So much has changed in my thinking in the areas of the role of the teacher librarian (TL), Information Literacy and Inquiry Learning Models over the course of this unit it’s hard to know where to start. Even prior to beginning this area of study I had moved my thinking from the TL being a staff member whose roles “included reading a story to each class every week, helping students with borrowing, putting books back on the shelves, and organising and handing out BookClub orders” (Gemell, 2021, March 7, para. 1), even though these are some tasks that I fulfil in my current TL role. On reflection, having read back over my very first post, The Role of the Teacher Librarian (Gemell, 2021, March 7), not once did I mention inquiry learning. I hinted at information literacy but didn’t quite hit the mark by stating that the TL fulfils “a vital role by working collaboratively … to plan and teach units of work in order to assist the students to develop information literacy” (para.2). This collaboration only meant working with a classroom teacher, not the principal and I had no understanding of why this collaboration was important, it was just something TLs did.
Prior to study I thought that Information Literacy just referred to students being able to search for and use information for their assignments. I also never realised that information literacy has no set definition and its use depends on the context and purpose (Charles Sturt University, 2021). With all the different theories and approaches to information literacy no wonder it becomes a daunting area! However, I have come to realise it is so much more than doing basic searches and students writing information in their own words, and the TL plays an important role in this particular avenue of literacy. This does not happen in isolation and is a collaboration between the TL, classroom teachers and the school principal. Without all these elements in sync, the initiative of information literacy will fail before it flourishes (Kelly, 2021, April 30 ).
In my previous experience, inquiry learning was done in-class with the classroom teacher and the students. It never occurred to me that the TL would be an integral part of the process. I also never realised that there were so many different inquiry models to choose from, each offering something different, depending on the context in which they are used. I had only ever worked with Kath Murdoch’s model of designing a journey of inquiry (Murdoch, 2019) (and this was only brought to my attention five years ago) so it was interesting to delve deeper into the world of inquiry learning models and the benefits of using inquiry learning. I have come to the conclusion that a whole-school approach is the most effective way to achieve quality outcomes from inquiry and “the vision of all three (TL, classroom teacher and principal) need to match so that the skills being taught and used by the students are systematic and consistent” (Gemell, 2021, April 9, para. 4). The skills the TL brings to any inquiry learning model are paramount to the success of the program.
I think that my biggest shift in thinking throughout this unit has been the concept of collaboration between TL, principal and classroom teacher. Without a shared vision and collaboration between all three, the failure of information literacy and inquiry learning is inevitable. The roles of the TL, principal and classroom teachers work hand in hand (in hand) and the TL is the butter that holds that sandwich together. “The TL needs to be proactive in voicing the needs of the teachers and students so that the principal can facilitate these needs. The principal can only act on what they know. It is up to the TL to demonstrate the value of the library resources and programs and in turn this enables the principal to be able to fulfil the needs” (Gemell, 2021, March 18, para. 3).
It’s interesting that the idea of collaboration between TL, classroom teacher and principal is not a new one and was shown as a key component to student success in 1999 (Muronaga & Harada) and possibly even earlier. It was a big lightbulb moment when I realised this was such an important component of the TL role and the success of information literacy and inquiry learning models. My biggest question now is how far can you take this collaboration and what would happen? Just imagine the possibilities!
References
Charles Sturt University. (2021). Information Literacy [course material]. ETL401, Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_4194250_1&course_id=_55148_1
Gemell, L. (2021, March 7). Role of the Teacher Librarian. Mrs G’s Masters Musings. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/mastersmusings/2021/03/07/role-of-the-teacher-librarian/
Gemell, L. (2021, April 9). Information Literacy in the school context. Mrs G’s Masters Musings. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/mastersmusings/2021/04/09/information-literacy-in-the-school-context/
Gemell, L (2021, April 3). Inquiry learning vs. standardised testing. Mrs G’s Masters Musings. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/mastersmusings/2021/04/03/inquiry-learning-vs-standardised-testing/
Kelly, S. (2021, April 30). DISCUSSION: 5.4a: Information Literacy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University
Murdoch, Kath (2019). A Model for Designing a Journey of Inquiry. Kath Murdoch. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c7efeae4b0f5d2463be2d1/t/5dcb82551bdcf03f365b0a6f/1573618265386/A+MODEL+FOR+DESIGNING+A+JOURNEY+OF+INQUIRY.pdf
Muronaga, K. & Harada, V. (1999). The Art of Collaboration. Teacher Librarian, 27 (1). 9
Mandy Lupton’s article Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum presents an interesting analysis of the links (and omissions) in the inquiry methods in the Australian Curriculum across the disciplines of Science, History and Geography.
