Monthly Archives: September 2020

ETL401 Module 6 – Easing the tensions between the information specialist and the teaching role of the TL

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The fact that there are so many ways to describe the teacher librarian (TL), aka media specialist, the school librarian, and the school library media specialist, gives some indication of how diverse the role has become.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians describe areas of professional knowledge and practice teacher librarians should possess in order to, amongst other criteria, “reinforce a uniform expectation of the work of the teacher librarian in our schools“. Nevertheless, not so long ago, in 2010, then Minister for Education, Julia Gillard MP, initiated an inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools. The outcome was a distinct lack of data regarding numbers, qualifications and employment status (House of Representatives Education and Employment Committee, 2011, pg. 84) and 2019 survey of all 728 Government, Catholic and independent schools in South Australia revealed that only 23% have a qualified TL. Despite growing numbers of TLs in schools, many schools do not understand the potential role of the library and the teacher librarian, and are focusing funding on the a transactional, rather than a relational library service.

I think tensions arise from situations in which the role and the expectations towards the TL have not been adequately defined.  If a school is employing a qualified TL, it is to be hoped that they are being paid accordingly and have had the HR discussions regarding the parameters of their role.  My experience of school libraries to date is more the sole responsibility mode where there is considerable stress involved in performing the day-to-day requirements of the school library with part-time library staff and the support of volunteers. This leaves little opportunity  to develop a working relationship with teaching staff and to support literacy and effective information literacy skills.

Tensions arise not only when expectations are too high (given staffing levels, budget, lack of professional training etc.) but also when expectations are not high enough and the skills of the TL go unrecognised or are undervalued.  In professional situations where there is resistance to change, a lack of dialogue between school leadership and teachers, the level of frustration for the TL can be high.

In all of these scenarios, communication is the key factor.  A TL who is not in a position to elucidate their vision, communicate their goals and establish a forum of ongoing communication with the entire school staff will battle to implement change. Being an advocate is not enough, it is important to have a clear idea of what the school’s learning needs and how to meet them and this requires considerable analysis (Abbott, 2017).

I personally feel apprehensive about my ability balance the demands of the information specialist with the teaching role of the TL simply because I have never had to wear these two hats.  I feel some  trepidation about the sheer number of roles the TL is expected to take on and the limited resources they often have to perform them well. Elizabeth Hutchinson’s blog post resonated with me because I can really imagine running around trying to engage teachers in information literacy programs while they are focusing on the next set of assessments and meeting with a lukewarm response or perhaps worse, being inundated with requests for help when they discover what we have to offer.

My dream is to have a working environment similar to that found in academic libraries, where the library liaison or embedded librarian, is able to build relationships and work in collaboration with staff to customise the library instruction to meet the needs of students, and help them achieve their learning objectives. Right now, this relationship building is under-rated and largely invisible to school leadership and staff alike, calling for what has been called an engagement model of liaison librarianship.

References:

Abbott, R. (2017). Teacher-librarians, teachers and the 21st century library: relationships matter. Synergy, 15(2). Retrieved from https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=217216;res=AEIPT

Bracke, P. (2016). Social networks and relational capital in library service assessment. Performance Measurement and Metrics, 17(2), 134-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/PMM-04-2016-0019

Mitchell, P. & Weldon, P. (2016, 29 August-2 September). The school library workforce in Australia.[Conference paper]. ALIA National 2016 Conference. Adelaide, SA.  https://read.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/the_school_library_workforce_in_australia.pdf

Paraschiv, P. [Petra Paraschiv] (2018, February 28).  Modern libraries: Moving from a transactional to a relational library. Princh. https://princh.com/modern-libraries-from-a-transactional-to-a-relational-library/#.WpvA8OhuZPY

Zanin-Yost, A. (2018). Academic collaborations: Linking the role of the liaison/embedded librarian to teaching and learning. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 25:2,150-163. DOI: /10691316.2018.1455548

 

 

Embedding information literacy practices

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Universities have long since availed themselves of the services of the embedded librarian to deliver for-credit information literacy (IL) instruction both directly and online, in collaboration with faculty (Kobzina, 2010).  In the school environment, there are distinct benefits in integrating information literacy practices across all content areas (Kuhlthau, 1993).

