ETL401 Task C: Reflection of the Journey

ETL401 Teacher Librarianship was studied as part of a Masters of Information Studies (Children’s Librarianship).  The subject aimed to develop an awareness of the various roles of the teacher librarian (TL) within schools, including their involvement in information literacy programs and supporting student learning. (Hay, 2011).

This blog post attempts to capture the changes in thoughts and perceptions of the role of the TL over the period of ETL401 study.  A brief description of the preconceptions of the topic will be followed by a reflection on the impact of the subject on thoughts surrounding the role of the TL in the school.

Before we start….

As a non-teacher my experience within school education is limited, although some time has been spent on a volunteer basis at a dynamic, collaborative international school library.  Thus, my perceptions of the role of a TL were somewhat different to some of my fellow ETL401 students.  The TL that I had worked with was heavily involved in curriculum planning across the school, and used her library lesson time to teach information skills as well as promoting a love of books.

The journey begins….

Over the course of the subject I was able to gradually build up a picture of the characteristics of an excellent TL.  Reflection on forum postings and readings emphasised the feeling that not all schools viewed TLs in the same way, and that it was largely the role of the TL to promote and encourage change within their own school.

The new vision….

From the readings and forum discussions for ETL401 I have determined a number of key characteristics that a TL should possess in order to provide the best learning environment for students.  Whilst not comprehensive, the list reflects the main points from my learning in this subject.

A TL must have support, be an advocate, be passionate, be a manager, and be a leader.  Further description of each of these characteristics will help to provide a reflection of my learning for this subject.

Support:

TLs need support from the principal to implement information literacy collaboration across the curriculum.  If they don’t have it they need to work to get it (Oberg, 2006).

TLs need the support of their fellow teachers.  As information literacy experts, TLs need to be involved with all teachers in curriculum planning in order to deliver excellent instructional programs to students (Todd, 2008).

Advocate:

TLs need to promote the importance of information literacy programs within the school (Todd, 2003).

TLs need to advocate for collaboration across all areas of the curriculum (Fullan, 1999).

TLs need to advocate the importance of their role in the school (Oberg, 2006).

Leader:

TLS need to lead the way in curriculum collaboration.

TLS need to lead change when required within the school.

Passionate:

TLS need to be passionate about information literacy.

TLs need to be passionate about lifelong learning and demonstrate their passion by their own personal learning.

TLs need to be passionate about making collaboration work.

TLs need to be passionate about providing excellent education outcomes for students.

Manager:

TLs need to manage other library staff.

TLs need to manage their time in order to achieve all that they are capable of.

TLs need to manage the running of the library.

A final thought….

Librarians such as Joyce Valenza are leading the way for TLs in showing that the above vision of an excellent TL is achievable (Valenza, 2010).  From reflection on the readings, my own research, and postings on the ETL401 forum, it is obvious that not all schools are demanding this level of excellence from their TLs.  Indeed, the variation in Australian schools seems immense.

Studying ETL401 has enabled me to gain a clearer understanding of the role of the TL.  However, it has left me wondering about a solution to the problem of inconsistency across teacher librarianship in Australia.  Many studies have shown the difference that a good TL can make to learning outcomes, so shouldn’t all schools aim to have one on their team?

“Teacher-librarians can either lead from the front or the middle.  Some need to get out of the way.  The stakes are too high and the opportunities too exciting to sit on one’s hands.”  (Loertscher, 2009, p. 49).

References

Fullan, M. (1999).  The deep meaning of inside collaboration. In Change forces: The sequel, (pp.31-41). London: Falmer Press.

Hay, L. (2011).  Teacher Librarianship [ETL401 Subject Outline]. Wagga Wagga: Charles Sturt University.

Loertscher, D. (2009).  Does technology really make a difference?  Teacher Librarian, 37(2), 48-49.

Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 13-18.

Todd, R. (2003).Irrefutable evidence: How to prove you boost student achievement.  School Library Journal.  Available from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA287119.html

Todd, R.  (2008). The dynamics of classroom teacher and teacher librarian instructional collaborations. Scan, 27(2), 19-28.

Valenza, J. (2010). Manifesto for 21st century school librarians. October, VOYA Magazine: Kurdyla Publishing.  Available from http://www.voya.com/2010/09/15/tag-team-tech-october-2010/

The superhero librarian exists!!!

Could it be Joyce Valenza in that costume?

Where are you Batman???

So, it seems that our kids need to be taught information literacy skills. And to do that we need to embed information literacy instruction across the curriculum, right?  For that to happen we need our resident information literacy expert, our TL, to collaborate with teachers.  Okay, so we all agree.....then why isn't it happening??????

