Author Archives: jenniferjpiper

Reflections for ETL402

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Using literature in a primary school library setting seems an obvious choice in the teaching of a range of literacy skills. This subject gave me the chance to obtain and analyse fictional literature to explore characters, settings, complex narratives and develop an understanding and familiarity of authors and illustrators alike. My understanding of literary learning was stretched, prompting me to look at literature in a critical and analytical way. How do I find and select appropriate literature to teach concepts embedded in Key Learning Areas (KLA’s) such as history?

I was aware of some literary award sites that promote quality literature (Piper, 2021a) such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia (Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2021). Reading the rigorous selection processes that occur for books to be shortlisted and awarded, I began to understand the value of using literary awards as a means of recognising quality literature. Obtaining and reading some of these books showed me the value they can add to a range of KLA’s. The recognition and inclusion of cross-curricula priorities in the NSW syllabus demonstrates that students’ understanding, knowledge of and application of inquiry skills is necessary for viable discussions about our world (NSW Government, 2021). Researching the use of literature in KLA’s, I was presented with various lists of suggested texts that can be used to support the NSW curriculum (Board of Studies, 2017; NSW Department of Education, 2017a; NSW Department of Education, 2017b). Similarly, resources were made available supporting the use of literature when teaching history (Australian School Library Association, 2012). These lists showed me new resources I can use in my future teaching programs.

Using quality literature necessitates the practical use of a range of teaching strategies that highlight particular qualities of texts. Through my research I was made aware of explicit strategies. Some of these strategies include dialogic reading (Whitehurst, 2013), word clouds (Wolff, 2020), book trailers (Clarke, 2017) and digital timelines (Cox, 2012) to name a few. It quickly became clear to me that I was already implementing dialogic reading with great success. In a school where reading has been highlighted as an area for improvement, using picture books to teach and enhance concepts or themes is a reliable way to engage students regardless of their ability and backgrounds. Now that I am aware of other strategies that promote literary learning, I will endeavour to increase the use of strategies, such as word clouds and digital timelines, to engage all my students in their understandings of literature.

Creating a literary learning resource kit challenged me to think about the qualitative value of resources available. I questioned my bias in selecting and including specific literature in my school library (Piper, 2021b). The more I thought about the possibility of bias and others’ input and recommendations, I realised the focus needed to be about the quality and usefulness of texts and more importantly the clients of literature in the school. As a teacher librarian I aim to nurture the educational needs of children so that they may grow to be informed citizens able to make appropriate choices. As a facilitator of library resources, it is my goal to ensure literature is inclusive, appropriately selected, informative and engaging for students in my school.

 

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2012). Primary school resources to support the Australian history curriculum (pp. 1–13). Australian School Library Association.

Board of Studies NSW. (2017). Suggested texts for the English K-10 Syllabus (pp. 5–85). Board of Studies NSW. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/english-k10-suggested-texts.pdf

Children’s Book Council of Australia. (2021). About the Children’s Book Council for Australia. The Children’s Book Council of Australia: Since 1945 – Your Connection to Story; The Children’s Book Council of Australia. https://cbca.org.au/about

Clarke, R. (2017, March 19). How free book trailers can be used to inspire reading and writing. Teach Wire: Your Link to the Best in Education. https://www.teachwire.net/news/how-free-book-trailers-can-be-used-to-inspire-reading-and-writing

Cox, C. (2012, January 12). Creating timelines. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-timelines

NSW Department of Education. (2017a). Human Society and Its Environment Guide to using picture books in History K-10 (pp. 1–54). NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/key-learning-areas/hsie/media/documents/history-es1-s1-s2-s3-s4-s5-guide-to-picture-books-in-history.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2017b). Using picture books for intercultural understanding (pp. 1–27). NSW Department of Education. https://www.hsiensw.com/uploads/4/7/7/1/47718841/picture_bks__intercultural_understanding.pdf

NSW Government. (2021). Learning across the curriculum. NSW Government Education Standards Authority. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/history-k-10/learning-across-the-curriculum

Piper, J. (2021a, April 27). Getting to know children’s literature. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/04/27/getting-to-know-childrens-literature/

Piper, J. (2021b, May 3). To include or not to include…. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/05/03/to-include-or-not-to-include/

Whitehurst, G. J. (Russ). (2013, April 24). Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read Aloud with Young Children. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-reading-effective-way-read-aloud-young-children

Wolff, R. (2020, March 8). The best free word cloud generators to visualize your data. MonkeyLearn Blog. https://monkeylearn.com/blog/word-cloud-generator/

 

To include or not to include…

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As a classroom teacher in the TL role in my school, I am slowly getting to know the content of literature available to students. Having subscribed to the Australian Scholastic Standing Orders I get first hand interactions with new literature needing inclusion into our school library collection. These books are often well known texts familiar to students, short listed and notable texts evident in literary award lists, such as CBCA, or books by familiar authors such as Aaron Blabey and Anh Do to name a few.

