Category: ETL401

In this unit, I have learnt that the role of the teacher librarians (TLs), information literacy and guided inquiry learning models are intertwined and each function separately but are also interrelated. In my earlier post, I mentioned that the role of TLs are not just ever-changing but continue to evolve (Ho, 2023, March 2), including the digital platform. However, the more I read into each module, the more I discover that the role of TLs are complex and much more than the list from the Australian School Library Association website (n.d.) and Merga’s (2020) research.

I previously did not know that I could seek to co-teach with another teacher and build the unit together as a team meeting the curriculum in the classroom. Likewise, I was unaware that TLs could work as a partner with school leaders and principals to plan the scope and sequence and integrate curriculum to improve students’ learning (Lupton, 2016). I believe that the TLs’ role is evolving with information literacy and we have to learn many different platforms and are required to have a broader understanding of the information landscape to cater effectively for the needs of each student (Ho, 2023, March 7).

Moreover, I did not know TLs were required to explore and attain in-depth knowledge such as Blockchain technology, which I had never heard of until I studied this unit. Now I understand that Blockchain technology is a technology that provides a secure platform to store and share academic records without any person distorting the information (Bhaskar et al., 2021). The composition of the digital information landscape was a place I never thought TLs needed to investigate for modes of delivery. I have learnt that the digital information landscape is composed of multiple artefacts, formats, and delivery modes.

I thought informational literacy was the ability to locate, organise, evaluate, use and communicate information in various formats, including digital literacy for problem-solving and decision-making skills (Ho, 2023, March 12).  After further exploration of the study modules, I realised that information literacy is being used in multiple disciplines and specific contexts. For example, religious literacy, critical literacy, visual literacy, network literacy, and so on. The more I research, the more I understand that the term literacy is based on personal experience, skill sets, knowledge and understanding.

I believe that the Inquiry learning model is the most effective way of teaching and learning for students in the 21st Century. It has student-centred instructions that focus on skills and practices encouraging problem-solving and utilising hands-on activities. I applied the 5E model framework for guided inquiry learning for my Science and Technology Unit of Work because this is the most effective way of teaching and learning for students to acquire skills through hands-on activities (Lupton, 2012). In this approach, students are stimulated to engage with and explore the topic by collaborating, doing hands-on experiments, and thinking deeper to explain their findings. Teachers and TLs will provide further stimulation for students to elaborate and extend their knowledge on the topic to gain deeper understanding. The final stage is to evaluate their newly learnt knowledge and provide feedback (Bybee, 2009).

In my next school, I will work towards advocating for the role of TLs and make others aware that the role of TLs are complex and crucial for the success of students as a holistic approach. TLs are not just residing in the school library and doing odd jobs (Lonsdale, 2003), but instead, TLs can support teachers to reduce their workload by contributing to the school community in various forms, to create a culture of reading and increase the academic success of each student (Merga & Mason, 2019).

References

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

Bhaskar, P., Tiwari, C. K., & Joshi, A. (2021). Blockchain in education management: present and future applications. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-07-2020-0102

Bybee, R. W. (2009). The BSCS 5E instructional model and 21st century skills. Colorado Springs, CO: BSCS, 1-24. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_073327.pdf

Lonsdale, M. (2003). Impact of school libraries on student achievement: a review of the research. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. https://research.acer.edu.au/tll_misc/23/

Lupton, M. (2012). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum. Access, 26(2), 12-18. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.193380

Lupton, M. (2016). Adding Value: Principals’ Perceptions of the Role of the Teacher-Librarian. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 49–59. https://doi.org/10.29173/slw6905

Merga, M. K., & Mason, S. (2019). Building a school reading culture: Teacher librarians’ perceptions of enabling and constraining factors. Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 173-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944119844544

Merga, M. (2020). School librarians as literacy educators within a complex role. Journal of Library Administration, 60(8), 889-908. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1820278

From my past teaching experience as a casual, I observed that there were many teachers using the Smartboard to deliver teaching programs, with students using iPads to complete their given activities as a way of meeting the ICT component of the curriculum. I believe all teachers have the best intention of embedding information literacy into their programs to meet the needs of the curriculum. Due to the increased curriculum requirements and administrative tasks of teachers, there is limited time to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the embedded information literacy programs. Especially in a small rural school, where there is only one teacher per stage or multiple stages, this will be left up to the individual teacher to ensure that information literacy is embedded effectively in the curriculum. I view teacher librarians’ (TL) roles as crucial for the success of meeting the information literacy component of the curriculum because they are experts in this field and act as a guard to cyber safety. They know the importance of using information appropriately. This is the TL’s primary role in ensuring teachers understand how to teach and embed information literacy in their program in a meaningful way and that students will be information competent. I agree with Bonanno (2011, p.5) that school libraries are still the vocal point for the school community.

