Professional Reflective Portfolio

Part A – Statement of personal philosophy:

As a teacher librarian, it is important to create a space where students will feel comfortable and safe. Students must know that they are supported in the library environment and that they can go up to any member of the library and feel that their needs have been met.

The teacher librarian is there to create that environment for the students and to help them build the skills that are necessary through their schooling, and in life. If those skills, such as appropriate researching techniques and effectively using the library, are not engrained in their learning, the students will be at a disadvantage.

Part B – Evidence of growth:

ICT:

The idea of technology in the classroom and the library has shifted dramatically in the last ten years. I can remember when I was in year twelve back in 2010, the thought of all the students having a device supplied by the school was a luxury, where as in schools today, it is expected that students have a device or at least access to one. That sharp pivot in the space of ten years has equated to large expectations being placed on the teacher librarian and their library space. This is even more prevalent this year when, for a good portion of the year, schools had to switch to remote learning due to the pandemic. I have been fortunate enough to have experience in both a physical school and a virtual school, sometimes referred to as a distance school, so I am able to see the importance of technology and its seamless integration into the school and library.

As I have progressed through the course, I started to take more of an interest in the digital aspects of teacher librarianship and how that could possibly be translated in my day to day teaching practice as I am not yet in a library. It is important to consider that the way that we are consuming literature is constantly changing and the way that it can be presented to students is evident in the now abundant use of technology in the library and classroom (Boeti, 2020). Yes, the technology is there to consume said literature, however, the way that it is advertised and presented to students and teachers is integral in its successful use in the school community. The final assignment for Teacher Librarian as a Leader, was focussed on the idea of future-proofing the library and making it a more important feature in the school community. The main point of discussion in that for me was the proper inclusion of technology and the continual use of it rather than it being a sometimes option for students. Teacher librarians, along with their teams provide the missing link between the rollout of a technology feature, to helping get that feature off the ground at the school and making sure that it is effectively used in the school community (Pelletier, 2019, para. 2).

The concept of 21^st century learning and digital citizenship are important factors to consider for me given the current climate that we are in due to the pandemic. Students are more reliant on technology now than ever before and more than ever, the library needs to be assessable for them. While I was on placement, I was able to create a space for the grade four students that I was working with where they could easily and safely research the First Fleet. It was hosted through Oliver library systems, which was a new program for the school, so it was also an educational session for the teachers as well as the students.

First Fleet Homepage on Oliver LearnPath, link to view the whole site https://tinyurl.com/y3kozud4

There is also a need to approach online collaboration, not as a substitute for face to face learning and collaboration, but something that can be intertwined with day to day practice, some cases it is more appropriate to work online than it is face to face (Samuel, 2015, para. 15). Working through a pandemic has made me realise that the structure of the average classroom is going to become vastly different in the coming years. To meet these needs, the direction that the library takes needs to be in relation to the needs of the students and the evidential changes that come about in relation to technology (Boeti, 2019, pp. 3).

An important factor that I found while completing the course was the importance of being a good digital citizen in an online learning space. With lessons now taking place online, although this was a common form of instruction at my current place of employment. It is important to make the students aware of the appropriate ways to act in an online classroom. One of my tasks for Digital Citizenship in Schools was to create an online learning module for Netiquette. As that was something that I was in the process of teaching my students at the time, it was quite fun to explore further. I created the video below as a teaching tool for that module, but for my students as well, as a different way to present the appropriate behaviours for an online class.

Video created for Netiquette online learning module. Boeti, A. 2020.

It was fun to explore the importance of technology further and to expand on what I was already doing in my own setting at the virtual school. I was able to explore ideas and concepts to better my understanding of its importance and the need to stay up to date with the advancements that are coming out.

Collection Development:

Collection development and maintenance was not something that was on my radar when I first started the course. I knew that there had to be a way to build the library collection, but I did not know what that process looked like or what it involved. One element that I was aware of going into the Resourcing the Curriculum Unit was that of banned book lists. I was only aware of the list because an author I like has a book on it, however, I did not know that that was part of collection development and maintenance.

The physical space that is the library has changed over the years to suit the needs of the students and teachers, but at the heart of it, its core has stayed the same (Boeti, 2019). There is always a need for texts, both in the physical form and the digital form. An idea that has stuck with me since that unit came from Hughes – Hassel and Mancall who suggest that there needs to be a shift in the selection process from what is the best to what is appropriate and how it all fits into the context of the school when it comes to selecting resources for the library (2005, pp. 43). This is something that I have considered when completing assessments and tasks for other units. The resources that we choose to house in the library, both physically and digitally, need to be appropriate for the students to use and fit well with the content that they are learning. It is all good and well to have the best resources that are available, but if they do not meet the needs of the students and the teachers, they are just wasting valuable space and money.

