What Makes A Good Library Session….postered!

Reflection. This is one of the crucial features that helps our work and ourselves develop and grow. At our last LiS meeting, we brainstormed and thundered and ideas poured out!

A part of our fortnightly meeting was a session dedicated to ‘What Makes a Good Library Session’. At this point, a moment’s silence before every voice at the table had an opinion, idea or comment on the theme at hand.

We broke up into groups of 2s and made lists of what we thought were features crucial to a good library session. We regrouped to discuss. Then came the crucial question- what to do with this information we had now gathered.

Question answered- crayons, sketch pens, coloured paper and many hands around a big chart paper….and in a little more time than we had originally planned for the session, a poster was created.

We all agreed that the atmosphere was a highly important setting for the library session. It is crucial that the session happens in an ‘exciting’, ‘fun’, ‘engaging’, positive’, ‘open’, ‘respectful’ space, and this is what holds the library session together. What better way to engage and involve kids than in a space that is open and accepting of all they have to say?!

This is where the next layer of the chart comes in. (Yes, this refers to the pink line which looks like it’s on fire). The rules. In the LiS classrooms, we do not resort to using ‘Tools of Threat’. You will not find a ruler/cane/ stick that is ever used on a child (and yet again, yes, Corporal Punishment is a punishable offence, but that does not mean it does not exist behind closed doors). However, our classes are held together by rules that are agreed upon by the children themselves. ‘We raise our hand when we want to answer in class’, ‘When we’re reading a story, your ears are… “OPEN!”, eyes are…”OPEN!”, mouths are….”CLOSED!”; these are things you will hear when we are in class. The atmosphere is created by the rules that the children understand and make sense to us and these rules hold everything together.

The 3 areas we found were at the centre of all criterion in a good library session were the Human Factor,  Story Preparation and Classroom Management.

‘You cannot just walk into a LiS class and read a story and give them something to do!’ Ofcourse not! A lot of work goes on behind the scenes before we show up and flash a book…and a smile…or three! The questions and discussions don’t just pop up…they are thought of and lend themselves to creating a context and a vivid backdrop for the story. Our activities come with the aim of engaging and capturing the attention of the kids, all while providing opportunities for them to learn and talk back to us, allowing us opportunities to learn. And NO! The cut outs in the kids books are not bought by us over the counter. Visit a home or the library space the evening (or the morning) before a library session, and you will see many hands wielding scissors cutting, folding, tearing, preparing paper based activities for 50+ children per class!

And then we’re in class! Live by the bell, teach by the bell. The sessions we conduct have evolved from a theory of using multiple modes of learning….and we do it all in 40 minutes. Classroom Management is crucial to us! We walk through the rows, we engage with as many children as possible, and we keep it uniform…all our children are treated as one.

And ofcourse at the center of our sessions is and will always be the BOOKS! Good books, and high quality read alouds. This is area of specialization and it is the favourite part of our work. Watching the children engage with books, reading and the joy that comes in these moments…happiness!

The little hands surrounding the center of the chart are not just stuck there because we had them available. Many hands DO make for enriched work. At Bookworm, we realize that we can do nothing without the backing of a team. “Krystal! I need a song for this book!” “Sujata! What do I do for an extension?!” “Priya! I need 100 cut outs of stars!” “Flavia! You’re in charge of the game!” “Isa! Will you please do activity?!” “Nagappa! Go see what’s happening on the last bench there!” “Niju! I need a worksheet printed!” “All hands on deck!” And there is always someone who will be there to lend a hand! The Human Factor is at the center of it all. Energy, engagement, enthusiasm this is the heart of the LiS program.

And then for that moment where it all comes together. The “Aahhhhhh!” moment when you send the report at the end of the day for a class well transacted.

All of this….is from the heart. That is what makes a good library session.