ETL401 - Information Literacy

I had always thought that information literacy was just library literacy; knowing how to find information, figuring out if it was good and using it well in assignments. I never realised just how important and all encompassing it could be.

Prior to starting this module I had written a proposal for implanting an information literacy programme in my school. It looks a little something like this.

INFORMATION LITERACY PROGRAM

Purpose: To explicitly teach students critical thinking and evaluative research skills.

Goals:

For every student in the school to be critical and evaluative researchers.

For every student to know the steps of the research process and use them effectively.

For every student to use the library at school, the Internet and other libraries more effectively to help them with their work.

For every student to question and evaluate their sources.

To eradicate plagiarism in the school.

What has been done so far?

·          Each year, Year 10 completes the “All my own work” programme at the end of the year.

·          Each Year 7 LES class has had one lesson in the library to talk about research processes.

·          I have worked with Kim to develop a research scaffold for a Year 12 Studies of Religion assessment.

What needs to be done?

·          Each year group needs to be taught about information literacy, maybe in a one hour lecture during PC.

·          For each assessment in the school the TL needs to work with the writer of that assessment to develop a research scaffold for students to complete that assessment.

·          Establish an acronym to help students remember key points about information literacy. (POCAMRU)

·          To encourage students to use a variety of digital media.

·          To make digital media more prominent in the school.

Key components:

-          Digital literacy: Do students know how to use their computers, digital resources in the library and the Internet to their fullest potential?

-          Information literacy: Do students question the accuracy and reliability of the information they find? Do they know where to find the best information? Do students know how to annotate texts?

-          Anti-plagiarism: Do students know how to summarise? Do they know how to quote sources correctly? Do they know how to reference?

But after reading the module I think I have so many things to add.

Information literacy truly is an all encompassing thing. It will instill in students the ability to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. It is about accessing and organising information.

And really I think this is the core of the librarian’s work.

ETL504 - Decision Making and Problem Solving

            I am interested in how decision making and problem solving occurs in a school, and especially the role of a TL in such a process. In our school at present much of the decision making happens at the top, with teachers being told that this or that will happen without any say in the matter. What happens in this process then is a lack of ownership of the decisions by the majority of staff and the lack of implementation of any solutions by them.

            What I wonder is if this would change if decision making and problem solving was lead from the middle. What if concerns were raised by teachers, taken to a middle manager, the TL maybe, and then passed on to the executive? The reading by Harvey (2001) and the subject notes indicates that the more consultation the better the outcome. They also suggest though that in different circumstances different approaches are needed.

            The main point that stuck out to me was that implementing a decision is often more difficult than deciding what to do. And that takes me back to my first point. Everyone needs to be involved in the decision making process in order for the solutions to be viable.

Teacher Librarian as Leader

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

Not just because it is one of the units I am doing, or because it keeps coming up in just about every reading for every subject we do, but because we are now at the end of Term One 2011. I am now at the end of my first term as a TL. And I feel like I have little to nothing to show for it.

So far the only things I have done seem to be cosmetic. Some new displays, lanterns and  the rearrangement of furniture. (That actually is one benefit, every day I have to rearrange the furniture after some teacher or another has mussed it up. In itself though it is a problem. The library is seen as just a physical space, a place for large gatherings or wet weather activities.)

In one week I will go for an update meeting with my Principal. Convened by me, for the purposes of discussing what I'd actually like to do in the library, the lasting impression I would like to make.

Number one on the agenda is a library website. And if I get nothing else that is my one desperate wish.
Then there is a creative writing programme.
And specific assessment workshops for different grades.
And a gifted and talented programme.
And an information literacy programme for every grade.

That's probably enough for now.
This whole TL as leader thing has got me thinking,
I know I'm a leader
But does anyone else in the school know it?

TLs and assessment

I am finding the assignments we are being given for this Masters to be very stressful. I am never quite sure what I am being asked to do or why they take the form they do. It would be a lot easier if they were more straightforward, if the steps to be taken were clearly outlined or the texts we were supposed to use were easily accessible.

