Saturday 19 May 2012

ETL403 Teacher Librarianship: Part 3- Reflection

At the beginning of this subject of Teacher Librarianship, I had a preconceived view of the role of the teacher librarian (TL) which was not overly positive. Based on previous experiences of TLs and the stereotypes portrayed in the media and literature, my view of the role of teacher librarian in schools encompassed no more than an orderly person who looked after books and protected an atmosphere of silence. I did not understand the relationship between ‘teacher’ and ‘librarian’. My experience taught me you were one or the other. In my combined role of Music Teacher and Teacher Librarian, I was always extremely quick to put the Music Teacher aspect first. I was, after all, a trained teacher, not a qualified librarian. At this point I was completely unaware of the research supporting the impact of a qualified TL in schools or the complexity of the role.
My first major learning experience and turning point came right at the start, during the two day induction course where I was bombarded with the reality of the role and what lay ahead in order to gain my qualifications and function effectively in a school library.  This lay the foundation for my first blog entry titled 21C Librarian. (Creating this entry was a separate learning experience in itself as I learned how to create a blog and ethically insert a picture.)
I have learned many things both theoretically and practically throughout the subject. In completing the module readings and activities as well as assignments, time management has become a necessary ally, both personally and professionally. Through reading and participating in the online forums I not only clarified new thoughts and ideas (Selection and the School Context, 16 March 1:29pm) but gained valuable experience and insight into what it must be like for our students as they face new information and challenge preconceived ideas. The forums highlighted that this learning journey is shared and that often it’s things as simple as quotation marks (04 March 1:17pm) that make finding information so much easier. The forums became a place of encouragement and celebration of small successes (Relief! 04 March 1:15pm) and emphasised my role in creating a similar space for my students.
In reading about the different author’s views on the role of the TL and the ASLA Standards of Professional Excellence (2004), I experienced a significant dip in confidence, similar to those described in Kuhlthau’s ISP Model, as I came to realise the enormity of the task ahead. Feelings of inadequacy came to the surface in my blog post entitled The Role of the Teacher Librarian....Swimming? and there was a certain degree of fear at the thought of technology playing a vital role in the life of a TL. I discovered, however, that as I began to use technology, making many mistakes along the way, through the encouragement of the forums from both lecturers and students, I became more competent in skill level and confident to take risks. I discovered what a gift technology can be to TLs who have the courage to explore it.
Aspects of the role of TL which stood out for me were those of leadership and collaboration. It became clear that through budgetary accountability, censorship of materials, promoting adherence to copyright laws and developing information literacy throughout the school, the teacher librarian must be a leader. It also became evident that collaboration is the key to resourcing a learner-centred curriculum, reinforcing my belief that everything we do in schools must be for the benefit of the learning community.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the role concerned the professional nature of the TL through policy development and accountability. Writing a formal Collection Policy for ETL503 not only highlighted the importance of acquiring appropriate resources to support the curriculum within each individual school environment, but also provided evidence of another leadership quality essential for teacher librarians. It was extremely satisfying to present the completed policy to my school executive and receive their positive feedback.
A defining moment took place when I realised that I am a living example of the information literacy process in action. In completing module activities and assignments, I had to recognise a need for information and utilise various skills and formats to find it. Relying on module readings would not be enough. I had to search for myself, and develop the necessary skills. Each source, and the content within, needed to be evaluated and critical thinking applied in order to draw my own conclusions, and appropriately present what I had learned. In reflection, I have been walking in my students’ shoes and have experienced all the feelings (Kuhlthau, 2012) that accompany anyone on an information literacy journey.
My challenge now is to keep walking. Keep the learning journey going. Only in this way can I change others’ perceptions of the role of teacher librarian and truly experience Abilock’s “transformational process” leading to a “lifetime habit” of learning (2004).

Thursday 17 May 2012

One Size Fits All........Not!!

I don't believe in the saying "one size fits all". It just isn't true. How could it be? Not a single person on the planet is the same as another person. Sure there may be similarities, but everyone is unique......an individual. Pretty amazing really!

So why is it then that the world tries to force us to adopt a "one size fits all" mentality when we so clearly have different needs?

It's the same with education. No two students are the same. Yes there are similarities, but each one brings different skills, abilities, past experiences and learning styles to the classroom and it is the teacher's job to somehow ensure that everyone learns.

And it's the same with Information Literacy models. So many to choose from, and all with commendable aspects. But not one that applies to every student or every school setting.

Central to these models must be critical thinking and internalisation leading to a "lifetime habit" (Abilock, 2004) of learning and transference.

