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Amy
Bruce and the Media Program at MMS
(click on pictures)
A large, note-wielding eighth-grader
hurries into the media center.
He wants to beat the rush to the computers so he can take his
Accelerated Reader (AR) test. Soon,
an orderly eighth grade class enters.
Some students line up to turn in books; others browse the
collection or recline and read magazines, and a fair amount head to
the computers for AR.
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Media coordinator
Amy Bruce handles a flurry of questions from a teacher whose
students are locked out of AR.
She solves the problem.
Then she quickly turns her attention to a student who is
looking for a particular resource. Amy is quick to make a deal. |
“If I do this for you, will you do something for me?” she asks
the student. “Will
you help me move the remaining tables from the Book Fair?”
The student is quick to oblige, and together they move away with a
table.
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| This
is a typical mid-day at Morehead Middle Media Center.
From 11:00-2:00, six groups of students will enter the media
center for about thirty minutes at a time.
Some students sit alone and read; some read in clusters.
Others browse the physical collection for books.
Some students browse the automated catalog, and several take
AR tests. The media assistant checks books in and out while the
media coordinator and a classroom teacher circulate among the young
patrons. |
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A reading tutor works with a student at a back
table. The students are orderly and quiet.
Soft classical music provides a contemplative background.
“Every class in this school of 550 students visits the media
center one day a week between 11:00 and 2:00,” says Amy.
“On the other four days, they have Silent Sustained Reading
in their lunch classes."
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Although the
mid-day scheduling is fairly rigid and can get hectic, the rest of
the day is wide-open for flexible access.
Frequently, a class is doing research using both print
materials and computers during this time.
So, on Monday through Thursday, it’s the best of fixed and
open scheduling worlds. On
Fridays, there is no fixed mid-day scheduling.
This creates further room for flexible access and allows a
make-up day for classes missed due to teacher workdays or holidays.
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The library
is a large open space with a high ceiling in the middle.
Walls of windows open up to the courtyard on one side of the
room and the back of the grounds on the other.
About the room, signs lead users to a variety of resources.
Newspapers include The News and Observer, the Daily News, the
News-Times, and USA Today. Periodicals
include Time, Smithsonian, People, Sports Illustrated, Sports
Illustrated for Kids, National Geographic, Surfing, Hot Rods, and
Better Homes and Gardens.
Other areas
of the media center include circulation, reference, fiction,
non-fiction, on-line catalogs, a workroom, and the computer area.
There are twenty-four computers (twelve iMacs and twelve Dell
OptiPlexes) in four neat rows.
A variety of tables and chairs are placed about the room.
Plants, objects of art, and student projects adorn the
shelves.
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As in most K-8
schools in North Carolina, Accelerated Reader is pervasive.
Amy manages the program.
She says that three years ago two teachers were using
AR just for fun. Now,
however, the program includes challenge and accountability.
Amy inputs point goals for students; then she sends those
goals to teachers. Based
on their knowledge of the students, the teachers have the
opportunity to influence student-reading goals.
Amy is not a big
fan of the AR store as a reward program, because she feels that kids
already have enough “stuff.”
She instead tries to make AR success into a big splash. Therefore, AR reward programs often translate into field
trips or celebrations. In
the past, these events have included skating, off-campus movies, DJ
dances, and a day at Cape Lookout and Cherry Point.
(More MMS photos by cingram...)
January 3, 2002 |
