Robinson, K. (n.d.). Do schools kill creativity? Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
Read and reflect 1:
How do the dimensions of quality teaching relate to inquiry learning and project-based learning approaches? Examine this same question from the pedagogical perspective your school or education system is currently employing.
As a current teacher I am fairly familiar with the dimensions of quality teaching as it has formed a major part of my role since I started teaching back in 2011. Although these are a great set of rules for teachers to follow to ensure that there practice is relevant, it is still, like most of the curriculum here in NSW quite restrictive in the ways we can create collaborative learning spaces. As a design and technology I feel that I was well equipped to moved towards these 21st learning skills but also stagnated as I was bound by the constant recording of data and evidence to prove that I was doing my job right in a curriculum structure I really didn’t believe in.
Part of the reason I decided to change my career to teacher librarian is that I strongly believe that my current school and education system does not answer well to both inquiry based learning and project based learning. In fact, I feel that PBL is fair more widely used then the inquiry based learning model – but both can be used hand in hand. As a Design and Technology teacher, I am a little biased when I say that it may be one of the most important subjects in the building of 21st century learning skills.
As a teacher librarian however, I am still bound by the same rules as all other teachers – except my standards are set by AITSL and not BOSTES. As a classroom teacher, it is easy for me to gather evidence to show how I am meeting these standard, however as a TL, it is a little more difficult. I had this experience recently when I had to complete my professional development log and I had to document three goals that reflected the AITSL standards – It was relatively easy for me to write these goals down but when it comes to collecting evidence it was going to be a little harder for me to document these as I had in the past – especially since I would no longer be having classes.
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited (AITSL). (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf?sfvrsn=5800f33c_64
Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2014). AITSL standards for teacher librarian practice. Retrieved from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf
Think and reflect 2:
What possibilities arise for collaboration between teachers and the teacher librarian? In what ways could you begin to develop collaboration with teachers in your school?
Collaboration between teachers and librarians is considered incredibly iporant. As stated in Module 4, many issues can impact negatively on the ability for teacher librarians and teachers to collaborate
For my current context these include
- The timetable: Not so much for freedom to collaborate but for myself,being on two HSC classes, it can be quite difficult for me to communicate with other staff members other then for just administrative purposes
- Space management: For a long period of time, the library at my school has been used as a kind of ” in between” space. It is currently used as three classrooms – two of these being ICT labs and the other having access to a set a laptops. This can make it difficult for me to have a space to allow teacher to bring classes down and participate in library learning.
- Misconception: What I have found is that many teachers are not really sure what role the teacher librarian takes in the school. This leads to a teacher librarian constantly having to prove their worth. This can be difficult when teachers are often unwilling to collaborate due to time constraints and often would rather you simply take over the class for one period.
Even though this sounds quite negative, it is actually a ripe and fertile ground for collaboration. By addressing these issues we can create a “garden bed” of learning in which teachers can collaborate effectively with teacher librarians. In order to foster good collaboration between these areas, schools must first create time and spaces in which they can happen. I believe that this can happen using frameworks such as guided inquiry and increasing understanding and knowledge of how these skills can increase the knowledge and understanding of our students.