As I set myself the challenge to read a number of texts so that I can promote and suggest reading material to my students with familiarity and understanding, I also find myself subconsciously dismissing texts as inappropriate for my students. I hadn’t quite taken note of this consciousness until the idea was suggested in the reading material: What influences my choice in including or censoring texts from the library?

The reading habits of my students certainly influence the inclusion of popular series such as Ninja Kid, Bad Guys and Alice-Mirand to name a few. Familiar authors such as those mentioned earlier add to the influence. But what about censorship? I have often been open with my students encouraging them to provide suggestions for new content for our school library and on a few occasions I have silently dismissed a few ideas. Ideas I thought weren’t considered ‘great’ reading material. But was I right to do so? How did I come to this conclusion? Certainly my age, my cultural understanding of ‘what is right’, my knowledge of colleagues approvals and thoughts on text choice influence my decision to include or dismiss new texts.

The Reading Bill of Rights certainly challenges my perceptions and intentions. In a primary school setting, I do need to be selective to ensure literature is age appropriate, relevant and meaningful for my students. I also need to ensure there are texts that will engage all my readers from all their varying backgrounds.

As I add a range of texts to my collection, thoughts of the students interests are increasingly at the forefront of my mind. When I better understand the recommendations made by students, I can familiarise myself with new literature of a similar theme, style and structure. Aiming to partner students with a book that is within their reading capabilities will continue to foster a love of reading.

Getting to know children’s literature

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My previous post identified at surface level, a few strategies I use to be aware of, know the content and understand children’s literature.

Relishing the opportunity to read, I naturally gravitate toward libraries to observe new content and view promotional displays. Keeping up to date with literary awards and initiatives such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) and the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge ensures I am aware of book lists and the selection of high quality literature. My school is in the fortunate position to subscribe to Scholastic Australian Standing Orders, ensuring our school receives new content on a regular basis. When these books cross my desk, I make the effort to read and absorb content that could be relevant or beneficial for students and staff in my school.

Being in the enviable position of working in the TL role gives me the advantageous position to take stock of children’s literature that is available in my school. Frequently I take books home from a wide range of genres, text types and age recommendations to read in my own time. This allows me to know the content and promote texts to staff and students alike and be ready for that moment when a student comes to me and says “I don’t know what to read!”

Although these sound like great initiatives to get to know new and varied literature, there is still more I could do. Following online book reviews such as those presented by Booktopia; subscribing to children’s literature magazines such as Magpies; attending professional development opportunities relevant to teacher librarians such as those run by the School Library Association of NSW would increase my professional knowledge of children’s literature. These opportunities would further develop my critique, analysis and understanding of how these texts can be used for reading engagement and teaching content within the school curriculum.

Driving the change for children’s literature

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I have always been fond of reading. I distinctly remember a time I approached my librarian in primary school seeking something more challenging to read. I had read some of the so called classics, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Broken Fang to name a few. It was at this point my librarian introduced me to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. It was amazing. It was the right challenge I needed at the time.

As a TL in a small school where reading had often been met with reluctance, in part due to the low learning abilities, I was always, and continue to do so, thinking and reflecting: what can I do in my library space to promote reading that is engaging, appropriately challenging and inspiring?

Reflecting back on my personal experience described earlier, I can see how the driver’s of change for the future of literacy engagement is not limited to the TL or children themselves. In my own school I am seeing a steady increase and positive attitude to reading and the opportunities literature provides. Students are seeking my expertise and knowledge in book recommendations, borrowing has significantly increased within the last few years. Of particular note, the restrictions presented by COVID-19 only made students more eager to literally get their hands on books. Borrowing has surged! I have since begun, what can only be described as book talks with less familiar texts, supporting discussions about genres, content and characters to name a few. I have set myself the challenge of reading a number of books myself to demonstrate to students that initiatives such as the Premier’s Reading Challenge can be achieved. These small changes are noted by students and fellow staff. Staff, similarly, are observing a shift in attitude to reading. By supporting the staff in recommending texts for inclusion in their teaching program, students are able to observe quality literature in all areas of their learning.

