I have been meaning to blog about this for weeks as I keep looking at Kuhlthau’s model of the Information Search Process (ISP) and how it is aligned with the Guided Inquiry Design Process (GIDP). I first came across it in an article by Lee Fitzgerald, one the subject coordinators for ETL401, Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. (Fitgerald, 2015; Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2012).
It really hit me how important this process is when undertaking new learning and how this model is unique because it incorporates the feelings, thoughts and actions that learners experience when acquiring new information. The last three months have been an explosion of new learning for me as I have commenced this university study and started a role as a teacher librarian (TL) at my school. Every single day I have moved through the feelings, thoughts and actions described in this model. The first few weeks in my new role were full of uncertainty, optimism, frustration and doubt. But I have had an incredibly supportive staff team to work with and I have found so much clarity in working out what kind of TL I want to be in my school and have created departmental goals for the year that I have the confidence to achieve. I feel like all of the children are learning a lot and I am learning with them. The library continues to be a very important part of our school where students come to read, learn, inquire, socialise and importantly, borrow so many books.
Writing my first assignment was a steep learning curve and I moved through the guided inquiry process shown in the diagram above. I was open and I immersed myself in new information as I explored the readings for the topic. I identified what my stance was going to be when I wrote a journal article on the role of a TL. I continued to gather information from a variety of sources and I created the article, moving back and forwards between the steps of explore, identify and gather. After a lot of angst, I was finally ready to share it as I hit submit to the university website, with one whole minute to spare for the deadline! And then I waited, with a lot of trepidation for my feedback. I was delighted with my result and the notes I received were very useful for me to evaluate my learning and apply to the next assignment.
I am busy writing away at present and the topic is to choose an Information Literacy (IL) model to recommend to my school. This has been a very useful topic to research because this is part of our library development plan at school and everything I am learning is going to help me make some recommendations to our school. I have discussed this at length with our infant and senior school librarians, who are familiar with a number of different IL models. I have also networked with other librarians from the International Schools Librarians Network (ISLN) and analysed what they are using in their schools. So much learning is taking place and it is all so relevant to my job and will help the students and teachers in our school to undertake research and inquiry in meaningful ways.
I know that I will continue to experience these feelings of uncertainty as I continue on this learning journey. But using the ISP model, I am reassured that this is a part of new learning and it hopefully means that I will be moving closer towards feelings of satisfaction as I document and process all of the pertinent information that I need.
References
FitzGerald, L. (2015) Opportunity knocks: The Australian Curriculum and Guided Inquiry, Access, 29(2) 4-17
Kuhlthau, C, Maniotes, L & Caspari, A 2012, Guided Inquiry design: A framework for inquiry in your school, Libraries Unlimited, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
I have been writing my first assignment for this subject and whilst reading one phrase keeps appearing: life long learning! My first month working as a TL has certainly involved A LOT of learning. I have had to learn many of the basics first before I leap into even deeper learning. So far I have learned how to use Destiny, our library management system, about our collection, how the Junior School operates, who all the relevant people are to ask questions of, how the library budget works, how to place orders, how to timetable 31 classes to use our fabulous library space, how to plan induction lessons for students to use the library… and the list could go on and on and on! I feel like my learning so far has been covering the library management essentials and that there is a lot of deep learning that I have to undertake to move forward. A lot of my future learning will involve the curriculum and how I can support teachers and students to create deeper learning opportunities for our students, so this blog is going to reflect on the concept of the TL being a lifelong learner.
Excellent TLs must be committed to lifelong learning so that they can embrace change in education, curriculum and technology and be ready to empower other people in the school community. The ALIA and ASLA standards for professional excellence for TLs (2004) highlight the importance of understanding the principles of lifelong learning and modelling and promoting this in practice. TLs should be working collaboratively with school staff to improve teaching and learning, ensuring that the curriculum is appropriate and relevant and to be integrating relevant technology. They should be creating and fostering professional development for staff and also seeking it out for themselves (ASLA, 2013, p7; (Combes, 2006).
The learning that occurs in a school library will influence how students learn in the whole school, and TLs should work with teachers to develop learning opportunities that are challenging for students. It is true that “Schools are now moving away from behaviourist theories, which tended to view school students as children who would learn best through passively listening to a teacher and repeating tasks to ensure reinforcement of learning, to more cognitive and constructivist theories.” (Herring, 2007, p2) Therefore, TLs should be well informed about information literacy and be demonstrating best practice and constructivist learning. Two examples of constructivist learning are inquiry learning and project based learning. TLs should be guiding students to undertake research, which involves information literacy skills being integrated into the curriculum, and not taught as a separate subject. In a library and school that promotes inquiry, librarians should be guiding students to be collaborators, researchers, communicators, critical and creative thinkers and self-managers (Herring, 2007; Murdoch, 2015; Purcell, 2010).
Boss and Krauss in Reinventing Project Based Learning (2008) discuss the importance of recognising that digital tools are an essential part of students’ lives and how some teachers have reinvented a project approach to meet the needs of digital-age learners. There is a danger of not keeping up with these opportunities because students are ready to take advantage of technology and will become disengaged if it is not incorporated into their learning. Projects that use technology to immerse students in real-world learning will motive and engage them and make learning more personalised.
The day a TL stops learning is that day they cease to remain relevant. Part of this lifelong learning involves seeking out opportunities for themselves to develop professionally. Undertaking action research in the library is important, as is networking with other TLs, reading blogs, journals and other relevant literature and attending conferences and other professional development. I am looking forward to my first International Schools Librarian Network (ISLN) meeting in September and also a librarian conference in October as I know these experiences will provide many learning opportunities for me.
References
Australian School Library Association (2013), Future learning and school libraries. ASLA, Canberra, ACT.
Australian Schools Library Association (ASLA) and Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) 2004, Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians, Retrieved July 25, 2016 from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx
Boss, S., Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing Project Based Learning: International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved August 19, 2016, from http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/REINVT-excerpt.pdf
Combes, B. (2006). Challenges for teacher librarians in the 21st century: Connections. Retrieved July 29, 2016, from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_66/challenges_for_teacher_librarianship_pt1.html
Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S.Ferguson (Ed.), Libraries in the twenty-first century : charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42): Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
