Experimenting with Pathfinders

We’ve often been told that the current generation of students in our schools are the ‘Google Generation*’, a group of students who use the web with ease and feel that they have no need for books and traditional research as we know it.  What we’re seeing in schools however, is a generation of students who though they may use the internet widely, do so ineffectively and use only a very limited number of applications.  They may be a whiz at Facebook and MSN IM, but ask them a question and their primary search strategy is to type the whole thing into a Google searchbar and hit enter.  Sadly, many of their teachers are also at a similar stage, but being better at selecting key words, get better results with only a little more skill.  Though students are taught how to use advance searches and strategies in ICT, this is seldom backed up and would need consistent reinforcement to become the norm.

The difficulty that we face in library based research lessons is that there is neither the time or the space to teach these skills.  The library isn’t laid out as a classroom, and unless it’s a small group it’s nearly impossible for me to speak to a whole class all at once, let alone monitor their progress.  So more and more this year we’re going to be focusing on passing these skills on to teachers to drill down to their classes, and setting up Pathfinders for students. This involves breaking down the task of research into a series of stages and providing them with starting points, or sign posts long the way.  Often these also open up the possibility for talking through search strategies with individual groups, as by providing a clear direction, they are able to see quite clearly where they want their research to go.

The format of these Pathfinders is proving tricky to perfect as yet.  Unfortunately our VLE just, well, isn’t, so there’s no central space to display the information.  At the moment I’m experimenting with creating documents and webpages that will guide them through, but haven’t quite found the right formula.  What I need is something that our students can get to with one click from out home page.  You know, like a VLE…**  So at the moment we’re making good use of sites such as Diigo to collect key sites, and also Pearltrees, which allows you to display your links in a way with huge student appeal.  This is the Pearltree created for the Year 12 English groups who are just about to start studying The Great Gatsby:

Great Gatsby Pearltree (Sorry, it won't embed.)

Students were able to find starting points on many areas of interest and then take their research further using key words that they identified during their reading.  So far it’s working well!  We’ll continue to investigate and develop formats and presentation until something clicks, then feedback on the process.  Wouldn't it be great to use something like a VLE for this?  *winks at ICT people*  *bats eyelashes*

*And may I congratulate the writer of this article on his wonderful moustache.

**Apparently there is one, it just hasn’t been set up, and staff haven’t been trained on it.  This is hugely useful, as you can imagine.

Half Term? Now? Are you sure?

Wow.  I do feel tired enough for it to be half term next week but I hadn't actually thought that it would be.  Where did this half term go?  Carnegie I guess, various staff illnesses, closures, technology fails and any number of other things that have kept us on our toes.

This half term marks an important anniversary though.  I've been back at the school and in the library for a whole year!  This time last year I'd just got the job and was preparing to start the crossover period with our previous librarian, working with her until the summer when the crown* would be passed over to me, a crown which I wear with pride.  I can honestly say that it's been the best working year of my life and I've never been happier in a job than I am here.  The students are great, the staff are largely lovely, and the library is a gorgeous place to be.  Our two library assistants have been patient stars, merrily going along with daft plans and adjusting their own work when I've suddenly decided to put events on.

Sometimes I have to take a step back and realise what this job is.  I get to work with some wonderful people, in a lovely place where everything is focused towards something positive.  Our managers are lovely and happy for us to work relatively unrestricted, we're supported and encouraged to do new things.  There are battles to be fought of course, but they're not ones to hurt your head beyond the end of the day most of the time. I'm being paid to have fun setting up new things, encouraging students to read, talking about books.  Teaching students how to play card games and do a riffle shuffle properly is laughingly called work. So much of it feels like playing half the time.  I'm lucky.

We've done a whole lot over  the year:

• Placed fiction books in every tutor room under the 'Spread the Word' scheme that we stared in September.


• Hosted (and some won!) NaNoWriMo.


• Introduced a system of student librarians, with dozens applying to help out where previously no one wanted to.


• Stocked games for break and lunch times.


• Added hugely to the graphic novels available and altered their status within the school to that of 'proper books'.


• Adjusted proceedures and habits to make the library more accessible and welcoming.


• Hosted Book Week, with school wide events and readings at lunchtimes.


• Made small but significant alterations to the physical space, adding plants, beanbags, new signage.


• Adjusted our stock buying habits to ensure value for money


• Started the Reading Group on creating their own Wiki page to record their reviews and thoughts.  This'll be going school wide at the end of the year.


• Hosted KS4 and 5 Creative Writing Club.


• Started to offer staff INSET on research skills.


• Had a jolly nice time!  The library biscuit intake has gone through the roof, and I've gently encouraged the average consumption of one cup of tea a day to a more comfortable four or five, with the addition of Cecil the coffee machine making caffeine more accessible and tasty.

I know there was more too, but I can't quite remember it all!  Book swaps, competitions, lunchtime events. etc.  And next year there'll be even more.

Big huge thank yous to all of my student librarians and library helpers, and of course to Mrs S and Mrs C, who keep me in check and hide the sweets when I've had too many.  Ladies, you rock.

*I joked about the crown to some of the prospective new head teachers when they were touring round the school.  He didn't even smile.  I'm quite glad he didn't get the job - the one who laughed did.