May 2021 – Seoul Learning

Assessment 2_Part B: Reflection

Several years ago I remember a teacher librarian (TL) telling me that she loved her job because she got to “hide” because “nobody knows what I do”. I rarely saw her leave the library space and as a very busy subject teacher, I didn’t understand her role. The teacher librarian (TL) as a leader never crossed my mind until two years before I started the Masters of Education (TL) course. That is when a new TL started at our school and she was everywhere, as explained in my blog post (Seewald, 2021, May 18). It changed my stereotypical perception of TLs and inspired me to look at a change in direction for myself.

I have had a lot of ‘aha’ moments throughout the unit, not just about the role of the TL, but in general about leadership. Coming into the course, I had strong opinions about the traits and attributes of a ‘good leader’ as listed in my first blog post (Seewald, 2021, Mar 2). When I read this post again recently, I realised that much on my list belonged to a transformational leadership style – I just didn’t have the understanding of the theory and the terminology for it then! Reading about leadership styles and their role in change management put my own experience as a head of department into perspective (Seewald, 2021, Apr 22).

Like other fellow students, (Kenna, 2021, Apr 18), I had been uncomfortable about the idea of servant leadership. However, I realised that I had focused on the word ‘servant’ rather than ‘leadership’. As I was reading through forum posts, I noticed how intertwined the styles are. For example, reading Bourne’s post I noticed that she had blended instructional leadership and servant leadership (Bourne, personal communication, 2021, Apr 26). Without the awareness of the opportunities to collaborate and the sensitivity of choices made within that collaborative time, instructional leadership will only go so far. Without servant leadership to complement, instructional leadership may leave some hesitant and uncertain staff members behind. In particular within a change process, when teachers may already feel outside of their comfort zones, servant leadership becomes crucial. I was struck recently by these words: “leaders do not command excellence – they build excellence” (Williams, 2006, p. 5). A servant leader is a builder – without time invested in the foundations, (listening to concerns, seeking to reassure with practical support or with the latest research etc.), the structure will never be as strong as it could be. Thus, servant leadership comes from a position of strength, not weakness!

To sum it up, leadership for a TL truly is complex (Green, 2011, p. 22) and an excellent leader knows when to adapt (or mix up) their styles. Research has shown that teachers are more willing to collaborate with a TL if they can see their influence as leaders, and if they have taken initiative in the past (Lance in Branch & Odberg, 2001, p. 9). I think about the TL mentioned at the beginning of this post, and I wonder how she was able to influence and inspire staff members and students. I’m reminded me of the words of Phillips and Paatsch in regards to TLs; “remove the cloak of invisibility!” (2011, p. 33).

Moving forward, although I am still a subject teacher, I continue to look for opportunities to broaden my horizons and learn from TLs (Seewald, personal communication, 2021, May 19). Being on the Oz-TL listserv has been excellent – it represents all aspects of the TL’s diverse role. Just yesterday, excellent resources for embedding the International Baccalaureate’s Approaches to Learning skills were posted. It was just another example of how TLs are perfectly positioned to lead change in order to develop 21st century skills in teachers and students. Even though there will be personal challenges ahead (Seewald, 2021, Apr 27), I am so excited for when I will be able to do this too.

References

Branch, J. L., & Oberg, D. (2001). The teacher-librarian in the 21st century: The teacher-librarian as instructional leader. School Libraries in Canada, 21(2), 9-11.

Green, G. (2011). Learning leadership through the school library. ACCESS, 25(4), 22-26.

Phillips, G., & Paatsch, L. (2011). The invisible librarian: Why doesn’t literacy mention libraries. Practically Primary, 16(3), 31-33.

Siren, K. (2020). Reflection. [Photograph]. Flickr. https://tinyurl.com/jb7f5pe8

Williams, J. L. (2006). Leadership: Shaping the future of the profession. Knowledge Quest, 34(5), 4-6.

