ETL504 – Jennifer's reflections 'through the looking glass'

ETL504: Leadership and Strategic Planning Reflection

What an exciting (and somewhat overwhelming) time we are teaching in! The proliferation of digital platforms, content and resources along with the rise of social media has resulted in an abundance of information to process and engage with daily in our personal and professional lives. Even with the uncertainty, stereotyping and perceived redundancy hanging over the role of the library and information professional (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA], 2023), the evolving global developments and demographics commands the requirement for information and digital competencies in education agendas now more than ever (IFLA, 2019, p. 10). The teacher librarian is perfectly positioned to impact this education shift as middle leaders of a school, correlating their teaching qualifications and experience with their expert knowledge of information, systems and transliteracy fluencies.

This subject has been an educating balance of building impactful knowledge and understanding of leadership and change management, with practical tasks for future implementation. The focus on leadership styles and identifying those in our own school contexts has been beneficial in gaining insight into how schools operate and the people within the roles. The initial creation of visual diagrams depicting our school hierarchy which I uploaded to the blog post ‘Example Hierarchical Diagram’ (Holland, 2024-a), allowed me to understand the leadership styles in a practical manner. The first assessment built on this concept, delving deeper into realising our potential influence as middle leaders of a school.

Additionally, the learning provided a chance to reflect on our own styles and how we see our position as teacher librarians within the school. This has been a particular focus as I am in a professional transition period after returning from maternity leave to a role much different to when I left. It is clear in my discussion responses reflecting on our school contexts (Holland, 2024-d) that I became a little disillusioned; unclear of my standing and feeling undervalued. What was highlighted from these discussions was the impact of external influences and the need for advocacy – for our libraries and for ourselves. This theme has been a significant part of my journey back into the school library this term. This subject has prompted me to act; to begin my transformation into a middle leader. I reflected on my pedagogical aims and started to implement a few goals in my post ‘Leading from the middle’ (Holland, 2024-b). Thus far at school this year I have:

Designed and shared a promotional presentation for executive based on the value of teacher librarians supported by literature and research. This was well received, and the result was some timetabling changes to include class collaboration time, library management time and an extension reading group.
Created and facilitated a whole school professional learning presentation on information literacy in the 21^st century. Staff provided me with positive feedback, promoting my role in the school.
Collaborated with the school principal to apply for an ACT Education Teacher Librarian funded position for 2025.

Holland, J. (2024). Information literacy for 21st century learners [Screenshot]

Holland, J. (2024). The case for teacher librarians [Screenshot]

The leading from the middle blog above demonstrates my introduction to leadership styles; an area I have developed my knowledge significantly in during the subject. Listening to 5 traits of a leader (Ezard, 2015), I recognised that I am a transactional and situational leader – always placing emphasis on consideration, empowerment, support and promoting those around me.

Finally, the second assessment has been extremely practical for my school context. It was interesting to read back over my blog posts from ETL504 and note that in ‘Using the AITSL standards to support the TL as a Leader’ (Holland, 2024-c), the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standard I chose to develop was Focus Area 3.3: Work with colleagues to review, modify and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies to enable students to use knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking (AITSL, 2017). Serendipitously, this outcome was part of my plan focus and strategies for assessment two. This assessment has resulted in me discussing with our principal my future role at the school. I am pleased to report that it looks positive for next year! If we are successful with a TL funded position, I will be enacting our learning from this degree – a role as a middle leader, collaborating daily with class teachers for effectual change and preparing our students for 21^st century, lifelong learning.

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). Australian professional standards for teachers. AITSL. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Ezard, T. [BastowInstitute]. (2015, July 27). Building trust and collaboration – Tracey Ezard [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/kUkseAdKyek

Holland, J. [Jennifer.Holland] (2024, March 26-a). Example hierarchical diagram. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2024/03/26/example-hierarchical-diagram/

Holland, J. [Jennifer.Holland] (2024, March 26-b). Leading from the middle. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2024/03/26/leading-from-the-middle/

Holland, J. [Jennifer.Holland] (2024, April 30-c). Using the AITSL standards to support the TL as a leader. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2024/04/30/using-the-aitsl-standards-to-support-the-tl-as-a-leader/

Holland, J. [jennifer.holland] (2024, March 19-d). Module 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3 – Primary sector [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://bit.ly/43FzLVa

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2023). IFLA trend report: Realising libraries’ potential as partners for development (Update 2023). https://trends.ifla.org/update-2023

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2019). Riding the waves or caught in the tide? Navigating the evolving information environment. https://trends.ifla.org/insights-document