For example in ETL401 we need to respond to two articles. Well, not both of them are articles and neither is easily identifiable. There are two Herring articles in the resources section of interact and you have to go on a wild goose chase to find the Purcell article. As for the bit about standards, it would be easier if they just put the standards we were allowed to choose from on the subject outline or a link to them at least.

And then there is the group assignment for ETL504. I am in two minds about this. I have really enjoyed talking to other people about the work. It helps to clarify it. But we are doing an online course. Using digital technology to meet is not easy. It doesn’t help that I don’t really know what the assignment wants me to do either. Apparently we are making a pitch to a journal for a proposed article that will never get researched. We can only write a few sentences per slide on a powerpoint and we are supposed to be analytical and respond to the readings. It is kind of like the assignment for EER500, but that was easier as we actually got to write the proposal rather than just pitch it.

Even with the forums and the lecturers’ advice this is all too complicated.

My conclusion therefore is that Teacher Librarians or those that teach teacher librarians cannot write good assessments.

ETL401 - The TL and the curriculum

            It seems fitting that education is moving toward an emphasis on the student as learner. The idea of constructivist learning, where the student leads their own inquiry based on a teacher provided model or scaffold is a good one. When they get out into the big wide world students will be able to be functioning members of the workforce, monitoring their own productivity and work through the company vision.

            It is also good then that inquiry-based and project-based learning are also coming to the fore. And it is within this realm I believe the TL has the most influence.

            Two years ago the school I am currently working at tried the whole project based learning thing. And it did not go very well. Some committee had decided that it was time for us to do it as it was a new trend but no real thought had gone into the process of setting it up. Students were supposed to learn first how to work in groups and then complete a project together. They did both but not in any deep way. There was little choice for students and next to no instruction in information literacy.

            Now we are currently being educated in the NSW Quality Teaching Framework. And the introduction of this model has been far more effective. At first it was quite daunting, as part of the process for us is having our peers view and review our lessons. What it does do though, is really make you think about your teaching, and more importantly about your students’ learning. Within the framework there is a real emphasis on making the learning more relevant to the students, connecting it more deeply to themselves as learners.

            If we remember all the hats that a TL is supposed to wear then it is important that they become involved in the planning of learning in the school. This is both for units of work and assessment. I would love it if every year I could have 20 minutes with each class in each subject to show them how they can use their library more effectively. But teachers are loathe to give up their time.

            If I knew every unit and assessment going on in the school I would be better able to select and acquire resources that students might actually need and use. I would also be better able to help them when they asked.

            Students in my school barely use the library for their assessments unless they are directed to by their teachers – most think a google search and anything they find on Wikipedia is enough. I am trying to change this but it is going to take time.

ETL504 - Quality Management

At the moment I am struggling to fit the quality management principles in with the view of the library and teacher librarian that I have developed through study in other subjects and even in this one.

At the moment I see the TL as a leader in the school being part of information literacy across the curriculum. The idea that the library should be the ‘learning hub’ of the school has been heavily promoted and is one that I agree with. The idea of quality management though, does not seem to fit in with this. It suggests to me that the library should again be isolated with weak links outside itself.

I can see the library working within a system, and the need for it to work to support the system and its goals, but I just can’t see how this might be achieved.

The Streeton Primary School “12 Quality Principles” (2000) does somewhat shed some light on quality management in education for me. I understand that it is important for there to be quality management within education, that education is the product and students (and their parents) are the clients. What I still don’t get though is how the library fits in to all of this.

I can create quality management within the library but how can I spread this throughout the whole school?

ETL401 - The role of the teacher librarian

It is obvious from the readings that it is hard, perhaps even impossible, to create a role description for a teacher librarian. This is due to the many roles that a teacher librarian can undertake –

leader

information specialist

teacher

instructional partner

program administrator

collaborator

teacher leader

technologist

librarian

information services manager

information literacy leader

curriculum leader

website developer

budget manager

staff manager

fiction and non-fiction advocate

And that’s only out of three readings!