Children’s literature is changing. This is evident in the number of new books available in the market. The challenge is to maintain this momentum. Children will seek new books, new content or at the very least ‘something to read’. Teachers, parents and caregivers can support this yearn for language in providing literature for students. Author’s can continue to create quality literature by capturing content in new and creative ways. A key challenge for author’s then is to ensure their content is engaging. By recognising trends observed by children and so called gaps in information about particular content, author’s are best placed to shift the stagnant mentality and approach to reading. This is not to say author’s need to follow a particular ‘fad’. Quality children’s literature will last the through the ages, texts that have children coming back again and again and clamouring for more.

What is my vision for the future of children’s literature? I’d like to think that all children with a book in hand is a common and mainstream occurance. Imagine a place where children are excited by language in all facets of life. Literature that is filled with insight, that is clever, that explores imagery in creative ways posing questions of wonder, thoughts of awe and intrigue.

Part C Reflections

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Nostalgic memories of reading literature was at the forefront of my mind when I began this course (Piper, 2020, March 14), with the Teacher Librarian (TL) exposing students to a world of books, encouraging and facilitating a love of reading and research. Reflecting on my learning has shown me that while this is correct, it was a limited understanding as the role of the TL is multifaceted and complex. Learning about Lamb’s PALETTE acronym (Lamb, 2011) reinforced my understanding that the TL role embraced many aspects of teaching, guiding and facilitating an environment that enables students to investigate and explore concepts in literacies.

My essay on makerspaces helped me understand the current trend of libraries as ‘third spaces’ (Slatter & Howard, 2013). Reading about Jackie Child and Megan Daley’s (Daley & Child, 2015) experience providing a space filled with tools and equipment for students, showed me that students need to be well equipped to use a multitude of skills to interpret, analyse and use information that they come across. I have always valued the concept of a holistic learner but reading about multimodal literacy and empowering 21st century readers (Sly, 2014; Kalantzis & Cope, 2020) has me wondering: how might I change my teaching practices to facilitate and enhance the understanding of multimodal communication?

Information surrounds us in many different forms and we interact with it on a daily basis (Carlito, 2018). I did not appreciate the complexities of information and how a working understanding could inform teaching practices (Piper, 2020, May 3). However, reflecting on Combes’ depiction of information using an iceberg (Combes, 2014) illustrates that we can only realistically access a small part of what we deem to be known information. To interpret the many forms of information that we can access we need to understand Information Literacy (IL). Again, I found Combes’ infographic (Combes, 2016) helpful in illustrating the many facets of IL that I need to be thinking about when I teach my students. Further reading led me to appreciate how IL can be applied to all aspects of life, be it in the home, at school, in the workplace or even applying it to our own personal health (CILIP The Library and Information Association, 2018).

As a beginning TL I am familiar with the concept of programming research tasks. As a NSW teacher I was aware of the ISP (NSW Department of Education, 2020) but I have never used it explicitly in any program. Reading about Information Literacy Models (ILMs) has developed my understanding of the processes used in inquiry-based tasks and how these can be applied to suit a variety of learning styles, learners and school contexts. Analysing and comparing models such as PLUS (Herring, 2006), the Big6 (TheBig6.org, 2014) and Braxton’s expansion of the ISP (Braxton, 2014), has taught me that at the core of each model is the same end goal in creating an information literate learner. A learner that can identify their prior knowledge, find a purpose for research, be critical when locating information, use the information in a relevant way and reflect on their learning and understandings.

Now that I have a greater understanding of ILMs I can see how they support the reflective learner. The Australian Curriculum identifies specific general capabilities (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2017) that focus on key elements. By implementing an effective IL program I can support students to develop knowledge, skills and behaviour that is essential of a cooperative and reflective learning style.

As a TL I now know that it is beneficial to integrate ILMs into my program where possible. In discussion forum 5.4a: Information Literacy, I acknowledged the difficulties faced by TLs when implementing ILMs. Every school context will vary and present their own challenges. Observing the ILMs, I realised they can require many lessons, embed different capabilities, and demand the use of many different resources.