Using the AITSL standards to support the TL as a Leader

Teacher Librarians are experienced experts who reflect the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Highly Accomplished and Lead standards of professional practice (Uther and Pickworth, 2014, p. 21). To assist with career planning and development, The Australian School Library Association (ALSA) collaborated with AITSL to produce standards for teacher librarians addressing the proficient and highly accomplished stages (ASLA, 2014). These documents map standards and descriptors with example evidence and role statements of teacher librarians, to provide a means for self-reflection, goal-setting and professional learning planning. In my recent blog post for ETL 512, I explored the concepts of reflective practice and self-analysis and undertook a number of steps for personal development and career planning. Additionally, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) also has a plethora of information to support teacher librarians, including a useful Career Development Kit. This kit supports professional development planning for identifying potential opportunities for growth and broadening knowledge and skill areas. The worksheets assist you in identifying goals, objectives, skills bases and timeframes for priorities and development strategies (ALIA, 2017).

ALIA. (2017). PD planning process [Screenshot]. https://www.alia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/ALIA-Docs/2021/ALIA-Career-Development-Kit.pdf

In reviewing these documents, the descriptor I identified for personal development and further exploration for advancing my professional leadership in the workplace is the 3.3 Lead Standard: Work with colleagues to review, modify and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies to enable students to use knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking (AITSL, 2017).

3.3 Use teaching strategies
Highly Accomplished	Support colleagues to select and apply effective teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.
Lead	Work with colleagues to review, modify and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies to enable students to use knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking

Figure: AITSL Focus Area 3:3 Use teaching strategies (AITSL, 2017).

I have chosen this focus area because it specifically states working alongside colleagues for teaching and learning of problem solving and critical and creative thinking. Teacher librarians are perfectly positioned and qualified to embed these pedagogical strategies and learning skills through collaborative partnerships (Sharratt & Fullan, 2012, p. 118). This focus area addresses two personal goals relating to my current school position: fostering collaboration and building 21st century skills. These two focus areas are imperative in my future teaching directions in the school library to ensure my positive impact in supporting students and developing teacher efficacy.

Actions to plan and implement include:

Advocacy – engaging the staff and students with the library and identifying ways to be visible and interact; keep fostering the support of staff and students and have them pass on their advocacy to executive and community members
Perception – proactive and positive approach to increase the school library’s perception to all stakeholders
Marketing – sell my services and benefits; create a promotional video or dynamic school library site; change the stereotypical image of a library and librarian
Modelling – best practice, teaching strategies, Australian Curriculum knowledge and resourcing, providing staff professional development, being a proactive team collaborator
Planning and teaching – use the Australian Curriculum and Information Fluency Framework (IFF) to plan, collaborate, deliver and assess quality teaching programs for students

NSW Department of Education. (2021). IFF [Screenshot]. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). Australian professional standards for teachers. AITSL. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Australian School Library Association. (2017). Career Development Kit. ALIA. https://www.alia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/ALIA-Docs/2021/ALIA-Career-Development-Kit.pdf

Australian School Library Association. (2014). Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the highly accomplished career stage. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/evidence-guide_ha.pdf

Holland, J. [Jennifer.Holland] (2024, April 26). Delving deeply into self-reflection and analysis mode. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2024/04/26/delving-deeply-into-self-reflection-and-analysis-mode/

NSW Department of Education. (2021). Information fluency framework (v 1.1). NSW Government. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf

Sharratt, L. & Fullan, M. (2012). Putting FACES on the data: What great leaders do! Corwin Press.

Uther, J., & Pickworth, M. (2014). TLs as leaders: Are you a highly accomplished teacher librarian? Access, 28(1), 20-25

Example Hierarchical Diagram

Fewings, N. [jannerboy62]. (January 17, 2022). *Team Lead Succeed.* [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/scrabbled-scrabble-tiles-with-words-on-them-EkyuhD7uwSM

This is just me having a practise at a leadership structure concept map before Assessment 1 is due.

The depicted diagram (see bottom of post) begins by grouping the education setting’s teams. Leadership styles were shown using the coloured arrows reflecting the style key/legend at the bottom of the diagram.

* The executive team – in my assignment I will individualise these roles, but I was aware of only showing a handful of components here for this example. Their majority of leadership is instructional to build and lead from the front. I indicated that executive use a distributed style to the administration team. I also included situational leadership for the students and community as their leadership styles are dependent on the dealings and outcomes desired.
* The teaching teams – after reading module 2 I debated the teaching staff’s leadership style as a whole and purpose. I would like to believe overall that teachers are transformational leaders for our students and colleagues.
* The specialist team – our school has these specialist roles. We used to have our own “team” and would meet but now are more spread to be in the “junior” or “senior” teams for meetings. Transformational leadership was chosen as these staff members are integral in inspiring and supporting other staff, teaching teams and students.
* The administration team – extremely important in the day to day running of the school and assisting all staff members, and thus I generally showed them in a reciprocal transactional role with teaching staff, transactional leadership with the school community and servant leadership with the students.

