Author Visits with a Student-Centered Twist

Mac Barnett with our Student Author Committee 3/26/2014

Author visits can be a little nerve wracking for me. I want everything to go well. I want the students to be engaged. I want the author to enjoy the day. I want to stop holding my breath! Since I've been in my current district, we have hosted 12 authors, including Mac Barnett, Mary Amato, Jeff Stone, Alan Katz, David Biedrzycki and more. This year we hosted Sarah Weeks. I feel so fortunate that our PTAs and district support these amazing visits.

Early in my career, I tried my best to plan these events in a way that would get the students excited about the impending visit. It was exhausting and, I felt, a little unsatisfying. Students just didn't seem as excited as I was, no matter what I tried. 

Then, about ten years ago, I experimented with a student author committee. While the teachers and I did the prep work with regards to reading the author's books with students and helping them develop deep questions to ask the author, everything else was pretty much up to the student committee with regards to promotion. Maybe it didn't look as professional ... maybe the ideas were a little random, but the difference in student enthusiasm and engagement was undeniable. 

And really, what is the purpose of the author committee?  We want the author to feel welcomed, of course, but really it's about the skills that our students are learning while working on the author committee. They have to communicate effectively, think creatively, problem solve, collaborate, ask questions and find answers, dabble in (or sometimes dive into) visual design. These skills mesh perfectly with the WHY of the Bridgeview library: to empower students to think, create, collaborate and communicate. And when that happens, it makes the author visit a huge success in my book.

Up next: The Student Author Committee reflects on the Sarah Weeks visit 

Returning the Favor: Vertical Collaborations

In a previous post I talked about our 5th grade digital leadership team teaching FlipGrid to our 4th graders. Today, the 4th graders got to return the favor. Our 4th grade Book Creator experts sat with our 5th grade digital leadership team and taught them how to use the app to complete their projects. 

This collaborative piece was suggested by my 5th grade teaching colleagues, Tara and Becky. Becoming a more student-centered library definitely takes teamwork. I was wondering how the 5th graders would take to being taught by younger students, but both sides did really well. 

I just love the fact that we're building our vertical collaboration and cooperation using our student digital leadership teams. Soon, some of these same 4th graders will be receiving training from the 5th graders again so that they can become a "Jr. Digital Leadership Team." So easy for me, so powerful for them.