[CALIBK12] Do you have "secret spaces"?

[csla at abilock.net]

Hi CA school librarians,
 
I am looking for a school library in which there is a nook that feels to
young children like a secret or protected space:  Here are some examples...
 
Possible configurations might include a three-sided alcoves with one glass
wall or several large refrigerator boxes in an open space.  Alternatively,
an enclosed space with short walls that is open on top, such as several easy
chairs that are pulled into a protective circle or two couches angled
against a wall, can create a feeling of privacy.  Vendors sell prefabricated
structures such as reading nooks in the form of trees, cars, or caves which
could be positioned at some distance from the main desk to suggest a refuge.
All of these give children the impression of privacy while maintaining the
openness needed for adult supervision.  

 

...allowing them to reconfigure certain flexible spaces.  Whether that is
merely allowing children to reposition chairs and tables to suit their
needs, or whether it is more purposefully creating areas for children to
develop their own learning environments (i.e., displays on topics they
choose, graffiti walls for them to express themselves, or online
environments they can customize to suit their tastes), giving children
control over actual space, and hence over their learning, may invest the
SLMC with some of the vitality of a secret space. 

 

Further, since children retreat into their hideouts in order to begin
discovering themselves and their creative potential - often expressed in
drawing or storytelling - they should have regular opportunities and space
for creative expression, whether it is a stage for performance, materials
and tables for drawing, or computer tools for illustration and design.  Many
teacher librarians actively instruct students in multimedia presentation
tools, which is precisely the kind of instruction that will help recreate
the SLMC as a secret space.

 

 
best,
debbie
 
"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future.  The
learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer
exists." --Eric Hoffer
 
Debbie Abilock, Editor-in-Chief
Knowledge Quest
http://www.ala.org/aasl/kqweb
kq at abilock.net
Knowledge Quest is devoted to offering substantive information to assist
building-level library media specialists, supervisors, library educators,
and other decision makers concerned with the development of school library
media programs and services.  Articles address the integration of theory and
practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning
theory, and relevant disciplines.

 

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