Synergy

School libraries and gifted students: Guiding inquiring minds

2021-09-16T00:56:52+10:00

Bridget Forster outlines the very successful online program at Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School that supported students to explore and develop a new skill across a ten week period. Using The Kulthau inquiry method to support their process the gifted and talented students investigated a skill with the aid of an expert as mentor. This work received the 2020 SLAV Innovators Grant.

Mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors: LGBTIQA+ perspectives

2021-09-16T01:01:03+10:00

Carmel Byrne explores her school library’s work to create an inclusive collection and her specific work in the area of LGBTIQA+ perspectives. The work is characterised by a willingness to involve student input in their processes.

Improving reading engagement for aliterate readers through the Year 7 wide reading programme: A VIT inquiry project

2021-09-16T01:04:08+10:00

Kathryn Kendry describes her work for her VIT registration and the inquiry project she created centred on reading engagement. Kathryn outlines the research she completed and the reading that supported her exploration.

Horizons

2021-09-16T01:36:11+10:00

Professional Learning Opportunities – Local and Beyond

Shelftalkers: Empowering student voice

2021-09-16T00:49:13+10:00

This article was presented at the IASL conference in July 2021. It describes SLAVs new initiative – Shelftalkers. This initiative is a website that publishes 100-word student reviews of texts they are reading or have been sent by arrangement with publishers for review. The process is facilitated by the school library and is open to students of any age. The project aims to give students a voice, give school library staff and publishers an insight into student views, and allows participating school libraries to be central players in the literacy development and reading culture of their respective schools.

An interview with Nancy Churnin

2021-09-16T01:10:28+10:00

Patricia Sarles, a School Librarian and the Coordinator of Library Services for the New York City School Library System, interviews the author Nancy Churnin about her award winning work and her particular focus on the picture book as a biographical form.

Designing school library spaces

2021-09-16T01:30:39+10:00

Miriam Tuohy explores New Zealand school library space design, outlining a range of very useful tools and processes used by the National Library of New Zealand’s team of facilitators to ably support school library staff to bring their vision for their library to reality.

What makes a good school library better? A research to practice approach to using evidence

2021-09-16T01:23:38+10:00

Through analysis of The Massachusetts school library study: Equity and access for students in the Commonwealth research Dr Gordon explores research approaches with a particular focus on action research and the value of evidence based practice.

Reviews

2021-09-16T01:38:31+10:00

The School: The Ups and Downs of One Year in the Classroom
Lessons from Lockdown: The Educational Legacy of Covid-19
Turning Point for the Teaching Profession: Growing Expertise and Evaluative Thinking
Building a Reading Culture: A Selection of Articles from FYI & Synergy
At a Glance

How might YA reading help teens in troubled times?

2021-09-16T00:53:10+10:00

Dr Whisken explores the role Young Adult (YA) literature plays in the worlds of teenagers, and more particularly, what roles it might play in their lives in times of crisis. This article presents the views of seven teacher librarians in response to questions about YA literature, the roles it might play and whether it should have a message or purpose.

Predictors of reading ability among Ten-Year Olds: Poverty (negative), school libraries (positive), instruction (zero), early literacy (zero)

2021-09-16T01:14:05+10:00

In an analysis of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study this international research team considers poverty, early literacy, instruction and the provision of school libraries to see which has an impact on literacy development.

Evolution of our reading passport program

2021-09-16T01:20:49+10:00

Luke Fetherston, from Trinity College Colac, describes their reading passport program. Luke was awarded the 2020 SLAV Research Fellowship to support the exploration of the design and implementation of this program.

The St Joseph’s College Geelong reading room quotations project

2021-09-16T01:33:21+10:00

Joy Whiteside describes the expansion of the St Joseph’s College Geelong library to create a dedicated Reading Room. To enhance the space the Quotations Project offered the community the opportunity to submit their selections for quotations that would be painted onto the new Reading Room walls. This project enhanced the space and offered all members of the community a chance to voice their valued opinion.

Editorial

2021-09-16T00:45:58+10:00

Library neutrality as radical practice

2021-09-16T01:27:30+10:00

Using examples from both the Canadian and Australian landscape Anita Brooks Kirkland explores the nature of library neutrality, librarians as activists and ethics and standards. Brooks Kirkland considers how our views and understandings impact on the services we provide and the challenging role we play in education.