My learning Journey through the Master of Education, Teacher Librarianship

Part A: Statement of Personal Philosophy

An effective teacher librarian (TL) needs to lead from the middle and demonstrate how they can support teaching and learning in a school. A TL needs to be an information specialist who ensures the library is a dynamic learning environment that is not confined to the walls of a library. They need to inspire, develop and foster a passion for reading and develop in students, and teachers, the information and digital literacy skills for lifelong learning and global citizenship. A TL needs to ensure that students will graduate as ethical, critical users of print and digital media who are able navigate the changing information landscape.  

Part B: Three Learning Themes 

Theme 1 : The Teacher Librarian as a Leader 

The ALIA and ASLA standards for professional excellence for TLs (2004) highlight the importance of demonstrating leadership within school and professional communities. I started my Master of Teacher Librarianship a few weeks before I moved from a teaching role to be a TL.  ETL401 was an insightful introduction to the multifaceted role of a TL and the potential to be a leader. I write about this in an early blog post, The Role of the Teacher Librarian in Schools (Mounsey, 2016a). As I progressed through this degree, undertook additional professional learning, and learned ‘on the job’, I have been inspired to work as a TL who is also a leader. On reflecting on my learning, some key themes emerged of how TLs can be leaders. 

Leading from the middle

When I earned the role of head of year 1 and 2 at a school in London, I was encouraged to enrol in a course, Leading from the Middle, which was a useful step on my learning journey. Years down the track I started the subject ETL504, Teacher Librarian as Leader, which was possibly the most useful subject in my degree. I wrote a number of reflections which included important topics including leadership styles, advocacy and dealing with conflict (Mounsey, 2019b, 2019d, 2019c). Most importantly this subject helped me to advocate for the need for our school to have a Director of Libraries. My two TL colleagues and I had mentioned this to leadership previously, but it had not been met with interest. Studying ETL504 inspired me to create a mind map to show all the contributions the TLs were making in our school (figure 1). I used this to demonstrate much of the ‘invisible’ work the TLs do and to advocate for this role. The school leadership team then agreed to create a new role. I applied for it and to my delight, was offered this position.  

Figure 1

For the past two years I have been the Director of Libraries for Dulwich College, Singapore.  I am now part of the Educational Leadership Team in a school that has 2800 students and three libraries. I collaborate with 2 other TLs, 8 library assistants and parent and student volunteers. Without the learning from this degree, I would not have had the skills or knowledge for this role.  The qualification has ensured I develop the library and school curriculum with regards to recent research, information literacy, literature learning and technology. 

Lifelong learning  

Professional learning in addition to the CSU course has also been of great benefit, as have connections in TL communities. In my reflection post for ETL504 (Mounsey, 2019e), I mention that The AITSL standards for teacher library practice include “to engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities” (Australian School Library Association, 2014). In Singapore I have been an active member of The International School Library Network  (ISLN) and I have attended and presented at international conferences. Additionally, the library staff from the nine Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools regularly connect, and in Singapore we hosted a conference for all Dulwich library staff. 

I value the importance of reading research which is related to current pedagogy and literacy. Although I have taken time to complete this degree, it has allowed me to delve deeply into the readings and I often share relevant literature with colleagues. I found the subject INF447, Research in Practice, the most challenging of all subjects. At the time I did not appreciate the importance of understanding research paradigms, methods, and methodologies so deeply. However, I am so pleased I completed this subject because earlier this year I was asked by a professor at a Singapore University to collaborate on mixed methods research into the reading preferences and habits of our students. I have blogged about this in the post, What books are ‘hot’ (Mounsey, 2021a) and we are currently finishing the report to deliver to the school (figure 2) and submitting a research paper to be published in an academic journal. 

Figure 2

I spoke about this research when I was asked to present for the National Library Board of Singapore (2021) in their Education in the City series. 

An Advocate 

The report ‘Future learning in school libraries’ discusses how a TL needs to be an instructional leader who leads the library into the future by planning and thinking strategically and using advocacy and marketing (ASLA, 2013). One of the biggest takeaways from this degree has been about the importance of NON STOP advocacy. A TL can easily be an invisible role in a school and advocacy can be done in many ways. Some of the ideas that I have learnt that have been effective are: 

• Promoting the print and digital resources through social media channels, staff meetings and school newsletters. 
• Creating library annual reports including infographics which are displayed around the school and included in newsletters (figures 3, 4 and 5).

