LIBE 467 Theme 1: Digital and Print Reference Materials in Elementary School Learning Commons
Despite the trend in school library learning commons of switching printed reference materials
to digital formats, the teacher-librarian of a school library that I often visit continues to keep printed
materials in the reference section. They believe putting physical books in the hands of children will help
encourage more reading. The teacher-librarian is worried that most elementary students are consuming a
lot of screen time at home. They wish to engage the students’ minds through meaningful reading for
education and joy. There is an interesting article I found that discusses reading through screens versus
print for student learning. In the article, “Reading on-screen vs reading in print: What's the difference for
learning?” Lisa Allcot discusses a research done in 2016 regarding young children reading with e-readers:
Reich, Yau and Warschauer (2016), in their report on using tablet-based eBooks with very young children(0–2 years), commented that enhanced eBooks with sounds, animations, and games can distract children and reduce learning. When book-sharing with an adult, conversations during eBook reading are often about the platform while print book conversations are more often about the book content.
The teacher-librarian still uses e-readers and other digital book programs to support hesitant
readers.
When teaching primary students about information gathering, the teacher-librarian uses printed
formats of encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc., that are adapted for young readers to understand and
gather information properly for projects and/or activities. The teacher-librarian has explained to
me that printed reference materials are easier for young children to use when begining to learn about
information gathering, compared to using digital references with them. However, with older grades, the
teacher-librarian will teach students on how to use digital books and and encyclopedia apps on Ipads and
chromebooks for small, simple research projects. Programs they use with older students for research
projects are World Book for kids, EPIC books, and DK Encyclopedia for Children.
photo from https://www.worldbook.com/store/p/545-World-Book-Kids.aspx
I believe that school library learning commons should have a mix of both printed and digital
formats in reference sections. I understand that keeping printed reference materials can be a
hardship for some libraries in regard to costs and relevancy, but I think there is still value to
having a reference section of printed materials in the learning commons, even if the section is
small. Students learn in various ways; some may be more inclined to use printed materials to
gather information than with digital formats. Furthermore, I agree with the teacher-librarian on
using printed reference materials as tools for young children who are just beginning to learn
about research. Having both printed and digital formats of reference materials can enrich student
learning and meet their diverse needs when they refer to both formats in their research projects.
They would be developing information literacy skills, technological skills, media literacy skills,
and love for reading (Achieving Information Literacy, 24). Web and other digital sources as references are
cost-efficient and unlimited storages of information; thus, a valuable tool that I would certainly implement
into my future learning commons programs. However, in Reference Skills for the School Librarian,
Riedling claims, “Mass storage and specific retrieval are both a blessing and a curse…A mass of
undifferentiated, many times unreliable, information stored on the Web, which means there may be
thousands-even millions-of citations for any given topic” (171). This is another reason I would keep
printed reference materials when teaching young students in elementary schools. I would prepare them for
digital sources with printed materials first to learn why we would use references and how to use them.
Then students would learn to authenticate sources and retrieve unbiased, accurate information to apply
these skills on digital references. Riedling states, “It is the role of the school librarian to be the trained
magician with the ability to assist the student in extracting the desired data to meet specific
informational needs” (171).
Once I have my own school library, I would use both formats of reference materials when
leading an inquiry-based reference process with students. I would follow the Points of Inquiry
model from BCTLA where learners can achieve the following:
· are actively involved in the learning process;
· use prior knowledge;
· ask questions;
· hypothesize and investigate;
· construct new understandings;
· communicate their understandings with others;
· are reflective and critical thinkers who acquire the skills for independent learning
(Beaudry, Lesson 2)
For young students, I would adopt the Big6/Super 3 research models for simplified instruction
with learners who are still developing their information gathering skills. The steps from both
models for collecting information are adapted for young learners to understand ( Riedling, 24).
The Super 3 contains only three steps, such as Plan, Do, and Review, which primary students can
remember and follow easily with guided instruction from educators (Riedling, 26). Overall, I
would use the Big 6 model for older grades, such as grade 3-5 students, and the Super 3 model
for younger grades such as kindergarten to grade 2 students.
The following video is a TED lecture that discusses the relevancy of libraries and their roles as
hubs for information in diverse forms.
“ Are Libraries Still Relevant?” TED lecture by Liz Bartlett, December 2019.
Bibliography
Allcott, Lisa. “Reading On-Screen vs Reading in Print: What’s the Difference for
Learning?” Natlib.Govt.Nz, 11 Oct. 2021, natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/reading-on-screen-vs-
reading-in-print-whats-the-difference-for-learning.
Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D. Achieving information literacy: Standards for school
library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The
Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada, 2003. http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/ail110217.pdfLinks to an external site.
BCTLA Info Lit Task Force. The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and
the 21st Century Learner. British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association,
2011. https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/the-points-of-inquiry.
Beaudry, Richard. Lesson 2: The Reference Process and Information Skills. LIBE 467
Information Services I, UBC, 2024.
Riedling, A. & Houston, C. Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tip. Fourth
Edition, eBook, Libraries Unlimited, 2019.
Claudia,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the perspective with which you wrote your post from. I believe in the accessibility of digital resources, and how cost effective and space saving they are. However, there is a benefit to holding a physical text especially for young children who are just beginning their learning journeys. If something is out of sight, then it is out of mind. If we want students to curious, inquisitive, and critical thinkers, then we need to provide lots of non-fiction material, and it needs to be physically/visually present. If we only rely on students' weekly computer times to introduce them to reference materials, then I think we are not providing enough exposure to these important resources. I enjoyed the TED TALK video. It was a nice way to ground and conclude your post.
Hi Claudia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the librarian at your school that many young students are often getting too much screen time, so encouraging them to engage more with printed materials for reference is great, it also helps them see the alternatives to Google, and start the process of learning information literacy. Students need to gain skills in evaluating information on the internet critically and learn about what should be considered reliable before we let that be their sole reference source.
Hi Claudia,
ReplyDeleteAs students get older they often present their learning in Canva or similar platform. In this case, most of their research and collecting of images is done online- which highlights why teaching younger students how to use non-fiction resources in print is so important. That said, I love that print resources are more social than online ones. It is common to see groups of students gathered around books like atlases, or Guinness Book World Records talking about what they see and read. Book time is more important than screen time!
We share a lot of the same perspectives on this topic. I too used the same research which intrigued me regarding the difference between how young people read on divices compared to in print. The data provided in the Ted Talk was interesting, thank you for sharing that!
ReplyDelete