Re Assignment 2 - Parts A and B
I have realised that I have put the incorrect word count on my assignment cover sheet but didn't want to resubmit as then it would be late. Sorry.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Task C - A critical Reflection
In this reflection I am asked to describe how my view of the role of teacher librarian has changed as a result of reading, writing assignments processing new ideas and chatting with others. Unfortunately I haven’t taken full advantage of blogging and the forums due to trying to balance study, work and home responsibilities. To be honest, I also still prefer to bounce ideas and clarify my thinking in ‘live’ chats with family and friends, though I know this is also possible in a Web 2.0 environment.
So has my view changed?
Another key issue for me in relation to teaching information literacy is the way Google influences searches. I had previously become aware of this from a conference with Joyce Valenza (http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2012/01/teacher-librarian-and-information.html). When I was reading for my assignment 2, however, I came across some other ideas about this by Debbie Abilock https://plus.google.com/u/0/111751601883348841865/posts/1ckvWNCLbmB. I also found Jann Carroll’s (2011, p.32) discussion about the ‘Eurocentric slant’ of Google and Wikipedia interesting as it really made me think about how I need to help my students become more aware of this.
1. Website developer and creator of a virtual space for the library – This was a key area that Joyce Valenza talked about and that I really have done nothing about. While there are several reasons for this – issues with DECD filtering etc – this really is something that I need to do.
2. IT Leader - While I have begun to learn about Web 2.0 tools through this course, and the How 2 of Web 2.0 from last year. (Syba Signs runs this online course). I know that these have lots of potential but I really haven’t explored these in relation to my colleagues or the classes that I teach.
References
So has my view changed?
When I look back at my first blog in this area http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2011/12/assessment-2-pre-thoughts-on-role-of.html I feel that my view of what a teacher librarian has not changed significantly, but there have been some changes, or at least fine-tuning.
For example, in my earlier blog, I discussed the role of supporting students to become lifelong learners. The example that I gave was purely in relation to information skills – that of defining, locating and using information. As I explained in my later blog, http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2012/01/teacher-librarian-and-information.html, I have taught guided inquiry units that focused on critical thinking, or collaborative skills, but I hadn’t explicitly linked those other essential skills, values, dispositions within the concept of “Information Literacy”. I think that this more broad term is very important in our current digital environment, particularly critical literacy and online responsibilities and safety. When teaching, I have been amazed by some students’ acceptance and lack of critical evaluation of websites or information, and sites becoming increasingly more polished and professional looking, this is going to become more and more difficult. Another key issue for me in relation to teaching information literacy is the way Google influences searches. I had previously become aware of this from a conference with Joyce Valenza (http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2012/01/teacher-librarian-and-information.html). When I was reading for my assignment 2, however, I came across some other ideas about this by Debbie Abilock https://plus.google.com/u/0/111751601883348841865/posts/1ckvWNCLbmB. I also found Jann Carroll’s (2011, p.32) discussion about the ‘Eurocentric slant’ of Google and Wikipedia interesting as it really made me think about how I need to help my students become more aware of this.
I feel this subject has confirmed my belief that the teacher librarian role is an extremely complex one with firstly many aspects and secondly the way that the various roles overlap and entwine. It is no wonder that at times I feel overwhelmed with the enormity of it. It is in these moments however that I am reminded of an analogy that Joyce Valenza gave at a conference last year – it essentially went like this – the possibilities of what we as teacher librarians can achieve are huge but we need to think of it as a menu – we need to select an appropriately sized takeaway container and only select the bits that we can cope with immediately. We know where the menu is though so when we are ready, we can come back to it and choose again.
This subject has been helpful as it has shown me that I am on the right track in what I am trying to achieve as teacher librarian. As I started this role as a teacher, without the librarian qualification, I have often questioned if I was going about things in the right way, and so this subject has been affirming. It has also highlighted some areas I can improve. So to conclude my reflections, I will identify and describe the items that I am placing in my takeaway container . . . 1. Website developer and creator of a virtual space for the library – This was a key area that Joyce Valenza talked about and that I really have done nothing about. While there are several reasons for this – issues with DECD filtering etc – this really is something that I need to do.
