Month: May 2022

Assessment 2 Part B: Final Reflections on Collections

At the beginning of this subject, ‘Resourcing the Curriculum,’ I was unsure what the subject content entailed. It has been challenging because I have never worked within a school context. Consequently, I never used the Australian Curriculum or any other curriculum relating to children’s formal learning. Therefore, I hadn’t anticipated how comprehensive the process of resourcing the curriculum could be.

As I complete my first session in this degree, I reflect upon how my perceptions of the role have changed from a few months ago. Referring to my first Thinkspace blog post for subject ETL 401, ‘Little Did I Know.’ (Gonye, 2022, March 20) I hadn’t considered the three specific aspects of the Teacher Librarian’s role according to the  Australian School Library Association (ASLA):

  • As a curriculum leader.
  • As an information specialist.
  • As an information manager.

This subject explored in detail many facets of the ‘curriculum leader’. As the Teacher Librarian is a qualified professional who supports the delivery of the curriculum. The Teacher Librarian is not the ‘custodian’ of the books and all knowledge housed within the library. The Teacher Librarian is responsible for curating a collection beyond printed books and journals and includes up-to-date digital materials such as eBooks, movies, websites, apps, music, and other resources accessible on the school network.

Referring to my blog entry titled, ‘My First Annotated Resource List’ (Gonye, 2022, April 26) I was able to research and compile a selection of ten resources relating directly to the Cross Curriculum Priority of Sustainability. The practical application of this first assessment gave me some insight into the depth and breadth of a school library collection.

As with the Annotated Bibliography for Assessment One, the school library collection as a whole needs to be presented as a balanced collection, this is achieved by reviewing the school’s context and acknowledging the needs of the learners in collaboration with other teachers to meet curriculum outcomes successfully.

Building and maintaining a balanced collection is not the same for each school. A one size fits all approach does not apply. The school philosophy, governing curriculum, teaching requirements and students’ learning needs must be considered.

As I read through the entries for Forum 6.1, ‘Editing a Collection Development Policy,’ (CDP), I was surprised to find that many students who worked in a school library could not locate or did not have a written CDP. Cassandra Wall (2022, May 5) pointed out that the obligations, expectations and responsibilities of the Teacher Librarian and the transparency of the library should be documented. Wall was preparing to draft a CDP in collaboration with the school principal and previous Teacher Librarian. Shauna Pollard (2022, May 6) also commented on the lack of CDP but has taken the opportunity to draft and develop a policy that will ‘bring the school library in question into the heart of the school’.

Lauren Halse (2022, May 6) noted that the school library she worked in has a CDP that needed updating to address digital content, selection criteria, selection aids, subscription management, licensing issues, budgeting, access to digital collections and the addition of STEM resources. Halse’s list was comprehensive, as a well-documented CDP should be.

I had never contemplated the CDP as a strategic document. However, according to Braxton (2018) it provides the Teacher Librarian with a blueprint of the vision and mission of the school library. It is a living document that outlines a plan for the Teacher Librarian to implement and manage a course of action for the library collection.

The information provided becomes the basis on which a CDP is written. It is a document that underpins the practices and decisions made concerning the library collection. According to Johnson (2009) the CDP is a multipurpose document that outlines details for planning, allocation of resources, and information for professional training and administration (p.73).

Valenza (2019) promotes using the CDP for strategic planning as it provides a criterion and evidence of how you follow and apply specific library practices. In addition, it relates directly to the school’s mission statement, vision and goals and articulates that the library is part of its overall strategic improvement plan.

It is a document that is made available to the public; it is to be referred to not just by the Teacher Librarian but made available to advise others about how the library and its collection are an integral part of the school’s learning culture. With informed, collaborative decision making as part of the review process for the CDP, the ability to future proof the school library collection will become part of the process of continual growth. Acknowledgment of the continual, rapid changes in the digital information landscape requires various resources to be available within the library. With the infinite expansion of electronic resources available such as eBooks, web-based information and online subscriptions, considerations must be made for accessibility, censorship and copyright restrictions.

In my blog post ‘Referencing Smartcopying for Music Related Copyright Clarification’ (Gonye, 2022, April 26) I was able to refer to the Smartcopy website as the authority for school copyright concerns. However, I was unaware that a specific site was developed for such situations. With these resources documented within the CDP, the Teacher Librarian can refer to the appropriate information when challenged with uncertain copyright protocol.

