Libraries are special places: shelves of books wait to be discovered and devoured, and cosy corners invite a reader to spend an afternoon immersed in another world. They are peaceful, and more often than not, they are silent.
I teach English language in an international school, and in my classroom, library hours, or days, are a regular feature. During this time, students read their English-written books in silence and share their thoughts with their peers. Stories are so powerful for developing language skills, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this time helps with reading ability.
But when I noticed that many students were reverting to their native language when speaking, I knew I needed to find another way to foster language skills - and one that was still rooted in storytelling and discovery.
When browsing Facebook, I came across an article by life coach Jay Shetty about the growing popularity of human libraries and was inspired.
What is a human library?
The Human Library was developed in Denmark in 2000 for a local festival. The aim was to address people’s prejudices by helping them talk to those they would not normally interact with. In other words, visitors could “borrow” people instead of books.
After a bit of research around the concept, I discovered that human libraries had the potential to develop communication skills such as storytelling, listening, non-verbal communication, and interpersonal skills, as well as the power to eliminate prejudice and stereotypes by encouraging people from different backgrounds to exchange personal stories.
And so, I decided to swap out some of the traditional library time in my timetable, and introduce human libraries instead. Here’s how I did it.
Step one: Gather the human books
I knew there was potential for cross-curricular activity, and I spoke to history and social studies teachers to suggest we embark on the project together. They were keen, and we set about asking teachers from various cultural groups in the school to take part.
Step two: Set a theme
One of the common core standards in our curriculum is to analyse how people from various cultural groups have shaped the history of their countries - the perfect topic for a human library. However, to make it more relevant to their own lives, we asked our students to analyse how different cultures can shape international schools.
Step three: Establish the rules
We asked the students to think of 10 open questions to ask the “human books”, and spoke to them about the importance of allowing time for a discussion with the interviewee rather than a closed question and answer format. We told them that conversations had to happen in English, and that they needed to listen attentively and take notes.
Teachers were encouraged to be honest and informative, with a personable touch, and were asked to prepare a script about how they had contributed to the school.
Step four: Set the scene
We decorated the classroom with different cultural symbols representing different countries and replaced the paper books with our human books. The furniture was rearranged and each teacher had a sign pinpointing which country they were from.
Step five: Let the borrowing begin
The library was open for two hours, and students went to teachers on a rotational basis. We discussed how British teachers brought some rugby to physical education, how the Polish teacher ran an etiquette class for some learners, and how an Irish teacher brought musical instruments and dance into classes.
So, how did it go? The day was a resounding success.
Talking to native speakers in a more relaxed context allows real, everyday language to be learned, and the conversations elicited a lot of new vocabulary for learners - when they had not heard a word before they were inquisitive and made a lot of notes.
They learned some new idioms, which they referenced after the formalities were over, and felt proud to relate to this aspect of the English language. Students also liked that they were able to control the conversations, and steer them in the directions they wished.
Some students did struggle: those that lack confidence and have self-esteem issues were reluctant to engage in conversations. Their body language was telling too: they didn’t want to make eye contact, they looked uncomfortable, and kept their arms folded. We identified those who we thought would find it tough, and paired them up with students who were more confident.
There are things I want to do differently next time: it would be great to try a whole-school initiative and pair students up with learners from different year groups to carry out their interviews, to keep students engaged, and to widen the scope of the conversations.
I’d also love to do the activity outside of school in real life, in a public library, with individuals in the community as the “human books”, to make the whole experience more authentic.
Overall, though, the lasting impact is clear from just that one experience: students feel more confident asking questions, and their vocabulary and fluency has already begun to improve.
Orla Carlin is a sociology and English teacher based in Dubai and is completing a masters in mental health and wellbeing in education
