January 2023 – smigi’s reflections

Part B- Reflective blog post

Reflection of Literature Across the Curriculum

When I embark the ETL 402 journey my knowledge about literary learning and literacy learning was very limited as mentioned in my blog (Siju, 2023, January 10 ) children’s literature and literacy learning. The subject modules gave me deeper insight about the significance of literary learning across the curriculum and the role of teacher librarian to motivate and engage students through literature by blending multiple literacies and literature response strategies. The tremendous change of children’s literature in which reading was an individual experience shifted to a sociable event as a result of easily available digital tools (Youngs, 2013) reminded me about the prefered choice of literature by children and young adults and inclusion of it in my library.

First assessment rational for fiction gave me an insight about the value of including fiction in the library collection for promoting literacy and ICT skills. Concerning issue of low literacy rates of Australia, the affirmative actions by (Billingsly, 2022, November 12) and (Buckley, 2022, November 13) in the discussion forum was very practical which I will apply in my future TL role. While the second assessment provided me awareness of opportunities of a TL to collaborate with class teachers to engage students with varied literature response strategies within a subject area. Collaborations with teachers in a team can produce the necessary environment for students to explore, engage, build, and learn in a digital landscape (Kuhlthau, 2010). Ultimately, efforts of a teacher librarian to improve access to books , information and new technology leads positive outcome for students (Tahmaseb, 2021).

The learning and insights which I gained through modules will help me to apply all the theories in to practical when I start my teacher librarianship. My increased knowledge about multiple literacies and literature response strategies will enable me to collaborate with teachers for meaningful, engaged positive learning experience for the students and also to develop their critical and creative thinking skills. Curriculum based responses shared in the discussion forums were valuable resources of planning and collaboration with teachers across the curriculum. My assessment two will help me to plan literary response strategies learned from modules and including variety of genres to promote reading levels in the school. My future library will have a place for picture books for secondary as realising the benefits of (Templeton, 2020) it for literary learning.

I am looking forward to spending more time exploring new information areas learned through this subject which will help me to motivate and promote literacy through quality literature by collaborating with teachers and including novel literature response strategies. It was an exciting journey about children’s and young adults literature ; applying strategies to develop skills, knowledge, critical and creative thinking of students by including ICT skills (AITSL, 2017) TL proves to be an inevitable part of every school to provide literary learning engagement.

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). Australian professional standards for teacher. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Billingsly, K. (2022, November 12). Affirmative action- examples of practice [Online discussion comment]. Interact2. Thread:1.2: Affirmative action – examples of practice

Buckley, K. (2022, November 13). Affirmative action- examples of practice. Interact2. Thread:1.2: Affirmative action – examples of practice

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2010). Guided Inquiry: School Libraries in the 21st Century. School Libraries Worldwide, 16(1), 1–12.

Siju, S. (2023, January 10). Children’s literature. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/smigi/2023/01/10/childrens-literature

Siju, S. (2023, January 10). Literary learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/smigi/2023/01/10/literary-learning/ ‎

Tahmaseb, R. B. (2021). The 21st century school library : a model for innovative teaching & learning. John Catt Educational, Limited.

Templeton, T. (2020). Picture perfect: The role of picture books in a secondary classroom.
Scan, 39 https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/media/documents/vol-39/39-6.pdf

Youngs, S. (2013). Children’s Literature in the Digital Age. https://www.academia.edu/70098797/Childrens_Literature_in_the_Digital_Age

Literary Learning

Literary learning

Literary learning was a novel term for me until I explored the module 6 in my subject literature across the curriculum. Traditionally literacy means to read, write and comprehend varied texts to be able to communicate and absorb knowledge efficiently which helps students to be active and informed citizens. However, in today’s technology-driven society, the term literacy has come to refer to the capacity to successfully transmit and absorb information through a multitude of means (Bales, 2019).

Trans literacy helps to be being literate in the twenty first century. It is not limited to one technology but places a greater emphasis on the social applications of technology, whatever that technology may be ( Newman, 2017 ).

For being multiliterate student need to be competent in visual, literary, digital and technical areas.

Visual literacy: It analyses the picture and conveys the meaning and purpose which helps to deliver information properly and efficiently.

Textual literacy: Textual literacy is the student’s ability to analyse, understand and evaluate what is comprehended from the narratives and communicate effectively in writing.

Digital literacy: Digital literacy helps to assess digital sources and identify the purpose, goal, and credibility of any article. It is an essential skill for students to develop because it helps them to differentiate true and fake news.

Technological literacy: A technologically literate student uses technology ethically, responsibly and correctly. It helps create awareness about digital safety, abide copy right rules while doing assignments and respect others ideas and perspectives (Bales, 2019).

As an information expert a teacher librarian (TL)must promote good information seeking behaviour by including digital literacy across the curriculum. TL should collaborate with teachers to assist teaching and learning through explicit and implicit behaviours. Implicit techniques include introduction of maker spaces in the library, integration of skills within curricular units, the provision of carefully chosen resources that assist learning and explicitly by direct training and evaluation of skills in activities (Templeton, 2021).

References

Bales, K. (2019, July 3). Mulitiple literacies: Definitions, types, and classroom strategies. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/multiple-literacies-types-classroom-strategies-4 177323 (https://www.thoughtco.com/multiple-literacies-types-classroom-strategies-4177323)

Ipri, T., & Newman, B. (2017). Beginner’s guide to transliteracy: Where did the term transliteracy come from? Libraries and Transliteracy. https://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/beginners-guide-to-transliter acy/ (https://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/beginners-guide-to-transliteracy/)

Templeton, T. (27 July, 2021b) Digital literacy and teacher librarian- Part Two. https://www.softlinkint.com/blog/digital-literacy-and-the-teacher-librarian-part-two/

Children’s literature

As a child, I was into books. I preferred the books which always started with once upon a time and ended with happily ever after. I also loved the fantasy world of Cinderella and Alice in the wonder land. All the fables which I read had a message or moral values which the elders expected us to be. The curriculum was not literary, the term which I learned through my subject literature across the curriculum; had stories for religious class which contained stories that focused more on character formation than critical literacy and deep literacy (Holliday, p. 148). When I analyse the difference of thirty-two years of children’s literature and the literacies students need to acquire to be successful in the 21^st century learners remind me the significance of the job of a teacher librarian in this digital world.

Children’s books are written for children by adults and impacted by what cultures believe about children and therefore evolve with the times so that books address topics which authors believe are crucial to them in the present world (Barone, 2010). There is tremendous change in children’s literature due to the impact of technological and digital advances of the society which results huge changes in printing area. The availability of digital tools and access to information have altered the themes and views in children’s literature.

While exploring the modules Pennac’s (2006) Reader’s Bill of Rights was an eye opening for me as a future librarian. Even as a mother I was promoting the books which I think brings academic success rather than my kid’s choices or considering as less valuable in their learning. Teacher librarian has a crucial role in the collection of physical and digital sources to represent the diverse needs of school and promote literary learning.

References

Barone, D. M. (2010). Children’s literature in the classroom: Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford Publications.

Sutton, R. (2009). Daniel Pennac: The Rights of the Reader. (Book review) [Review of Daniel Pennac: The Rights of the Reader. (Book review)]. The Horn Book Magazine, 85(3), 331–. The Horn Book, Inc.