These three disciplines give scope for inquiry learning, whether it’s guided inquiry with questions posed by the teacher, or open inquiry with questions posed by the student. Both of these inquiry models require the students to answer the questions using inquiry methods.
Inquiry models can be used across a variety of disciplines. It is important to have a consistent approach to inquiry so that the same techniques and methods are used consistently. Kath Murdoch’s Inquiry Cycle (Murdoch, 2019) is the inquiry method I am most familiar with as this is the model that is used in my K-12 school.
This uniform approach to information literacy is intertwined with collaboration between the TL, teachers and the principal. The vision of all three need to match so that the skills being taught and used by the students are systematic and consistent.
Lupton states that there are omissions in the Australian Curriculum when it comes to information literacy and the imbedded skills. This omission is seen as both an oversight, but at the same time an opportunity for the TL to shine in their role as curriculum innovators.
“If teacher librarians see their role as curriculum innovators, then integrating the Australian Curriculum strands into a coherent inquiry learning framework that explicitly integrates information literacy may be one of the most significant ways we can contribute to the implementation of the Australian Curriculum” (Lupton, 2014, p. 18).
This cannot be done by the TL alone. It needs to be a whole-school approach in order to achieve the best outcomes for students in their emerging and continuing skills in information literacy.
References
Lupton, M.(2014) Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6, Access, November
Murdoch, K. (2019). A model for designing a journey of inquiry. Retrieved from Kath Murdoch: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c7efeae4b0f5d2463be2d1/t/5d672b554646780001dbe0fd/1567042417794/%23A+MODEL+FOR+DESIGNING+A+JOURNEY+OF+INQUIRY.pdf
How do 21st century skills and skills accountability work together? This is such a big question and one I am not going to solve by myself in a single blog post. There are expectations on both sides of the debate. On one hand we want our students to be independent thinkers, capable of posing questions about a variety of topics and interests, and using inquiry methods to answer these questions. On the other hand, there are growth point expectations with NAPLAN, HSC and LIEN testing, just to name a few.
There would be several issues that could potentially arise in a school that adopts an inquiry learning approach. These would include
- students lacking skills in being able to complete standardised tests such as NAPLAN
- reluctance for some students to participate
- Teacher not having the appropriate professional development to support students in inquiry learning
Every school I have taught in states that they do not ‘teach to the test’ for NAPLAN, however, inevitably a few weeks before NAPLAN commences, out come the past papers as a way for students to familiarise themselves with the types of questions they will be faced with. This is a dilemma every Year 3, 5, 7, and 9 teacher tackles every year. To prepare or not to prepare? From my own experience I have seen students (and parents) get very stressed and anxious about NAPLAN, but is the solution to get rid of it and lose the growth point data? Is there a better way to track learning growth and development without NAPLAN?
Some students may be reluctant to participate in inquiry learning because they are disengaged from their learning, perhaps through a learning disability, or they find the process overwhelming. This is a challenge for inquiry learning that would need to be addressed as the individual situations arise.
Inquiry learning success is also dependent on teachers being able to facilitate the inquiry learning process. Teacher who do not have the appropriate professional development in inquiry learning may not be able to support their students successfully.
These are but a handful of issues that could arise in a school which adopts an inquiry learning approach, though I feel I have raised more questions than answers.