• Delivering parent workshops and staff training. The video below is one example we created because parents have not been allowed on site during the pandemic (Dulwich College Singapore, 2021). 

Collaboration

TLs have the capacity to work with all school staff, students, and parents, and together they can generate change (Herring, 2007). They are in a unique position to see the big picture across a school and can work as a leader to manage a library and support teachers to plan and deliver a curriculum that is future focused. In the blog post Leaders Who Lead (Mounsey, 2019b), I share the learning about different leadership styles and assert that instructional leadership is the style that I aim to use (Ferguson and Hamm, 2013; McKewan, 2003). Other important collaborations have included working with: 

• the IT team to introduce new resources and technologies; 
• the marketing team to promote the library and resources; 
• TLs from other schools to shortlist the Red Dot books and organise the ISLN Readers Cup; 
• the finance team to manage the library budget; 
• the Asian Festival of Children’s Content committee to help plan their program. 

Strategic planning 

ETL504 was a crucial step in my learning about the importance of maintaining policies, procedures and strategic planning for libraries. It also helped me to reflect on the importance of library vision and mission statements and how they should be closely aligned with the school vision, culture and values. After this subject ended, I put much of this new learning into practice. I collaborated with the other TLs in the school to create a 5-year libraries strategic plan and updated our policy documents. 

 Theme 2: Information Literacy 

Until I started this degree I did not know what a significant role a TL should play in ensuring information literacy (IL) skills are embedded into the curriculum. ETL401 was my first introduction to this, and I blogged about my steep learning curve in the post, A Shift in Thinking (Mounsey, 2016b) . Then during assignment two of ETL504, I discussed how “information seeking is a primary activity of life” (Kuhlthau, 2004, pp. 13-27), and how it is essential that schools support students to develop IL skills.  The American Association of School Libraries (2014) reports that finding information online for academic purposes is overwhelming to most students and that digital technology makes it harder for them to find a range of credible sources.  

Effective teaching and learning should move away from heavy curriculum instruction and involve deep learning which involves personalised learning and opportunities for students to develop problem solving skills and the four Cs, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking (Martinez and McGrath, 2014; William, 2018; Wolf, Jones and Gilbert, 2014). This new knowledge has helped guide me to deliver IL learning in different ways and I wrote an article about this in the Alleynian review (Mounsey, 2020). 

Figure 6: Resources on Library pages

The ASLA document Future Learning and School Libraries (2013) refers to the challenge of dealing with information overload and how students must be taught to be more sceptical when approaching content. In my blog Beyond the tip of the digital iceberg (Mounsey, 2019i) I wrote about this and how this learning has influenced my thinking and teaching. I dedicate lessons to directing students to reliable websites on our school portal and we have these all on our library pages(figure 6).

Figure 7 (Schrock, 2009)

Despite many lessons on this, the teachers and I observe that most students will still go to Google first when they research. For this reason, we ensure we plan lessons where students are taught to use website evaluation tools. In ETL501, The Dynamic Information Environment, I was introduced to Kathy Shrock’s 5Ws of website evaluation (figure 7). I also enjoy sharing the book ‘But I read it on the Internet’ (Buzzeo, 2013) as a provocation to these lessons.  

I blogged about this in more detail in the post, To Wiki or to not Wiki? (Mounsey, 2019h) and referenced Harris who states, “Educators need to understand that students will go to Google and will use Wikipedia outside of school if not inside, no matter what alternatives we provide” (2011, p.31). In this blog I also discussed how my perception of how to use Wikipedia had changed. I used to tell my students not to use Wikipedia when researching because it could include a lot of inappropriate and incorrect content. I now tell my students that it can be a possible place to start research as it will not only provide lots of information, but it can provide links to lots of credible, reliable and useful websites on a given topic. They know they must fact check it and they know that it is not a source I would expect to see in a reference list. 