Reference:

Bonanno, K. (2011). Opinion: Do School Libraries Make a Difference? Incite, 32(5), 5. https://search-informit-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/10.3316/ielapa.991125988314534

I believe the characteristics of digital information make it more effective for Teacher Librarians to communicate with students, parents, and classroom teachers. Teacher Librarians will now be viewed as the experts in this field and provide guidance to the school communities on how they can support students to become capable and responsible digital citizens.

For education, the one negative implication is that digital information is overloaded. There is far too much information on the internet space. It is difficult to summarise and reduce the content to produce an accurate account of a given topic. One positive implication is that students can search for information instantly at their fingertips. Information is readily available in seconds, making it easier to start writing on a topic.

Teacher Librarians are more important than before. We are there to provide students with strategies and teach them how to navigate this space and search for accurate information. This is a unique and irreplaceable role.

My early experiences of the role of a teacher librarian at school were through my observations when I worked as a casual. I noticed the teacher librarian usually stayed in the library, delivered lessons they had programmed, and assisted students with borrowing and returning books. With older grades, the teacher librarian assisted students in completing their Premiers Reading Challenge logs. The lessons were short, leaving no time for the teacher librarian to recommend or introduce new books. The classroom teacher was there only to drop off and pick up students for library lessons.

When I became an RFF for schools, my perception changed, and I realised that teacher librarians perform a wide array of other duties. They have to stock take and ensure there are books aligned with the curriculum for a variety of stages available for classroom teachers and students to borrow. Teacher librarians also need to coordinate school events such as Book Week Parade, Harmony Day and organise authors for school visits and book clubs. The teacher librarian at my previous school was allocated an hour to recommend books to classroom teachers during staff development. However, I did not notice collaboration, collegial discussion or consultation between teacher librarians and classroom teachers outside of staff development, as the teacher librarian mostly remains in the library.

I became interested in the study of Teacher Librarianship when I saw the urgent needs of students that required guidance on how to improve their literacy skills. I believe students should start with reading. Reading can enhance students’ vocabulary and creativity through reading widely and adopting different genres of writing (Marcos et al., 2020, pp.3 – 5). After I enrolled in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) and started to explore the readings, I realised that the role of teacher librarians is much more than what I understood. The role of teacher librarians is unique. They deal with information daily, promote cyber safety, manage various databases, and provide curriculum support to schools through collegial discussion, planning and programming with classroom teachers and even team teaching in the classroom. I believe they are irreplaceable, and it is crucial for students’ academic success to have qualified and competent teacher librarians (Newton, 2022, pp. 3-6).

I have witnessed schools do not utilise teacher librarians to their full potential. Teacher librarians should be included in every aspect of curriculum planning and programming, especially in implementing new literacy components. They should be viewed as experts and provide advice for print and online resources to support the development of students’ information literacy in this ever-changing digital world.

My goal is to become a teacher librarian to support all students’ academic achievement. I hope this course will support me in learning the tasks and duties of librarians and acquiring the skills and experience I will need to become a teacher librarian. I would like to build confidence, learn new ways to utilise technology and be creative to meet the demands and challenges of life, learning, and working in a digital society.

References:

Marcos, R. I. S., Fernández, V. L., González, M. T. D., & Phillips-Silver, J. (2020). Promoting children’s creative thinking through reading and writing in a cooperative learning classroom. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 36, 100663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100663

Newton, V. (2022). Teacher Librarians : literally irreplaceable. PETTA, 226, 1-8. https://csulibrary.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/delivery/61CSU_INST:61CSU/12148593730002357?lang=en&viewerServiceCode=AlmaViewer

I do not believe Teacher Librarians (TLs) are an endangered species. I believe the role of TLs is evolving and ever-changing in the digital world. The digital platform has created vast opportunities for TLs to move away from their perceived traditional roles to incorporate digital literacy and become sources of information technology knowledge. TLs are not limited to face-to-face and print literacy but can also support students worldwide. There are many platforms to support students in their needs. We might assist students via zoom, live chat, or media applications. I agree with Bonanno (2015, p.15) that the role of a Teacher Librarian is still crucial for students’ academic achievements.

Reference:

Bonanno, K. (2015). A profession at the tipping point (revisited). Access, 29(1), 14-21. https://kb.com.au/content/uploads/2015/03/profession-at-tipping-point2.pdf

I have two cats, which I adopted from the RSPCA. I love musicals and will be going to watch Wicked in August. I was an RFF teacher at various primary schools, delivering History and Geography programs. I firmly believe that children are our future, and it is crucial for me to gain and improve my knowledge and skills, supporting students in learning and growing into critical thinkers who have confidence in their abilities. I want to promote the love of reading to children, and becoming a teacher librarian is a gateway for me to reach this goal.

I am passionate about what I do and how I do it. I believe that with a passion for teaching, a teacher can deliver material with an enthusiastic attitude. Through this, students will feel my passion and be enthusiastic about learning. Being a good teacher is not an easy task and needs persistent work. It is a lifelong learning process. It is not only about my abilities and what I bring to the classroom as a teacher but about how teaching is rewarding through students succeeding and honouring your teaching.