ETL501 has so far been a very interesting subject. I am, by now, used to the online learning model and I appreciate the advantages that it has over face-to-face learning. I can access the content at a time that suits my other commitments. I have all the content logically laid out and collected in one place. I can read the thoughts of others, including the instructor, on the content in the discussion forum, though, I can not easily or quickly get them to expand on, deepen or explain their ideas to explore further. On the other hand, the comments that are left are usually carefully considered and articulated clearly, the exploration taken up by those further down the thread.

I had not considered when I started this subject that the content would be so interrelated as it is. I expected that the physical environment and the online environment would be quite separate topics but in fact I have come to see the connecting threads: resources, whether physical or digital, must be fit for purpose. The purpose behind the resource/object/item/choice must be the driving factor. That is, that the teacher librarian must have an idea in mind of the learning they wish to take place and select the appropriate tool for the job. A physical library that looks amazing and colourful and exciting and innovative is of absolutely no use to anyone if the students can not learn there. If it is too noisy, too distracting, too uncomfortable, students will not engage. Group collaborations happen much more readily in informal seating arrangements than in rows in a lecture hall. Similarly, the teacher librarian must select digital tools to use that match the purpose and audience of the lesson. Students must be taught how to use and interact with the resources (physical or digital) to their advantage, develop their lifelong learning skills by learning to select the appropriate tool for the job.

The flipped classroom is a concept many teachers are becoming intimately acquainted with during home learning in 2021. Classes have been forced online and teachers and students both have had to learn quickly how to use the available tools. There have been some stumbling blocks that very few predicted in terms of equity of access even in affluent areas. Motivation in an online environment has been very difficult for some students (and some teachers, no doubt). A key feature of my own kids’ experience is that their lack of literacy (they are 4 and 6) prevents their accessing much of the content their teachers provide and so they have needed almost constant guidance and assistance. I have observed online classes in several grades and several different teachers in two different schools and a clear observation is that those teachers who have taken the time to teach the students how to use the tools and technology (both practically and in terms of etiquette) have had a more successful outcome. Presenting content in a 5 minute video and then following up in a Zoom class (a flipped classroom model as described by Teachings in Education (2017) and Earp (2016)) seems an effective strategy for these students. Yet there is still a group of students who do not engage at all. For some, time outside the classroom is not for school work. There are other commitments they attend to even in non-covid times. One of the considerations for implementing a flipped classroom that teachers and teacher librarians alike need to consider is whether it is likely the target student audience will or should engage outside of class time.

When thinking about providing library services, it seems to me that teacher librarians should keep the above in mind. Some students will want to engage in learning and need access to resources outside of when they are actually in the library. Some will not. Some will be able to read and learn from a screen. Others prefer print copies. Providing a mixture of both approaches allows the teacher librarian to meet the learning needs of students in both situations. Similarly, in order for students to be able to access resources and learning from the library program, teacher librarians must teach them how to access, use and apply the available tools.

Earp, J. (2016, February 3). Homework culture key to flipped learning success. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/homework-culture-key-to-flipped-learning-success

Teachings in Education. (2017, June 20). Flipped classroom model: Why, how and overview [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BCIxikOq73Q