What are the current issues in the world of education? Deep changes have shaped schools since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis. We keep a close eye on developments in the field of education and reading, to understand the current needs of students, teachers and school libraries. We have notably gathered opinion pieces by teachers and librarians on current issues within their schools, as well as large-scale studies on reading habits. Follow us on social media to make sure you never miss a thing!
Is reading therapeutic for children?
Fiction can help develop empathy and compassion, and for young readers in particular, it can contribute to a healthy emotional development: how do you express your emotions, when faced with a novel and complicated situation? According to Shannon Meyerkort in School News Australia, the protagonists of children’s books can help young readers find solutions when they are feeling like they can’t cope, and could help them verbalize emotions they couldn’t previously put into words.
On the We Are Teachers website, former high school teacher Jill Staake lists no fewer than 25 benefits of reading! It obviously improves concentration and enriches vocabulary, but we also learn in this article that reading can help you live longer, get a better night’s sleep and reduce stress.
About reading habits
The “Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2022” led by BookNet Canada examined the leisure and reading habits (in adults only) of 1,290 English-speaking Canadians. Among other things, the study reveals an increase in the use of reading devices over the past three years, as well as an increase in the borrowing of e-books and audiobooks from libraries. Will these habits also be reflected among young readers?
Discovering, exploring and questioning: promoting reading diversity
In Canada, students’ interest in history is waning: how can we respond to this problem, which is a major educational issue? According to Amanda Cannon, we need to highlight minority voices, particularly those of women and non-binary people who have been part of Canada’s history. On EFTO Voice, the magazine of the elementary teachers’ federation of Ontario, she suggests an approach that centres lesser-known figures in the teaching of history, for a more engaging learning process, and invites students to question the absence of these individuals from the traditional history curriculum.
In the age of streaming news feeds and multiple social networks, non-fiction seems to be everywhere. According to education professionals Melanie Mulcaster, Mishelle Pitter-Adlam and Iniyal Inparajah, non-fiction is often absent from the classroom. On the Canadian School Libraries Journal, they advocate for the inclusion of non-fiction books in school curricula, notably to help students develop their curiosity, improve their research methods, and encourage the discovery and exploration of new subjects.
In the Canadian Teacher magazine, historian and author Andrew Varga highlights the importance of historical fiction in helping students learn about history. Is historical fiction more accessible and more engaging than history lessons? According to Andrew Varga, there are only advantages to getting young readers to read historical fiction!
Where does indigenous knowledge fit into the curriculum? According to teacher Teri-Lyn Fleming in ETFO Voice, incorporating this type of knowledge into Canadian classrooms allows students to adopt a different perspective, one that is more focused on the environment, storytelling, community, and care.
Book censorship: a crucial issue for schools and school libraries
Concern is growing in Canadian schools about the increasing number of requests to remove certain books from school libraries. The Canadian School Libraries organization warns about the content of these requests, which are mainly targeted at books featuring LGBTQIA+ and POC protagonists, as well as books which discuss sexual health.
Tammy Le, a teacher-librarian in British Columbia, talks to The Tyee about the challenges posed by these censorship requests. Who is restricting students’ freedom to read? She reiterates that the decision on whether or not to include a book in a school library rests solely with the teacher-librarian, not with individuals from outside the school.