The importance of teaching and valuing academic integrity is a huge part of the TL role. In my first year as a TL, I collaborated with teachers to plan lessons with the year 3-6 students to understand academic integrity and referencing sources. I would not have known to do this without the learning from ETL401. One of my favourite lessons is when I trick the year 3s into putting their name on someone else’s drawing and then giving the wrong child credit for it. The students are outraged and it is always a lesson the students remember and then learn that they should not take the credit for someone else’s content. 

With the year 5s, I do a lesson where they learn about the copyright case between Vanilla Ice and a Queen and David Bowie collaboration. We listen to their two songs and the students debate if they are the same or different and the ethical dilemma of using someone else’s content without permission and without giving credit. These lessons then lead into lessons on creating bibliographies, from very simple ones in year 3 and developing each year until they use the SLA online reference generator which was been seen in figure 6. I think I introduced this so well that teachers were over-focussed on telling me and showing me the bibliographies the students had made, but not focussing on the other important research skills, such as skim and scanning, note taking and using web evaluation tools. Oddone (2020), addresses this and discusses the importance of not only delivering all these lessons but of linking them together into an information search process to ensure that the students think about all of the skills that are required for research. The staff I collaborate with have also recognised this and this has helped me to introduce an IL framework. In collaboration with staff across the school we agreed on The Big 6 and Super 3 (Eisenburg and Berkowitz, 2003), which has been embedded and is being increasingly used by students and staff. 

With all of this new knowledge and information I have managed to make many changes in our school. The final change with regards to IL has included the creation of a whole school information and digital literacy framework tracking the skills development from early years to year 13. This has been a huge project and I am in the final stages of completing this. The next step will be to ensure these skills are embedded and edit and adjust the framework so it remains a working document. 

Theme 3: Dynamic library collections and spaces 

I now understand how important it is that the library is seen as the physical and virtual learning hub of the entire school. In reflecting on my five year journey, there are so many ways I have learned how to improve both the physical and virtual library space. This has included learning about curation and collection development of print and digital resources. 

Arguably, more important than the physical space is the collection that is included in that space. I learned about this in ETL503, Resourcing the Curriculum. When developing a collection, TLs need to ensure that they are not relying solely on intuition or opinion, but using their experience and knowledge of selection aids and selection criteria to ensure that the collection is developed to meet the needs of the school (Hughes-Hassell and Mancall , 2005). I work hard to develop a library collection that supports reading for pleasure, changes in the curriculum and reflects diversity, equality and inclusion. 

In the post Developing a Library Collection (Mounsey, 2017a) I discuss this in more detail and how The NSW Handbook for School Libraries (2015) mentions the importance of collaboration. Collection decisions should not be the sole decision of a TL, but occur in collaboration with teachers, students, parents and school management. I recently attended an ASLA webinar about successful student-led collection development and we are now adapting this into collection development.  

 In addition to following collection development policies and guidelines, I use a lot of data to inform decisions. I analyse in detail what the students are borrowing. In addition to this quantitative data, I use qualitative data in the form of surveys, incidental conversations and focus group interviews. Figures 8 and 9 demonstrate some examples of the kinds of analysis I do. 

The post What should I read next? (Mounsey, 2021c) shares data from a survey question ‘what was your favourite book this year?’ I then created recommended reading lists that include these titles. 

A strong ‘reading for pleasure’ culture will take place in schools where the library collections reflect the reading taste of the students. I work hard to advocate the importance of reading for pleasure with students and the importance of parents and teachers not judging children’s reading choices. I was asked to speak about this with regards to graphic novels in an episode  of the How we Read  podcast (Loh, 2021) about the importance of comics as a valid reading choice. I also shared some key findings in an article I had published titled, Reading in the Digital Age: what is our role as parents and educators? (Mounsey, 2021a). All of this learning has been as a result of this degree. 

When talking about collection development it is essential to discuss deselection or weeding. I first learnt about this term in the subject ETL503, Resourcing the Curriculum and I wrote the blog post, Getting my weeding gloves dirty (Mounsey, 2017b). Farmer (2014, p.70) talks about the reference section life cycle which includes acquisition, processing, organisation, circulation, maintenance and deselection. This refers to both physical and digital formats and I wrote about this in the post, Physical and Digital Formats for reference material (Mounsey, 2019g).   