Teacher librarians have a unique role in the school for the implementation of inquiry learning, however there are challenges that arise. Collaboration with class teachers and students is key to the success of inquiry learning but a challenge that arises is everyone’s best friend – time. Time to prepare the inquiry learning project in collaboration with the TL and class teacher, as well as time for all parties (TL, class teacher and student) to work together on the inquiry project.
I don’t feel the skills acquired in inquiry learning and the skills required for standardised testing are mutually exclusive, in that the skills learnt in one can be useful in the other. However standardised testing has given questions to answer, rather than questions to be devised by students.
As I delve further into the course, I am having many lightbulb moments and I seem to be pinging at all hours, thinking through the flashes of realisation. My big lightbulb moment this week was the realisation that the TL’s role is so embedded and interconnected across all areas of the school that it would be hard to think of a school without a TL and library. An important relationship within the school is that of the TL and the principal and how this relationship affects both parties.
The principal is the manager of the school, so their role essentially makes or breaks the role of the library within the school. If a principal does not see the value of the library, then funding is not likely to be forthcoming. However, if the library is viewed as a valuable resource by the principal, then it becomes a hub of learning and collaboration. It has been shown that there is a ‘need for a library to support students’ literacy development’ (Hughes, 2013, p42) and that if a principal believes in a constructivist approach to teaching and learning then a literature-rich library will be realised (Farmer, 2007). In such a setting, collaboration between TL, teachers and principal can ensue. In saying that, the roles of each party need to be clear-cut and this is critical to the success of the collaboration (Haycock, 2007).
The TL needs to be proactive in voicing the needs of the teachers and students so that the principal can facilitate these needs. The principal can only act on what they know. It is up to the TL to demonstrate the value of the library resources and programs and in turn this enables the principal to be able to fulfil the needs. This requires strong collaboration from both the TL and the principal to support each other in their respective roles.
It is obvious that both the TL and the principal need to have a shared vision of the function of the library within the school (Haycock, 2007). If there is a break down in the collaboration between the TL and principal, then the learning outcomes for students is at risk.
References
Farmer, L. (2007). Principals: Catalysts for collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 56-65.
Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35.
Hughes, H. (2013). Findings about Gold Coast Principal’s views of school libraries and teacher librarians. Chapter 8, School libraries, teacher librarians and their contribution to student literacy development in Gold Coast schools. Research report.
After watching Karen Bonanno’s keynote address I believe the take home message to be you are only redundant if you believe yourself to be so and to make sure you are not redundant it is important to have a plan in place in order to achieve your goals.
From the article, Bonanno shows direct relationship between literacy, library budget as well as and student access to teacher librarian support. The TL becomes the link between teachers planning curriculum and resources being used to teach. TLs need to stay on top of information trends and need to ‘ensure their knowledge and skills are kept up to date’ (Bonanno, 2015, p18).
References
Bonanno , K. (2015). A profession at the tipping point (revisited). Access, 29(1), 14-21. http://kb.com.au/content/uploads/2015/03/profession-at-tipping-point2.pdf
Australian School Library Association. (2011). Karen Bonanno, Keynote speaker: A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan. [Video]. vimeo. https :// vimeo .com/31003940
I was faced with a question today from a student asking if I could help them find information about sink holes for a Geography assessment task. I actually found this particular student wandering through the shelves of the non-fiction section trying to find what she was after. After checking the database together (and found that our library was lacking in such resources – another issue to be faced another day) she decided to set herself loose on the world wide web.
This interaction got me thinking about the information landscape and my role as a teacher librarian. I think back to how I would have researched at high school and it looks very different now. Students no longer drag heavy volumes of encyclopaedias off the shelf or search the CD-ROM of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Instead, they search through a few taps on the keyboard and a click of the mouse. However, after these taps and clicks, a mountain of information on a particular topic appears. Price (2015) sums it up very neatly. “Today, our best estimates suggest that at least 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is produced every day.”
To get my head around such a large number I had to research it.