I also included:

* The school community (parents, caregivers, suburb neighbours, ex-students etc.). Our school community is very involved and positive overall. I showed this group having a servant leadership role with the students.
* The students – are why we are in the teaching profession! All teams link to the students and display differing leadership styles that influence and support their learning outcomes.

What I believe I need to think about is the external and internal factors, how to show the leadership styles more clearly and how to depict roles that have multiple leadership styles depending on the staff member or objective, as well as breaking up the teams to be able to be more specific on the types of leadership.

Holland, J. (2024). *Leadership Hierarchy Model* [Image]. Microsoft Word.

Leading from the middle

Holland, J. (2018). [Photograph of The Shire – Middle Earth]. Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand.

The modules and tasks in ETL504 have promoted an abundance of self-reflection from the outset of the subject. Discussions, readings and assessments have me thinking about my own school context and where I fit into the setting. I ruminated on the role of the TL and the need for advocacy (Holland, 2022, para. 3 & 4) early on in my Masters degree as I was taking maternity leave from my school to have our boy, Archie. I was certainly very optimistic (possibly even a little naïve) about how I was leaving the library and the role I would be coming back to (H o lland, 2024).

Ultimately, everyone likes to feel valued, appreciated and respected, no matter your field of work, role, experience, or personality type. I believe leaders must always remember the person behind the worker and that everyone will have their own personal influences that impact and shape their day. The recent International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) interview with Dr. Aisha M. Johnson (2024) supports this belief, with Dr. Johnson stating that she aspires to have a “toolbelt” for people leading using a situational leadership style that advocates for valuing people and professional development (para. 2 & 3).

Bing. (2024). *Bing Chat* (March 24 version) [Teacher librarian leading from the middle]. https://www.bing.com/chat

Influences have been a notable learning experience for me during the modules thus far – namely internal and external influences – which have the potential for strengthening or weakening school effectiveness (Coleman & Collinge, 1991, p. 262). Considering, reflecting and acknowledging influences on education settings and leadership roles is imperative as it may assist staff to understand potential impacts on decision making and strategic directions of the school.

Another prominent learning outcome has been around building trust with colleagues. Ezard’s 5 key traits of a leader (2015) discusses how leaders should:

Discover – ask people questions, build curiosity
Admit our mistakes – taking risks, making failures, show vulnerability
Appreciate – spend time appreciating people, specific commenting, value people
Evolve – taking responsibility, accountability
Align – be authentic, what you think and what you say is aligned in congruence with what you feel and do.

In my school context of a relatively smaller sized primary school, I must embrace my ability to exhibit leadership, infuse values and influence change despite being the lone library practitioner in the school. My goal is to continue to build on being a literacy and literary leader – the person to go to for knowledge of curriculum, resourcing, literature, information literacy and inquiry skills. As I edge closer to the completion of the Masters to gain my formal qualification in Teacher Librarianship, I aim to:

Reflect on and develop my personal and professional educational goals
Maintain my belief in lifelong learning by continuing to identify areas of professional learning needs and reading relevant evidence-based research
Identify my collegial strengths and leaderships style
Collaborate with other teacher librarians, with the goal to becoming a leader in the library community within the ACT
Continue to advocate for the inclusion of a qualified TL in schools for positive student outcomes and wellbeing.

Looking to the immediate future, I will be developing an application for our school to hopefully be a recipient of one of 17 ACT Government funded TL positions to be fulfilled over the next few years. A successful application will most definitely be a positive external influence on our school, students and community.

ACT Education Directorate. (2024). *Teacher Librarian funded positions* [Screenshot]. ACT Government

References

Coleman, P., & Collinge, J. (1991). In the web: Internal and external influences affecting school improvement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 2(4), 262–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/0924345910020402

Ezard, T. [BastowInstitute]. (2015, July 27). Building trust and collaboration – Tracey Ezard [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/kUkseAdKyek

Holland, J. [jennifer.holland] (2022, March 13). ETL401 Assessment 1: The role of the Teacher Librarian. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2022/03/13/the-role-of-the-teacher-librarian/

Holland, J. [jennifer.holland] (2024, March 19). Module 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3 – Primary Sector [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://bit.ly/43FzLVa

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2024, February 6). An Interview with Dr. Aisha M. Johnson, advocate, educator, & scholar. Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning. https://blogs.ifla.org/cpdwl/2024/02/06/an-interview-with-dr-aisha-m-johnson-advocate-educator-scholar/