Professional Learning Opportunities May 2024
May the Fourth Be With You. Yep, that means I am sending this on the 4th and that means it’s quite a few days late. Some months just seem to throw everything they’ve got at you. That was the past three weeks for me. So, it’s made me question if putting these lists together is achievable anymore. I’d love to hear from you. Do they help or are they something you could do without? I’d love to know. For now, I am thinking this might be the last of these lists I curate. So, here’s a (shorter) list of webinars, podcasts and articles for school library staff professional learning.
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Webinars
From Book Worms to Book Dragons: Tools and tips for implementing a successful school-based reading club – EduWebinar with Pooja Mathur – 8 May 2024, 7pm AEST – Members free, non-members $45.
Neurodivergent Representation Within Fiction Books – SLA UK with Charlotte Webber – 15 May 2024 15:30 GMT – £20 members, £25 non-members.
Teacher professional development: The Gallipoli Campaign – SLQ – 21 May 2024, 5pm AEST – Free.
AI 101: HILO Series – SLAV with Chris Bush – 22 May 2024, 4pm AEST – Members free, non-members $30.
Designing the School Library – EduWebinar with Madison Dearnaley – 22 May 2024, 7pm AEST – Members free, non-members $45.
Fostering a Passion for Reading – ALIA with Helen Farch, Rosie Maher and Karen Eyre – 25 May 2024, 10:30am – $44 members, $66 non-members.
Teacher professional development: What is Heritage? – SLQ with Catherine Chambers – 29 May 2024, 5pm AEST – Free.
Podcasts
School Librarians United Podcast – recent episodes include What to do when you are new, Getting boys back into reading, complete copyright, and Creating a reading culture
Your Kid’s Next Read Podcast – recent episodes include 10 Minutes with Joel McKerrow, All About Verse Novels,
Engaging and Empowering School Libraries
Mentoring
Register for the ALIA Mentoring Scheme.
Events and Resources
ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime 2024 is on the 22nd of May, 2024 12pm – 1pm.
Articles and Blog posts
The Impact of AI on School Libraries – Softlink and responses from the 2023 Softlink School Library Survey.
The Cover-Up: Under Pressure, Some School Librarians Alter Illustrations to Avoid Book Challenges – Andrew Bauld
21 Inclusive Picture Books to Jump-Start Summer Reading – Sam Bloom, Edith Campbell, Ariana Hussain, Sujei Lugo and Lyn Miller-Lachman
6 Tips for Teaching Kindergarten in the Library – Kelley Hincks
Want more professional learning?
Have a look through last month’s professional learning list.
HI Madison, I am sure that many of us out in school library land love your curated lists. They highlight was is available for PL for us. However, your health is the most important thing and if workload is getting too much, you really do need to pull back where you can. Advice from someone who learnt the hard way and burnt out and then couldn’t work for a whole term.
Thank you so much. Your kind word, encouragement and understanding mean so much. Work is all-consuming sometimes, but I really value being able to provide these lists for school library staff. Thank you for your words of wisdom. It’s an important reminder for us all.
I do love these lists each month, but completely understand if they are something you need to drop.
Thank you so much, Sally. Your encouragement and understanding means a lot.