INF447 – Seoul Learning

ETL401 & INF447: Meeting in the middle with evidence-based practice

ETL401 Module 3.4 : Accountability in Practice

ETL401 Module 3.4 fits well with what we are learning in INF447 Research in Practice. I found our first written assessment in INF447 really challenging – evaluating, comparing and contrasting two research articles. A lot of new terminology: paradigms, methodology, methods, frameworks etc. Throw in analysing statistics and it really freaked me out! I may not be comfortable with the nuts and bolts of research but I am for sure now developing an appreciation for its necessity. Bonanno’s (2011) extortion to make sure TL rhetoric is heard by the right people – without evidence based practice, how can we expect school leadership to take us seriously? In my ETL401 discussion essay on genrefication vs the DDC, it was clear that not enough research has been done on the sustainability of genrefication (Gray, 2019). I’m sure this is one of many areas that could be a place for TL practitioners to delve into.

It was encouraging to read Valenza’s article (2015) because it made me realise that a lot of the tips and practices she talked about – really – are the basics of research – the data gathering as such. They are accessible to me, and some of the tools I actually use extensively in the classroom already. Maybe I don’t have to be an uber researcher to collect and analyse data – I just need practice, a good role-model and a little more confidence?

We moved to using Google Classroom in the middle and high school about two years before Covid hit. We are pretty well versed in what it offers and use its companions (such as Google Forms) extensively. We had to teach virtually from March 2020, with a brief period of a hybrid physical school/virtual learning model, then back to full virtual in December 🙁 We had to upskill pretty quickly with a range of online formative assessments/feedback platforms. I recognise a few applications/programs that Valenza summarized. I have used Padlet and Flipgrid a lot for formative assessment/feedback – Flipgrid is great when your class is just sick of writing 🙂 I also use Go Formative, Edpuzzle, NoRedInk and Sutori. I can see these all working for a TL, with the exception of maybe Sutori which is really geared towards History and Individuals & Societies.

I’m usually on the lookout for any tips and tools, so really appreciated Valenza’s article and have bookmarked many of her suggestions to explore further.

References

Bonanno, K. (2011). A profession at the tipping point. [Keynote speech]. ALSA Annual Conference.

Gray, M. (2019). Genre fiction collections in Australian school libraries. Scan: The Journal for Educators, 38(10), 18-25. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-38–2019/genre-fiction-collections-in-australian-school-libraries

Valenza, J (2015). Evolving with evidence: Leveraging new tools for EBP. Knowledge Quest. 43(3), 36-43.

Module #3: Discussion Forum Response

As I am aware that the our contributions to the discussion forums won’t last forever, I wanted to record my response for Module 3. Let’s see if I become more comfortable and confident with reviewing research papers for paradigms, methodology and methods towards the end of the course! This is my first attempt, even before INF447 Assignment #2. It’s all a little confusing and at this stage I feel like I am just picking out the obvious and am worried that I have even the obvious wrong!

I reviewed two papers that looked at the development of positive reading cultures in schools.

Module #3: Discussion Forum Response

Merga and Mason (2019) and Loh et al. (2017) provided solid abstracts and provided a list of keywords. Both provided comprehensive introductions and both studies were given a place of purpose within literature reviews of other studies. Merga and Mason (2019) states that there is a dearth of research regarding the factors that contribute to the active building of reading cultures in Australian schools. Thus the purpose of their research was to investigate what teacher librarians (TLs) considered as constraints and opportunities to the building of a positive reading culture. Loh et al. explored what factors contribute to a reading culture by focusing on a single case study (in Singapore), but widened their net by including not only the views of the teacher librarian, but the principal and students as well.

Loh et al.(2017) clearly stated that they undertook a mixed-methods study drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative tools of data collection, such as surveys, interviews, field notes and observations of the library space including still photography and timelapse photography. They described this as a “nested case study approach” (Loh et al., 2017, p. 33). I found this mix really interesting. Merga and Mason (2019) used “an exploratory qualitative approach” (p. 176), due to the lack of previous research in the area. Interviews were thus conducted with 30 teacher librarians across 30 different schools.

