I have been thinking about how Homework Help will look as a system wide initiative and today I did some research on how other libraries incorporate Homework Help into their services. I was surprised by how many libraries use Brainfuse. If you're not familiar with this service, I highly recommend looking it up. I would love to see something like this at MLS! In the past, I have found it difficult to recruit and retain quality volunteers for Homework Help. It seems like a resource such as Brainfuse could really amplify the quality of service that we provide as members are able to find subject specific tutors who are familiar with Oklahoma Department of Education standards, and even provide help after hours.
Here are what some other libraries are doing:
Tulsa County - Brainfuse and Learning Express in combination with in-library tutoring called "After School Homework Club" - goals are to assist students in grades 3 through 8 in completing their homework assignments, provide students with a positive learning experience within the library, and offer opportunities for cooperation between local school districts and Tulsa City-County Library. The homework club is ran by a single point of contact - a Homework Help Administrator. Program is offered Mon-Thurs afternoons at 6 branches for two-three hours and participants must sign up ahead of time. They must notify if they decide to cancel their session. Program appears to be volunteer and staff led. Students have to sign a consent form and register for the program.
Pierce County Library System - Offers online homework help from 1pm-10pm through Brainfuse.
Chicago Public Library - tutoring offered through Brainfuse and in person. In person tutors are certified teachers or trained homework helpers. Tutors also meet with parents and discuss ways they can help their child with homework at home.
San Diego Public Libraries - The Do Your Homework @ the Library program is part of Mayor Faulconer's One San Diego plan to re-establish the City's libraries as centers for learning and civic engagement. The program includes: Free access to paid tutors and caring volunteers who are available to help K-8 students with their homework assignments; Free access to school supplies and materials; and Free access to computers, online research tools, and other digital resources available at the library. They also use Brainfuse.
St. Paul Public Libraries - offered through Brainfuse and tutoring and volunteer led at select branch locations.
Multnomah County Libraries - Online homework help is offered through tutor.com. No live homework help is offered at branch locations.
Pima County Public Libraries - Combination of Brainfuse and in-person tutoring.
Brooklyn Public Library - After-School Homework Helpers volunteer at library locations throughout Brooklyn to help students in grades 1 through 8 with their homework, projects and assignments. Homework Helpers come from diverse backgrounds—from retired teachers, to high school students—but the one characteristic they all share is the desire to help students succeed in the classroom. Volunteers receive training and are able to assist with homework in various subjects, such as English, math, science, social studies and more! (volunteer led)
Seattle Public Library - Volunteers assist students K-12 with English, math, social studies and science during the school year, except holidays - not all libraries assist at HS level. Certain branches have tutors that assist with HS math or English, but all others only assist with K-8. Drop in/ no sign up needed. Volunteer led.
I'd love to hear more about what you all think this will look like at MLS!
Thanks,
Lindsay
I second the recommendation of Brainfuse. We had it at Pioneer when I worked there, and it is a really great resource. I think it would definitely complement our Learn Smarter initiative.
because I was wanting to introduce the suggestion of brainstorming a different name for it...
As a (recent) former teacher, I still have a lot of connection with current educational trends, and I am seeing that what we traditionally call "homework" is becoming less common, as research is iffy on how much benefit it brings- especially in the elementary years. What is becoming a more common default is that unfinished classwork is sent home with those who struggle to complete in it in class....My personal child has a hard time defining these tasks as "homework", and he is certainly a kid who could benefit from this sort of program, were it offered a little more regularly.
I fully recognize that many schools and teachers will continue to assign homework...but for those kids who don't have assigned "homework" (or maybe are even home schooled), and could use some extra help in grasping concepts or completing assignments- I am wondering if a different name might be more appropriate?
Something like "Study Buddies" or "Learning Assistance"...but much catchier because those aren't great, lol.
Any thoughts?
That's a great point Amy - the concept of homework may be obsolete in 5, 10 years. I like the idea of using a broader term like "study" or "learning" since they also imply tutoring which involves going over course material, not necessarily working on assigned problems.
Here at Bethany, we have Rocket Readers on a weekly basis where we listen to kids read and help them with the reading process if they are struggling using games and worksheets etc. If a child needs help with homework, they are free to bring it in with them. The program encourages a love of reading and is fun. We use games like Zingo!, Quiddler and Sight Word Bingo. Combining the two works very well whatever we may call the program. As a former teacher, I am very much in favor of promoting literacy within the library and offering programs that support this. We have a pool of 12 volunteers which come in each week to give one on one help. Volunteers are the key to a successful program.
Spitballing a few name ideas:
Metro Mentors
Learning Center
Study Smarts
Learning Lab
Learning Lab is my favorite. It's clear and alliterative!
I like the names you suggested. A good name is important to the success of a homework help program. I've heard the term Learning Lab often in my previous work in schools. It may actually have a negative connotation for some students. In many of the schools where I have worked the Learning Lab was where students with special needs would go for help with assignments and homework. For some, there was a stigma associated with going to the Learning Lab for help. Just something to consider...
Valid Point, Anne!
Starting this fall, all Edmond public school 8th, 9th and 10th graders will be issued Chromebooks at the beginning of the school year to do the majority (if not all) of their school assignments digitally. It's part of their system-wide digital conversion, with the plan that by 2020 even students in elementary grades will be using iPads/tablets at school. Here's a link to their roadmap: http://edmondschools.net/parents-students/digital-conversion/
I see this as a great opportunity to get Edmond schools connected with the OneCard system, and also for us to think about how we are providing homework help - in many cases we won't necessarily working with paper and pencil. This is also a chance for us (system) to work with students using our digital resources as homework help. I love the ability to offer Brainfuse to our members, but also being able to provide 1-1 help.
While Edmond may be the first big district following through with digital conversion, many others in the county may be planning to do so as well.
I love the Brainfuse idea! It's a great way to offer these services to members with less direct staff involvement, though we will need to seriously talk these services up and be able to demonstrate the product to members if we choose to pursue it as a digital resource.
I think that anyone thinking about engaging in a homework help or school help type program should consider visiting the program at CH library. They do an amazing job of using both adult and teen volunteers to offer assistance not only with HW sheets, but also with a reading buddies type setting. I don't know that I really like the term learning help though...sounds more like a program for adults.
Regarding naming, I agree that homework might not be as common place now, but I am concerned that using a different term might not clearly communicate the nature of the program. To me, study help makes me picture people studying quietly at an academic library. Learning assistance, while also accurate, makes me think of some kind of adult learning program, or a program designed for those with special needs. Maybe Study Buddies? It makes it seem less formal, but I don't know if I love that name either. What other ideas do you guys have?
If we do Reading Buddies, we can help with homework or encourage reading in the same program? Also, it is something we have had before.
If our goal is to help with literacy alone, then it makes sense to have a "reading" related title. If we are wanting to provide help with all school assignments, we may want to use something more inclusive.
The child I have in my house that would benefit actually needs more help with math- but I recognize math tutors may be more challenging to find....will be interesting to watch as this vision develops further....
"After School Club" could cover numerous possibilities and different libraries could specialize in different programs depending on the Community need. i.e. AFC: Homework Help. AFC: Reading Help etc. We could also use Brainfuse.
The Digital Library and Collection Management will definitely be looking into online products to support the in-library services that will come out of our upcoming focus on school success. We're going to be examining the options, and then working with the services side of things to make sure the product we use supports and meets the goals established for in-library programs and services. I'm definitely noting the products that are coming up in these and other discussions, but if you know of additional online tutoring and homework help products that you haven't seen discussed, please don't hesitate to pass them along to me or Sadie Bruce!