As the collection grows, it often is physically and digitally located in multiple areas. It is rare for the Twenty-first-century school library to house all of their collection under one roof. The amalgamation of all available resources needs to be viewed as one coherent collection that can be applied for current and future students’ varied learning methods, information seeking and reading for pleasure.

For the collection to flourish in the future, the CDP, as stated by Johnson (2009, p.72) dedicated planning will measure some degree of control over the future. Collaborative, ongoing reviews, assessment, evaluation and implementation of the collection will provide strong measures to safeguard the appropriateness and validity for future teaching and learning scenarios.

During my first semester of this degree, the challenge was conceptualising how I would resource the curriculum as a future Teacher Librarian.

I look forward to implementing my knowledge of collection development practically as a Teacher Librarian working collaboratively with teachers, executives, and other Teacher Librarians to enrich the school’s teaching and learning programs to meet the student population’s needs now and for many more years to come.

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2014). What is a Teacher Librarian? https://www.asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian

Braxton, B. (n.d). 500 Hats: The teacher librarian in the 21st Century. https://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/

Johnson, P. (2009). Fundamentals of collection development and management. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzI2Nzc1Nl9fQU41?sid=4d39e7f7-b706-462b-9424-fe228ffc284b@redis&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1

Valenza, J. (2019, December 31). The case for strategic planning. [Blog comment]. School Library Journal.    The case for strategic planning (slj.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment 3: Reflective Practice

In the beginning, there was an Early Childhood Teacher with a minimal understanding of the role of the Teacher Librarian within the school context. Therefore, when I decided to take on the challenge of this course, I had a limited view and looked only through the ‘literature lens’. I expected to become a literature expert teaching aspects of literacy through shared book experiences and teaching research skills related to non-fiction books.

The librarians (I had never referred to them as Teacher Librarians before this course!) managed the library space and resources. They taught classes across the school, often delivering lessons independently and with no relation to the curriculum context being taught in the classroom. As I reflect on my first ‘assessable blog post’, Little did I know… My understanding of the role of the Teacher Librarian (Gonye, 2022, March 10) I hadn’t anticipated that in a few short months, my understanding of the role and expectation of myself as a future Teacher Librarian would be defined in more detail than I ever imagined.

As the weeks progressed, the course material investigated various meanings of ‘information’ and ‘literacy’. These concepts were abstract ideas that needed further exploring and synthesising. In particular, the idea introduced in Module 2.1 Thinking about Information, The Data Knowledge Continuum (Wideman, 2008). I interpreted the information and devised a table with examples to explain clearly the progression from Chaos to Wisdom (Gonye, 2022, March 4). Then, according to the responses, I synthesised the concept for others to understand and apply to their teaching scenarios.

Next, I began to explore the notion of Information Literacy. As stated in my blog Reflections on Information Literacy, I had a basic understanding of the concept (Gonye, 2022, May 10). The breadth of Information Literacy is determined by the specific learning environment (context) and its function or purpose. Engaging in Information Literacy is a lifelong practice. Students can begin to make sense of information through Inquiry Learning experiences. With explicit guidance from the Teacher Librarian, they are taught how to navigate vast amounts of data by acquiring specific skills to clarify their research and investigations and learn how to interact with, connect with, respond to, and evaluate relevant information appropriately.

Before I started this subject, I was unaware of the many different Information Literacy and Inquiry Learning models. However, when I evaluated models for my unit of inquiry required for this assessment, I noticed many similarities between the models of The Big 6, The 5E model, Herring’s PLUS model, Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process and Kuhlthau’s Guided Inquiry Design Process. Each one has a clearly defined process that allows students to move through information and interpret it in various contexts.

As I examined many of the evidence-based information literacy models, starting with the Guided Inquiry Design (GID) model and the Information Search Process (ISP) as designed by  Kuhlthau, Maniotes and Caspari (2012). I connected with the notion of the research process being differentiated by thoughts (cognitive), feelings (affective), and actions (physical) features that the researcher will experience. This information literacy model gives the teachers and students a step-by-step process of breaking down the inquiry task and supports students’ challenges during the inquiry. This method identifies as a holistic approach to inquiry learning and research.

When I started to read more in-depth Module 3: The Role of the Teacher Librarian, the essential readings of Herring (2007), Lamb (2011), Purcell (2011) and Valenza (2010) highlighted varied aspects of this diverse role. When contributing to discussion 3.2, I noticed two succinct tables from Emma Peacock (Peacock, 2022, March 23) and Kathryn Westwood  (Westwood, 2022, March 26) listing the different views on the role of the Teacher Librarian. One of the apparent commonalities across the readings was that the Teacher Librarian teaches students across the whole school. Lupton (2014) stated that The Teacher Librarian is given a ‘bird’s-eye view’ of the curriculum’s implementation. With this unique perspective, the Teacher Librarian can become a valuable team member in students’ learning.

