The Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in The Proficient Career Stage (Australian School Library Association, 2014) is a window through which I am able to gain a comprehensive understanding of what will be expected of me when I eventually step into the role of a teacher librarian. As discussed in my first blog post, I am commencing this degree with limited predetermined ideas of what the role should be. This has allowed me to look at the role through fresh eyes and form my ideas from the ground up. This has been particularly pertinent as literature has indicated that the role is constantly evolving to adapt to learning in the 21st century (Lamb, 2011, p. 27). The Evidence Guide gives me a clear indication of what will be expected of me when I eventually do step into the role of a teacher librarian.

 

From first glance, this document clearly articulates that the role is teacher first, librarian second. By building upon the standards outlined within the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2011), the Evidence Guide emphasises that teaching is at the core of the role. Through the elaborations made on the descriptors, the document outlines the pedagogy that a teacher librarian would need to demonstrate to be considered proficient within their role. One such example can be seen below within the focus area 2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.  The elaboration on the descriptor states that: “Proficient teacher librarians use their knowledge of current content requirements and teaching strategies to plan and teach a wide range of topics” (Australian School Library Association, 2014, p. 6).

This indicates to me that planning and teaching is not isolated to classroom teachers alone. The inclusion of the word ‘wide’ when describing the topic range suggests that the content a teacher librarian would be planning for will overlap slightly with the planning of a classroom teacher (through collaborative planning), and goes beyond that of literacy, digital literacy and information literacy skills. Mandy Lupton (2014) recognises the teacher librarian’s unique “birds-eye view” perspective and proposes that teacher librarians utilise this and become curriculum consultants within their school (Lupton, 2014, p. 23). Reading the Evidence Guide clearly reinforces that the role of a teacher librarian is one that is strongly embedded in pedagogical undertakings of the school.

 

I have reflected upon how I would use the Evidence Guide to inform my practice in a previous blog post. In this post I applied the perspective of a reflective practitioner; using concepts of ‘structure’, ‘challenge’ and ‘support’ to frame my analysis. Throughout my learning in this degree, I will continue to make connections to the Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in The Proficient Career Stage (2014) to further my understanding of the role of a teacher librarian.

 

References:

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. AITSL.  https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

 

Australian School Library Association. (2014). Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in The Proficient Career Stage. ASLA. https://asla.org.au/evidence-guides-tls

 

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends : Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 55(4), 27-36. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1007/s11528-011-0509-3

 

Lupton, M. (2014). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6: A bird’s-eye view. Access, 28(4), 8-29. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78451/1/Lupton_ACCESS_Nov_2014_2pg.pdf