For a library to be dynamic, the physical space is also very important. The subject, ETL501, was an opportunity for me to learn, plan and reflect on how to improve the library spaces in my school. In the post Dynamic Library Spaces (Mounsey, 2019f) I shared many improvements I have made to the physical library space including new furniture, signage and flexible layouts (Images 1, 2 and 3).

I also wrote about my learning about genrefication from ETL505, Describing and Analysing Education Resources. In the post ,To genrify or not? (Mounsey, 2019a), I discussed in detail the pros and cons behind using Dewey and generifying. As a result of this learning, I decided not to generify our fiction collections but have added genre stickers to the entire collection. We asked students to get involved in this process and it has led to students discovering titles they may not have otherwise. 

 Part C: Reflection on professional development   

A lifelong learner should be reflective and one tool I have used for this is the DCI Librarian Standards. These were created by a group of TLs across the Dulwich network of schools (Appendix A). This evidence demonstrates my development and growth as I have improved my practice.  With my planned move to Australia in December, I am thinking seriously about what new learning I need to undertake to fill in any gaps in my knowledge. In the next section, I have evaluated my learning over the course of the  Master of Education in Teacher Librarianship in the context of ALIA and ASLA’s standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians (2004). I can see a huge amount of growth and learning and I have identified areas for development. 

This reflection has highlighted many areas where I have developed professional knowledge in understanding principles of teaching and learning and how I have a specialist knowledge of information, resources, technology and library management. I have identified two key areas to develop to ensure I could be seen as an excellent TL in Australia. They are both from the professional knowledge part of the standards: 

 “1.3 to have a rich understanding of the school community and curriculum.  

1.4 to have a specialist knowledge of library and information management.” 

In particular, I will need to deepen my knowledge of Australian literature. Although I follow Australian literature awards, blogs and podcasts, I have not widely read Australian literature. This is an area I will enjoy developing because one of my strengths as a TL is how widely I read and promote books to all patrons. I will also need to ensure I have a deeper understanding of the Australian curriculum and in particular content relating to the three cross- curriculum priorities (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010) to ensure that I am aware of resources to support the curriculum. 

I believe I have an excellent understanding of how professionally managed and resourced school libraries are crucial to the achievements of the school community. However, the areas for my development include understanding the Australian context more deeply. Two particular areas of growth will need to be: 

• have a rich professional knowledge of national standards for library and information management 

• have a comprehensive understanding of national standards for information retrieval 

Next year I will be completing the last part of this subject when I do my workplace placement. I will ensure that these are both targets during this placement. 

Using the standards for self-reflection I had many strengths in the professional practice and professional commitments sections, but am aware that these standards will be a useful tool to constantly refer back to. I also believe 3.1, excellent teacher librarians model and promote lifelong learning (ASLA, 2004) could be my philosophy as I continue this never-ending journey of learning. If I keep this as part of my practice, I hope that I can continue to be an effective TL who inspires, educates and supports others to be lifelong learners. 

References  

American Association of School Libraries. (2014). School librarians transform learning .  http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/advocacy/tools/docs/AASL_Infographic_FINAL.pdf   

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010). Cross-curriculum priorities. Australian curriculum: F-10 curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities 

Australian Library and Information Association & Australian School Library Association (ALIA & ASLA). (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians.  https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians   

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2013). Future Learning and school libraries.   https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Resources/2013-ASLA-futures-paper.pdf 

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2014) Evidence guide for teacher librarians in the highly accomplished career stage. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/evidence-guide_ha.pdf 

Buzzeo, T. (2013) But I read it on the internet. Upstart books. 

Dulwich College Singapore. (2021, April 21). The inside story: libraries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Can3XtG1JEw&t=1s  

Eisenburg, M. B., & Berkowitz, R. E. (2003). The definitive Big6 workshop handbook  (3rd ed.). Linworth Publishing. 

Farmer, L. S. J. (2014). Developing resource collections, Chapter 4. In Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library.   http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/reader.action?ppg=52&docID=1664627&tm=1499996228722 

Ferguson, A. & Hamm, B. [BlueBearEdVidoes]. (2013, January 22). Seven steps to effective instructional leadership [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-p9A7EHCR4

Harris, F. J. (2011). The School Librarian as Information Specialist: A Vibrant Species.  Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 28–32. 

