And while I did the nominated issue, I was able to move the coversation forward into a positive direction to discuss what I (the TL) can do to help ensure the school is meeting their obligation to students to address the General Capabilities. (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.).
The General Capabilities, combines with the Cros-Curricula priorities, are one area where Teacher Librarians can ease the burden of teachers, and create vibrant learning opportunities for students where they can thrive and become 21st Century Learners (La Marc, n.d.).
The General Capabilities are also a place where Librarians can encourage students to be international citizens with the skills needed to empathise and understand the needs of people in other situations and conditions. Reading is of course the greatest precursor to encourage Ethics and Intercultural Understanding through empathy, There is nothing more compelling to address ethics and understanding than developing empathy in young minds. And the most fertile place for developing empathy is through student’s imagination and stories. For example, there’s no better way of learning what it is like to be a runaway refugee than by readinga story like Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh or there’s no better way to question what is normal and how to overcome differences than by The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guinm, and when a student reads them then they can start to realise what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes (Wolf, 2019). But this is the only one entry point into the General Capabilities that the Library and TL can offer.
As a TL specialist, the TL can address Information Literacy to improve ICT Capabilities and Literacy.
Lastly, the TL has opportunities to develop teacher collaboration through developing guided inquiry units that develop Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Capability. The only General Capability that is really not covered is Numeracy; however, the possibilities are endless given that the TL should liaise with multiple KLAs.
The challenge, of course, is to have the principal on side to support and encourage learning collaboration.
My meeting with her ended up being very proactive. She had a limited idea of what the library currently offered and that it could offer so much more.
I have a very lovely principal who wants to do the best for everyone in her care and meet the demands of a busy job. I was able to make one part of her life easier, and, hopefully, with her support the students can flourish through whole staff collegiality and exciting learning opportunities embedded by the TL.
References:
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d.). General Capabilities (Version 9). https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
La Marc, S. (n.d.) Curriculum, Culture and Community: The School Library and the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum. International Association of School Librarianship. https://iasl-online.org/resources/Documents/c1_6larmarcapp.pdf
Oddone, K. (2022). 5 Reasons we need Teacher Librarians and School Libraries in 2022. Libraries Research Group at Charles Sturt University https://librariesresearchgroup.csu.domains/blog/2022/05/02/5-reasons-we-need-teacher-librarians-and-school-libraries-in-2022/
Wolf, M. (2019). Reader Come Home. Harper Collins.