In a relatively short time, from writing one of my first blog entries, titled Baby Steps (Gonye, 2022, March 10)  to now, my understanding of the Teacher Librarian’s role has expanded beyond what I knew was possible. I now view the role through a ‘wider lens’. One in which my future self as a qualified Teacher Librarian can participate and lead inquiry, influence curriculum implementation and collaborate with other teachers and executives in delivering innovative and creative inquiry-based teaching and learning programs for students preparing to navigate and engage in an ever-changing information landscape.

References

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information. 27-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-876938-43-7.50002-8

Kuhlthau, C.C., Maniotes, L.K., & Caspari, A.C. (2012). Guided inquiry design: A framework for inquiry in your school.

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 55 (4), 27-36. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=d5663cfb-397a-4c73-9ea4-64fede4b2b2b%40redis

Lupton, M. (2014). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6: A birds-eye view. Access 28(4), 8-29. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=32ed772c-0428-4b25-97a4-d34e3702172a%40redis

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33 https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=82a8dbd5-c242-48d7-bc75-51eccc4ca051%40redis

Valenza, J. (2010, December 3). A revised manifesto. Never-ending Search. http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2010/12/03/a-revised-manifesto/

Wideman, R.M.(2008). The information hierarchy. [Powerpoint slides]. http://www.maxwideman.com/issacons/iac1013d/sld004.htm

Reflections on Information Literacy

What is Information Literacy?  It is hard to provide only one applicable definition. To me, it is more like an overarching concept. The concept describes the actions or steps an individual recognises and engages with to acquire information for a specific purpose. For example, you are reading a map to plan a road trip.

As I reflect on my first subject’s readings, I begin to clarify that not only is Information Literacy an integral component of a student being able to read and write, but it is so much more than that. Students need to navigate information and literacy to make meaning and become lifelong learners who can independently problem solve and apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.

The concept of Information Literacy is fluid as the Information Landscape changes constantly. As a future Teacher Librarian, I need to be confident and knowledgeable to teach students how to apply a set of skills and competencies that will support higher learning and future employment.

Inquiry Learning vs. Standardised Testing

Are the acquisition of Twenty-First Century skills and the focus on accountability mutually exclusive?

Can a teacher prepare their students for the Twenty-First-century workplace and instil a love of lifelong learning by ‘testing’ students in a traditional manner? Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered or implemented by individual teachers alone.

With an overcrowded curriculum and expectations from the community for teachers to get back to teaching the basics and proving positive results. Can this, in reality, be done?

Our current education environment expects our students to be able to implement mulitple skills that will make them future-ready for higher learning and employment. The skills of creative and critical thinking require independent reasoning. Information and communication technologies require understanding the ever-expanding information and technological landscapes. These skills can be taught effectively through inquiry-based learning. This learning approach allows the students to pose questions and explore in-depth curriculum content in relevant and engaging ways.

In theory, this is in contrast to the expectations of students learning in a more traditional results-driven environment, where students must reach critical literacy and numeracy goals. The results monitor students’ progress against a state (HSC) or a national measure (NAPLAN). With standardised testing often becoming the focus as its results are easily measurable and interpreted, especially by parents, higher learning institutions and the wider community. Teachers often find themselves ‘teaching the test’ using skills to answer the questions.

What issues might stand in the way of inquiry learning in school?

One issue that might stand in the way of implementing inquiry-based learning in schools is teachers not having experience, understanding or appropriate professional development to plan and scaffold their student’s inquiry learning journey. The importance and relevance of inquiry learning must be advocated for by the executive team, Teacher Librarian and experienced teachers to support other educators. It is often perceived that inquiry-based learning has minimum structure, and students are left to ‘explore’ topics on their own and consequently may lose focus or become discouraged with their learning. All inquiry learning models provide an instructional framework to support students’ information to knowledge journey.

What issues might stand in the way of collaboration between teachers and TLs to carry out inquiry learning?

The Teacher Librarian is in a unique position within any school. They have access to all students across all year groups and ability levels. They are teachers who can resource and implement general capabilities across all the Key Learning Areas in collaboration with classroom and subject-specific teachers. The TLs must advocate for students’ needs and the importance of teaching future-ready skills, not within the segregation of ‘library time’ but in collaboration during planning and implementation with other teachers.