Library lessons can often be compressed due to administration, change-over, borrowing and behaviour management leaving little time for teaching and using ILMs. However, if school staff support TLs implementing ILMs then the GCs can be addressed and assessed in a more effective and cohesive way.

IL is so important for our students and now that I have implemented an ILM in a program, I know that I can take this learning and apply it within my school context to support my students to become effective users of multimodal texts.

 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). General capabilities. Australian Curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

Braxton, B. (2014, January 6). Information Literacy Process. 500 Hats the Teacher Librarian in the 21st Century. https://500hats.edublogs.org/information-literacy-process/

Carlito, D. M. (2018). Supporting multimodal literacy in library instruction. Reference Service Review, 46(2), 164–177. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-02-2018-0015

CILIP The Library and Information Association. (2018). Definition of Information Literacy. Information Literacy Group. https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf

Combes, B. (2014). Chinese whispers: The nature of information and the future of libraries. International Library Symposium.

Combes, B. (2016). Information Literacy: Competencies, skills, making meaning & thinking. http://www.literacymatters.org.au/uploads/1/0/0/1/100124268/information_literacy_aug_2016.pdf

Daley, M., & Child, J. (2015). Makerspaces in the school library environment. http://tinkeringchild.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Makerspaces-in-the-school-library-environment-1yl39z1.pdf

Herring, J. E. (2006). A Critical Investigation of Students’ and Teachers’ Views of the Use of Information Literacy Skills in School Assignments. School Library Media Research, 9. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol9/SLMR_CriticalInvestigation_V9.pdf

Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2020). Multiliteracies. New Learning Online. https://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with Potential: Mixing a Media Specialist’s Palette. TechTrends, 55(4). 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-0509-3

NSW Department of Education. (2020). The information process. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-across-the-curriculum/school-libraries/teaching-and-learning

Slatter, D., & Howard, Z. (2013). A place to make, hack, and learn: makerspaces in Australian public libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 62(4). 272-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2013.853335

Sly, C. (2014). Empowering 21st century readers: Integrating graphic novels into primary classrooms. In K. Mallan (Ed.), Picture books and beyond. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.

TheBig6.org. (2014). Getting Started. TheBig6.Org. https://thebig6.org/resources-1

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Approaches to information

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When I think of the word ‘information’ I think of the knowledge, understanding and skills that are presented to me in a variety of formats. These formats can be visual, text, aural. Increasingly the information we have access to is multimodal.

I hadn’t thought about approaches to information. Though I dare say we consume information with these approaches but on a sub-conscious level.

What are those approaches I hear you ask?
Behaviourist, sociocultural, phenomenography approaches.

The behaviourist approach lends itself to a fairly self explanatory definition. The behaviour in which one approaches and uses information to build on their skills from a range of sources. It is interesting to see how the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy framework clearly illustrates how the information gained is used and built on which lends itself to the concept of lifelong learning.

The sociocultural approach deals with the aquisition of information. How do I aquire information? I mentioned earlier that information can be found and consumed in many different ways. Listening to audio podcasts, reading text in papers or books, viewing a multimodal webpage, immersing oneself in an interactive experience are all forms of knowledge attainment. This is a valid illustration of the sociocultural approach.

Phenomonography. Such an interesting word. My understanding of phenomenography is that it is the method whith which one interprets and understands information. By interpreting, analysing and reflecting on the information gained, one has gone through a process that spurs on further investigative projects.

With these approaches in mind, I then begin to think which of these approaches are my students using? Are there gaps in their aquisition of information? What can I do to ensure all students are not only gaining information, but interpreting and being critical in their analysis to apply new information and skills to other areas of their learning. Now I am understanding the bigger picture of information literacy and the importance for the TL to scaffold and provide learning and immersive opportunities for students to build on their skills.

I’ve always used the term ‘lifelong learning’. And I like to think I understood that term. But understanding these approaches has shown me that there are aspects to learning that come together to form an overarching idea. A process of development that occurs over a period of time and should be facilitated correctly throughout a students journey in education.

Technological change in our midst.

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Technological change has been undergoing change on a regular basis since the industrial revolution. From a digital perspective it is undergoing change that is constant, and will continue to affect the way our lives are lived in future.

With regards to information, change is seemingly never ending. Our readings for this module asks as to think about who or what is driving technological change? I struggle to completely understand the concept of determinism. Unless of course I am simply over-thinking this. In a nut shell, my understanding is that determinism is the theory that all events are determined by pre-existing causes. Without these causes humans won’t have the free will to make future choices.

