I found this subject more confronting than I expected. I have struggled with leaders in the past and found it difficult to relate much of the theory to the leaders I have worked under. I was often, however, able to look at the actions of colleagues who were not technically recognised as leaders and identify the type of leadership they showed. I was also surprised at the level of leadership I could prove I had shown although I do not think I fit neatly into one style of leadership as such and should, perhaps, focus on refining my style in the future.
I found the group tasks very interesting. There were clear leaders in the group which is not a criticism of the leaders or the followers. There is a time to lead and a time to follow and I think our group did an excellent job of balancing that. No one tried to out shine anyone else but someone always knew when to step in and take charge.
We interacted well together but it was not in real time which is what I was expecting like in a google docs setting where we would collaborate on the document. Instead, and perhaps more realistically in hindsight, we left messages when we could. In some ways I found this positive as you could digest the thoughts of others before commenting, where as in a real time interaction you can be more focused on sharing your ideas than actually hearing others. I discovered the benefits of collaborating at a slower speed. This process could be the technique I need to use to encourage colleagues to become more involved in collaborations with the library.
Decisions were made about what to include and everyone was always professional. I submitted a plan to one of the case studies that was left out but it was not done in a way that made me feel like I had done the wrong thing it simply didn’t fit with the group response and was probably more an ‘at the coal face idea’ than an answer to the question anyway.
I was able to learn from my group mates and from the other students in the course. Sometimes they elaborated on ideas I had had but dismissed as too this or that but they presented them more rounded out in a way I hadn’t considered. I was exposed to issues I had not thought of and could see the logic in their reasoning. I also disagreed with some posts but they still gave me a wider understanding of the issues we were facing.
During my research I found an article that I feel I will carry with me going forward. It could be a coincidence that it was one of the last articles I read or it could be that the rest of the course has opened my mind to the messages it contained. Making your school library essential An advocacy guide for teacher librarians (Gordon, 2017) may well become my bible going forward. I feel the need to champion my library and make it a valuable resource for all students and staff. This article was a call to arms almost and has picked me up when I was starting to doubt my ability.
References
Gordon, C. A., Making your school library essential : An Advocacy Guide for Teacher-Librarians. Synergy. 15(1), 2017. Retrieved from https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=217206;res=AEIPT