Reflection for Module 6.3

It is the middle of report writing and you overhear two teacher colleagues complaining about the light teaching and reporting load of the teacher librarian. Pick one to reflect on in your blog that draws on your learning about leadership this session to build productive partnerships.

I chose this scenario because to my shame, I have been guilty of it. This was many years ago, well before I had any understanding of the role of a teacher librarian (TL). As a subject teacher, my thoughts changed when I moved to a new school at the same time a new TL started. She was EVERYWHERE. I had never seen this happen. No hiding, no shushing – absolutely none of the stereotypes in my mind. She was in classrooms, she sat on the senior leadership team of the high school. She was regularly asked to sit on staff feedback panels and on potential employee interviews. She didn’t hide at Parent Teacher Conference night. She coordinated the IB Extended Essay process in tandem with the IB DP coordinator. She was the first point of call for any referencing issues. Students would say “I’m not sure what I’m looking for but it’s kinda like this….” and she would find it (or teach them how). Our academic subscription databases increased and were compiled more effectively. As a subject teacher, her involvement in so many different areas of the school and her advocacy of the school library was so very visible. It was really due to her that I started to think that I could follow in her footsteps. I loved the look of the diverse nature of her job. The library had come alive. Now that I am undertaking a Masters of Ed Teacher Librarianship course, I see what she was really doing (and much more besides) – the theory and rationale behind her practice.

With this background in mind, how would I handle the above scenario as a TL? If I overheard this complaint, I think the wisest course of action would be not to confront the teachers at that moment – it could possibly inflame the situation and lead to a fruitless comparison of schedules. A quick word of retort in this scenario may damage any possibility of a future working partnership, to the detriment of the students.

Instead, I think I’d have to sit down and really think. What has led them to believe the TL has a light load? Have I not advocated for the library enough? Am I not visible enough? Where am I spending my time? In fact, the more I think about it, overhearing such comments would provide a good opportunity for reflection. It may be uncomfortable, but maybe I would have to analyse in what ways I can promote visibility better. (Boyd, 2021, Korodaj, (2019) and Jones provide guidance here). It could be that there are gaps that I could be more proactive in, to increase staff understanding about what a TL does through the library. Or it could be that some teachers just really don’t want to understand what a TL does. This happens (and in my experience, usually it is the same teachers who are more cynical towards the structures, processes and other staff members around them.)

After reflecting, and no matter what the conclusions, I think I would actively reach out to the teachers who I overheard, asking if they would like to collaborate on any upcoming units, would be interested in literary learning resource kits, would like help with planning assessment rubrics for research tasks etc. I could begin the conversation by saying “I noticed that you were doing XYZ…and I thought of an article that might be of interest to you….” Maybe this wouldn’t work at all, but I think it demonstrates servant leadership. Coming alongside, asking questions, being willing to listen, and to support in a very practical manner. Generally, just being available and indicating to the teacher an open door. Fingers crossed, it might make a small dent in their negative perceptions of the role of a TL. With these actions, it may open up the way to a future positive, productive relationship with these teachers.

References

Boyd, K. C. Advocacy 2021 style and beyond. Knowledge Quest 49(4), pp. 26-31.

Jones, A. (n.d). School library advocacy resources. Live Oak Middle Library. https://www.lomlibrary.org/library-advocacy.html

Korodaj, L. (2019). The library as ‘third space’ in your school. Scan, 38(10), pp. 2-9.

Mary1826. (n.d.). Speaker. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/speaker-lecturer-speech-conference-2148213/

Assessment #2 Part B: Reflection

Sillysarasue. (2009). Reading Robot. [Photograph]. Flickr. https://tinyurl.com/h3bmtdxz

Part B Assignment 2: Reflection

I trained as a primary school teacher and learned strategies of how to use literary learning. Later I moved to higher grades and into subject teaching. However, studying ETL402 has made me realise that I lost the importance of literary learning along the way. I had vague ideas for using literary texts to support unit content and concepts in the upper grades (Seewald, 2021, Apr 18). However the challenge of time in a packed curriculum is an obstacle, not only for me (Seewald, 2021, Apr 22) but for many (Feneck, personal communication, 2021, Apr 12). This frustrated me… I hadn’t seen this practice of literary learning in the upper grades, why were we discussing what seemed to be a hypothetical scenario? It was also difficult for me to change my mindset from a subject teacher to a teacher librarian (TL) – my posts were related to my classroom with thoughts of the TL role tacked on the end (Seewald, 2021, Apr 18).