In previous decades, policies around collection development were mainly a vehicle for communicating the libraries strategies for potential collection development and how to also manage said collection, however, it is ever more important today to communicate those steps and strategies as we shift in to this more technology reliant world (Demas & Miller, 2012, pp.170). I do admit, policy creation is something that I have to work on more, but it is an integral part of the teacher librarian role. It is something that we need to create to ensure that the collection of resources that we have in the library are relevant and being used by the students and the teachers and that is something that has stuck with me. When selecting texts to review for assessments, I have thought of the students at my school and if it would meet their needs.

When selecting texts for the grade four class that I taught on placement, I had to keep in mind the varying abilities of the students in the class and if it was appropriate for them and the topic that they were looking at. In a way, it was like I had my own mini selection criteria in my head to create the resource collection for those students. It made me realise that those skills are quite transferable and can be used in a multitude of different ways. I have found that over the course of my Masters, I am assessing resources that I use in the classroom and in my assessments with the mindset of using and making it available in a library.

A very clear point of this was when it came to completing the Experiencing Digital Literature assessment for Literature in Digital environments. The texts that I chose for that were based on the context of my previous school as well as elements of my current school. By having this idea of a cohort of students in my mind, I was able to assess if the resource would be worthy of a spot in the library or used in the library. However, there was an element of self-censorship as there was a range of texts that I would have liked to have used but there was an element of fear as if was to be used in an actual library or classroom setting, there would be potential for those choices to be challenged. Dawkins, noted that when it comes to the principal challenging a selection choice, it often results in the text being restricted or removed (2018, pp. 8), and that is not something that I want in my library. I would prefer that the students are able to explore all types of texts and themes rather than be limited by what other people think and prefer. A library collection should be vast and varied to allow students to explore all the ideas that they have.

Information Literacy Skills:

Throughout the course, there has been a strong emphasis on the need to develop student’s information literacy skills. This is an important skill that students will call upon at all points of their learning adventure. Initially, my understanding of information literacy was quite limited as I had not heard of it prior to starting the course. My first blog post for the unit, Introduction to Teacher Librarianship noted that my understanding changed as the unit progressed and mentioned that the UNESCO definition of Information Literacy showed it as a “more holistic approach to education” (Boeti, 2019) and is something that is more than just in the classroom. It had me thinking that had a Teacher librarian been more involved, or at least included, in the inquiry program that was run at the previous school that I had worked at, there would have been a better outcome in the results of the student’s work. Teacher librarians can, and should, team up with classroom teachers to build and support the research skills and language skills that are necessary throughout life.

The thought of information literacy skills started to make its way into my standard teaching practice and was part of my work at my placement school. Having this idea in place, it was important that I maintain it and grow it into something that can be taken from a grade 1 level all the way to year eleven and twelve. Information literacy skills form the basis of lifelong learning and is transferable across subjects and that means that the library is not limited to working with the English and Humanities departments in a school.

When it came to my opportunity to assist with a unit of inquiry lesson while I was on placement, it was important to me that I showed the students the right and wrong ways to research for a task and what were the key things that they needed to look for, such as when the website or book was published, who published the website or book and are they a reliable person or group to get our information from. This then led them to a little bit of a scavenger hunt to find an interesting fact about the First Fleet. As this was a lesson for grade four students, it was quite simplified in language, but the key skills were brought across and met the requirements that the teachers needed.

Image of script used for the grade 4 research lesson (A. Boeti, 2020).

When given the opportunity to work in a library in a school, I would like to set up a program that goes across the different domains in a school to build on those skills and show students that the library is solely connected to the English and Humanities domains, it is a space that can be used for all subject and that the skills can be used in all subjects, this falls in line with the American Library Association’s (ALA) definition that was presented in the final report from the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (1989). Instead of being overwhelmed with information, students will know how to find, evaluate, and use the information at had effectively to solve the problems that they have or to find information for tasks that they are doing (ALA, 2006).

I would say that my overall perception of information literacy skills and its place in the library and the classroom has progressively changed as I have moved through the course. It has moved from the pure understanding of literacy being around word understanding and reading, to that of a holistic approach to a lifelong skill that students will build on and use throughout their progression in their school lives.

