I’m now halfway through ETL501 and I have been enjoying my learning journey so far. It has definitely challenged my thinking in the design of the physical library space and how that space is used by ALL members of the school community. I have looked at my library through a more critical lens and thinking about more than the aesthetics. The physical layout of the library must be purposeful and fit the needs of the school community, taking 21st century skills into account, thus future-proofing the library space. It was exciting to share the (imagined) library redesign ideas with my colleagues and to spark conversations around why the space is set up how it is and what would be changed, if anything. Being more critical of the library space allowed me to realise there are issues in my library, particularly the height of the non-fiction shelves. I hadn’t realised that the height makes browsing prohibitive as well as a WHS issue.
It was also eye-opening to realise that the library’s number one purpose is to service the needs of teachers and the students come secondary to this. However, by supporting the teachers it enables them (and us) to support the students. It’s not about neglecting student needs but supporting them through the curriculum needs of teachers.
Doing all this learning online is challenging however it does have advantages. The online delivery model allows me to
- Access the content when I want to
- Refer back to the content as required
- Curate readings digitally
Disadvantages include
- A lot of reading online
- Feeling isolated because there is no in-person interaction with the unit coordinators or students
Even though I have enjoyed the learning in ETL501 so far, I do find it difficult to be excited about it. I have to be self-motivated to engage in the learning and the discussion boards. The amount of reading can be overwhelming. I would like to see a change in the delivery of the bulk of the content through recorded weekly lectures with additional reading and activities required in addition to the lecture. I have previously engaged in distance education that followed this model and I found it to be more motivating.
Engaging with online content has got me thinking about the concept of the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom model needs to be considered carefully before implementation. The resources provided must suit the needs of the learners otherwise it is difficult to engage with the materials independently. The flipped classroom model also needs to take differentiation of content into consideration. There is not a one-size-fits all when it comes to learning. I can see that the flipped classroom model could possibly allow students to move through their learning more quickly because the learning is taking place outside of class time. This frees up the class time to be used for support from the teacher and peers through questions and practice of new skills.
The flipped classroom model could influence library research investigations with students engaging in independent research outside class time and then receive guidance from the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian at school.
However, it does make me wonder if the flipped classroom model works for motivated, capable students but is potentially a pitfall for students requiring more support.
During the week’s readings I was particular taken by the blog post by Beth Holland, 21st-Century Libraries: The Learning Commons. It got me thinking about the space of the library and what that would look like. It also got me thinking about if the library space itself is important, or is the library shifting so far to digital access that the library space is becoming obsolete? Beth Holland discusses the birth of Enlightenment and the role of the coffee houses as a place for people to gather to have meaningful conversations on learning. Is the 21st Century school library moving more towards this coffee house style of space? I have been reflecting on this and beginning to think that the answer is both. The physical library space is still important as it provides a common space within the school for students to gather, whether in a class capacity or independently. The space itself triggers the concept of a place of learning and discussion. If the library space didn’t exist, where else would students have these opportunities? I know for myself I have certain places I go to for certain activities. I do my school-work downstairs in my office (or at school when we can be there!), and I do my reading for leisure upstairs on the couch. I couldn’t let these areas cross over because the feeling of the space would be wrong. I think this theory applies to the school library space. If no other space in the school provides the opportunities for discussion, collaboration and sharing in a common area then these key learning activities are in danger of not occurring at all.
I’m thinking that a 21st Century school library would be more like the space that is described in Beth Holland’s blog post: a learning hub for the school with space for interaction, collaboration and sharing, leaning more towards the space as a learning commons rather than a traditional library. The space and building itself contribute to the activities that happen within the space while the resources are supported in both a physical and digital environment.
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.