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The Australian School Library Association’s (ASLA) “Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the highly accomplished career stage” and “Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage” contains helpful information that can be used to further understandings on the role of the teacher librarian and to inform practice. These documents help a teacher “play” the teacher librarian “game”. They can be used to confirm the duties included in the role of teacher librarian and/or extend those duties for new teacher librarians. Just as in a chess game, teacher librarians learn, with practise, how to play the game. That is, which chess pieces should be played how and when.  Each standard is explained with further text and then directly connected with examples of evidence, breaking the standards down into obtainable steps. For teachers who are aspiring to highly accomplished status, the documents provide further information as to what is necessary to gain that qualification. In other words, they give concrete ideas as a path to follow to attain proficient and highly accomplished status. It allows teacher librarians to move the pawns to play a winning game.

Winning encompasses several elements. It can mean that the evidence stated in these documents can be used for accreditation purposes as well as used to support evidence of learning and/or value-adding to students’ learning. Additionally, it can be used to win the principal over as as evidence to supporting the school/principal’s vision and goals.  It can also be used to win parents and colleagues when presenting professional development as evidence of effective teaching .

Therefore, ASLA’s evidence guide can be used for several purposes. These include: accreditation, for career development, professional development, to achieve principal’s vision, gives inspiration for planning, preparation, used to develop the library’s mission statement and used as evidence of legitimate activities to collaborate on. An informed practice is a winning practice.

References:

Australian School Library Association (ASLA)  (2014). Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the highly accomplished career stage.  Retrieved from: http://www.asla.org.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/evidence-guide_ha.pdf

Australian School Library Association (2015). Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the proficient career stage. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/evidence_guide_prof.pdf