Teacher librarians are seen as the catalyst of this form of instruction and guiding the students, but in a way, it is a whole school approach as well. It is important for the classroom teachers to carry on what the teacher librarian does in the library to maintain those skills and interest in the students. The teacher librarian is the start of the information literacy process and build the foundations and the interest among the students and the classroom teachers continue that work. Teacher librarians and classroom teachers are a team and that is something that I would like to instill in the library environment that I would eventually work in.

Part C – Growth through the course and beyond:

Coming into this course, there was much excitement for the adventure I was about to take. I had decided to leave a toxic work environment and decided to pursue this idea that I had for a while. When I was still at that school, I had timetabled sessions in the library where I would man the front desk, loan out items to students and teachers as well as returning books and shelving them. The library was my one place of solace at the school and added to the realisation that working and just being in the library was something that I wanted to pursue.

I had always been fascinated with the library and to be able to learn more about the finer workings of it was exciting to me. Starting the course was a bit of a shock as I did not think that I was going to go back into study, let alone in an online environment. I will admit, I do not have the best time management skills, so it was a huge learning curve for me along with the fact that I was doing this all completely on my own and with not a lot of connection to other people in my state undertaking the same course. However, once I started to get into a momentum, that trepidation fell to the wayside.

As I progressed through the course, I started to realise that I wanted to focus on the student and their experience in and with the library. Coming from a school that undervalued the library and all of its resources, it became important to me, when I eventually had my own library space to work in, to create a safe and supportive environment for the students to go and research tasks and to just explore what was on offer. I also started to realise the importance of technology in the library and the everchanging landscape that we are in. The underfunding of libraries in some schools means that students are at a disadvantage when it comes to developing their digital researching skills and just the general expansion of the library.

When I was looking through the Australian Library and Information Association’s standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians, I come to the realisation that I had already implemented some of the standards in my general teaching practice, however, I do need to improve on my library and information services management as policies and policy development are not my strong suit. In the future, it will be important for me to go to learning days around policy development and management to build on though skills and to also improve the library environment for students and staff. If the library is not well maintained and supported, it will become a wasted resource within the school. I am also very community minded, so I would very much be excited to create a space in the future where students are welcomed and encouraged to use the library as more than an add on to the classroom.

References:

American Library Association. (2006). Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential

Boeti, A. (2019, May 25). Reflective Practice [Thinkspace blog]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/adeleboeti/2019/05/25/reflective-practice/

Boeti, A. (2019, May 27). Reflection [Thinkspace blog]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/adeleboeti/2019/05/27/reflection/

Boeti, A. (2019). ETL504 Assessment 2: Future-proofing discussion paper and reflection.

Boeti, A. [delii93]. (2020, April 24). Netiquette and the online classroom [Video file}. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/AEBsvAH4wW0

Boeti, A. (2020, July 26). Digital Literacy and Me [Thinkspace blog]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/adeleboeti/2020/07/26/digital-literacy-and-me/

Dawkins, A. (2018). The decision by school libraries to self-censor: The impact of perceived administrative discomfort. Teacher Librarian, 45(3), 8-12.

Demas, S. & Miller, M. E. (2012). Rethinking collection management plans: Shaping collective collections for the 21^st century. Collection Management, 37(3-4), 168-187.

Hughes-Hansell, S., & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners. Chicago: ALA Editions. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=289075

Pelletier, M. (2019). Libraries are a vital educational technology resource. Retrieved from

https://www.educationworld.com/libraries-are-vital-educational-technology-resource

Samuel, A. (2015). Collaborating online is sometimes better than face-to-face [Blog post]. Retrieved from

http://hbr.org/2015/04/collaborating-online-is-sometimes-better-than-face-to-face

August 23, 2020

Critical Reflection of Digital Literature Experiences.

This was a new experience for me as I have not yet had the chance to review such a wide variety of digital literacies. The ability to explore and choose such different texts was quite fun and made me look at my interest, video games, in a new and different light.

When looking at the texts, I was assessing them on their usability in the classroom and the engagement factor for the students. Cost was another issue that needed to be considered as well, as there may be a chance that they will be used in the classroom after this and some families may find issues with the pricing. In saying all this, I found that, in the setting that I was considering while engaging with them, the level of engagement a student is able to get out of it is important. A good digital text is one that draws students in and holds them there, they will not get distracted and will have the fullest experience with the text. The different types of texts that are available provide students with various opportunities to engage with ideas.