(Quintillion Definition (Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary), 2018)
This is an enormous amount is information; A number so big that it is equal to a million million millions (Quintillion Definition (Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary), 2018). To say this is mind-boggling is an understatement. Remember, this number was produced in 2015. However, “by 2025, it’s estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be created each day globally – that’s the equivalent of 212,765,957 DVDs per day!” (Desjardins, 2019).
With that is mind, as librarians we need to be able to understand current information trends and this is a daunting task to say the least.
To assist students to navigate the information landscape effectively, teacher librarians need to have strong skills as information specialists (“What is a Teacher Librarian?”, 2019). TLs cannot possibly be able to be experts in all areas but need to be able to adapt to changing requirements in technology and needs of staff and students alike. As a result of these needs, TLs are required to be life-long learners in order to adapt and change with the adapting and changing information landscape of which we are all a part. We are the stepping-stone for students to learn how to navigate emerging areas of the information landscape and to equip them with the skills to sift through the vast amounts and types of information available, and to make discerning choices about what is useful and what is not.
During the week I came to the conclusion that the teacher librarian is an important link between students and their navigation of the information landscape. The variety of ways to access information has changed and will continue to change over time.
References
Desjardins, J. (2019). How Much Data is Generated Each Day?. Visual Capitalist. Retrieved 11 March 2021, from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-much-data-is-generated-each-day/.
Price, D. (2015). Facts and stats about the big data industry. Cloud Tweaks.
Quintillion Definition (Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary). Mathsisfun.com. (2018). Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/quintillion.html.
What is a Teacher Librarian?. Asla.org.au. (2019). Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.
Prior to working as a teacher librarian (TL), I had never really put much thought into my understanding of the role and what TLs do. I have been in my current TL role for several years now so to reflect on my previous experiences I need to cast my mind back. Before I became interested in becoming a TL I taught in both primary and high school settings all over Australia. The idea of becoming a TL crept into my mind several years ago when I was approached to cover the school TL while she was on long-service leave. I was working at the school as the Japanese teacher and had never contemplated stepping into the TL role before. My idea of the role at the time included reading a story to each class every week, helping students with borrowing, putting books back on the shelves, and organising and handing out BookClub orders. It seems that I was on the right track to understanding a fraction of the role as this aligns with the School Library Association of South Australia (2015) which describes one of the roles of a TL is Literature Promotion, specifically guiding ‘students in their reading choices’.
Several years ago, while teaching in a school in Sydney, the TL would take my Year 3 class for a 1-hour session each week. At the beginning of the term we would discuss what I would like her to cover during these lessons. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this TL was fulfilling a vital role by working collaboratively with me to plan and teach units of work in order to assist the students to develop information literacy” (School Library Association of SA, 2015) and was ‘involved in curriculum planning’(What is a Teacher Librarian?, 2021). My view of her role was to cover a unit of work that I wasn’t covering in class, such as a geography unit. The TL was also very good at locating resources that I needed for my class, so I didn’t have to dig through and find them.
I also viewed part of her role as being the caretaker of the operation of the library which required tasks such as returning of books to shelves, managing the borrowing system, looking after book ordering, ensuring books are in a satisfactory condition to remain within circulation, and entering of new books into the catalogue. How hard could it be?
The other role that I have always felt the TL fulfilled is that of ‘silence-enforcer’ within the library space, but at the same time, promoting it as a space to have literary conversations. It has always seemed a bit of a contradiction, but a role that the TL needs to fulfil none-the-less. The TL must be able to find the appropriate balance between these requirements of different library users.
On reflection I can see that the role of the teacher librarian is multi-faceted and complex and involves being able to make appropriate judgements in managing the library space and services. Since working as a TL I know there is more to the role and I still have a lot of learn.
References
School Library Association of SA. Slasa.asn.au. (2015). Retrieved 3 March 2021, from http://slasa.asn.au/Advocacy/rolestatement.html.
What is a Teacher Librarian?. Asla.org.au. (2021). Retrieved 6 March 2021, from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.