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.  

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners [ALA Editions version].  http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=289075 

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Learning as a process. In Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to  Library and Information Services  2nd ed.).  Libraries Unlimited.  

Loh, C. (Host). (2021, January 25). Comic relief (episode 4) [Audio podcast episode] in How we Read https://omny.fm/shows/how-we-read/how-we-read-ep4-comic-relief?fbclid=IwAR2nBOVfJfKr7o7yXoP4kzgQs9xe9IygmFN6qaILVovnVHasNuQaRvPRb3M 

Martinez, M. R., & McGrath, D. (2014). Deeper learning How eight innovative public schools are transforming education in the twenty-first century. The New Press.  

McKewan, E.K. (2003). 7 Steps to effective Instructional Leadership. Corwin Press, Inc. 

Mounsey, S. (2016a, August 1). The role of the teacher librarian in schools: many  hats to be worn. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2016/08/01/the-role-of- the-teacher-librarian-in-schools-many-hats-to-be-worn/  

Mounsey, S. (2016b, October 10). A shift in thinking.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2016/10/10/ashiftinthinking/  

Mounsey, S. (2017a, May 1). Developing a library collection.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2017/05/01/developing-a-library-collection/   

Mounsey, S. (2017b, May 19). Getting my weeding gloves dirty.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2017/05/19/weeding-a-library-collection/  

Mounsey, S. (2019a, March 12). To genrefy or not? That is the burning question.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/03/12/to-genrefy-or-not-that-is-the-burning-question/  

Mounsey, S. (2019b, March 24). Leaders who lead.    https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/03/24/leaders-who-lead/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019c, April 8). Courageous conversations.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/04/08/courageous-conversations/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019d, May 3).  Advocacy using mind mapping and concept mapping.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/05/03/mind-mapping- and-concept-mapping/ 

Mounsey, S. (2019e, June 5). ETL504 reflection: teacher librarian as leader.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/06/05/etl504-reflection-teacher-librarian-as-leader/  

Mounsey, S. (2019f, July 27). Dynamic library spaces.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/07/27/dynamic-library-spaces/  

Mounsey, S. (2019g, August 10). Physical and digital formats for reference material.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/08/10/physical-and-digital-formats-for-reference-material/  

Mounsey, S. (2019h, August 10). To wiki or not to wiki?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/08/10/to-wiki-or-to-not-wiki/  

Mounsey, S. (2019i, October 14). Beyond the tip of the digital iceberg.  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2019/10/14/information-saturation-how-do-we-help-students-search-beyond-the-tip-of-the-digital-iceberg/  

Mounsey, S. (2020) Information and Digital Literacy in 21st Century Learning. Alleynian Review.https://singapore.dulwich.org/news-and-events/information-and-digital-literacy-in-21st-century-learning 

Mounsey, S. (2021a. March 5) Reading in the Digital Age: what is our role as parents and teachers? Alleynian Review.  https://singapore.dulwich.org/news-and-events/alleynian-review-reading-in-the-digital-age-what-is-our-role-as-parents 

Mounsey, S. (2021b, July 22). What books are hot for 7-11 year olds?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2021/07/22/what-books-are-hot-for-7-11-year-olds/  

Mounsey, S. (2021c, July 22). What book should I read next?  https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/paws/2021/07/22/what-should-i-read-next-book-recommendations-for-7-12-year-olds/

National Library of Singapore. (2021, August 17). Strategies to reading and learning in current times [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xhUl9H4XWE 

NSW Department of Education. (2015).Handbook for School Libraries.  https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/library-policy-schools 

Oddone, K. (2020, June 17). Supporting students through the learning process. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/supporting-students-through-the-research-process/ 

Schrock. K. (2009). The 5W’s of website evaluation. Kathy Schrock’s guide to everything    http://www.schrockguide.net/uploads/3/9/2/2/392267/5ws.pdf 

William, D. (2018). Creating the schools our children need: why what we are doing right now won’t work, and what we can do instead. Learning Sciences.  

Wolf, M., Jones, R., & Gilbert, D. (2014). Leading in and beyond the library.  http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/BeyondTheLibrary.pdf  

 Appendix A