Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
I benefited from the input of several teacher librarians (TLs) while teaching History, Economics and English in secondary schools. However, while brainstorming the contents for this post, I was struck with the shocking (to me) realisation that I did not seek out the TLs specialist areas of expertise enough and only availed myself of the limited opportunities the schools organised with the TLs.
My last teaching experience in a classroom was fifteen years ago and the information landscape that existed then was vastly different to the one today. Then, the library space was dominated by bookshelves housing books, encyclopedias, journals and DVDS. There was a designated computer section in the library which stored a limited number of computers and there was also a small collection of digital information resources, certainly no portable devices.
During my teaching years, I observed the TLs deftly access information resources for academic purposes for teachers and students, as well as for our reading pleasure. The TLs collaborated with teachers and shared resources that complemented the curriculum across all subjects and year levels. Their input meant that my lessons (and those of my colleagues) had a range of literary and visual information resources such as cartoons, illustrations, artworks, quotes, or excerpts from journal articles which had the benefit of sharing different perspectives, strengthening the content, as well as catering for diverse learning styles. The TLs also taught students how to use the catalogue system to locate information resources for assessment tasks. To encourage students to read, the TLs took meticulous care and obvious pleasure in matching children’s interests to books. The TLs passion for literature and willingness to promote a love of reading was evident in the engaging, curated library displays and inviting reading spaces that were created.
The role of the TL also involved teaching skills to improve student outcomes. When a research task was given, students would spend several lessons completing this in the library. The TL would explicitly teach information literacy skills to help guide the students through the research process, teaching students how to locate the information using the catalogue system and assess a book using the contents page, headings and subheadings, write notes and complete a bibliography.
The TL also seemed be the innovator when it came to embedding technology in the classroom. It was the TL who would lead professional development about using technology. The TLs seemed to be at the forefront of navigating how to use the vast amounts of information, that were only a click of a button away, efficiently and safely.
This reflection has highlighted to me that I underutilised the unique skill set of the TLs, however, it also informs my future practice as a TL. I am committed to advocating my role in a school so that teachers are aware of how I can support and enable the students in their classroom.