2. IT Leader - While I have begun to learn about Web 2.0 tools through this course, and the How 2 of Web 2.0 from last year. (Syba Signs runs this online course). I know that these have lots of potential but I really haven’t explored these in relation to my colleagues or the classes that I teach.
| L |
Carroll, J. (2011). From Encyclopaedias to Search Engines: Technological Change and Its Impact on Literacy Learning. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 19(2), 27-34
Cooper, O.P. & Bray, M. (2011). School Library Media Specialist-Teacher Collaboration: Characteristics, Challenges, Opportunities. TechTrends, 55(4), 48-54.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Time Management and Negotiation and Collaborative Practice
I feel I can completely sympathise with others about time management. I must admit it wasn't so much about not managing the activities so much as being overly ambitious about what I could achieve. Really, this is very like my life as a teacher librarian.
The teacher librarian role as Herring stated is multi-faceted and if I tried to do all areas all the time, I'd sink. I have to keep reminding myself to, 'prioritise roles according to the current needs of the students, staff' (Herring, 2007, p. 31). Cooper and Bray also refer to the importance of being able to prioritise. They talk about the reality that 'there will be some tasks that just don't get cone, others that are done only minimally . . . [and that ] efforts remain on things that most directly involve instruction' (Cooper & Bray, 2011, p.53). While this is certainly my focus as I collaboratively taught 3 1/2 days out of 4 last year, it is frustrating and demoralising to see some things not being done or taking forever. It is all very well to state that it is important to negotiate - and yes I have done this because teachers now take their own borrowing and I have a 1/2 day stretch of admin time - it is far easier said than done. Money is really one key factor - but so is my desire to improve the learning outcomes of students. A library is really not any good if it looks wonderfully organised and 'pretty', but it is not used by teachers and students. I guess what I am trying to say is . . .
1. 'Don't sweat the small stuff'.
2. Work out what is most important and focus on that - use time efficiently and focus on one thing at a time.
3. If you don't ask, you never get - so don't be afraid to ask.
4. Accept help when it is offered - particularly for making signs, or shelving books etc. This may mean that sometimes things are not done exactly how you would like, but they are done.
5. Make step by step notes, records so that if you have to ask someone else to do something, you know that they will follow the procedures and do it properly - particularly important when cataloguing or doing things with the library system
6. Be kind to yourself and remember work-life balance.
(All great things in theory, but not always easy in practice!)
The teacher librarian role as Herring stated is multi-faceted and if I tried to do all areas all the time, I'd sink. I have to keep reminding myself to, 'prioritise roles according to the current needs of the students, staff' (Herring, 2007, p. 31). Cooper and Bray also refer to the importance of being able to prioritise. They talk about the reality that 'there will be some tasks that just don't get cone, others that are done only minimally . . . [and that ] efforts remain on things that most directly involve instruction' (Cooper & Bray, 2011, p.53). While this is certainly my focus as I collaboratively taught 3 1/2 days out of 4 last year, it is frustrating and demoralising to see some things not being done or taking forever. It is all very well to state that it is important to negotiate - and yes I have done this because teachers now take their own borrowing and I have a 1/2 day stretch of admin time - it is far easier said than done. Money is really one key factor - but so is my desire to improve the learning outcomes of students. A library is really not any good if it looks wonderfully organised and 'pretty', but it is not used by teachers and students. I guess what I am trying to say is . . .
1. 'Don't sweat the small stuff'.
2. Work out what is most important and focus on that - use time efficiently and focus on one thing at a time.
3. If you don't ask, you never get - so don't be afraid to ask.
4. Accept help when it is offered - particularly for making signs, or shelving books etc. This may mean that sometimes things are not done exactly how you would like, but they are done.
5. Make step by step notes, records so that if you have to ask someone else to do something, you know that they will follow the procedures and do it properly - particularly important when cataloguing or doing things with the library system
6. Be kind to yourself and remember work-life balance.
(All great things in theory, but not always easy in practice!)
