Back in March, I reflected that I was ignorant of the meaning of ‘teacher’ in teacher-librarian (TL), (Court, 2021, March 9) but now I know what TLs make! They make a difference! Valenza’s (2010) passionate rejoinder to claimants that school librarians are an ‘anachronism’, immediately deepened my understanding of what teacher-librarians (TLs) do and ‘can […]
Category: ETL401
Introduction to Teacher Librarianship
Accountability and shaping 21st century learners
Are the acquisition of 21st century skills and the focus on accountability mutually exclusive? Teacher training, the Melbourne Declaration, school plans, curricula and professional standards make clear that teachers are charged with educating students in 21st century skills, so that they can be effective and lifelong learners, creative workers and active and informed citizens. At […]
Principal and TL Mutuality
In an optimum learning environment, the school principal and a teacher-librarian (‘TL’) have a strong and supportive relationship. Both influence how successfully the other carries out their role and responsibilities to students and the school community. According to a respondent quoted in the Softlink Survey (2017, p.12) three factors determine the success of a school […]
The ‘Infosphere’, ‘Being’ and the TL
When reading about the ‘information landscape’ and reflecting on what it will mean for me professionally as a future TL, I was most struck by Flodori’s (2007) concept of the ‘infosphere’ and his metaphysical take that the end point of the digital information revolution will be a dissolving of the distinctions between the material and […]
Before I was interested in becoming a Teacher Librarian…….
Until I became interested in commencing library studies, my understandings of the role of the Teacher Librarian (‘TL’) in schools were limited. Actually, I was quite unaware of the ‘Teacher’ part of the role’s title. Principally, I viewed the role as ‘librarian’ and as the manager of a space where students meet, study, access fiction […]