P-I-C your leadership battles… All the way to 21st century pedagogy!
Today’s world is such a busy place. Each day, we are constantly subjected to changes, circumstances and challenges that extend us beyond what we were capable of the previous day. It is much the same for a teacher librarian (TL) functioning within a school community. With the constantly evolving learning environment in response to the dynamic information landscape, TLs are required to adapt accordingly and facilitate development of 21st century teaching and learning practices. Thus, leading from the middle.
As I reflect on my learning throughout ETL504, I realise that my views and understanding of leadership and the role of TL as a leader have significantly developed. Although my initial thoughts on leadership (expressed in my previous post), demonstrated some insight into what leadership is about, they lacked depth of understanding of its fullness and the role TLs play in leading and enacting change.
TLs as leaders, are change agents. They are strategic and operational planners. They are visionaries!
When reflecting a little further back to the Leadership from a dancing guy video (Hughes, 2010)(which I incessantly viewed many, many times!), we are able to see these attributes in action. It took the leader so much courage and passion to continue dancing for a long while on his own. He persisted until he inspired the first follower to join in and be the example for others to soon follow. Comparatively, to be effective leaders, TLs need to have a vision and a PASSION for student-centred pedagogical practices. Placing student needs as the priority for strategic planning and advocacy is key in enacting positive change.
Not only is today’s world a busy place, it is a technologically-driven one. Newer technologies and advanced digital developments guide our every action and how we function individually and globally on a daily basis. Thus, impacting our learning environment. Another integral attribute of the TL as leader, which I have gained more insight into through this subject, is INNOVATION. As the media and information technology specialists, TLs demonstrate effective leadership by providing innovative 21st century teaching and learning opportunities to members of their community. They provide staff and students with access to technology to “enhance instruction” (Wolf et al., 2014).
In order to future-proof school libraries and teaching and learning practices facilitated by them, staff and students need to be equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge and therefore empowered through 21st century pedagogical developments. And in order for this to take place, COLLABORATION is essential. TLs as leaders are change agents through collaborative practices. They cannot enact positive change alone. Therefore, through effective leadership strategies and qualities,
“TLs collaborate with peers and leaders to promote innovative practice”.
(Future Ready Schools, n.d.)
So, how will this inform my future practice? Well, it’s quite simple, really… if ‘simple’ meant somewhat convoluted in a slightly complex and challenging way that will see me strive and continually aspire to be a passionate, innovative and collaborative leader sailing through uncharted waters aboard the S.S ‘Machine’ (Kokemuller, 2017)! This melodramatic definition of simple is not at all my vision for future practice, except the part about…
Passion. Innovation. Collaboration.
Through the knowledge and depth of understanding gained through this subject, I aspire to develop further as a passionate leader in order to inspire and empower others. Also, to provide enriching and innovative learning opportunities for all learners and facilitate positive student outcomes through collaborative practices with staff and community members. Hence, P-I-C my leadership battles all the way to 21st century pedagogy!
References
Boulos, N. (2021, July 25). The ‘l’ word. From a Laboratory to a Library; Reflections of a Novice Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/nancybee/2021/07/25/the-l-word/
Hughes, M. (2010, June 12). Leadership from a dancing guy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8MwBZl-Vc
Future Ready Schools. (n.d.). Future Ready Librarians. https://futureready.org/thenetwork/strands/future-ready-librarians/
Kokemuller, N. (2017). Mintzberg’s five types of organizational structure. Hearst Newspapers: Small business. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mintzbergs-five-types-organizational-structure-60119.html
Wolf, M., Jones, R. & Gilbert, D. (2014). Leading in and beyond the library. http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/BeyondTheLibrary.pdf