A belief in the transformative power of literature is what initially drew me to pursue a career in teacher librarianship. However, during the course of this subject, I have come to realise that the role of the teacher librarian involves more than promoting a love of reading. The teacher librarian is typically responsible for presenting and enabling access to information in digital forms, and not only in the printed format.  After reading expert articles, I now know that information is a multi-faceted concept that is in constant evolution, and one of the most important roles of the teacher librarian is to enable students to deal competently with information and use problem-solving skills in order to function well in a rapidly changing world (Case, 2006) (Rivero, 2020, 23 July).

Furthermore, the role of the teacher librarian is that of a facilitator of student capabilities in accessing, developing and communicating ideas, that will build students’ knowledge base, and allow them to be meaningful contributors to society by successfully navigating digital resources. In this sense, the teacher librarian has a pivotal role in encouraging exposure to and analysis of multimedia sources of information, such as films, audiobooks and print, as this learning experience will develop competencies in students which they can draw upon to solve real world problems. This important role carries with it the responsibility of creating learning materials which are relevant and significant to students, acknowledge their prior knowledge, and that lead to the acquisition of useful life skills. According to Purcell (2010), the school library media specialist helps both teachers and students in dealing with the inherent complexity of the modern online world, and in order to impact student learning in a positive way, the teacher librarian should focus their attention on inquiry based learning because this is where they can really make a difference in students’ lives (Lupton, 2014; Purcell, 2010). It was with this in mind that I attempted the creation of an inquiry unit of work that connects my students’ women rights to the history of the suffragettes.

As an information literacy specialist, the teacher librarian needs to promote inquiry learning activities that require students to formulate their own questions, find, record and analyse the information that will answer their research question, and share their findings with the rest of class. After careful reading of various IL models, I found that the NSW IL model is the most applicable to my school context as it details carefully planned steps of information seeking and usage that link with elements of the NSW Quality Teaching framework (Rivero, 2020, 30 September).

A challenge of student-centred inquiry learning is the difficulty many students will encounter in framing a specific, topic-related question that will enable them to carry out a task that will deepen their knowledge of a given topic. In the dual role of practitioner and information expert, the teacher librarian has to provide assistance to students in the process of formulating research questions that will lead the students on a learning journey of discovery and experimentation. Due to the ubiquity of information, students will need guidance to direct their inquiries to specific topics, and the teacher librarian can play a crucial role in helping students to narrow down their inquiry objectives, by for example providing information scaffolding tasks and checkpoints that relate to steps in the information-gaining process.

Another hurdle I envisage with inquiry learning methodologies is the lack of motivation some students may demonstrate when presented with a learning task that demands independent work. Once again, the teacher librarian can help overcome this challenge by ensuring that the inquiry based learning tasks are valuable to students and offer them opportunities to learn new skills and competencies that they may later apply in life beyond school, such as learning in groups and solving real-world problems. The development of collaborative, creative and critical thinking skills is crucial if students are to be competent players in today’s world of pervasive information. These skills need to be incorporated into the inquiry learning units that the teacher librarian designs in collaboration with discipline experts. While I was designing this particular unit of work about the suffragette movement, it became evident that a functional relationship between the teacher librarian and subject educators is crucial to the success and lasting benefits of inquiry based learning, which should be promoted over time through scheduled meetings between the TL and the subject teacher, and through a genuine, shared interest in the students’ lifelong learning. In conclusion, through this subject my understanding of the role of the teacher librarian has expanded to incorporate that of an online information specialist and leader in inquiry based learning that integrates online research practises into learning (Lamb, 2011).

References

Case, D. (2006). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs and behaviour. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=283968

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, Mandy. Inquiry skills in the Australian curriculum [online]. Access, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2012: 12-18. Availability: <https://search-informit-comau.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=584040093322031;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 1030-0155. [cited 05 Oct 20].

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians Do Is Check out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30–33.

