Part C

Throughout the duration of this degree, the Australian School Library Association & Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) standards of professional excellence (2004) have been a guiding document in developing my professional skills, attitudes and ongoing learning. My professional knowledge, practice and commitment has grown during each session and supported throughout each unit I’ve participated in.

Professional Knowledge

As established in my first blog post (Bernard, 2019a) I came to this degree with limited teaching experience and zero experience within a school library. Whilst embarking on this Masters with an abundance of enthusiasm within my first subject, my professional knowledge expanded including the professional practice expected of a TL and a richer understanding of the use of information services (Bernard, 2019b). A strong focus for development of my professional knowledge falls under Standard 1.4 (ALIA, 2004).Resource management was introduced to me during ETL503 and ETL505 and highlighted crucial nature of a excellently managed and resourced school library to support the needs of the community and develop an environment that supports 21st century learners. In furthering this, on my placement at a local public library I witnessed the support of the wider community through programs and quality resources. This knowledge is transferable to when I’m active in a teacher librarian position.

Professional Practice 

One challenge I faced throughout this degree is not having active participation in a school library and to physically implement the theoretical knowledge into practice. Whilst the standards require practical experience to be considered excellent, I feel supported by the knowledge and assignments presented throughout this course to ensure when applied in practice I will have a quality understanding of what is required. An example of this would be INF533 Digital Storytelling Project (Bernard, 2019c). This assignment created opportunities to explore, create and nurture an information-rich learning environment, actively incorporating and understanding the nature of ICT for educational purposes. In conjunction with the reflection aspect of the assessment and comments from the marker, I was able to engage in a teaching practice and improve my learning and teaching skills before applying this within a practical setting. One area of standard 2.3 I wish to improve is strategically planning and budgeting for services and programs as I feel I have limited experience in the practicality of this standard.

Professional Commitment

Once again, I come back to Short (2018)’s article as discussed in my ETL402 blog post (Bernard, 2021). The resonance the article had highlights my drive for empowerment of others, the emphasis on needing to support and implement possible changes and actively engage in leadership styles that support all the needs of the community. Through the use of INF447 I am able to recognise evidence-based research and practices and use these to support debates on issues and promote the importance of teacher librarians to the wider community. Each unit undertaken in this degree has provided the structure to continue to develop my skills as a practitioner and utilise the skills of a leader learnt from ETL504 (Bernard, 2020) to further enhance the library structures within the school environment.

Part C – References

Australian School Library Association & Australian Library and Information Association. (2004). Australian professional standards for teacher librarians. ALIA. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/TLstandards.pdf

Bernard, P. (2019a, March 12).  12.3.19 – Fresh Out and Back In Again….Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paigespages/2019/03/12/fresh-out-and-back-in-again/

Bernard, P. (2019b, May 27). 503 Assignment 2 Reflective Post. Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paigespages/2019/05/27/503-assignment-2-reflective-post/

Bernard, P. (2019c, October 8).  INF533: Assessment 4: Part B: Digital Storytelling. Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paigespages/2019/10/08/inf533-assessment-4-part-b-digital-storytelling/

Bernard, P. (2020, May 25). ETL504: Assignment 2 Part B – Reflection.Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paigespages/2020/05/

Bernard, P. (2021, May 17). ETL402: Assessment 2 Part B – Reflection Post. Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paigespages/2021/05/17/etl402-assessment-2-part-b-reflection-post/

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.