Saturday, 28 January 2012
The teacher librarian and information literacy
I must admit that in my experience, teachers in my school do not have a clear or consistent understanding of information literacy and guided inquiry - in fact I think that both terms are often used to discuss the same thing. - so no, we don't have an information literacy policy. Prior to this subject, my understanding of information literacy was I think more about information access and developing information skills and guided inquiry, but I had not necessarily combined these things with habits of the mind, collaborative skills, critical thinking and values education. In saying that though, I have always planned and implemented 'big juicies' (big6 Eisenberg, 2008) and so have incorporated and integrated all of these things in my teaching anyway. I guess I have been extremely fortunate to have worked closely with highly talented, professional teachers who actively search for new ways of better meeting the needs ofstudents and so this was just how it was done. It was actually only when I did the leadership role (as previously discussed) that I realised that my school and my colleagues were unique and special.
Some background - I started at my current school in 2000 as a Year 6/7 teacher when it had just become a 'Discovery School' (I think these were called Navigator schools in Victoria).While this meant I had teachers from other schools observing me teach and often had to present at training sessions at my school, I also had fantastic opportunities to develop my skills and understandings in so many things. I was lucky to attend many sessions with presenters such as Jamie McKenzie, Art Costa, Michael Pohl, Julia Aitkin to name just a few. It was therefore just second nature to apply my learning in these areas to what I did in the classroom - which was essentially guided inquiry units that incorporated collaboration, an information process based on the NSW model, and integrated learning in the other areas as previously mentioned.
So, my understanding of information literacy has developed and now encompasses all the things I had put in a basket labelled - good practice.
Guided inquiry is what I do the most nowadays in my role as teacher librarian - it was also one bit I really enjoyed as a classroom teacher. I think that guided inquiry ticks many boxes in terms of good teaching and really fits the constructivist approach on which our curriculum SACSA/Aust Curric is based. One of the advantages of teaching in this way is that you can really meet the needs and interests of the students. I co-teach with classroom teachers and often the ESL teacher is involved as well. Therefore we often have 3 teachers with the one class of students - so many opportunities! One inquiry model that I have been dabbling with - and I like because of the action / sustainability / making a difference focus, is Kath Murdoch's model. You'll find some information about her model here. http://kathmurdoch.com.au/
Another way I have guided inquiry learning is through the use of an essential question. An example of this was a unit I referred to in an earlier blog. - http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2012/01/some-thoughts-from-doing-assignment-1.html In this unit of work the students had to answer the question and back up the answer with 3 reasons.
Are myths and legends still relevant in today's society?
Obviously there was a lot of learning that had to take place before students could make an informed decision on this.
There are so many exciting ways of working with student in guided inquiry. However, some of the challenges I have encountered are:
* time - the ever present lack of enough time! - both to work with kids and to get my head around all the possibilities
* the need for better technology and infrastructure - it is frustrating when computers are so slow or you're blocked from a particular website by the DECD filter
* I'm lucky as my staff generally trust me and are happy to try things - but it is hard when teachers are less open to new ideas.
* sometimes the huge range of skills and reading levels of students can cause challenges as it can sometimes be difficult for students to find appropriate information- though in saying that, non-print forms of information come to the fore in these situations
* sometimes the enormous amount available on the internet is challenging - sometimes it is overwhelming for the kids - and me!
Some background - I started at my current school in 2000 as a Year 6/7 teacher when it had just become a 'Discovery School' (I think these were called Navigator schools in Victoria).While this meant I had teachers from other schools observing me teach and often had to present at training sessions at my school, I also had fantastic opportunities to develop my skills and understandings in so many things. I was lucky to attend many sessions with presenters such as Jamie McKenzie, Art Costa, Michael Pohl, Julia Aitkin to name just a few. It was therefore just second nature to apply my learning in these areas to what I did in the classroom - which was essentially guided inquiry units that incorporated collaboration, an information process based on the NSW model, and integrated learning in the other areas as previously mentioned.
So, my understanding of information literacy has developed and now encompasses all the things I had put in a basket labelled - good practice.