What does this have to do with technological change? Clearly this is alluding to the cause of technological change. Humans. Society. We have so many digital platforms available to us, that it is how it affects our way of thinking and what we do with that thinking process that determines our future choices. Hence determinism. With human’s intrinsic drive and motivation to improve on the past, make changes to be more valuable and efficient, I believe this is the cause for technological change.

I marvel at the awe when a young student tells me what they have learnt about ‘the olden days’. Discussion in question was about a wash board. Such a simple tool used for doing a mundane task that is washing. Nowadays, we of course use an electric washing machine that not only makes the job less burdensome but lessens the time needed to complete the task. The ‘olden days’. What will our future be like? Today will, at some point, become the olden days.

Such is the case with information and technology. If society’s use of the washboard motivated inventors to improve on the simplistic design to make it more efficient, how much so will our use of electronic gadgetry to seek information, spur current and future inventors, engineers and scientists to create tools that provide information at a faster and more intelligable and accessible rate?

Such a complex concept to digest yet at it’s core, humans seem to be the driver of change.

The information landscape.

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My previous post looked at understanding information as a ‘thing’. Something to be gained, manipulated and used for purposes hopefully with wisdom. I likened the current state of affairs as the information environment being an overgrown jungle. So many different platforms and modes accessible to users.

I was challenged to explore the different aspects of the information landscape. When you consider the  formats available and the delivery modes, one realises that information is a constant in our lives. It is everywhere, every day, every moment of our waking lives.

Information comes to us in all forms of carriers: the internet, books, recordings, manuscripts, etc. This fact of course is liable to change in future. The concept of the World Wide Web is relatively new when you think of the history of the industrialised nations. In future who knows what will exist that doesn’t exist today! It is no wonder then that the definition of information is undergoing change on a regular basis, or at the very least being extended to include new definitions.

McCreadie and Rice discusses access to information utilising 4 conceptualisations. Information is a resource or a commodity that can be produced, purchased and manipulated; information is environmental as it provides perceived data in our surrounds; information is representational; and information is a communication process. The concept of environment really struck a chord with me. Yes I was aware that information is around us, but I hadn’t thought consciously that our environment is providing ‘data’ that we need to analayse on a consistant basis.

This leads to the equally interesting illustration of the Shannon model. Could information presentation and communication be a bit like Chinese whispers? I know too well the obstacles and challenges that come with Chinese whispers. As a hearing impaired citizen, gaining information can be challenging when relying on audio alone. All the more reason to double check what I have heard, and investigate environmental data to confirm my understandings.

Navigating facts and seeking reliable information leads us to consider different levels of information available. As Masters students, we were asked to investigate the deep web and interact2. Such vast domains with even more information that forces us to carefully analyse and use wisely. Information presented in the digital sense, is truly layered, dense and complex.

With information at our fingertips and increasingly accessible to people from all walks of life, what are the ramifications of this reality? Reflecting on my own use and access to information, I can identify three benefits and negatives.
The benefits:
1) Availability. As a teacher, I am striving to ensure my students are  informed and guided young citizens. I therefore need to have access to current and relevant information with which to inform and educate my students no matter the topic. Information that I need is there when I need it. If I don’t know something, I can search and find it.
2) Accessibility. I can inform myself as a teacher, student and citizen on current news and data that will be relevant to my life. I can learn new skills by accessing instructions and procedures. I can entertain myself by accessing visuals, podcasts, and literature. I can educate myself by logging in to my online learning modules at any time or place.
3) Currency. Having access to information all the time means we can be armed with current information and be in the present. When researching topics, whether it be as a student or teacher collating useful sources for my students, I can access information that is recent, relevant and up to date with the latest research.

