Tag: collaboration

ETL504 Mod 4.4 21st century library space

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What might a 21st century library look like and is the building or the space more important than what is happening in that space?

Vibrant, inviting and innovative, a 21st century library is a space for multiple uses with a diverse range of resources and systems. The Australian School Library Association (ASLA, 2013) articulates the need for educators to embrace and provide “knowledge building environments” to enhance collaboration and creativity (p. 10). With this in mind, a 21st century library could be labelled as a learning commons, as it is not only a space for storing books and information, but is a collaborative learning hub for participatory learning, including inquiry and project-based learning (Koechlin & Sykes, 2014).

In order for students to be engaged in innovative and creative learning, this reimagined library which encompasses physical and virtual spaces, must have flexible learning spaces and furniture to support group work (large and small) as well as individual study (ASLA, 2013; Grigsby, 2015). There should always be books, as well as a range of digital devices and supporting IT infrastructure for device enabled spaces. Connectivity is key, and is often the challenge for efficient 21st century information access and education.

Human resources are vital to a future-geared library, in spite of rapidly developing AI technology. Teacher-librarians, teachers and IT technicians are all important for supporting the educational and personal development of students. In the school library context, pedagogy should be central to the design and vision of the learning space. TLs can act as leaders here, modelling pedagogy which embraces cooperative, problem-based learning with information and digital literacies. Hay (2010) argues that the function of the school library should guide the form. If the purpose and function of a 21st century library is to embrace the four Cs – critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration (Battelle for Kids, 2019) – then what the library looks and feels like is important, as this will reflect what is happening in the space.

References

Australian School Library Association. (2013). Future learning in school libraries. https://asla.org.au/future-Learning-paper
Batelle for Kids. (2019). Frameworks & resources. https://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21/frameworks-resources

Grigsby, S. (2015). Re-imagining the 21st century school library: From storage space to active learning space. Techtrends, 59(3), 103-106.

Hay, L. (2010). Shift happens. It’s time to rethink, rebuild and rebrand. Access, November, 5-10.

Koechlin, C. & Sykes, J. (2014). Canadian school libraries leading learning. Synergy, 12(2).

ETL504 Mod 3.2 Using the energy of conflict

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My current school setting has a culture of avoiding difficult conversations with the executive team, while the staff room is often brimming with strong opinions and criticisms of management.  Some staff remain silent in these ‘off the record’ conversations, as they know they won’t win an argument with the loudest voices. When I first transferred to my school, the silence around contentious issues at staff meetings or professional development was infuriating! A number of factors are at play, including contract staff not wanting to voice their opinions for fear they won’t have their contracts renewed. A lack of confidence is also an issue for some teachers. I’ve always been happy to speak up (is that a middle child of the 1980s thing?) and often do so just for the sake of playing devil’s advocate and creating discussion. My own conflict management style is variable, depending on the situation and context, which I think is reflected in the results of the orientation scale:

Conflict Management Style Orientation Scale

Statements Totalled
Score
Competing 1, 9, 12 10
Accommodating 2, 7, 11 10
Compromising 3, 6, 15 11
Avoiding 4, 8, 14 7
Collaboration 5, 10, 13 12

https://tools.mheducation.ca/college/mcshane4/student/olc/4obm_sa_13.html

I like to feel that I’m supportive of encouraging others to voice their perspectives, even if this means creating conflict.  In the last 10 years as a teacher, as well as a wife and mother, I’ve been working on my collaborative skills and have reined in my natural inclination to be opinionated and to argue for arguments sake. While conflict is indeed an important energy source (Campbell & Clarke, 2015), the way to engage in conflict must be respectful and tactful. Learning to listen attentively is vital, as is having a clear, well-informed argument and purpose. I think I avoid conflict when I know I’m out of my depth, as I’m not as informed on a topic or as prepared as I should be! Information is, after all, power.

samwell and ebrose

Sam Tarly (GoT) Image HBO, via The Daily Dot

Reference

Campbell, C.M & Clarke, S. [TEDx Talks ]. (2015).  Conflict – Use it, don’t defuse it [Video]. YouTube.  https://youtu.be/o97fVGTjE4w

ETL503 Module 2.1 Time to catch-up on blog posts…

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Study in the time of Covid-19 has been somewhat disrupted and blogging has had to wait. At least Resourcing the Curriculum has provided a mental diversion from global death rates, nightmare cruises, unemployment, soap versus hand sanitiser, kids at home, zoom and pending economic crisis.

Responsibility for resource selection:

How is the TL’s expertise and role different from that required by all teachers?

While the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2014) state that the ability to “select and use resources” is a requirement of all teachers (standard 3.4), a TLs expertise and role is different to a classroom teacher, in that they are qualified as information literacy experts.  The ACT Government (2019) defines the TL role as combining “a command of 21st century pedagogies and curricula with expertise in information science: the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of information” (p.3). TLs may be working as Highly accomplished or Lead teachers, who are also professional curators working within a school library context.

How might TL’s effectively collaborate with the school community in the selection of resources?

TLs can effectively collaborate with the school community in the selection of resources as they have a “bird’s eye view” of the school context (ACT, 2019, p.3). Keeling (2019) discusses the value of shared conversation in improving community and collection development.  Given these perspectives, at the curriculum planning phase with class teachers, the TL should ideally share their time with each year level team to ascertain the resource needs. Using professional selection criteria to gather a variety of materials, the TL can then present teams with a range of useful, quality resources for class teachers to then select. Other opportunities for collaboration with the school community include book fairs and book clubs which incorporate social gatherings for curriculum and literary conversation, short listed book voting (CBCA) for staff, students and parents, opportunities for book/resource requests, library newsletters and surveys which value feedback on resources.

How can the TL engage learners in the selection of resources for their school library?

Suggestion boxes, student book reviews and star ratings, online requests and written or spoken surveys can be effective ways to engage students in the selection of resources. The National Library of New Zealand includes valuable information on engaging learners in the selection process (thanks Lee for the heads-up!). Aside from written or spoken interviews, students might enjoy online surveys (e.g. Survey Monkey) where they provide valuable feedback on curriculum resources, reading preferences and formats (fiction, nonfiction, authors, genres, graphic novels, ebooks etc). Student Library representatives for each year level could also be powerful spokespeople and advocates for their less articulate peers.

References

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government. (2019). School libraries: The heart of 21st century learning. file:///E:/CSU/ETL503%20Resourcing%20the%20Curriculum/School-Libraries-The-Heart-of-21st-Century-Learning.pdf

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Keeling, M. (2019). What’s new in collection development?, Knowledge Quest, 48 (2), 4-5. https://search.proquest.com/openview/df98b0e57f30ede4e963121d5424d82f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=6154

National Library of New Zealand. (n.d). Student reading interests. https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/strategies-to-engage-students-as-readers/student-reading-interests