While reading the texts that I chose to evaluate for this task, I found that I much prefer a physical book to that of an e-book and reading on a Kindle. I prefer the feel of a book and the ability to see my progress right then and there rather than tapping or clicking out of the book on a Kindle to see the percentage I am at. Mark Kingwell did raise a good question “If reading is so great, fun or edifying, why does it need such an aggressive promotion?” (2013). You could say that I am old school in that thought and after talking to others about it, I do not seem to be the only one. The ability to see your collection and not having to worry about a battery running out is a nice detox from the digital world. Even though technological devices have become vital in the way students collect information, they influence the texts that they are engaging with and reading (Edwards, 2013, p. 138). That then brought the focus to applications and how familiar students are with them and the intuitive nature. Providing a text in an application setting is much more fitting for students and offers them a wider range of opportunities to interact with the text, in this case, poetry.

In saying that though, the mixing up of the way that we consume literature in settings that are not normally considered conventional, is quite refreshing. Playing through Detroit: Become Human was quite exciting for me as I was able to put on my teacher hat and assess the reliability of using it in the classroom. To many students, they would not think that video games like that would be considered a text but that ability to flip it on its head and change their perception of role-player games was quite an exciting concept to think about.

I have used and talked about video games in the past with my own students, it was mainly focussed on what draws them to certain games and the enjoyment that they get out of them. I would very much like to set up part of an English unit around Detroit: Become Human and teach it in the context of authorial intent. Students will have the ability to play through part of the game and note the choices that they make and what it leads to. Usually, you are given between two to four options so that opens up a wide range of possibilities for the students. They will then discuss the choices that they have made at certain points and why they did so, this will encompass character development and prior knowledge of character backstory as it is made available in the game. This will become the social element and mimic that of forums that are created around the game where other players discuss their own experiences and troubles that they are facing. The students will be able to see that even though they are playing the same game the choices that they make as an author can completely change the dynamic and outcome of the game.

Core principles: critical reflection - Center for the Professional ...

References:

Edwards, J. T. (2013). Reading beyond the boarders: Observations on digital e-book readers and adolescent reading practices. In J. Whittingham (Ed.), Technological tools for the literacy classroom. (135-158). Information Science Reference.

Kingwell, M. (2013). Why read literature in the digital age? Retrieved from http://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/why-read-literature-in-the-digital-age/

June 7, 2020

Critical Reflection

As I have progressed through this subject, I have been enlightened to the concept of digital citizenship in the realm of education. I was quite oblivious to just how important it was even though I work in a school that is predominantly online based and hardly any face to face sessions. In that environment, it was something that was not really thought about and, for me, did not hold a high place in the teaching practice. It is as if my eyes have been opened and I am looking at my role at the school in a more critical light. Even though digital citizenship is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of issues, the guidelines that it provides for responsible, approachable behaviour when using technology. In my classes I do set up lesson etiquette for the online lessons, however, it stopped there. By having this space to discover and evolve my understanding of how to better engage students in a digital space.

As a teacher librarian, there is a need to make students aware of the footprint that they make in a digital environment. They think that it might not be that significant, but we need to inform them that is has major effects later on in life. As the teaching at my school mainly takes place via video conferencing, there is a need for the students to know that how they act in those lessons can affect the rest of the class and there is no way to see if it is in a negative or a positive way. With the first assessment task involving group work, it gave me an idea of what it is like for my students. There is a need for the environment to feel safe and supportive and for there to be effective communication amongst all members.

The library for many students is seen as a safe space but it is much more than that, it is a place where they can access the world and the teacher librarian is the facilitator of that. As students are global learners, there is a need for them to be fully aware of their role as a global citizen. Through the creation and facilitation of a Personal Learning Network, as set up by the teacher librarian, the students will be able to work in a collaborative nature with other students that are not only in their suburb but in a different state or country. One of the many benefits of the school that I work at is that the students are already in that mindset and are sometimes in awe of the places that the other students have come from or where they currently are.

Even though there isn’t a defined leader of eLearning, as the whole school is based on eLearning, all the staff members are aware of the needs of the students in terms of their learning and how to adjust things to best suit their needs. As opposed to one leader, the whole teaching staff takes on that role and help out each other when we need it.

This unit has made me aware of what I need to do in my own practice to help my students become better digital citizens and how that can translate from the school setting into the rest of their lives and what sort of impact that will have in the future.

October 7, 2019

Reflective practice.

Through out the course we have been completing case studies relating to the challenge’s teacher librarians have or will face at one point or another in their career. It is to prepare us as future teacher librarians for what we may face and to get us into the mindset of working collaboratively with other teacher librarians, or just even colleagues. The case studies helped to put me in the mindset of a leader and what I will need to run my own team.

