Liz Broekmann from Slough Library reads with 3 pupils from Arbour Vale School. The boys have many interests including fishing, cars and wizardry. Their reading age makes many books inaccessible to them. For example J loves Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings . He is able to access the wonderful characters in these stories though cinema, DVD and video and would love to read the books but needs a teacher, a librarian or his parents to read these amazing stories. He is fascinated by Harry Potter and his ability to cast spells and tells the story of how Harry was turned into a frog because he used his magic outside the school playground. His reading age is below 5.
D loves fishing, knows where to find the fishing books in the library and through explaining the pictures demonstrates his language and knowledge of the subject. C on the other hand is an expert in cars, knows all the makes and models and talks with passion about his favourites. Both D and C have a reading age of 6/7.
All the boys enjoy using both the school and the public library. D likes having his own library card and checking out his books at the desk.
Georgina Godfrey their class teacher tells us a little about how the boys like to learn. All have some reading difficulties and are easily distracted. They like to be able to walk around and touch and feel things. They are active learners and like to go and do rather than sit for long periods of time when they become switched off. All are very computer literate and but need 1 to 1 support for most reading and learning activities.
The partnerships which exist between the teacher, school librarian and public librarian are making books and learning more accessible and interesting for these three young people and Liz Broekmann acknowledges that there is more the library should be doing to reach out to other young people with reading and other learning difficulties.
DVDs, videos and computers are a good start but equally too the displays with things to feel and touch as well as pictures based on favourite hobbies and characters will all add to their understanding especially if planned with the teacher and school librarian prior to visits to the library.