Shhh! You’re in the library! Oh, wait, you’re sharing book recommendations? Carry on, then.
At Ecclesfield School in Sheffield, a city in northern England, students are encouraged to talk about books in the library. Teachers hope it can help turn them into page-turners instead of doom-scrollers.
An international test of 15 year-olds called PISA found that scores in several subjects have dropped in recent years. Reading scores in the UK have held up fairly well. But researchers warn that phones and other digital distractions are becoming part of everyday school life.
In the survey, 28% of teenagers said other students got distracted by digital devices during science lessons. And it’s not just a classroom problem. Students say that even when they want to read, they often go home and end up scrolling on their phones instead.
Still, teachers at Ecclesfield don’t see phones as the enemy. When so much easy entertainment is right at your fingertips, picking up a book takes more effort. So the school builds reading into students’ daily routines and tries to make books feel relevant, instead of treating reading as something students simply “should” do.
Wanna play Library? (Just remember to shhhhh.) Can you point to all these things in the library? Check off when you find them...
- A sign to say, "No talking loud"
- The book dooter where you scan your books. DOOT!
- Toddler Time
- The camera (smile please)
- The book mouth thing where you return your books
- The computer
Don't miss the library card template!
Shhh! You’re in the library! Oh, wait, you’re sharing book recommendations? Carry on, then.
At Ecclesfield School in Sheffield, a city in northern England, students are encouraged to talk about books in the library. Teachers hope it can help turn them into page-turners instead of doom-scrollers.
An international test of 15 year-olds called PISA found that scores in several subjects have dropped in recent years. Reading scores in the UK have held up fairly well. But researchers warn that phones and other digital distractions are becoming part of everyday school life.
In the survey, 28% of teenagers said other students got distracted by digital devices during science lessons. And it’s not just a classroom problem. Students say that even when they want to read, they often go home and end up scrolling on their phones instead.
Still, teachers at Ecclesfield don’t see phones as the enemy. When so much easy entertainment is right at your fingertips, picking up a book takes more effort. So the school builds reading into students’ daily routines and tries to make books feel relevant, instead of treating reading as something students simply “should” do.
Wanna play Library? (Just remember to shhhhh.) Can you point to all these things in the library? Check off when you find them...
- A sign to say, "No talking loud"
- The book dooter where you scan your books. DOOT!
- Toddler Time
- The camera (smile please)
- The book mouth thing where you return your books
- The computer
Don't miss the library card template!