Public Libraries Can Drive The Lockdown Agenda – Even With Covid-19!

Sue Williamson insists that school libraries’ role in education and inclusion has actually increased during the Pandemic

Public Libraries sit at the very heart of their communities. They are the embodiment of inclusion, offering services from the cradle to the grave to every citizen in this country, regardless of any defining characteristic and, even better, they are free at the point of contact.

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      string(4104) "Britannica’s “Building Career and College ReadinessSkills”, which helps to teach children to assess thecredibility of a website and ‘evaluate online sources’. There are also several lesson activities such as ‘The five ‘W’s of website evaluation’,designed to give students the knowledge to identify legitimate, crediblelearning content. Levelling Up AgendaContinuing the SLA’s drive for education equity is at the heart of myvision for my time as president. As we focus on the ‘levelling up agenda’ I will be spending my time at theSLA bringing school libraries back to the heart of the debate around education.Studies prior to the pandemic found that one in 11 disadvantaged children in the UK do not own a book of their own, yet children who do own books are six times more likely to read above the level expected for their age, highlighting the link between reading and academic outcomes. The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on the most disadvantaged children has further transformed the gully between the less and more privileged into a deep canyon. The gap in education outcomes between less and more privileged students had stopped, and possibly even gone into reverse. To address this, I believe that the Government should put library funding at the heart of the ‘levelling up agenda.’ In doing so, we can ensure all children, irrespective of where they live or their family’s income level, will have free and easy access to books and opportunities to raise their learning levels and aspirations.  It hasbeen interesting to note that with the total funding for British public librariesfalling by nearly £20m in the year to March, immediately before the lockdown,they actually faced a rapid increase in demand for their services, which wereeventually deemed essential by the government.Libraries,whether in a school or high street, are the great leveller to ensure everyone,whether or not they have a computer and internet access, has free access to readingand learning content.TrainingSo how do schools start this transformation?Most school librarians are already highly trained and hugely skilled however,others aren’t and for some, they were trained several years ago when the schoollibrary was a very different part of each school’s infrastructure. When Iarrived at Grange Primary School, I ensured that its school library staff received full updated CPD training, so ourlibrary achieved my vision of being the incredibly effective central hub of theschool. Our 23 branches across theUK and Ireland provide support and online, day or weekend training courses,including ‘Academic Honesty Training’, ‘Information Literacy’, ‘Managing aSchool Library’ and ‘Leading School Libraries: Library, School,Sector.’ Each provides schools with an update on the evolving role of theschool librarian. It is therefore so important that schools start by gettingtheir librarians trained to drive the transformation of their library. The buts….Ofcourse, it’s not as easy as simply investing in some training but it’scertainly an important first step. With increased funding to ensure thecontinuation of existing libraries, and the creation of more across the UK, aswell as engaging young people with the joys of reading and training initiativesfor classroom and library staff, we can harness the true power of libraries andhelp the next generation achieve their full potential. Thepandemic has added to the challenges that school librarians have faced over thepast few years which is why it is my goal to help all schools by giving themthe language to argue their case in terms of turning their library into themost important part of the school. Together we will get libraries back, front and centre at the heart of the debate around education. I therefore invite all schools to work with their local MPs and us at the SLA to drive the school library agenda. Richard Gerver is the new President of the School Library Association https://www.sla.org.uk/about"
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Blogs