The key idea that keeps popping up is that of collaboration. TL’s need to work with and support everyone in the school community. Everything they do in the library needs to be transparent and reflect the needs and values of the school community. As Herring states “teacher librarians must take a proactive role in influencing the development and innovations in schools” p. 4.

The problem for the TL is deciding which role is most important, and how to allocate their time effectively. The juggling of educational roles and administrative roles seems difficult to balance. Both roles are equally valid and even where a TL has support staff the decisions and responsibility for the administration side of things ultimately resides with them.

With so many roles to fill it seems as though the TL is often overlooked when it comes to leaders within the school. Most teachers seem to view the TL as being in their domain, called upon when necessary but ultimately outside the teaching and learning practices. It seems hard for TL’s to break out of this mould and prove themselves to be vital leaders within the school context.

I still don’t know how I feel about this myself. We are almost finished one term and I feel that most of what I have done in the school library has been administrative and cosmetic.

I have not created any programs to improve student learning or put in any policies to support information literacy in the school. And truthfully I don’t really know how I would going about doing this either.

One thing that did interest me from the module notes was the fact that “there is often a call for research evidence…[and] this is where our profession needs to build its expertise.” This is something I think I would be good at and something I would like to do in the future.

ETL504 - Organisational Theory

Organisational theory – how is a school like an organisation?

I’m not sure that I totally ‘get’ organisational theory. The reading we had to do for this was by Bennett and he pretty much just threw you on into it without really explaining what organisational theory is.

So this is my understanding – all organisations can be characterised by what they do, how they do it and why they do it. And within that are the individuals who do the things. Organisations should be fluid and dynamic entities (usually) that respond to and reflect both internal and external culture.

The culture within an organisation is very important. It dictates the values and ideals of an organisation as well as the way things are done. Often it also defines the power relationships. I guess it is a lot like teaching, in that, students need to know why they are doing something before they can be bothered to do it. If there is no structure, no drive and no one in a position of power pushing them then no work gets done. This is also true of a school as a whole – there needs to be some driving vision and leader that motivates the work that gets done.

As for the whole power thing in organisational theory, I still don’t get that, but maybe that’s because I don’t have any.

I tried to complete the three dimensions of organisational operation diagram on p.119, but only about half of it makes sense to me.

ETL504 - Introduction

Introduction to TL as leader

The module notes suggested that much of what we would be doing in this subject would be based on leadership principles in general rather than applying directly to TLs and their day to day work. And while, after a flick through the first few readings, this does seem true enough, the introductory reading by Donham seems to be the most clear, relevant and important. I feel like if there is nothing else I read for this subject, at least I read the Donham article.

I have adopted a new approach when it comes to reading articles and readings for uni. I used to just highlight on the text and right notes next to what I had written. This was good when I knew that I would be using the text straight after and would know exactly where everything I wanted was. However, now that the texts I have to read are 20 pages or more I find this no longer works for me. What I read at the beginning I have forgotten by the end. So now I do things a bit differently. As I read I still highlight and write notes next the highlighting, but now I also write notes in a separate book and on the cover of the article. These are specific notes, quotes that I think will be useful and the pages they come from.

So for the Donham article a few different things stuck out to me.

“Leaders know and respect the limits of their circles of influence” p.296.

“A library media specialist leads more often through influence” p.299.

And most importantly

SAY And DO!

What is the TL’s main role – teacher or librarian?

The reading in topic six suggested that this is an age old question on par with the likes of the chicken and the egg. It offered the solution that a TL is an educator, and that this term can encompass both aspects of the role.

However, I think there is more to the TL role than the two word title suggests. A TL is a critic, manager, counselor, facilitator, buyer, arbiter, teacher and librarian.