The negatives:
1) Constant. My previous post talked about the realities of living during the world pandemic that is COVID-19. Daily, the news blares out new statistics, images of doom and gloom and a sense of hopelessness. We wake up to a radio spewing information. We turn on our computers to open up emails to access information. We check noticeboards for information. No matter what we do information is in front of us, whether we are deliberately accessing it or not.
2) Overload. For me, information overload is a new sensation that is proving negative. Interestingly it is making me understand how my mind works in more detail. Being a citizen, a parent, a teacher and now a student, I am having to access all sorts of information in all sorts of places. With dates and information to remember, calendars are very useful tools for keeping track of engagements and so on, but still there is so much. Come Friday’s, it is not uncommon for me to say “My brain is just too tired”. Surely a sign of information overload.
3) Higher expectations. With greater access to the information landscape, the expectation to perform to a higher degree increases. I listed my roles earlier, all of these roles have different expectations. With information at every turn, the pressure to keep up to date, perform and evaluate is always there. Beginning this course, I knew I would have to prioritise my time differently and complete more work. With this fact, the pressure to perform definitely increased. Without ready access to information, I don’t think I would be up late completing readings online, comparing my work to other examples online to ensure I am performing well, receiving multiple emails to complete the next task whatever that may be. Yes, constant accessible information certainly means we pressure ourselves with higher expectations.

Yet the information I access is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’. Combe’s infographic clearly illustrates how much we use and access.

Information will always be in our midst. How we access, interpret and use it however will, I’m sure, be an ever changing realisation.

Understanding ‘information’.

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I call myself ‘old school’. Why? I tend to use pen and paper a fair bit when jotting down thoughts, ideas, questions and taking notes from readings. But therein lies my downfall. Another assignment looms in the not too distant future and so I must add my thoughts here.

The last few weeks have been a huge challenge for everyone right around the world. The reason? COVID-19. I often find myself questioning the reason for undertaking this course now, but of course none of these challenges could have been imagined at the beginning of the calendar year. And so, here I sit, my mind feeling like a computer screen with about 100 tabs opened, too many thoughts and ideas to categorise effectively and reflecting on my readings.

I realise then how paramount it is to be studying the TL course. Information. It is everywhere! It is being delivered on so many different platforms. It is being presented in so many different modes. It is challenging our understanding of intended meanings.

Yes, the information environment at present reminds me of an overgrown jungle.

Information was a word I always thought I understood. Simultaneously I view it as: complex, simple, informative and critical amongst a list of other adjectives. I never really questioned the complexity of the information environment, except to understand that it was something humans needed to know in order to navigate educational opportunities.

My first challenge was realising just how many understandings of information there are. Semantic, classic and data-knowledge continuum. That it could be broken down further on so many levels. That it could be visualised as a part of a continuum in which information could be seen as chaotic and, when understanding is realised, it could lead to wisdom and sensible applications.

I’m very much a visual learner/ individual. To help me understand concepts I’m often drawn to diagrams, graphs or draw my own images to understand my thoughts. I really liked the information heirarchy illustrated in the module. However to understand it clearly I stretched it out on a horizontal continuum. In doing so, I could better visualise the direction data, being objective facts, can develop into wisdom, having a higher purpose.

That there are different types of knowledge and the fact the attributes vary depending on use of information is also important. As teachers, we are constantly running pre-tests to test students individual knowledge. When sharing the responses, we take this individualised understanding to a group level. By applying our teaching content to student tasks, we share the societal knowledge that forms the basis of global, historical, cultural and identity understandings.

So what have I learnt? I think the better question for me is: What have I realised? I realised that I do know more about information than I thought I did. Or better, I understand the complexities of information even more so because I have been challenged to think about it consciously. As teachers we are being exposed to, manipulating and experiencing information every day. We are assisting our students to do likewise. It is part of human nature. The behaviour of information affects how we communicate our knowledge and how we learn to use it to make necessary applications. It is multi-faceted. It is ever-changing and challenging our thinking processes on a daily basis. If we find it complex, how much more so is it for our younger generations?

My Place

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Front Cover

My Place has always struck a cord with me since I first laid eyes on the text back in the 1980’s.
My Stage 2  (Yrs 3 and 4) students have been observing the historical concept of change over time. The students have been able to make connections with characters in the story observing the change in local community and identifying with the multicultural landscape evident in the text.

I find Nadia Wheatley’s style appealing. One that builds curiosity and provokes thought. My students, displaying a range of learning abilities, all engaged with this text and always found something new to discover which prompted discussions. My lower readers were captivated by the maps, flicking between pages identifying the changes over time. My more capable students discussed the family connections through generations, the familiar names that were the neighbours. The characters coming to life to the point where I had students ask, “Is this story true?”

If you haven’t read this book or had an opportunity to use it in teaching, please do so. It’s a fantastic reminder that we are all somehow connected and that the past has a remarkable impact on the way society is shaped.