Guided inquiry is what I do the most nowadays in my role as teacher librarian - it was also one bit I really enjoyed as a classroom teacher. I think that guided inquiry ticks many boxes in terms of good teaching and really fits the constructivist approach on which our curriculum SACSA/Aust Curric is based. One of the advantages of teaching in this way is that you can really meet the needs and interests of the students. I co-teach with classroom teachers and often the ESL teacher is involved as well. Therefore we often have 3 teachers with the one class of students - so many opportunities! One inquiry model that I have been dabbling with - and I like because of the action / sustainability / making a difference focus, is Kath Murdoch's model. You'll find some information about her model here. http://kathmurdoch.com.au/
Another way I have guided inquiry learning is through the use of an essential question. An example of this was a unit I referred to in an earlier blog. - http://sakepuss.blogspot.com/2012/01/some-thoughts-from-doing-assignment-1.html In this unit of work the students had to answer the question and back up the answer with 3 reasons.
Are myths and legends still relevant in today's society?
Obviously there was a lot of learning that had to take place before students could make an informed decision on this.
There are so many exciting ways of working with student in guided inquiry. However, some of the challenges I have encountered are:
* time - the ever present lack of enough time! - both to work with kids and to get my head around all the possibilities
* the need for better technology and infrastructure - it is frustrating when computers are so slow or you're blocked from a particular website by the DECD filter
* I'm lucky as my staff generally trust me and are happy to try things - but it is hard when teachers are less open to new ideas.
* sometimes the huge range of skills and reading levels of students can cause challenges as it can sometimes be difficult for students to find appropriate information- though in saying that, non-print forms of information come to the fore in these situations
* sometimes the enormous amount available on the internet is challenging - sometimes it is overwhelming for the kids - and me!
Monday, 23 January 2012
I'm Back!
I'm really sorry that it has been a while but my educational research assignment has been taking all of my time. My poor deprived children and husband - I haven't been much fun at all. Also, not quite as prepared as usual for returning to work today. Anyway, for those who haven't done this subject yet, wow!! I found that I had to do so much research and noting to get my head around the subject before I could even attempt the assignments. While time-consuming, it has been very interesting but now I need to get onto the TL side of things.
Anyway, I'm off to finish preparing my handout for staff tomorrow and other work stuff that HAS to be done, and then will do some reading for TL. Hopefully, will be able to blog some thoughts later.
Anyway, I'm off to finish preparing my handout for staff tomorrow and other work stuff that HAS to be done, and then will do some reading for TL. Hopefully, will be able to blog some thoughts later.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
TL and the curriculum - my thoughts
Argh!! Can I just say that my mind is exploding as I try to get my head around educational research -- there are way too many "...isms", "...ates", "...igms" and "...ologies"!!! Well to take a break, I thought I'd jot down some of my thoughts about the teacher librarian's role with curriculum change.
I really liked one article I read from Bales in a 2002 Access - she talked about herself as a leader in not only information literacy, but also changing pedagogy. I think that this is a very important role and I certainly work towards this goal.
Teacher Librarians are often at the forefront and are well positioned to support other teachers to embrace change. We have whole site perspectives and so can support whole school initiatives and consistency in approach when necessary. Initiatives can come from international, federal, state, local or even the individual school level. For example, last year, our school had a whole site focus on comprehension strategies. This was identified by teachers as an area of need for our students. I took a very strong leadership role in this in a couple of ways. Firstly, as there wasn't a lot of Australian resources at the time, I did a lot of research and shared with my colleagues some fantastic work that has been done in the US - eg. Fountas & Pinnell, Harvey and Goudvis and The2sisters - Gail and Joan - (Google Daily Cafe) etc. I also offered to team-teach the comprehension strategies and 1 inquiry unit, instead of my usual 2 inquiry learning units over the year. I worked with teachers in introducing the different strategies - explicitly modelling them, guided practice etc - very much based on Pearson and Gallagher's (1983) gradual resease of responsibility model. Half of the classes (interestingly the teachers who I have greater affinity with in terms of teaching style) took up my offer in term 1 and the others said they would go it alone. After the success of term 1, however, the other half of the classes then asked to work with mein Term 2 on comprehension. The benefits of this were that there were consistent understandings of the terms, strategies etc. Also, common language and approaches were used. Our school was involved in a literacy audit in Term 3 and one thing they really commended was this process and its results. A key aspect was that teachers could decide if they wanted to work with me. I don't think teachers should be forced to work with the teacher librarian. It should be encouraged but ultimately, teachers should be able to choose. I believe it is up to the teacher librarian to make their programs exciting, innovative and really responsive to the students' needs, so that teachers want to work with the teacher librarian. I agree with Cooper and Bray's stance on this.(see Cooper and Bray article about collaboration in TechTrends, July/Aug 2011)
