ETL401 – The Library: Literary and Creative Experiences

ETL401 Assessment 3: Reflection

Reflections of a teacher gradually transforming into a teacher librarian – one subject at a time.

Since beginning CSU’s Masters of Education – Teacher Librarianship in July 2023, I have been asked many times by colleagues: Why Teacher Librarianship? This question shall act as my overarching inquiry question for this reflection – in an act of displaying, via direct application, my reflection of information literacy, inquiry learning and the role of a teacher librarian.

Chosen Inquiry Learning model: Darryl Toerien’s the Fosil Cycle. https://fosil.org.uk/fosil-cycle/

Fosil Cycle Stage 1: Connect: Drawing on what you might already know in order to better understand what you do not yet know

I know teaching: I have been teaching for 25 years and in an age of teacher burn-out and low retention rates, I recognise that 25 years is a long time. I also recognise, within myself, that I love teaching, so much so, that when I went looking for a career change – I chose teacher librarianship because it meant that teaching remained at the core of my change.

Fosil Cycle Stage 2: Wonder – Identifying those questions that will best guide your investigation

At the beginning of this course I wondered what I would learn. I thought I would learn about literature, about library budgets and accessioning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/eleni/2023/07/03/post-it-note-a-brief-introduction-of-me/ I thought my answer to -why teacher librarianship?- was “I can teach English all day and incorporate the arts … I can focus on my passions and expertise.”

Fosil Cycle Stage 3: Investigate – Knowing what scholarly resources are available and being able to use them effectively

This has been my biggest lesson thus far! Learning to find and use academic and practitioner literature to further my understanding of the teacher librarian role, information access, information literacy and inquiry learning. Readings, readings and more readings! I am surprised at how much I have read and analysed and thought of. I am also surprised how hard it is to take those readings and turn them into essays. I’m not sure if it’s because I work full time as a teacher, or because I’m not in a TL role or because my personal life is also demanding – but I have found it hard and I look forward to next year when I will be in a TL role and will have one whole weekday per week to study!

Fosil Stage 4: Construct – Building an accurate understanding based on factual evidence

Building my scholarly library of TL academic writers has been more enjoyable than I imagined. I love that the more I read, the more connections I find between readings and how each academic influences another and how you begin to see the researchers that are referenced the most. I particularly love when I find an academic that puts into writing what I know, through years of experience, to be the best strategy or the secret to teaching. But I must admit, constructing my own voice from the voice of others has not been easy for me. Essay writing is something that I will need to improve on, which leads me to Stage 5 of the Fosil Cycle: Express.

Fosil Stage 5: Express – Making the most compelling case given your evidence and audience

My high school daughter has a tutor for English and Maths. A young man in his first year of university. I find myself asking him questions like – how do I reference this or how do I embed that??? Expressing my ideas, supporting them with evidence and referencing correctly have been my steepest learning curves and I am expecting to keep climbing, for I know that I know not how to express my complex, creative ideas in well-structured, eloquent, evidence-based essays.

Fosil Stage 6: Reflect – Evaluating how you have worked and what you have produced

When I reflect on my overarching inquiry question – why teacher librarianship?- I realise my answer has changed due to my ETL401 studies – and is now something like this ….. I love learning. I love learning as much as I love teaching and the library is the perfect place for a teacher librarian to model a thirst for learning, a love of reading and how literacy and information literacy give you the tools to succeed in the 21st century.

ETL401 Assessment 1 Part B: Reflective Journal

Libraries are sacred places; they exude the kind of light and peace usually reserved for places of worship; I guess, for bibliophiles, they are just that. And a school library is no different. Its presence is often central and its doors are always open. It’s a refuge from the chaos of lunch breaks – a calm space created and controlled by the teacher librarian. This is the perception I come into this course with, along with the following ideas. A TL is a person who:

is a fountain of knowledge regarding books, authors and cross curriculum resources
is a mentor for students who love books, organising and assisting – often providing them with their first ‘job’
maintains a safe, organised, fully stocked, up-to-date, creative space
keeps themselves informed
has an exceptional relationship with the local library and bookshops
is in charge of purchasing, organising, distributing and maintaining books for students and teachers
ensures quality books support and enhance the curriculum in all Key Learning Areas
promotes books that inspire young people to read and widen their reading choices
organises Book Week, author visits and parades

The list above is an extensive job description, one that would keep any Teacher Librarian very busy, however, after only a handful of ETL401 readings, lectures and online meetings I am beginning to understand that Teacher Librarians, while perhaps a threatened role, have never been more important. Why? Because we live in a world where a library is as much about digital technology as it is books and that this digital world has opened the floodgates to information overload, a wide web of uncensored information, fake news and artificial intelligences that can seemingly answer any question and produce a polished product – all of which is coming to the consumer fast and furiously.

More than ever before our young people need information specialists to help them navigate this world, keep them safe and find channels of appropriate, reputable sources for them to learn from. In schools, these information specialists are our Teacher Librarians and while I have always seen this role as important, I am beginning to see that the role is especially critical in our current world and in our modern libraries.

Within a short time I also better-understand that today, the Teacher Librarian will flourish in a school if they embrace the privilege of being able to build a communal space that supports students, teachers and leaders to achieve the overarching school goals.

If I am fortunate enough to move into this role in my current school context, I look forward to not only stocking the shelves with quality literature, bringing books to life through theatrical experiences, encouraging reading and promoting life-long readers and learners, but I look forward to igniting inquiry, guiding research and finding solutions. I look forward to helping the school cater to all students, including our HPGE and special needs students, by providing a space whose doors are open for students to be curious, collaborate, create or find a quiet nook to curl up in with a good book.

A Teacher Librarian’s importance has always been clear to me and I look forward to increasing my knowledge of all the role’s possibilities through this course.

ETL401 Introduction: Eleni Todaro

Where does one begin to briefly describe who they are and why they find themselves creating a post on a blog about Teacher Librarianship?

It all began with Algernon and his love of cucumber sandwiches and the discovery that words on a page could be brought to life with voice and gesture and that hours of enjoyment could be had with a book.

In 1998 I completed a degree in English Literature and Theatre but I left it all behind and worked with babies, children and adults with disabilities for three years. During this time I discovered my love of teaching and by the year 2000 I completed my Bachelor of Education.

Combining all my great loves I went on to teach in the classroom and managed to convince hundreds of children, over 22 years, that books are worth reading, that reading improves every aspects of one’s life and, of course, many other things.

Fast forward to 2023 and I find myself wanting to leave ‘the many other things’ behind and focus my teaching efforts on books, reading, writing, creating, dramatising, documenting, researching, discovering …. and the best place for me to do all that … is in the Library.

And so here I am at the very beginning of my Masters of Education in Teacher Librarianship – studying while working and parenting. Cucumber sandwiches anyone? Tea? Coffee? Copious amounts of coffee …