A model for encouraging the adoption of the reading habitin children in rural Chinese :Development & progress

James Henri Peter WarningInternational Association of School Librarianship

University of Hong Kong

BackgroundReading projects established by the Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation in:

2Reading projects in rural China

Yunnan

Jiangsu

ZhejiangAnhui

Kansu

Program vision & goals

• Create a self-sustaining culture of reading in communities

• Create scalable reading models

• Encourage reading for pleasure by children

• Influence positive local attitudes towards reading for pleasure

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Project stages

1. Gather data• Site visits• Research

2. Develop model• Identify success factors• Match to local situations

3. Obtain feedback• From recipients• From broader community

4. Apply feedback• Create customised models• Identify target schools• Provide guidelines

5. Review & refine• Site visits• Library/reading data

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Site visits

• Sites in all provinces visited• Facilitated by local partners; eg

NGO, local education authority (LEA)

• Interviews with stakeholders; children, parents, librarians, teachers, principals, NGOs, LEAs

• Room to Read sites in Cambodia & Vietnam

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Site visitsKey issues surfaced:

• Understanding of material, human resources & supports

• Regional characteristics

• Expectations of participants

• Obstacles; eg strongly held assumptions

• Opportunities; eg potential leaders

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Development of reading mandala

Pragmatic reading model based on:

• Elements drawn from literature• Concept of free voluntary reading (Krashen,

1993, 2004a, 2004b, etc)

• Sound LIS principles• Observed strengths from site visits• Interviewee responses

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Reading Mandala

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The reading mandala

Partnerships

• Principle of mutual obligation• Local foundations eg NGO• Other foundations• Local education authorities• Professional bodies• Schools• Book suppliers• Equipment/software suppliers

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Reading mandala:key elements

• Reading for pleasure

• Attractive collections

• Access to materials

• Inviting facilities – ‘owned’ by students

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Reading mandala:key elements

• Engaging activities• Reading exemplars• Trained librarians• Whole-school approach• Communities of

practice

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Model library concept• Create exemplars for others to emulate• Create multiple models based on different

environments & characteristics• 8 model school libraries established

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• Single school: Range of variations

• Combination:− Primary/middle− Kindergarten/pre-kindergarten

• Hybrid: School/community• Rotating: Group of schools with core fixed

collection plus rotating collections

Key challenges

• Resources

• Leadership

• Library operation

• Access

• Attitudes

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Resources

• Poor facilities within schools

• Little/no supports outside schools, eg community libraries

• Government supplied reading materials

• Student population size puts stress on resources

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Leadership

• Projects need to be initiated by local leaders

• Senior personnel need to act as reading exemplars

• Leaders need to drive changes in attitudes

• Librarian’s role & status must be high enough to drive reading programs

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Library operation

• Skill level of librarians to be enhanced ( effectiveness & efficiency)

• Appreciation of library/ reading room design (functional) & aesthetics (tangibles)

• Monitoring & evaluation to be undertaken (verification)

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Training

Three-stage training for school librarians

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1. Survival skills

Role, housekeeping, decoration, basic repair, presentation of materials, liberating books, record keeping, library activities

2. Reading activities3. Integrating reading into the curriculum

Access

• ‘Protection’ of the collection has a major impact on library policies

• Size of libraries is small restricting physical access

• Lack of online catalogs makes lending laborious

• Low title/student ratio puts stress on collections & policies

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Attitudes

• Reading for pleasure concept not widespread – reading seen as a vehicle for academic improvement

• Librarian is not seen as a high status role• Library skills are not perceived as distinct

or specialised• Collection is seen as a precious resource

(which it is) to be protected

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Progress

• Willingness to embrace new ideas but tempered by deeply held assumptions

• Concept of attractive titles accepted• Concept of access taking root• Concept of inviting facilities accepted• Importance of specialised training

recognised• Support by principals

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Progress

• Monitor model schools

• Continue training – levels 2 & 3

• Continue refining model

• Report on progress

• Disseminate results – CY-SFF conference, other conferences, articles etc

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The presenters would like to acknowledge contributions to the project by:

•The Chen family & CY-SFF Board

•Angel Leung, Jacqueline Shek & Jenny Hui

•Hela Law & Judy Zhu

•The administrators, principals, teachers, parents, students etc who cooperated in the project

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ReferencesHenri, J., Warning, P. (2007). A model for reading and library

service in rural China. Read to Learn: School Library Development in China International Conference. Hong Kong.

Henri, J., Warning, P., & Leung, A. (2007). A scalable model for developing free voluntary reading through school libraries in rural China. Online. http://www.chenyetsenfoundation.org/report/Reading_Model_Final_20071030.pdf

Henri, J., Warning, P. & Leung, A. (2008). The Reading Mandala: A scalable model for developing reading habits in children in rural China. World Class Learning and Literacy through School Libraries: IASL Annual Conference. California.

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ReferencesHenri, J., Warning, P. (2008). Reading & Learning:

Developing models for library & reading services in rural China. ITIE2008: Connecting Rural Communities conference, Huzhou.

Krashen, S. (1993). The power of reading: insights from the research. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited.

Krashen, S. (2004a). Free voluntary reading: New research, applications & controversies. Innovative Approaches to Reading & Writing Instruction: RELC Conference, Singapore.

Krashen, S. (2004b). The power of reading: insights from the research. 2nd ed. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

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