I think that teacher librarians being involved in curriculum development is critical at the moment also with the introduction of the new Australian Curriculum. Many teachers are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and even fed up - some are thinking - here we go again! I must admit, this is the third whole curriculum change that I have seen. (In actual fact, if you can see the consistency between them all, so the change isn't so drastic or scary!) Classroom teachers have a lot to come to terms with in terms of having to cope with different structure etc for all curriculum areas. This is particularly difficult in SA where we have composite classes and Year 7 still in Primary school. Teachers also have a lot to deal with in terms of other issues such as behaviour, other priorities within a school etc etc. I can help teachers become familiar with just one aspect or area of the curriculum when I co-teach inquiry units. By me taking the lead, I can take the pressure off them a bit, show them one way of implementing the curriculum, give them direction and show them that they aren't so scary, and therefore make it altogether more manageable - the 'two heads are better than one' and 'togehter we can achieve more' mentality. Again, I'm not sure if I have explained this clearly. This is very much what I did in my SACSA leadership position as I have explained in an earlier post. The only difference is I am working with my own staff, and am being paid less!!
Well back to educational research! Argh!!!
I really liked one article I read from Bales in a 2002 Access - she talked about herself as a leader in not only information literacy, but also changing pedagogy. I think that this is a very important role and I certainly work towards this goal.
Teacher Librarians are often at the forefront and are well positioned to support other teachers to embrace change. We have whole site perspectives and so can support whole school initiatives and consistency in approach when necessary. Initiatives can come from international, federal, state, local or even the individual school level. For example, last year, our school had a whole site focus on comprehension strategies. This was identified by teachers as an area of need for our students. I took a very strong leadership role in this in a couple of ways. Firstly, as there wasn't a lot of Australian resources at the time, I did a lot of research and shared with my colleagues some fantastic work that has been done in the US - eg. Fountas & Pinnell, Harvey and Goudvis and The2sisters - Gail and Joan - (Google Daily Cafe) etc. I also offered to team-teach the comprehension strategies and 1 inquiry unit, instead of my usual 2 inquiry learning units over the year. I worked with teachers in introducing the different strategies - explicitly modelling them, guided practice etc - very much based on Pearson and Gallagher's (1983) gradual resease of responsibility model. Half of the classes (interestingly the teachers who I have greater affinity with in terms of teaching style) took up my offer in term 1 and the others said they would go it alone. After the success of term 1, however, the other half of the classes then asked to work with mein Term 2 on comprehension. The benefits of this were that there were consistent understandings of the terms, strategies etc. Also, common language and approaches were used. Our school was involved in a literacy audit in Term 3 and one thing they really commended was this process and its results. A key aspect was that teachers could decide if they wanted to work with me. I don't think teachers should be forced to work with the teacher librarian. It should be encouraged but ultimately, teachers should be able to choose. I believe it is up to the teacher librarian to make their programs exciting, innovative and really responsive to the students' needs, so that teachers want to work with the teacher librarian. I agree with Cooper and Bray's stance on this.(see Cooper and Bray article about collaboration in TechTrends, July/Aug 2011)
I think that teacher librarians being involved in curriculum development is critical at the moment also with the introduction of the new Australian Curriculum. Many teachers are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and even fed up - some are thinking - here we go again! I must admit, this is the third whole curriculum change that I have seen. (In actual fact, if you can see the consistency between them all, so the change isn't so drastic or scary!) Classroom teachers have a lot to come to terms with in terms of having to cope with different structure etc for all curriculum areas. This is particularly difficult in SA where we have composite classes and Year 7 still in Primary school. Teachers also have a lot to deal with in terms of other issues such as behaviour, other priorities within a school etc etc. I can help teachers become familiar with just one aspect or area of the curriculum when I co-teach inquiry units. By me taking the lead, I can take the pressure off them a bit, show them one way of implementing the curriculum, give them direction and show them that they aren't so scary, and therefore make it altogether more manageable - the 'two heads are better than one' and 'togehter we can achieve more' mentality. Again, I'm not sure if I have explained this clearly. This is very much what I did in my SACSA leadership position as I have explained in an earlier post. The only difference is I am working with my own staff, and am being paid less!!
