal slur or flame is intended so please don't
> think this is
> directed at any one person or idea.
>
> Barbara
>
> Barbara Braxton
> Teacher Librarian
> PALMERSTON ACT 2913
> AUSTRALIA
>
> E. barbara@iimetro.com.au
> "Together we learn from each other."
>
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