I have been a primary school teacher for the past ten years. I am currently fulfilling the teacher librarian role in a school in south-west Sydney. I am in my first semester in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) degree at Charles Sturt University, completing ETL401 and ETL503.

The subject ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship has introduced me to a teacher librarian’s role when embedding information literacy and inquiry learning models into teaching and learning programs. This subject has allowed me to become acutely aware of the inquiry-based components of the Australian Curriculum and how those components are embedded across the NSW Syllabus documents. Finally, through engaging in ETL401, I have reflected upon and delved deeper into the idea of the teacher librarian as a collaborative teacher of inquiry learning, not just a release from face-to-face (RFF) teacher.

One of my initial blog posts, titled Infor-whaat? (Vitnell, 2021, March 11) succinctly demonstrates my limited understanding of information itself, not just information literacy. In this post, I write about how modules 1 and 2 opened my eyes to the world of information, particularly the four inherent properties and the Information Hierarchy. Through Wideman’s (2008) Information Hierarchy model, present in module 2, I developed an understanding that for information to be understood and obtained, the seeker must do something to make knowledge solid.

After developing a good understanding of what information is, I soon become aware of how information and literacy are intertwined as part of the TL’s role. There are two posts on my blog titled Literacy-What is it? (Vitnell, 2021, May 2) and Literacy Perspectives (Vitnell, 2021, May 2) that demonstrate combining my extensive knowledge of literacy teaching and how that is now being applied to information literacy. In my Literacy Perspectives blog post (Vitnell, 2021, May 2), I discuss how I was introduced to the various approaches to information literacy. A big stand out point for me was that for a student to be information-literate, they need to access, comprehend and articulate a range of multi-modal texts, not just the traditional print-based readers we are used to in the classroom. One of module 5’s essential readings, Talja & Loyd (2010), further emphasises this notion by stating that being information literate means a student can participate and learn in all areas of the curriculum and everyday life.

Modules 4 and 5 were the two modules where I learned the most about inquiry learning models and the role a TL plays in embedding inquiry skills into teaching and learning. Through these modules, I was introduced to the Guided Inquiry Design (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2012), and instantly felt comfortable with it. Before engaging in this module, I had never come across GID. Still, through the readings, particularly Maniotes & Kuhlthau (2014) and Fitzgerald (2015), and module content, I found the 8 stages immediately applicable to a K-6 teaching environment, especially within a school of vastly diverse learners. Fitzgerald (2015) also made clear the role of the TL when using the GID, being a facilitator of deep knowledge and understanding, leading students towards successful independent learning.

Working in a school that prides itself on direct instruction teaching was always at the forefront of my mind when engaging with modules 4 and 5. The inquiry learning models are not encouraged in my current workplace, so I found the discussion forum posts very intriguing, especially discussion forums 4.1b, 4.2 and 4.3. In addition to these discussion forums (Vitnell, 2021, May 16), I spoke about the challenges I face with embedding inquiry models. Through reading other student’s posts, I found some similarities (Hughes, 2021, May 5 and Ali, 2021, May 4). Having all classroom teachers on board and having the ability to collaborate with classroom teachers is a challenge I am still working to overcome.

ETL401 has provided me with great insight into information literacy and the role TLs play in embedding inquiry models into teaching and learning. Through the subject modules, readings, discussion forums, and blog posts, I have developed great confidence in what information literacy is, what inquiry models are, and how they are entrenched in the Australian Curriculum. I have expanded upon my knowledge of the TL and am very excited to try out my first inquiry-based unit of work next term!

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