Well back to educational research! Argh!!!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Some thoughts from doing Assignment 1
Well, submitted assignment 1 earlier today and can I say that referencing was doing my head in! I'm used to Harvard Style and had to keep checking the reference notes. Anyway, now I need to start concentrating on my next assignment for the other subject. I wish I had heeded Roy's advice and only took on 1 subject as finishing the school year, having Christmas and all the other catching up with family and friends, being a wife and mum to two young kids and doing uni is hard work. I'm glad I'll only be doing 1 subject next semester as I will also be returning to work full time!
When researching for the assignment and doing weekly work, it struck me how many different hats I wear as a teacher librarian. One hat that I don't wear so well is that of advocate for the profession - though I am a member of SLASA and attend some T&D. When I thought about it, I acknowledged that time was what was stopping me from being more involved as well as not wanting to make a fuss. Though when I thought about it some more, I realised that I do promote what happens in the library through whole-school participation in events like Book Week, Simultaneous Storytime, reading to local kindies, involvement in PRC - but also through the other roles.
Another area that I thought was important but I couldn't quite work into my assignment was the importance of people skills. Herring and Purcell didn't really discuss this aspect but I did read about it in an article by Cooper and Bray which talked about collaboration. I think that for a teacher librarian to work effectively with all students and teachers across the school, you actually have to be confident in your own teaching abilities and have a clear understanding of what is good teaching practice so that you can let go of some of the control. You also have to be very patient, an excellent listener, and sometimes sneaky so that the teacher thinks it your suggestions were their idea! I'm not sure if I am explaining this very well. I know from experience that the teachers I work with are all very different - some of which I am on the same line, some the same page, some the same book, and others I'm not really sure which book they are in! Despite this, I have to work out a way of us working together to get the best possible learning and outcomes for the students. (I currently work with each teacher and class at least twice a year.) Cooper and Bray also refer to relationships - this is critical. Teachers need to respect and have confidence in me and the teacher librarian role. I also be able to read how far I can push the teacher in terms of challenging them to try something different or new. It is important to note that this can take time and that little steps are still ok if they are in the right direction. The following example I think demonstrates how important people skills are and the importance of taking time.
The first time I worked with one teacher he wanted to do a "Country Project" which was basically here's a country, read this and write the answer. (He was and still can be very traditional in his teaching style.) He then handed me what he had done the last I don't know how many years and said we didn't need planning time. He was reluctant to change it as it had worked before. It was only by taking time to sit and plan with him, that I was able to throw in a few suggestions and get an inquiry unit that required higher levels of thinking. The following year I wasn't able to move him from another country study but was able to add a few more different and challenging dimensions. Finally this year, while he suggested another country study, was happy to go with a student initiated inquiry unit on myths and legends that was very process based and with less focus on the end product. It was interesting that he said near the end of this unit how pleased he was with how it had gone but owned up to the fact that he hadn't known if it would work but that he was confident in me, and so was willing to give it a go. This trust in me was very gratifying. I guess it was also lucky that the unit worked really well!
When researching for the assignment and doing weekly work, it struck me how many different hats I wear as a teacher librarian. One hat that I don't wear so well is that of advocate for the profession - though I am a member of SLASA and attend some T&D. When I thought about it, I acknowledged that time was what was stopping me from being more involved as well as not wanting to make a fuss. Though when I thought about it some more, I realised that I do promote what happens in the library through whole-school participation in events like Book Week, Simultaneous Storytime, reading to local kindies, involvement in PRC - but also through the other roles.