The steps must allow creativity and flexibility to cater to different learning styles while also holding some structure.

It must be simple enough for children to understand and follow.

It must engage the learner through multimodal literacies.

It must motivate the learner to pursue deep knowledge.

What a challenge!

Wonder if I'll ever find one?

If I did, would it really be a "one size fits all" model?

I'm saying no. There'll always be at least one person it won't work for!

Monday 14 May 2012

Technology....I Finally Get It!

I've never been a trendsetter. In fact, quite the opposite.

I was the girl who looked at the latest fashions thinking, "Yuk! I'll never wear that".

Six months later, when the end of season sales were on, there I'd be, scouring the racks.

It's been the same with technology.

I got a mobile when I absolutely had to.......

Got the internet when my son needed it for homework.......

Don't own a plasma TV..........or an iPhone..........or an iPad.........

But I think I finally get it.

Technology is the ultimate information tool. Not only does it help you find information, but store it and present it in a multitude of ways limited only by your imagination.

What a gift to teacher librarians who have the courage to take it on and use it to help their students and colleagues........

What a challenge to allow students to teach us about the world they are growing up in........

So................I find myself on the brink of a new adventure I never thought I'd be going on.........keeping up with technology for the benefit of my students and my school community.

Terrified? Yep

Anxious? Aha

Slightly confused? A little more than slightly

Up for the challenge? You bet ya

Now, to finish my next assignment so I can hit the shops and get me some brand new fashions!!!!!!

Sunday 13 May 2012

It's Working!!!

I can't believe it!

Having just added an iPad to the library collection, I went to the iPad Users Group after school, run by one of my colleagues. I was asking him all about e-books and their potential use in the library, along with comics and other applications that might be useful............

I was taking lots of notes and feeling rather impressed with myself when he started showing me ápps' that I had heard about and had a vague idea of how they worked...........

When all of a sudden................

Out of the blue...................

I actually knew about something that he hadn't heard of!

Well I could've fallen off my chair......................but I didn't..........

There I was............. introducing him.......... 'the expert' ...........to something he'd never heard of in the wonderful world of technology!

Now don't get me wrong, I don't profess to know too much about technology, which is why I was there in the first place...................but it was pretty nice to realise that all this reading and thinking is actually making a difference.

And then it hit me................... I am using information skills and critical thinking to actually become a more information literate person.

Crazy that I am actually a living and breathing example of information literacy, especially as it pertains to transferance and multi-modal literacies.

So here I am, a lifelong learner who constantly engages in this "transformational process", as Abilock (2004) defines it, in order to gain deep knowledge.

YAY!!!!!

It's working!!!!

Saturday 12 May 2012

Failed?

I fear I may have failed at the whole idea that this blog should reflect my journey of learning as I navigate my way through this intensely challenging and time consuming course to becoming a qualified teacher librarian. It's not that I haven't been learning........it's just that I've been learning so much so fast and this has required me to literally drop out of my life for huge chunks of time in order to read and read and read......which has also meant that blog entries have been few and far between.

So, in an effort to "catch you up" with all my learning, I will attempt to post as many blogs as I possibly can this coming week to show you all how full my brain is and how much I have learned about this amazing field of Teacher Librarianship.

Just to start you off, I've included my reflections on ETL503 - Resourcing the Curriculum. Enjoy!

Assessment 2 - Part C - Reflection
Completing this assessment has opened my eyes to the highly professional role of the teacher librarian (TL) as leader within the school context (ASLA, 2009). There are many aspects of leadership within the development of a collection beginning with the production of a Collection Policy which forms part of the professional documents schools use to explain and justify decisions and actions. In developing a collection and adhering to policy, the TL demonstrates leadership through resource provision, accountability with finances, censorship issues and copyright.
Time and again I have been reminded that the teacher librarian is more than just a keeper of books, but must be proactive in seeking out resources in various formats (Latham & Poe, 2008), which meet the teaching and learning needs of the clientele served. This requires deep knowledge and understanding of curriculum, the teaching and learning styles represented within the school, as well as current resources and suppliers available to develop a collection which is highly relevant and user friendly. Creating a policy has emphasised the need to have a collection plan as well as criteria for every stage of the collection process, including selecting resources and suppliers, and weeding (Kennedy, 2006). Without these, resources are purchased on the basis of ‘want’ and ‘like’ instead of need, resulting in a censored (Jenkinson, 2002) and imbalanced collection irrelevant to the users and a far cry from the learner-centred collection advocated by Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005).
Accountability regarding funding of the collection and the necessity to evaluate the collection to identify needs or imbalances again highlighted the teacher librarian’s professional duties and reinforced my understanding of the responsibility of the TL to meet the information needs of users with the “most appropriate” resources possible (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005, p.43).
My understanding of copyright (National Copyright Unit, (n.d)) as being central to any resource decision has been extended to include the serious nature of copyright law and the responsibilities of the teacher librarian to not only ensure it is not breached within the confines of the collection, but also to educate staff and students.
Perhaps the most profound learning experience has been the acknowledgement of the importance of the TL in keeping up-to-date with and almost being at the forefront of technological change, specifically as it relates to the school library setting (Wall & Ryan, 2010). This somewhat daunting realisation brought about many questions and confirmed my belief that we are all learning, and what we really want for our students is to develop skills to be lifelong learners who embrace technology and mould it to suit their individual needs. Central to the idea of technology in education is that it is not confined to the physical library. Not only must I expose students and teachers to the wide range of formats available and equip them with the skills necessary to use them, I must also provide access in a variety of ways.
To say that the learning curve throughout this exercise has been steep is an understatement. While acknowledging the enormous task ahead, it is faced with a much deeper understanding of the dynamic role of the library collection and the professional leadership qualities of teacher librarians in meeting the diverse needs of the learning community of which I am privileged to be a part.