Both papers provided quite extensive findings/discussion sections. Merga and Mason (2019) were explicit in the limitations of their research. Gathering their sample was challenging due to a lack of official data on TL staffing so recruitment for the research was done through professional organisations, email and word of mouth. A limitation was that some sectors were under-represented (or not represented at all), for example, there were no TLs to be found in a public primary school in Western Australia. They also specifically mentioned the lack of generalizability, as they only looked at schools that had a TL, which they reported as then more likely to have stronger reading cultures anyway. Loh et al. (2017) did not specifically mention any limitations. Both papers acknowledged the need for further research with Loh et al. (2017) providing a few specific questions that could be further explored.

I hate to sit on the fence, but I enjoyed reading both these articles; they were both coherent and logical. They provided slightly different perspectives on the same topic, with some very practical considerations to think about.

References

Loh, C. E., Ellis, M., Paculdar, A. A., & Wan, Z. H. (2017). Building a successful reading culture through the school library: A case study of a Singapore secondary school. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 43(4), 335-347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0340035217732069

Merga, M. K., & Mason, S. (2019). Building a school reading culture: Teacher librarians’ perceptions of enabling and constraining factors. Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 173-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944119844544

Reflections on the first three weeks

I’m just a few weeks into my teacher librarianship (TL) training. I thought this might be a good time to reflect a little. These are my thoughts (in no particular order):

Wow, I really had no idea that the TL world was so intricate, diverse, thoughtful, complicated, outward looking, people driven, technological…I struggle to find just the right adjectives! Only three weeks, and I have managed to navigate (although poorly), new terminology, such as: patron driven acquisition, bundled sets, selection aids, collection development and management, library ‘nostalgia’, the data-knowledge continuum, information landscape, artefacts, positivism vs interpretivism….the list could go on and on. In many ways, I feel that I have entered into another universe.
I’m starting to see the overlaps. I was reading a research paper commissioned by the International Baccalaureate Organisation for ETL503, trying to get to the heart of the definition of international mindedness, when I realised, that I could use the same paper for a discussion forum for INF 447. Somehow, my brain had switched gears and I was picking out the research paradigm used (social constructivism) and the limitations of the research. It was an ‘aha’ moment. I absolutely love it when students have that ‘aha’ moment when they link concepts from one subject to another, (the trans-disciplinary ‘got it’ realisation), so to have my own quiet moment was encouraging.
I’ve been in our high school library a lot over the past week. After many years, I’ve stepped out of full time subject teaching and moved on to a one-year permanent substitute teaching contract at my school. My 15 year-old son is virtual learning full-time (government regulations due to Co-vid). Therefore, it’s not good if we are both bouncing around the apartment, with me nagging him to death about paying attention when he is on Zoom lessons. My retreat has often been the library. It has been really interesting to watch from a distance the comings and goings of students, teachers and administration with varying needs and requests and to see how our TL has handled them all. She is also in the process of coordinating final Extended Essay drafts and running sessions on referencing and formatting. I was lucky enough to spend some time with her yesterday morning, in which I got to pepper her with questions such as…

Q. Do we have a collection development policy with selection criteria + a challenged resource policy? A. We do (and now I have copies!)

Q.What library management system do we currently use? A. Follet School Solutions / Destiny, which apparently many international libraries use – US based.

Q. Although our high school population overall has a high reading level, there is a small group of EAL students or students who struggle with long texts. How do we cater for these? A. Our TL recommends Orca, a Canadian company that publishes books which have a “High-Low” focus – high interest/engagement for lower reading levels.

Q. How well is the high school library budgeted? A. Very well, but she stressed the importance of budget maintenance…..advocating for the library, demonstrating its continued central importance in teaching and learning.

Q. Do we use bundled sets? A. No, our TL sources books on an individual basis.

Q. What are her ‘go to’ selection aids and book review sources?? A. The main ones she relies on are Titlewave (Follet’s selection aid which is very extensive, and books can be delivered ‘shelf ready), Booklist, School Library Journal and a Facebook group, International School Library Connection.

Further questions I’d like to ask (if she has the time in the future) would be:

Q. How do we cater for our mother tongue populations? (I have a feeling this area could use some work as it is not visible just on a ‘walk-through’, which doesn’t mean to say it is not there.)

Q. What current issue/trend does she find challenging as a TL at this present time?

Q. Does she have many members for our wider school community using the high school library? (parents/guardians/other caregivers?) What is our community “reach”? Do we intentionally “reach out” and if so, how?

Figure 1: Christmas cheer in our high school library

References

Seewald, A. (2020). [Christmas cheer in our high school library] [Photograph].