Recently I’ve been astounded by the number of conversations I’ve both had and heard about reading in my school. Staff are talking with students about what they’re reading; kids are asking their teachers for recommendations; our teens are discussing and sharing their current reads.
My long-term library goal is to build a culture in our school community where people feel comfortable talking about books in the same way that they’d discuss their favourite movies or the latest NRL game. Reading is often seen as an isolated, solitary activity, but I’ve been working hard over the past few years to reframe it as a social activity. I know I personally read more when I’ve got people to talk with about the things I’m reading, and the teens I teach, who are at that crucial developmental phase where they see their peers as sources of authority, are no different.
One person talks to another about what they’re reading or is visibly reading during their free time; another person is then more incentivised to pick up a book and discuss it. Each new conversation ripples out and normalises reading, causing new conversations which ripple further and build a community of readers.
Emphasising the social elements of reading and providing opportunities for socialising around books encourages these conversations.
I’ve got a few initiatives aiming to reframe reading as a social activity, including the Wide Reading Program (which is now in its 5th year!). We start every lesson with a Book Talk where we share what we’re currently reading and give a brief rating for our books. Not only does this position reading as a fun, valued activity, it also models different reading behaviours and provides peer recommendations, which is much more powerful than if it was just coming from an adult teacher. It also gives me an interesting insight into our students as well as their interests and needs – some of the kids we’d least expect are actually readers and love being able to share and influence their peers in a positive way! I’ve seen a number of students picking up books based on these Book Talk recommendations, which will eventually ripple out into more conversations and behaviours around reading. One girl in Year 8 inspired another struggling reader to try reading ebooks, while another has borrowed picture books to read with her younger brother at night. Each of these interactions has had a positive impact which in turn ripple into future positive interactions with reading.
I also celebrate our top readers through our Readerboard. Each month once I do our overdues I run a report through our LMS to generate a list of our Top Borrowers for both the month and the whole year so far. I write their names and their current loan tally on our Readerboard in whiteboard marker. This year I’ve also worked with our House Points committee to align the Readerboard with our House Points scheme so that each loan contributes a house point to the total tally. Our current Top Borrower has read an amazing 194 books so far this year! Our Top Readers have a real sense of pride and achievement when their names make it onto the board, and there’s a definite competition to see who can outread the others!
This year I’ve added a few new initiatives to the mix, such as the CBCA Shadow Judging program and a revamped Staff Book Club. Both rely on a social element to encourage continued engagement with books. I’ve got 12 students who have signed up for the Shadow Judging program and we are meeting twice a term to keep on track and discuss what we’re enjoying or not enjoying about the shortlisted Older Readers books. Our Staff Book Club has a choice of four books from a variety of genres to read across the term, and the 14 of us are meeting twice a term to catch up and share our thoughts on the four books we can choose from. One key factor in the success of this revamp so far has been the efforts of one of my colleagues in English, proving that you go further when working as a team!
I’ve got a number of future actions that I’d eventually like to implement too, such as:
- Shelf talker reviews
- Increased social media presence advertising books and showcasing students and teachers reading through ‘Caught Reading’ and ‘Shelfies’ posts
- Student-created reels advertising their current reads or favourite books
- ‘Currently Reading’ integrated into staff email signatures
- Integrating a 10 minute DEAR into classrooms as part of our school’s lesson framework
- A ‘Battle of the Books’ bracket-style tournament
- Involving parents and students in our Book Club
- ‘Book Trails’ and ‘Read Off Battles’ between staff
- Buddy Reads activities in the Wide Reading Program lessons
- Student-made ‘How I Find Time to Read’ videos
- Targetting specific students with high influence to help them achieve their reading goals in the Wide Reading Program