Monday 7 May 2012

HELP!!! My brain is full!


I'm pretty sure no-one has ever actually died from brain overload, but I do wonder how close people get, especially considering my experiences over the past two and a half months!

Hours upon hours of reading, processing, discussing, applying and evaluating to be followed closely by more reading, processing, discussing, applying and evaluating........
And I don't see the end anytime soon!!

So, what is occupying the space inside my head?

Where do I start....

In the words of Julie Andrews,
"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start........." (courtesy of The Sound of Music).

The role of the Teacher Librarian - WOW!!!!

So far removed from the quiet, stern "older" lady who likes order and musty smells!

Today's Teacher Librarian is a Teacher, Librarian, Leader, Collaborator, Information Specialist, Technology Leader, Fiction Advocate, Manager, Curriculum Specialist (Herring, 2007; Purcell, 2010)......and so the list goes on.

Then there's Guided Inquiry and Information Literacy in the 21st Century, Inquiry Based Learning and Information Processing Models..........

And the whole area concerning RESOURCES!!!

Obviously, we need materials in our school libraries that help kids learn and teachers teach.
But how do we find them???

Well, that's a whole other post!

I think I need to rest my brain................


Monday 9 April 2012

The Role of the Teacher-Librarian........Swimming???

Yes, I know......I've heard them all before.
Librarians just sit around and read books all day, unless they're dusting the shelves or putting books away or loudly and expertly "shushing"children who dare to enter, Right??
WRONG!!!!
In preparing for my second assignment, I was directed to read three authors' views on the roles of the Teacher-Librarian. Having worked in the 'position' for the past 5 years, I assumed I had a bit of a handle on this.
WRONG AGAIN!!!!
I must be crazy......no-one could possibly in their right mind CHOOSE to do this job. I mean, how can one person in a school possibly fulfil all the duties defined by these authors (Herring, 2007. Purcell, 2010. Lamb & Johnson, 2008), between the hours of 9 and 3 that we all know teachers work, at the level of expertise expected?
There's Teacher, Librarian, Information Services Manager, Information Literacy Leader, Curriculum Leader, Information Specialist, Instructional Partner, Website Developer, Budget Manager, Staff Manager, Fiction and Non-Fiction Advocate, Leader, Program Administrator, and so the list goes on......
When I look at this list, I see that each specified role could be filled by one person, not one person filling every role! It just seems too huge! And that's not even taking into account all the extra little things that we as teachers of young children do on a daily basis like counselling and developing social skills.
I get the Teacher and even the Librarian aspect of the role, but Information Services Manager? Curriculum Leader? Instructional Partner? Website Developer?
All of a sudden, I'm feeling so un-prepared for this. How can I manage information services unless I'm an expert about those services? And how do I become a leader of curriculum, unless I know intimately about the curriculum being taught and am willing to invest time in thinking and talking about the best ways to teach it? How do I become an instructional partner, unless I have teachers willing to partner with me and risk the taunts of others about working with 'the Librarian'? How do I become a website developer when I've only just learned how to blog?
Even with what I've learned so far about time management (see earlier posts), the task seems incredibly daunting.
I guess I'll just do as one of my other lecturers says.......take small steps.....every day.
Do little things well.....celebrate the successes, mine and others'......and in the words of Dory (Finding Nemo)......
Just keep swimming, swimming,swimming......just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.......