Is there a reason that teacher comes first in the title? Is it because you can only have TL’s in schools? Having worked as a teacher and now as a TL it is obvious to me that the roles are different. Very different in fact. But I still think of myself as a teacher and still do many things related to teaching. As a TL I offer my sevices up to students as an editor or a sounding board. I am encouraging all students to seek me out for help with assignments, not just in finding the information but also putting it together. Maybe that is just the English teacher in me, but as a TL I have more time to do it.

I think that the idea of a facilitator fits the TL better than educator. Because yes a TL educates but it is in a different way. Something about leading a horse to water…and showing it its source so that it can find it again later.

Students come up and ask me ‘why aren’t you teaching anymore miss?’ and I always respond that I am. Not only because I still have one class, but because I feel like I am leading the information literacy in the school.

ETL401 - Topic Six

Management implications

As part of topic six we had to consider time management and the management of others.

Time management is something I think I can handle. I totally get the “Effective time management for teachers” idea of three time zones. That is, structured time, unstructured work time and personal life. Ever since I started teaching in 2008 I have had this thing where I won’t take work home unless I really really have to. Usually the only work I do at home is report writing for students. And once I had to mark 180 year 7 Religion assignments so some of that had to be done at home too. The reason I don’t have to take anything home is because I get most of it done at school. And that is not to say that I am great at structuring my unstructured work time, I have become an excellent procrastinator, it’s just that when I know something has to be done I just do it.

I think the best thing to do is just complete each task as it arises. This is especially important with marking. I would rather spend half a day doing nothing but marking rather than taking a week in shorter time frames.

All this said I have found time management in the library different from time management as a teacher. With more time on my hands I find I procrastinate more. I’m finding it hard to delegate because I don’t want the library technicians doing all the work when I am not doing much at all. I think this will iron itself over time.

As for people management – as the readings suggest this is much harder and much more daunting.

Gilman’s text has validated a lot of what I feel I have been doing in the library so far this year. With the other library staff we created a roster of what needs to be done and when. We are also working on developing a new library policy together as well. When I go to buy something I seek their opinion and we deal with issues that arise together. It helps that they are lovely and want me to succeed in my new role. I feel like this open approach is also being extended to the students. The idea of “individual research-education consultations” really stuck out to me. I feel that I have opened the library up and made the librarian available to students for help on individual projects. Students come to me for help with assignments, editing and so on, as well as to be directed to research material.

But I don’t feel confident in the conflict resolution arena yet. I understand that differences of opinion can occur and that sometimes this can be good, but it is the not so good ones that I worry about. The problem is that I feel my age and inexperience will be used against me.

ETL504 - The Text: Introduction and Scenarios

The introduction of the text confused me as to what the management role of a librarian might be. It seems to me that the idea of management is an implicit part of what a librarian does. I am surprised that the ethical and moral nature of the job needs to be spelled out. This is especially interesting in an educational context. At the moment it feels like the library is a separate domain in the school. I think there needs to be more integration. As a new teacher librarian I feel I have so much more responsibility but none of the recognition for it.

I found most of the scenarios overwhelming. How do we know what things are going to look like in the future? We can have a sense of where they might be heading but to assume that libraries won’t exist, or that technology is going to take over, are quite broad generalisations.

The thing that struck me most when reading the scenarios is the idea that “the service aspect of libraries needs to dominate and drive the debate and development of library paradigms with the underlying and imperative factor of human connectedness” (p153). Where, if not in libraries, are learners going to develop information literacy. It is important then, that library managers (for want of a better term) are skilled in this themselves. Not everyone works happily with ICT, librarians need to facilitate these skills. A computer cannot teach you computer skills unless you have the skills to use it in the first place.

This leads into what everyone has been saying about children/students and ICT. You cannot just assume they know how to use it properly because they are on their mobile or ipod all the time. I find that students are not discerning when it comes to information they find online. Most figure that a google search is enough for an assignment. They may know how to use technology well for social purposes but they are out of their depth when it comes to anything academic.