The case studies, I found, were quite helpful and put into perspective a lot of challenges that I might face as a teacher librarian. Apart from the size of the school, the scenario of the test school sounded quite similar to my former school in terms of the structure of management and the types of people that you may face. With this in mind, I was able to think back to my experiences and how I dealt with those types of people. The case study that stood out to me the most was case study three. In group 8’s response there was an indication that changed leadership was the best approach to the situation as it would help shift the view of the people that were blocking the actions of the teacher librarian.

While working with the group, there was a clear emergence of two main leaders directing the rest of the group on how the case studies would work and what roles everyone would take during the various rounds. We were able to work collaboratively and with ease as everyone knew what their roles were and what they needed to do. I saw this as the best way to run an online group as there was a clear focus. The style of leadership was more on the side of Instructional leadership as there was a clear directive and effectiveness in their instruction. I have found that this is the best form of leadership during my time as a teacher as there is the seniority element in place and I have noticed that most of my former students respected that.

As part of this unit, I have been able to assess my own approaches to leadership and the effects that is can have on people, both positive and negative. By modelling the best practice that I have read about and witnessed in discussion groups, I am more confident in my role as a leader in the school community and in the community in general. The skills that I have learnt have become a part of my day to day life and have become transferable into situations that I did not think of.

Leadership is not just a quality you need in the workplace, it is a quality you need in life.

May 25, 2019May 26, 2019

Reflective Practice.

Starting off this course, I thought that my understanding of the role of a teacher librarian was somewhat well developed. Well, I was quite wrong on that front. The teacher librarian is much more than a person that “mans” the front desk and the person that makes sure the library is well stocked and kept relevant. They are also expected to liaise with teachers and administration to ensure that the library is considered in all aspects of the curriculum and not as an afterthought. There are a lot more hats a teacher librarian wears. Within the school, teacher librarians are and should be seen as curriculum leaders, information specialists and information service managers. Ensuring that students and teachers are supported in their learning and instruction.

My understanding of the term Information Literacy was quite limited as I had not come across it before. However, I was excited to discover this new realm, much like Indiana Jones. As an English teacher, literacy was apart of my everyday practicum. There were targeted literacy programs, designed to assist groups of students with different issues, such as developing their sentence structure or the appropriate use of functional grammar and then there were the generalized literacy classes where they broke down meanings of texts and created their own. Though, when reading the definition provided by UNESCO, I realized that Information Literacy was much more than my initial thought of it relating to just technology. “Information literacy (IL) is described in the Alexandria Proclamation of 2005, as essential for individuals to achieve personal, social, occupational and educational goals.” (Catts & Lau, 2008, p.9), it is more about the holistic approach to education, one that students will carry with them through the rest of their lives rather than just focused in the classroom.

As I kept digging through the course, I found that Information Literacy was also attached to models of teaching. Teacher librarians and classroom teachers should be thought of as a team in these models and not as their own separate entities. Information Literacy models are heavily linked with the inquiry process, that is heavily referenced in the Australian Curriculum, however, Mandy Lupton (2014) suggests that the link between the two is not as defined and therefore makes it difficult for the teacher librarians to implement effectively (p. 15). While reading through I discovered that there were elements of various models that had been implemented into my school though there wasn’t a great connection with the teacher librarian. There was an inquiry process in place, however, it wasn’t entrenched within the library program meaning that students lost that opportunity to build a connection with the teacher librarian. The teacher librarian in a school is the equivalent to an academic support team at a university. They are there to support the students and the teachers in developing and growing their research skills in a way that they are able to transfer from school life to everyday life. I feel that Guided Inquiry and the Big6 approach handles this aspect of thinking quite well as there is vested support and guidance for the students, they are not completely left to their own devices. Students grow and learn better when they know they have that support behind them.

Had there been the input of the teacher librarian within the inquiry unit, there would have been a marked improvement in the assessments the students produced.

Throughout this unit, I have discovered many things involved with being a teacher librarian. The library is not considered a single use space anymore, a place to look at books and study privately, but one that takes on a virtual form as well. With the physical space adapting to modern day needs, so too does the teacher librarian. We, as information specialists, must grow and try to meet the needs of our community to better help them with their goals and their learning in general.

References:

Catts, R., & Lau, J. (2008). Towards Information Literacy Indicators, UNESCO: Paris.

Lipton, M. (2012). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum. Access, 26(2), 12- 18. Retrieved from https://search-informit-com- au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=584040093322031;res=IELAPA