Another area that I thought was important but I couldn't quite work into my assignment was the importance of people skills. Herring and Purcell didn't really discuss this aspect but I did read about it in an article by Cooper and Bray which talked about collaboration. I think that for a teacher librarian to work effectively with all students and teachers across the school, you actually have to be confident in your own teaching abilities and have a clear understanding of what is good teaching practice so that you can let go of some of the control. You also have to be very patient, an excellent listener, and sometimes sneaky so that the teacher thinks it your suggestions were their idea! I'm not sure if I am explaining this very well. I know from experience that the teachers I work with are all very different - some of which I am on the same line, some the same page, some the same book, and others I'm not really sure which book they are in! Despite this, I have to work out a way of us working together to get the best possible learning and outcomes for the students. (I currently work with each teacher and class at least twice a year.) Cooper and Bray also refer to relationships - this is critical. Teachers need to respect and have confidence in me and the teacher librarian role. I also be able to read how far I can push the teacher in terms of challenging them to try something different or new. It is important to note that this can take time and that little steps are still ok if they are in the right direction. The following example I think demonstrates how important people skills are and the importance of taking time.
The first time I worked with one teacher he wanted to do a "Country Project" which was basically here's a country, read this and write the answer. (He was and still can be very traditional in his teaching style.) He then handed me what he had done the last I don't know how many years and said we didn't need planning time. He was reluctant to change it as it had worked before. It was only by taking time to sit and plan with him, that I was able to throw in a few suggestions and get an inquiry unit that required higher levels of thinking. The following year I wasn't able to move him from another country study but was able to add a few more different and challenging dimensions. Finally this year, while he suggested another country study, was happy to go with a student initiated inquiry unit on myths and legends that was very process based and with less focus on the end product. It was interesting that he said near the end of this unit how pleased he was with how it had gone but owned up to the fact that he hadn't known if it would work but that he was confident in me, and so was willing to give it a go. This trust in me was very gratifying. I guess it was also lucky that the unit worked really well!
Monday, 2 January 2012
Let's get a wriggle on!!
Gee, I'm really not very good at the blogging part of things. I do spend a lot of time doing professional reading, thinking and talking about things, but am not in the habit of writing my thoughts down unless I'm sharing my ideas and learning with others - obviously something I need do start doing more.
Firstly, in reponse to Alice - (sorry this blog is connected to my work address and I hadn't checked it as I'm on holidays) - I have wanted to be a teacher librarian for a while - ever since I did an external leadership position that had me running PD and working with individual and groups of teachers in how to use SACSA in programming and planning. I loved the collaboration of this job but was frustrated that I only got to plan and never implement the learning units - they were generally based on inquiry learning. This was the impetus for me to start studying at UniSA so I would have a TL qualification and be able to apply for positions in the future. Then I was lucky enough to be offered to fill in the position at school. I had been frustrated as a classroom teacher as the previous TL seemed to have lost her passion and the library was no longer a vibrant place, and having worked with an excellent TL previously, and from my own ideas, I already had images in my mind of what it could be like. So in a long winded way of answering, I was aware of the role and what it could entail, but also what I wanted to bring to it and my school. In the time since I have had the role, I must admit there have been a lot of changes, but this has been based on negotiation, collaboration, chatting to other TLs and my own research. It is certainly a much busier and I would like to think a more exciting and vibrant place to learn, my staff tell me it is.
Firstly, in reponse to Alice - (sorry this blog is connected to my work address and I hadn't checked it as I'm on holidays) - I have wanted to be a teacher librarian for a while - ever since I did an external leadership position that had me running PD and working with individual and groups of teachers in how to use SACSA in programming and planning. I loved the collaboration of this job but was frustrated that I only got to plan and never implement the learning units - they were generally based on inquiry learning. This was the impetus for me to start studying at UniSA so I would have a TL qualification and be able to apply for positions in the future. Then I was lucky enough to be offered to fill in the position at school. I had been frustrated as a classroom teacher as the previous TL seemed to have lost her passion and the library was no longer a vibrant place, and having worked with an excellent TL previously, and from my own ideas, I already had images in my mind of what it could be like. So in a long winded way of answering, I was aware of the role and what it could entail, but also what I wanted to bring to it and my school. In the time since I have had the role, I must admit there have been a lot of changes, but this has been based on negotiation, collaboration, chatting to other TLs and my own research. It is certainly a much busier and I would like to think a more exciting and vibrant place to learn, my staff tell me it is.
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