Month: March 2021

Reflecting on an Information Agency

As the links for the 2020 virtual study session site did not work I chose to reflect briefly on a site from the 2019 physical study visit – the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences within the Powerhouse Museum.

 

In terms of finding information about its users, the website was incredibly vague and the information difficult to find. There was no concrete information about the users of the museum, although assumptions can be made based on the purpose of the museum, its location and the information within it. One would assume that as an educational institute, with content ranging from smaller children to adults that the museum has no specific ‘targeted’ users, it is a general public use information agency that is conducive to a learning and interesting experience for small children right through to adults. I feel that there is more information relating to the users of the museum but they may not necessarily wish to display it to the public, although these are definitely areas of inquiry for myself if I were to conduct an investigation of the site.

 

The information about the agency itself was far more abundant and easy to find. The services provided by the museum, its origins and the types of information it has on display can all be learned about in great detail, in a relatively user-friendly website experience. This certainly aligns with my expectations of the agency as an educational and informative space, designed to pique interest and answer questions specifically related to the fields of arts and science with the current displays. Again, if I were to investigate the site I would have far more questions about its users and how they connect with this information, particularly the younger users and what they get out of experiences at the museum.

Teacher Librarians as Leaders

My Experience & Understanding of Leadership

As a reasonably early career teacher having only taught for four years now, I haven’t had an overwhelming amount of leadership experience… I have been working at my current school now for just over two years in the teacher librarian role, however this role and my understanding of it has changed dramatically over the course of those two years.

 

First Impressions

Initially I was employed as a fresh face with the purpose of bringing more technology, life and enthusiasm into the school library, something that I was more than open to. I was not seen as a leader within the school, nor was the library space seen as a space from which to lead. My understanding of the role was as a supportive element of the school, one that principally  supported both students and teachers in teaching and learning and well-being. It was not necessarily a position from which to lead curriculum development or be a leading force for change and development within the school, particularly for someone with my lack of experience. For starters I was too scared to even speak in front of the school at assembly…

 

I approached a number of other TLs from the local area to gain some experience and expertise and to develop my knowledge and understanding of the role and what it meant to be an effective TL. In doing so I connected with some awesome TLs and received some amazing advice and experience to help me going forward. This advice not only shaped my initial practice in the library, but lead me to the course I am now more than halfway through completing. After just the first year of study and the shared knowledge I have gained from the TL networks I have now become a part of, my idea of who and what a TL is in a school environment has changed dramatically.

 

Beginning ETL504

Having developed my understanding of the role significantly over the course of two years, I now realise that the leadership potential and responsibility of the TL as a leader in the school is massive. In my first year I was operating in the library under the then Head Teacher of Admin, a very capable teacher but someone who was even less aware of library processes and the value of the school library than myself.  I was still settling into the role and finding my feet, but this supervision, along with the lack of value given to the school library by other more senior leaders and members of the executive team, severely limited my ability to operate as a leader within the school.

 

Going into ETL504 in Semester 1 of 2021, I have now completed 5 units of the course, including ETL401 and ETL501, and my ability to lead from the library has already seen vast improvement. I have managed to lead a number of programs coming out of the library to do with reading in Stage 4, information literacy development in classrooms, research lessons and resource development for EAL/D students and the development of student voice in the library and across the school, all things that I would never have thought possible when first starting in the role. I also have a greater understand of how well positioned the TL is in a school to lead curriculum development, support staff in the implementation of school-wide programs and operate as a force for driving change.

 

However, whilst I feel I have personally made leaps and bounds since the beginning of the course, there is still a long way to go! My understanding of leadership as a concept and the underpinnings of good leadership, particularly in a school environment, are still very basic. Although I have completed a number of personal goals to lead programs and teams, I strongly believe my library still has a long way to go to be seen as a place of leadership within the school and for myself to be seen as one of the leaders. Over the course of this unit I hope to extend my knowledge and use key leadership theories and principles to extend myself as a leader within the school, leading alongside senior executives and other key leaders to change perceptions around the library and myself and begin working as a leading force for driving change within our school.

 

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