Working through the module readings impressed upon me the value of literary learning. I stepped back to look at the bigger picture. Literature can be transformational, opening up worlds to the reader, and the reader to themselves (Ross Johnston, 2014, p.484), in addition to supporting the subject content in an authentic context (Waugh et al., 2016, p. 48). By the end of module 6, I started to think of literary learning not as an option, but as crucial. I had a foundational shift in my thinking – from ‘we can’t afford the time for literary learning’ to ‘we can’t afford NOT to make the time for literary learning’.

I had a powerful ‘aha’ experience recently when asked by a former teaching team two weeks ago to unit plan with them. It was at that moment that I realised I was not thinking like a subject teacher, but as a TL for the first time. I was able to highlight the value of using literature to support the unit and was able to practically help with a list of literary texts (Seewald, 2021, May 5). At that moment I knew that this is what I want to be doing full time.

I also had a shift in thinking towards digital literature. I had read with concern the different ways in which we read digital text as compared to print texts (Jabr, 2013). Initially it reinforced my own opinion about print text being ‘best’ (Seewald, 2021, Apr 13). Then I explored the collation that Derouet (2021) has which included my fellow students’ recommendations and this, combined with the positivity of some of my peers (Colquhoun, personal communication, 2021, Apr 27),was so far beyond my expectations of digital literature that it gave me pause for reflection. I also learned about digital literary response strategies that clearly covered a range of 21st century learning skills. We live in a multiliterate world in which digital literacy has an increasingly profound role (Robertson, 2016). It is not necessarily about one text type being better than another, but what type of quality, engaging resources will best support the students at any given moment. ETL402 has taught me that as a future TL, I need to challenge long held beliefs of my own, and to model open mindedness and risk-taking!

References

Derouet, L. (2021). Digital literature. Flipboard.com. https://flipboard.com/@lizderouet/digital-literature-l6asodtaz?from=share&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=curator_share

Jabr, F. (2013, April 11). The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screens. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

Robertson, J. M. (2016). Influence of the digital age on children’s literature and its use in the classroom. In K. A. Munger (Ed.), Steps to success: Crossing the bridge between literary research and practice. Milne Publishing. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/steps-to-success/

Ross Johnston, R. (2014). Literature, the curriculum and 21st-century literacy. In G. Winch, R. Ross Johnston, P. March, L. Ljungdahl, & M. Holliday (Authors), Literacy: reading, writing and children’s literature (5th ed., pp. 472-491). Oxford University Press.

Waugh, D., Neaum, S., & Waugh, R. (2016). Children’s literature in primary schools (2nd ed.). Learning Matters.

Aha!!!

I had a huge ‘aha’ moment last week – the first time when I really caught myself thinking like a TL. I have found it challenging throughout this course to shift my mindset from a subject teacher to the TL realm. I was invited to unit plan with a former grade 7 MYP Individuals & Societies team – I know the students, curriculum, teachers, as I taught with this team last year, so it was a perfect fit. The lead teacher was trawling through resources that I had lent her from a unit I had written previously and was bouncing ideas around. All of a sudden, I was applying what I had learnt in modules 5 & 6 about literary learning and was able to suggest a diverse range of texts to support the core unit knowledge and understandings. I can’t say that it was met with elation (and I get this), but undeterred, I am putting together a list of optional texts for students to delve into during the unit. There are some voracious readers in grade 7 (I know these kids!) so I am hoping that a few will draw from the list. I’m not in a TL position at the school, so I need to be sensitive about this, but I was just so pleased I was thinking along these lines! All of a sudden, literary learning made sense!