School Library — The Central Learning Space
The school library is the central learning space in the school, the hub of the wheel, a place that is always open and staffed during the school day. The purpose of the school library is to support the needs of the learning community — students, teachers, staff, parents, wider community members. We need this place to meet, share ideas, gather information, work, create, read, browse, think, and even to just relax. The ancient Greeks called their central gathering place “agora,” and understood the need for the agora to their democracy.
Who knows where we’d be without the “agoras” of ancient Greece. Lacking the concept of democracy, perhaps, or the formula for the length of the sides of a triangle (young math students, rejoice!). Modern doctors might not have anything to mutter as an oath.
What went on at the agora went beyond the simple daily transactions of the market. The conversations that happened there and the ideas that they bore continue to affect us to this day, from the way scientists carry out their work to how we pass our laws.
Whipps, Heather. “How the Greek agora changed the world.” Livescience.com. March 16, 2008. Accessed on July 19, 2016. Web.
Exciting learning and projects take place in every corner of the school: physics, math, creative writing, pottery, US history, computer science, marketing, and many other subjects. Teachers deliver fabulous lessons, provoke students to think with relevant projects, and lead engaging discussions behind their doors where they and their students benefit. Some departments work closely together to share ideas, lessons, and specific approaches to teaching among department members, but often teaching is still a solo occupation.
What if…
- Teachers, students, other staff regularly shared their best ideas, lessons, resources, approaches to teaching, and thoughts about learning?
- Teachers (even veteran teachers) were encouraged to freely ask one another for advice, ideas, techniques and keep the dialog going throughout the school year?
- Students were able to work on multidisciplinary, authentic, and engaging projects to fulfill the requirements of multiple academic subjects?
- The wider community (even the global community) were regularly included in classroom investigations, projects, performances, and presentations?
- There were a greater sense of ownership, belonging, playfulness, curiosity, and shared purpose for students and all members of the learning community?
What role does the central learning space, the agora, the school library, have in nurturing such a collaborative, engaging, rich learning experience for all members of the learning community?
