Additionally, I’d like to see more IT used in lit circles…so much could be done with specific parts and passages. In the March–I think–volume of Educational Leardership one article notes that banishing copy machines, paper, test prep materials and new textbooks would free up district budgets for the purchase of books. I tend to agree!

Multiple Copies of certain books that can lead the way to generate extended study on a given topic or text structures we want students to identify.

I guess I wouldn’t necessary call them reading groups – I would call this approach the learning centered classroom. If you have 25 students in a classroom – you could set up centered activities around specific titles that students will read and investigate what type of structure the author is using. In addition, this is a great way to bring in differentiated instruction for a variety of student learning levels. In this learning centered approach – there would be specific activities that students would need to perform so the teacher can assess their understanding of the text.

Progress to remove the textbook needs to be a slow process. Your student who already works in a small school library is on the right track but I recommend a slow methodical approach. What she/he wants to do will take time and effort but she/he is on the right track and approach. My suggestion is to continue to build the collaboration with the history teacher and find out what the first three units of study for next September will be in this history class. Select one – prepare a text cluster of materials and then make the sales pitch – that in the fall the history teacher – not use the text book for at least one of the first three units of study. The librarian needs to agree to assist this teacher who will be walking a tightrope – moving away from a huge habit and crutch of the textbook – to the great unknown of using just NF to teach. The development of activities, assessments of student work, and rubrics will need to be developed. This is why you start small to remove the textbook. You can’t expect to pull the safety net out from under the tightrope immediately. It may take a few fits and starts to find the right flow for removing the textbook.

I just started reading a fascinating book entitled – The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. By Charles Duhigg
I have only read the prologue and first chapter but I have learned that observation is extremely important to change a habit. If you want someone to change a habit – like using the textbook then I believe checking out this book might help.

Here is a flowchart on how to change a habit from Duhigg’s web site
http://tinyurl.com/flowcharthabit

Great story in the prologue about a US Army Major who analyzed riot tapes from Kufa, Iraq and determined that removing food cart from the city square where the riots occurred helped diminish the effect of the crowd that gathered and the people went home instead of rioting.

As I read this book I plan to think about reading habits and how better habit formation can help increase the interest in reading NF!

The central depository should be the library! Or in the case of the model here in Western New York our BOCES has a Media Center where districts can participate and get access to a huge variety of materials – including a great multiple copies library that has just started adding some quality NF!