Rivero, A. (2020, 30 September). How do the dimensions of Quality Teaching relate to Inquiry based learning and project based learning? Available at: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/angelinarivero/wp-admin/post.php?post=35&action=edit

Rivero, A. (2020, 23 July). Thinking about Information. Available at: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/angelinarivero/2020/07/23/thinking-about-information/

The three dimensions of quality teaching are in perfect alignment with the characteristics of Inquiry Learning approaches. Intellectual quality encourages the use of pedagogy that focuses on the active construction of knowledge by students, and on the use of critical thinking skills that develop an understanding of key concepts or ideas. Both Project Based Learning and Guided Inquiry stem from constructivist views of knowledge where students will create their own ideas or conclusions about a topic. In order to ask their own meaningful questions, students will need to engage with their deep knowledge and understanding of a topic. In guided Inquiry, students are led through carefully orchestrated units that build their deep knowledge and understanding of a curriculum topic. This aspect of IL corresponds to the intellectual quality element of quality teaching.

In addition, the importance of quality learning environments cannot be underestimated, as classrooms where there is a strong and supportive learning atmosphere lead to improved student outcomes. In IL students are encouraged to exercise their self-regulation and decision-making in a classroom that is supportive of such practices. IL is grounded in constructivist theories of learning in which students will formulate their own questions, research a certain topic of interest to them and present their findings and knowledge to their peers. All these learning strategies and carefully planned steps take place in a supportive environment where students feel safe to take risks and share their newly acquired information without fear of being judged.

Finally, high quality pedagogy requires teachers to link the students’ work at school with contexts outside of the classroom such as the students’ family, experiences and cultural background. This is the third element of quality teaching that promotes learning practices that are meaningful and significant to students. It also corresponds to the IL process approach of allowing students to draw on their own personal interests and experiences in order to complete the steps of a learning task in a meaningful way.

1- Has the school in which you work (or know best) developed an information literacy policy?

2- How is information literacy approached in your school or experience?

3- How is digital citizenship approached in your school or experience?

4- How can a trans-literacy approach expand the teaching role of the TL beyond the traditional information literacy paradigm?

1- The school where I work has not developed an explicit information literacy policy; however, IL is an integral part of the teaching programs created collaboratively by teachers across all stages. My school has been a pioneer in NSW in future focus learning and has been singled out as an exemplar of successful 21st C skills learning, such as ICT capabilities.

2- IL is approached in several ways, namely in the flexible design of learning spaces that promote collaborative learning, and also in the acknowledgement of an Information and Communication Technology capability in all master programs. ICT skills are promoted and embedded in all learning opportunities. 95% of students bring their own device to school and use technology to acquire knowledge and skills that will not only enhance their understanding of subject content and also prepare them for life after school.

3- The dimensions of ethical digital citizenship are discussed in depth with prospective students during an orientation day that that takes place in term 4. Expert teachers give a presentation to Y6 students about what constitutes responsible digital behaviour and how it affects others. Students are given a booklet that contains information about online behaviour, resilience and wellbeing. Digital citizenship is reinforced in wellbeing programs that students participate in during the entirety of their schooling.

4- A TL is in an optimal position to supervise literacy enrichment programs across the school, such as Moodle literacy activities that students will have to complete online on a regular basis as stepping stones to success in the main curriculum areas. These Literacy and Numeracy milestones will ensure that students are better prepared to tackle their HSC exams in Y12 and also to embrace university studies with confidence in the future.

Explain what you think the phrase –  the tool is directing the user – means? How do you think embedded AI affects how people use technology in the digital environment?

AI has facilitated the use of certain features of the Internet, such as gathering and storing data about people that can be retrieved for later use. However, there are manifold sides to this process, as Internet multinationals such as Amazon are very adept at collecting data about consumers’ interests and inclinations as this information is registered in previous purchases. In one sense a person exercises their free will when they buy products, but on the other hand this leads to an infinite commercial exchange over which we have no control. Big companies are able to harvest our interests, showing us objects to buy, however this leads to an endless commercial game. Young and vulnerable people are very enthusiastic consumers and easily fall prey to the clutches of the Internet beast.

A major issue relating to this technological perspective of the Information Society is the question of determinism. Who/what is driving technological change? Is it the inhabitants of the landscape or the technology? Has it reached a point where the technology itself drives the agenda or is society in control? Does society determine the rate of change, or is society still trying to catch up?