The embedded nature of course‐integrated IL instruction is its biggest asset, allowing TLs to intervene directly as the need arises and to tailor the IL to the research needs of the student.  Course‐integrated instruction works best when it is used across several subjects as an approach to learning and over time i.e. from term to term. Non-integrated IL is by definition optional skills training which may be devalued by the teaching staff, by students or by school leadership.

In order for cross-curricular IL to be implemented effectively, there must be widespread acceptance of the TLs role in curriculum planning and course‐integrated instruction and this is not always the case.  It has been suggested that embedding IL in assessment would motivate teachers to adopt the integration of IL, but at the very least, the use of a school-wide common terminology and the formal and informal discussion of factors determining the transfer of skills must take place.

The TL must become an advocate for this aspect of their role if they are to establish a culture of transfer in the school context  – communication and leadership are key so that all teachers and students see the benefits of transferring information literacy practices, falling as they do into three categories – transferrers,  propositional transferrers and non-transferrers —   TLs must be active in designing in-service training, maintain close collaboration and liaison with school leadership and subject teachers and provide evidence of the transfer of skills.

 

References:

Bush, S. J., & Herring, J. (2009, September 29 – October 2). Creating a culture of transfer for information literacy skills in schools. [Conference paper]. In A. Ainsworth (Ed.), Engage, explore, celebrate: ASLA XXI Biennial Conference, Perth, WA.

Herring, J. (2011). Year 7 students, information literacy, and transfer: A grounded theory. School Library Media Research. 15, 1-17. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol14/SLR_Year7Students_V14.pdf

Herring, J. E., & Bush, S. J. (2011). Information literacy and transfer in schools: Implications for teacher librarians. Australian Library Journal, 60(2), 123-132. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Information-literacy-and-transfer-in-schools%3A-for-Herring-Bush/dfcbdfcf30d8e51002f7a79522b2d034e955a7c9

Kobzina, N.G. (2010). A faculty‐librarian partnership: a unique opportunity for course integration. Journal of Library Administration, 50(4), 293-314. DOI: 10.1080/01930821003666965

Kuhlthau, C.C. (1993). Implementing a process approach to information skills: A study identifying indicators of success in library media programs. School Library Media Quarterly,  22(1),11-18.

Learning how to turn information into inquiry

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FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning), is a framework for breaking down the stages of the inquiry process developed by Darryl Toerien, Head of Library at Oakham School, an IB school in Rutland.  Inquiry based learning is fundamental to the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, an important component of which is the Diploma Programme Extended Essay.  This approach to learning requires students to undertake independent research to complete a self-directed study of a subject of their choice, culminating in a 4000-word essay.  It is also expected that they adhere to citation and referencing standards often acquired only in their first year of their tertiary studies. In an interview published in a blog post by Elizabeth Hutchinson, Toerien explains that he took issue with two things, the fact that the skills needed to construct “understanding from knowledge from information“ are not imbedded in the education system, and secondly, that Information Literacy (IL), academic skills and ICT skills, if taught at all, often fail to make the connection between IL, and the metacognition attached to it – “we cite and reference because we are working with other people’s ideas as expressed through their work”.

Understanding Information Literacy

According to Lupton (2015), there is often a failure to understand inquiry learning and that the use of an inquiry process model is beneficial in helping both teachers and students to understand this  “more holistic inquiry focus”. For Darryl Toerien, the need to build a framework of inquiry skills to support the IB Continuum sowed the seeds of FOSIL, not just because students need to develop media and information literacy skills but because they need meaningful opportunities to do so while learning from information. Toerien is passionate about the role of the school library in teaching and learning and in his advocacy for the role of the TL expanding the learning pathways of todays students.

Toerien drew on insights from Kuhlthau’s ISP/ Guided Inquiry Design and Stripling’s Cycle of Inquiry/ ESIFC/ FOSIL for inspiration and guidance in establishing FOSIL.

Bibliography:

Lupton, M. (2015). Teacher librarians’ understandings of inquiry learning. Access (Online), 29(4), 18-29. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1764658513?accountid=10344

Toerien, D. (2019). Enabling students to learn by finding out for themselves: Our journey from FOSIL to the FOSIL group. The School Librarian, 67(2), 77-78. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2398186314?accountid=10344