Protected: Part B – Reflection
categories: ETL504 - Teacher Librarian as a Leader
Archive of ‘ETL504 – Teacher Librarian as a Leader’ category
Case Study 6 Reflection
categories: ETL504 - Teacher Librarian as a Leader
Sunday marked the final time that we would engage with our group for the case studies. The task was to discuss this week’s topic in our group space and then post our individual responses into the Module 6 forum. Perhaps not surprisingly, there was no discussion around the case study within our group wiki or blog space, with the group members choosing instead to post directly to the forum.
Upon reflection of our group participation this session, I realise that there did not appear to be any really strong personalities within our group and there was no clear leader within the group. Perhaps, in some ways, we employed a distributed leadership model, but overall, I feel that as a group, we lacked motivation which resulted in almost no discussions around our case studies. Unfortunately, our wiki space became merely a place in which to dump our responses, after which a self-designated member would collate these and pop them onto the module forum. As I had never used a wiki space, this is probably one of the things I was most looking forward to. I was really keen to see how these could be used to facilitate group learning. I do wonder if we were all new to this type of collaborative work and whether this could have impacted the way in which we worked in this space.
While as a group we have not discussed our perceptions of how our group worked together, I am keen to read my fellow group members final blog posts to learn how they felt about the process, and if their thoughts were similar or different to my own. I believe that it could have been a much more meaningful experience if our group members were to engage more fully. However, while my initial response was to feel frustrated, I did come to appreciate that everyone has different time constraints, ways of approaching tasks, experience in these types of learning environments and motivation to participate. I myself am guilty of not initiating conversations to get to know my group better, something I wish I had done.
While this experience was not what I hoped it would be, it was an opportunity to grow my knowledge of leadership styles, interact more closely with my peers, and try my hand at being a leader.
There’s no I in team…or is there?
categories: ETL504 - Teacher Librarian as a Leader
Aaaah, those two dreaded words that no conscientious student wants to hear…group work. While for some people, group work is an easy ticket to get to the other side, for others, it can be a cause of stress and frustration. While the availability of digital tools such as wikis should, in theory, enhance the ability for everyone to contribute equally, it still relies on each individual to have the motivation and inclination to do so.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my experience of online group work has not been as engaging as I had hoped, and instead of being a wonderful opportunity to genuinely connect and grow with other students in my class, I have found it quite cumbersome. Despite that fact that it has not afforded me the opportunity to bounce ideas off my peers in the way that I would have liked, I have found it a useful way to reflect on what leadership skills I possess and where I need to go from here.
For case study 4, I took on the role of of collator, however in hindsight, in ended up being more of a facilitator role. As someone who values communication, I drew heavily on this trait throughout the process. It was my plan that by doing this, I would be drawing on a democratic leadership style whereby all group members had an equal opportunity to contribute their thoughts and ideas. While Cherry (2019) suggests that democratic leadership can lead to better ideas and more creative solutions, she also warns that it can lead to communication failures and uncompleted projects. While we did complete and submit the case study and there was ample opportunity to contribute and discuss, the quality of the work itself was poor and as a group, we didn’t communicate as effectively as we could have.
In addition to the lack of communication between our group members, we once again had one member that did not contribute. I must admit, that if we were engaging in face-to-face group work, I would have drawn on some transactional leadership strategies and brought delicious snacks and coffee as a way to coerce our non-contributing group member to the party, but alas, this is one clear disadvantage of engaging in group work with individuals that you don’t know. Next week, I plan to take a step back and provide my peers with the opportunity to set up the wiki space and discussions. Though this will be a challenge for me, the art of listening to others is a critical leadership skill and one that I need to work on.
References
Cherry, K. (2019). The democratic style of leadership. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-democratic-leadership-2795315
Managing group tasks
categories: ETL504 - Teacher Librarian as a Leader
Last week, we submitted our first group task for Case Study 3. This task provided us as students with the opportunity to work as part of a group in order to achieve the goal of submitting our collective thoughts about Case Study 3. Given that we were juggling this with our first assignment, I was anxious to complete this task so I could direct my energies into the assignment so I kicked things off in our group. I’m not a natural leader so this was challenging for me. I was quickly aided by another member who volunteered to collate the first task, which I felt grateful for.
Something that was obvious from the get-go was that there was quite a difference in the way that we all work. While several of the group were keen to thrash out a plan of attack and get things moving, others were less inclined to do so and took longer to contribute. One member did not contribute until after our group response had been submitted and if I am completely honest, I felt that it was unfair that this student had their name listed first in our group of contributors, given that they if fact, had not contributed to the task. Nevertheless, the rest of the group worked well together.
For the next case study, I have volunteered to collate the group response and I am hopeful that the people who were least active in our group last time might have more input moving forward. As someone who does not like conflict, but also believes in teamwork and equal contribution, I am hoping that for the sake of our group, there is greater input from all members.
One thing that I have enjoyed doing through this task is using the Wiki as a collaborative work space. I have never done this before and I can see definite value in this as a way of communicating between members in an organisation.
The evolving role of the TL – from keeper and stamper of the books to…
categories: ETL504 - Teacher Librarian as a Leader
Current Feels…image source: Pixabay
One of the things I find fascinating about studying my MedTL is the stark contrast between the subjects and topics I am engaging with. I experienced it last semester and I find myself in a similar situation this semester given the combination of subjects I have enrolled in. On any given day I can be learning about anything from metadata and cataloguing to exploring how the TL can work in a leadership capacity. It is a constant reminder of just how complex the role of a TL really is. At this stage of ETL504, it would be remiss of me not to admit to being completely overwhelmed by the leadership aspects of this role. Coming from small schools with small libraries, I have found it difficult to relate to the case studies presented so far. Despite this, when paired with the literature, I am beginning to understand why the TL would need to have a firm understanding of leadership principles in order to effectively run an effective library which effectively serves it’s school community.
What skills, strategies and leadership styles must the modern librarian employ in order to be a forward thinking and innovative contributor to their environment?
From what I have read so far, and that is what I am basing this on as I have no leadership experience, my understanding is that the best leaders adopt strategies from a variety of leadership styles. Smith (2016, p. 75) suggests that using an integrated model of leadership which draws upon a variety of leadership styles allows a leader to develop strong relationships, which he argues is the basis of strong leadership. This argument is supported by Moir, Hattie and Jansen (2014, p. 5) who’s studies show that secondary teachers see relational qualities such as trust, respect and effective communication as essential in effective leaders.
Several weeks ago, I would not have understood how this could relate to the role of the TL. However, I now understand that libraries are not always the small spaces with two part-time staff that I am accustomed to. A school librarian will often be managing a team of staff who work undertake a multitude of tasks. They are also providing services to teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as students. This therefore requires a far more complex skill set from that of ‘stamper and keeper of books’. TLs are, in their own right, leaders within the school and while I know I have much more to learn, of this fact, I am sure.
References
Moir, S., Hattie, J. & Jansen, C. (2014). Teacher perspectives of ‘effective’ leadership in schools. Australian Educational Leader, 36(4), 36-40. Retrieved from http://www.minnisjournals.com.au/acel/
Smith, B. (2016). The role of leadership style in creating a great school. SELU Research Review Journal, 1(1), 65-78. Retrieved from https://selu.usask.ca/documents/research-and-publications/srrj/SRRJ-1-1-Smith.pdf
