ETL-503 Resourcing the curriculum

| puneetkpardal

Hi,

So after procrastinating this for a while now, I think I need to pull up my socks and get organised(proactive)! This is term 4 and without any doubt the craziest term ever! I now miss those lockdown days(Yes I am a homebody!). It feels like suddenly there is this mad rush to socialize, go to that event, organise gatherings/birthday parties etc. This was one of my fear during those quiet lockdown mornings when I was reading in a nook with my hot cuppa and some light music. Anyways I know I am resilient so I will manage. The annual stocktake is done and I am busy planning my new library displays along with using those precious RFF minutes to accession/order new resources that I can showcase to all staff members at the beginning of 2022. By the way this year’s Harry Potter display was a huge success and I have already asked students to give me few options for next year. I think I will go with Roald Dahl or may be something related to graphic novels..can’t believe how much my students love Dog man!!

I am planning to get ahead this time with my deadlines and finish my assignment asap(not that I have many days left)! I am actually finding these readings and assignments extremely useful. The last one I did was a joy! Designing subject headings was a mind boggling experience!

This is my second year as a TL and over my 6 years of experience as a teacher where I was able to don several hats( C0-teacher; RFF; EaL/D; LaST etc.) I now feel that this is my niche! I agree with Kay when she said that her teaching philosophy is to keep learning authentic and connected where students are able to apply it to improve their knowledge. While looking for suitable resources for my students I want their input, their interests. I regularly collaborate with other teachers and know that our students need resources that can boost their comprehension( also proved by NAPLAN results). Having a really good understanding of my students, our community and a good knowledge of curriculum will guide me to source the resources that will benefit them!

 

Part C: Reflective practice

| puneetkpardal

Part C: Reflective practice- 700 words

 “We do not learn from experience we learn from reflecting on experience”. –  John Dewey

According to American Library Association, “Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.’

My understanding of information literacy (IL) has developed immensely in last few months while working on this unit. Many students find it extremely difficult while researching for quality information due to plethora of information available. The endless streaming of information from multitude forms of electronic devices makes it difficult to seek reliable information. By 2012, enough data was being generated each day to fill all the libraries in the United States eight times over (Floridi, 2014).

IL is a set of intellectual skills that students need to be successful in their lives. Abilock (2004) takes a much broader view of information literacy. She asserts that IL is transformational process with a set of competencies and thinking skills that are cross curriculum in nature.

To become a successful 21st century learner in this ever-changing complex information landscape, IL is absolute essential. It incorporates under its umbrella many other literacies like digital literacy, cultural literacy, visual literacy and many more (Shapiro and Hughes, 1996; Virkus, 2003). Kuhlthau outlines (2004) that IL is not a discrete set of skills, but rather a ‘way of learning’.

There are a vast number of Information literacy models available: – Neuman’s iLearn model; Herring’s PLUS model (Purpose, Location, Use, Self-Evaluation), the Big6 information skills, developed by Eisenberg and Berkowitz; the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy (managing, evaluating, presenting, gathering, identifying, planning, and scoping information), developed by the SCONUL Advisory Committee and Information Search Process (ISP), which is now aligned with the Guided Inquiry Design model (GID).

I found GID model the most appealing out of all inquiry models as it supports the steps taken by researchers (ISP) and the various phases of inquiry units (GID). It is supported by Kuhlthau’s broad research spanning more than 30 years (Kuhlthau, 2004). Students are continuously guided as well as relevant and timely feedback is given to help them form an inquiry question. Students also feel a sense of ownership as the learning process is tailored to their individual needs.  As they become familiar with the eight phases of GID model, they become more confident to search relevant information from a variety of sources most of which is irrelevant and overwhelming for school learning. Acquiring these essential research skills prepares them to successfully embrace the challenges of 21st century learning and equips them with lifelong skills of deep and meaningful learning. Transformational opportunities for students ‘collaboration, creativity, and technology experiences move students on the hierarchy of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956).

As a resource specialist, I think the librarians can support students learning in these eight phases of inquiry process by giving them access to quality resources. They can enable access to variety of scaffolding resources which can prove to be beneficial for their learning. Librarians who have specialised knowledge and training can help students locate, evaluate, and use that information. Librarians can transform the school into an inquiry community through their excellent organisational and collaboration skills. I feel somewhat confident to design more units of work based on GID model after having designed my first unit of work for this assignment. I do need to read and research more. I also feel that collaboration is not always very effective and easy as schools are busy places and classroom teachers often have shortage of time. School librarians can successfully and confidently execute this IL model if there is explicit support and understanding from school leaders or principal.

“If school librarians facilitate student-led inquiry at least weekly, that dramatically improves the odds that students have been taught the full range of essential information literacy skills.” – Lance, K.C.& Maniotes, L.K(2020)

References: –

Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process, and outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

Bloom, B. S., Eglehart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: A classification of educational goals. NY: Longmans Publishing

Floridi, L. (2014). The fourth revolution: how the infosphere is reshaping human reality. Oxford University Press.

Lance, K.C.; Maniotes L.K. (2020) Linking Librarians, Inquiry Learning, and Information Literacy? Vol.101(7), 47-51 Phi Delta Kappan

Kuhlthau, C.C. (2004). Seeking meaning: a process approach to library and information services (2nd ed) Westport, Conn. Libraries Unlimited.

Shapiro, J. and Hughes, S. (1996). Information literacy as a liberal art. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/review/reviewArticles/31231.html

 

 

Understandings of the role of the TL in schools 

| puneetkpardal

Understandings of the role of the TL in schools

 “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.”- Neil Gaiman.

I just couldn’t resist to share this wonderful quote about the importance of a librarian in this era of information overload that is both overwhelming and completely perplexing.

Rightly called ‘Information Specialists’, my understanding of the role of the TL in any school setting is that if you are seeking quality information that is reliable, then your go-to person is your TL.  We live in a world full of distractions where information on any topic can be accessed just by a right click. A TL acts as a sieve who can sift through the plethora of information so the students can have access to quality information.

The role of the TL is to always think of innovative ways to engage students to read more and to read widely. Our students are bombarded with literature; often they are not able to distinguish the difference between quality literature and other forms of writing. TL makes this easy by exposing students to different genres and working in collaboration with other teachers and often the wider school community to manage diverse teaching and learning resources . TLs ensure that required learning outcomes are met by employing a range of information processes such as Guided Inquiry Design Process (GID). This empowers students to build their research skills specially at a primary level and learn how to find a source of information that is reliable and safe.

https://guidedinquirydesign.com/gid/

I work at a school with 90% of students from EaLD background and the librarians have a huge role to play to ensure that their literacy needs are met. They do this by inculcating a love of reading through organising various reading challenges, book week celebrations, world book week, library lovers, book talks, book clubs, author meets, National Simultaneous Storytime and many other events.

When the classroom teachers are inundated with a vast curriculum to cover, Teacher Librarians share this massive task by using strategies to effectively integrate few of the KLAs into their library program. I have combined different KLAs like STEM, art, History and English by collaborating with other teachers/school leaders and innovating a program to meet the different abilities/needs of our students.

So, the new age librarians have surpassed the role of a traditional librarian who was mainly responsible to manage physical resources. In the 21st century, librarian’s role has expanded and in this digital age they are problem solvers, collaborators and technology integration leaders.

This quote by ‘Linton Weeks’ beautifully summarises the role of a librarian.

“In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us to swim.”