My Library Is... Supporting Student Learning

With help from the RAILS My Library Is… Grant, Beach Park Middle School library has been able to support their new student advisement period. 

Last year, Beach Park Middle School started a student-choice incentivizing advisory period, where students learn a new activity every 6 weeks. Dependent on good behavior and completion of assigned work, students choose which advisement session they attend that week from Wednesday to Friday. 

With increased interest in hands-on activities, crafts, and learning outside of the traditional classroom and off devices, they can extend their learning beyond the typical curriculum. The library is facilitating this extension and providing supplies for these activities, which are extremely varied; Staff have offered learning experiences like crochet, art, crafting, music, puzzle solving, and board games. Purchasing of the activity materials for library visitors was made possible by the grant. 

In the library, they have a crochet circle, a board game circle, and even a center for drawing anime. Students learn social emotional skills throughout the day during their chosen activity. The library supports the exploration of their interests and their choice, especially as there is no opportunity in other parts of the day for this type of free-choice learning. Due to the size and welcoming nature of the library space, it is a perfect venue for talking circles and centering student perspectives.

Individual student interests are varied and evolving, and they can suggest new ideas for learning and advisement topics. Students are so excited to be learning new skills and games. In this program, students socialize without technology, and staff have observed increased improvement in conversational skills. Library staff enjoyed witnessing how students have communicated, tried new things, and even taught staff members new games (other than UNO). 

Today's blog post was written by Michelle Moreau, Librarian, Beach Park Middle School. 

This project was made possible by the My Library Is... Grant.