As I continue to read about all the reaons for teachers not wanting to collaborate - lack of time, personality clashes, not wanting to change, etc - I want to bang my head against the wall.

I think it's time to put out the Bat signal.  Batman I hope you can do something to change things!

As a parent, I want the best education for my child.  Teachers personalities, refusal to change and lack of interest in what's best for the kids means that my children are not developing the information literacy skills that they need.

As a library student I have volunteered in a junior school (prep- year 2) that had collaboration and information literacy so entrenched that you didn't even realise it was there.  There was certainly never any question of the TL missing a year level planning meeting due to lack of time, or a lack of willingness from the teachers to have her help.  It was expected.  End of story.  No rocket science involved, and no superheroes needed.  I know there are many similar schools out there doing wonderful things.  There are also many who are not.

So, my dear TL friends...no more excuses.  Get to it, or I'll be calling Batman!

Information literacy - is it new?

So, all this discussion about information literacy, the Google generation, Net Gen etc has me worried about our children.  How will they ever survive the information age??  What can we do to save them?

Before I get myself too worked up though, I have to stop and ask myself...did my parents have the same concerns for me?  Did they worry that television would rot my brain or lead me into a life of sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll?  Did they worry about the new teenage addiction to magazines and the effects of the information they contained?  I suspect that they did worry.

Which leads me to ask the question, is information literacy new?  Most people would say no, but I guess our obsession with it stems from the massive amounts of information coming at us in so many different formats.  Yes, we need to teach our kids about information literacy; they will need it to get by in the world that we live in.  However, I think that we have always taught information literacy...now it just has a fancy name....

Superheroes need supporters

So, it seems from the readings this week that superheroes are helpless without the support of those around them.  Just like Batman needs Robin, TLs need the support of their fellow teaching staff members to provide a truly collaborative learning environment.  However, to teach within an 'integrated curriculum' as described by Montiel-Overall it is essential for the school principal to be involved in the facilitation of a collaborative environment.  Batman needs the police commisioner...TLs need the principal.  Without them,  Gotham City may be plunged into darkness and Lex Luther will have his chance to rule the world. 

Look out Superman...they'll be after you next!!



Calling all superheroes!!

This week I am back into the readings for ETL401. Lordy lord there are a lot of them!!  Thank goodness for my lovely big computer screen and nice chair in the winter sun.

So, it seems that to be an "excellent" teacher librarian one must possess a certain level of superhero abilities.  Not only must you be able to foster a love of literacy and lifelong learning, you also need to be a technology expert, a curriculum collaborator, a library administrator...even as some of my fellow students suggest, a counsellor for the kids that seek refuge in the library.   The list goes on....

The question that Purcell raises, is how to prioritise all of these different roles in an individual school.  From my own observations of several schools (as a parent)  the focus is usually decided based on the skills and interest of the incumbent TL.  I have two girls aged 10 and 8.   My 10 year old attends an independent school with a school library rich in books.  Her weekly library lesson consists of being read a story, followed by a complementary activity, and then some time for borrowing.  It seems that this is what the TL finds comfortable and familiar, and she is very good at it. 

Contrast this with my 8 year old, who attends our local public primary school.  The TL at the school does not actually take any library lessons, nor is she involved in borrowing books.  Rather, she fulfils a number of roles within the school; a "jack of all trades" if you like.  Her technolgy skills are outstanding, and she seems to enjoy setting up wiki spaces, blogs, etc.  She also helps out in the classroom during literacy lessons and takes the students for drama exercises.  I can't actually pinpoint what her role is, but it does seem like she is used to help out in a number of ways throughout the school.

How do we find someone who can do all of the roles with passion?  My feeling is that the school should prioritise what they want from their TL based on the school mission, and then decide whether their current TL is able to achieve all that they want.  If they are not up to the challenge,  then it's time to put out a call for a superhero!

A quiet blogger

So...I haven't had a lot of time to blog lately.  Or to do any uni study.  On top of planning our house renovations, we are hosting a lovely 12 year old Chinese student as part of a school exchange.

Why is this relevant to my ETL401 journey?  Well, you see, the main organiser of the exchange is the TL at my daughter's primary school (actually she is head of the LRC - Learning Resource Centre - apparently it's just not cool to call it the library anymore!).  She has done an amazing job, and has been kind, caring and supportive of not only the students but also us host families as well.  I am still confused about her role as TL, as her role is far from that of a "traditional" TL...well the type that I remember from my school days long ago!

After the frenzy of the student exchange is over, I am hoping to have a chat with this amazing lady, and discover how her role relates to the library.  Hopefully I will learn something new and innovative about teacher librarianship...stay tuned.  I'm off to plan tomorrow night's stir-fry!!