Why The School Library Was My First Investment - Richard Gerver

9 Jan 2021

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      string(3649) "use as much of their social isolation time as possible on reading with their children and provide them with guidance on how to do this effectively.We need to find innovative ways to get books into the homes of every family so that children can benefit from the sort or reading environment they have at school.We need to encourage schools and individual teachers to inspire parents with model reading sessions and fun on line reading adventures and signpost the pod casts and reading broadcasts that many well-known authors are creating.We need to urge the media to produce programmes that promote books and reading on TV, radio and through podcasts and video clips.And perhaps when many grandparents are confined to home, we should urge them to use Skype or Facetime to read stories to their grandchildren on a daily basis – “Listen with Grandad and Grandma”And for the future we consider not just how to address the summer learning loss but to look more radically at the pattern of the school year based as it is on a traditional; of Christian festivals, factory closures and harvest time and consider if this is fit for purpose in the 21st Century.Every Child A Reader – Some Materials For ActionAs a starting point in the current situation I have produced some guidance for parents to help them understand what we mean by comprehension – the domains of reading – and to illustrate how pupils can progress in their skills and knowledge using a modified rubric. As a practical tool the three PowerPoints model the process of sharing a book interactively so that parents can explore picture books, chapter books and non-fiction texts with their children.For A Knowledge Bank full of related resources from the Every Child A Reader Pack, please click here!Heather Clements is a former primary school headteacher,  Director Of Schools for a London Borough  and currently works as an education consultant.References:Megan Kuhfield; NWEA research into Summer Learning Loss 2018 BlogMegan Kuhfield: Covid 19 School closures could have a devastating impact on student achievement 2020 BlogScholastic. (2016b). Kids and family reading report United Kingdom. Retrieved from www.scholastic.co.uk/readingreportScholastic. (2015). Kids and family reading report (5th ed.). Retrieved from www.scholastic.com/readingreport/key-findings.htm#top-nav-scrollMargaret Kristin Merga: Interactive reading opportunities beyond the early years: What educators need to consider. Australian Journal of Education 2017Children and young people’s reading in 2017/18 © National Literacy Trust 2019WORKING WITH PARENTS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S LEARNING Guidance report authors: Matthew van Poortvliet (EEF), Dr Nick Axford (University of Plymouth), and Dr Jenny Lloyd (University of Exeter).Allington, R. L. and McGill-Franzen, A. (2017) ‘Summer reading loss is the basis of almost all the rich/poor reading gap’, in Horowitz, R. and Jay Samuels, S. (eds), The Achievement Gap in Reading: Complex Causes, Persistent Issues, Possible Solutions, New York: Routledge.Kim, J. S. and Quinn, D. M. (2013) ‘The effects of summer reading on low-income children’s literacy achievement from kindergarten to grade 8: a meta-analysis of classroom and home interventions’, Review of Educational Research, 83 (3), pp. 386–431.Maxwell et al. (2014) ‘Summer Active Reading Programmes’, London: EEF.David M. Quinn and Morgan Polikoff 4, 2012017 Summer learning loss: What is and what can we do about it?"
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Special Needs

Huge Reading Gains With Structured Parental Involvement Could Counter Covid-19 Effect

17 Apr 2020

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      string(3976) "This research by the National Literacy Trust finds that playing video games can support young people’s literacy, creativity and empathy, while parents say communicating with family and friends through video games during lockdown has been helpful for their child’s mental wellbeing. These benefits were found to be strongest for boys and reluctant readers.A survey of 4,626 young people aged 11-16 in the UK found that video games can provide young people with a route into reading and improve confidence in reading skills. 4 in 5 (79%) young people who play video games read materials relating to video games, including in-game communications (40%), reviews and blogs (31%), books (22%) and fan fiction (19%); while 1 in 3 (35%) believe playing video games makes them better readers.What’s more, video games can encourage young people’s creativity through writing. 3 in 5 (63%) young people who play video games write something relating to video games, including video game scripts (28%), advice to help other players (22%), fan fiction (11%) and blogs or reviews (8%). What’s more, 3 in 5 (58%) young people would also like to write or design video games and more than 3 in 10 (31%) would like more opportunities to read and write about video games in school.Video games were also found to have potential benefits for increasing empathy, with two-thirds (65%) of young people saying that playing video games helped them imagine being someone else.The shared cultural experience of playing video games was also found to support positive communication with friends and family. Three-quarters (76%) of young people talk to their friends about video games compared with only 3 in 10 (29%) who discuss books. In addition, young people said that playing video games helps them to build social connections both ‘in real life’ and online.Many young people said that playing video games helps them either deal with, or escape from, stress and difficult emotions. The role of video games in supporting young people’s mental wellbeing was also key during lockdown. More than half (56%) of parents said their child had chatted with family and friends as part of playing a video game during lockdown and 3 in 5 (60%) felt that this communication had been helpful for their child’s mental wellbeing during this time.The benefits of playing video games for young people’s literacy were found to be strongest for boys and reluctant readers. Boys are much more likely to play video games than girls (96% vs 65%) and nearly twice as many boys than girls said they chatted with family and friends as part of playing a video game during lockdown (71% vs 40%). Video games were also found to be effective at engaging reluctant readers with stories, as 3 in 4 (73%) young people who don’t enjoy reading say playing video games helps them feel more part of a story than reading a book-based text. Main Findings:45.3% of parents said their child spent more time playing video games during lockdown than before lockdown. 40.9% of parents said their children played the same amount of video games before and during lockdown and 13.7% said they played less during lockdown. 55.6%of parents said their child had chatted with family and/or friends as part of playing a video game during lockdown. When young people were asked the same question, 51.7% said they had done so.  Boys were nearly twice as likely as girls (70.5% vs. 39.7%) to chat with friends and/orfamilyas part of playing a video game during lockdown; while the same was true for younger game players, with 54.8% of those aged 11 to 14, 45.2% of those aged 14 to 16 and 31.5% of those ages 16 to 18 agreeing. 59.6%of  parents believe that  communicating  with  friends and  family through  video  game playing during lockdown has been helpful for their child’s mental wellbeing.Link: Video Game Playing and Literacy During the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020"
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Leadership