In the 90’s there was speculation that technological advancement was going to be the driver of societal evolution. Later on the conclusion was that it was society rather than technology that acted as the agent of change. In fact, the actual drivers were companies like Microsoft which were looking to provide technological solutions by creating the Microsoft Suite which greatly enhanced work productivity, and also revolutionised teaching and learning in schools and universities. Societies around the world were transformed by the introduction of Microsoft coding and the resulting new technologies. The increasingly capitalist world was the driving force behind these technological innovations. Societies did change as a consequence of technological change, for example local identities and cultures were irreversibly destroyed in a globalised world.

Part B: Blog post (500 words, +/-10%)

Reflecting on your experiences as a teacher before you became interested in working in a school library, write a 500 word piece about your understandings of the role of the TL in schools. 

In response to this prompt, I would like to offer two experiences of the role of a teacher librarian from my perspective as an EALD high school teacher:

The first experience was in a large secondary school in Tasmania. The school was going through a number of significant transitions when I arrived, and these transitions had led to problems with management and the overall structure in the school. As a result, there were classroom management difficulties that I experienced on a daily basis. I would expect the library to be a place of refuge in such a situation, with an atmosphere of study and focus, that could shield the students and staff against any unrest and likelihood of conflict in the greater school (Shaper & Streatfield, 2012). However, in this school, the library did not provide such safety for those who wished to study in peace. Rather, a permanent librarian was largely absent from the scene in this school, part-time and fill in teachers took on the role, and they could not assert an overall sense that the library was a place where students and teachers could properly focus on academic achievement and intellectual progress. I do not believe that this was the fault of any individual, but was a result of management and resource allocation, that had neglected the importance of a central and well-run library. There was an opportunity here for a permanent school librarian to make a significant difference in the way that this library functioned.

The second example of a library that I would like to offer from my experience comes from my time working as a teacher in Argentina. This school was a prestigious, international school, with a national reputation for high achievement. The library was replete with resources, centrally located at the heart of the school, and run by a number of permanent librarians. As soon as I stepped into this library, I knew I was in a place to study. Students and staff hardly dared to speak. Efficient, knowledgeable, expert librarians, whose specific job was to take care of the resources and learning space, made it a joy to go to the library and use its facilities. In those days, most of the resources were still in print, so reading books and other resources was a common practice. I can remember bringing classes into this library to study, and feeling confident that we would be well-served by our time there. This library did not work as a social space for student to relax, as the hierarchy of librarians and formality of the space tended towards quiet study. This library was well-run and proudly displayed by the school to visitors and parents, and had an impressive collection of print resources. This is an example of the role of the librarian being dictated by the functioning of a vital organ in school life (Barrett, 2010).

References

Barrett, L. (2010). Effective school libraries: Evidence of impact on student achievement. The SL, 58(3), 136-139.

Shaper, S., & Streatfield, D. (2012). Invisible care? The role of librarians in caring for the ‘whole pupil’ in secondary schools. Pastoral Care in Education, 30(1), 65-75

https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2011.651225

In this section I have learnt that information is a multi-faceted concept and does not need to convey meaning to exist. I had previously assumed that the purpose of information was to exchange ideas, to enlighten us and to help us acquire new knowledge. The behaviour of information affects how we communicate because information is ubiquitous, and allows us to perform different functions depending of what we aim to achieve. We can locate information in different sources, we can retrieve it, we can understand the meaning of information, and gain an idea of what we want to do with the newly gained concepts. We can also compare it with other information, analyse it. The possibilities are endless.

A teacher’s job is facilitated by the accessibility of information, as practically any teaching and learning content can be found online or/and in print. On the other hand, students have equal access to online information, so the challenge for teachers is to make the lessons engaging for a young audience, and to tailor them to a specific group of students and their ongoing needs. Due to the overriding presence of information in different formats, and the facility with which students can retrieve it from the online universe, teachers need to ensure that their lessons offer original materials that promote critical thinking and build on students’ vast knowledge of online resources.