Video Game Playing and Literacy During the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020

25 Aug 2020

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      string(5608) "Communication for virtually all deaf children and young people, including those who use sign language, relies in part on being able to see someone’s face clearly – whether this is for lip-reading, understanding facial expressions or for understanding non-verbal communication more widely (e.g. seeing whether someone is smiling or looks upset). Face masks and coverings can also have the effect of obscuring speech, making it harder for deaf children to make use of any residual hearing they have.Many deaf young people and families have contacted with us with concerns about the impact that the widespread use of face masks and coverings will have on their day to day life and their ability to communicate with others. Some fear they will be even more isolated than they were before. These concerns are also shared more widely by deaf adults1.Face masks in healthFace masks are mandatory in hospital settings, to ensure the safety of both health staff and patients. As many health professionals already are, we expect health settings to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that deaf children and young people can understand the information being given to them. A failure to do so many mean that deaf young people miss out on critical information about their health care and could be seen as discriminatory. It may also make them reluctant to contact a health professional (e.g. a GP) if they are concerned about how communication will work.There are different standards in place across the UK for accessible health information, which already set out best practice in this area. In addition, for deaf young people who use British Sign Language, relay services are now available to ensure immediate access to an interpreter. We call on the UK Governments to continue to remind professionals in health settings of the need to make reasonable adjustments and ensure health information is accessible.Clear face masks would also help, by allowing deaf children and young people, to lipread and to access more visual cues. We understand that a clear face mask has been identified as appropriate for use in some health settings across the UK by NHS England and that (at the time of writing), 250,000 clear face masks have been ordered. However, it is not clear how these masks will be distributed to where they are needed. It is also unclear if these will be available to professionals in speech and language therapy or in social care. What is clear is that that 250,000 single use face masks will not last long. There continues to be a need for the UK Governments to ensure there a range of different clear face masks are widely and readily available to use across all health settings and by other professionals working with deaf children and young people. We need to see a clear action plan from UK Governments on how this will be achieved.Use of face masks and coverings by the general publicThe UK Governments have introduced a number of requirements around the use of face coverings (such as when shopping or using public transport) where social distancing is not possible.It is not our role to express an opinion on whether and when face masks or coverings should be worn by the general public for public health reasons and to help prevent the further spread of coronavirus. However, it is clear that wider use of face masks and coverings will have a significant impact on deaf children and young people. We call on UK Government to ensure that any guidance or advice on face masks and coverings is accompanied by some clear messages about the impact this will have on deaf people. It will also be important to take action to raise awareness of the steps that can be taken to support communication.Some deaf awareness tips around the use of face masks and coverings that could be included in any such advice include:using alternative forms of communication – such as writing things down or via text messages, depending on the individual needs of the childdictation or translation apps can sometimes provide a speech to text option when out and about – however, they do not always work perfectly, particularly if someone has a strong accent or if speech is muffledusing face masks with clear panels where the mouth can be seenensuring the listening environment is as quiet as possible and making use of any other hearing technology used by a child (such as a radio aid)communicating via a Perspex panelconsidering the need for face-to-face meeting, and whether a video call could work as an alternative for individual deaf childrentemporarily removing the face mask and communicating within the current safety guidance (e.g. ensuring hand washing before and after, not touching the face when the mask is removed, remaining within the social distancing guidelines of staying 2 metres apart).None of these measures are ideal. 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Sensory Impairment

Face Masks Are Not Acceptable For Deaf Children

5 Oct 2020