There has been talk about the where teacher librarians are going and if there is a future for them which i must say has crossed my mind. Many schools do not have a TL and when they do teachers do not see the value of the resource that is at hand.
We need to highlight and advocate constantly to others what our role is and why we are so important to students and staff alike. This means that all TL's need to step up and as a learning TL I need to educate and advocate as well.
Online resources are changing the look of librarians but I feel that there is still a need for print materials and though reference materials do not need to a no touch zone. Students still need to learn how to guide themselves through books as well as the plethora of online resources that they able to access.
We are constantly using online resources for teacher guidance and students. After reading about evaluating online resources I realise that I do evaluate though I focused more on the Educational and Technical Criteria that Herring (2010) refers to and do not consider reliability as an issue. This is an important step and even though I may not find the perfect resource but these criteria will guide me to find the best fit for the criteria I have.
Monday, 25 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Evidence based Practice
I have to say after reading about EBP I am very uncertain. Some parts of the readings made sense to me but then the more detail i read the more the confusion spread. I understand the basic ideas but i feel i need to more readings relating to implementing EBP's and should probably look at Australian research as the term 'curriculum standards' i am unsure what is meant.
I can understand why it needs to be used but i find it hard at the moment to be able to fit this role of 'researcher' into all of the other roles i have learnt about. We need to prioritise the roles according to the school we are working in and the needs of the learning community.
When i am in a TL role i am sure that it will make more sense and i will be able to see the priority of the roles that i need to take.
I can understand why it needs to be used but i find it hard at the moment to be able to fit this role of 'researcher' into all of the other roles i have learnt about. We need to prioritise the roles according to the school we are working in and the needs of the learning community.
When i am in a TL role i am sure that it will make more sense and i will be able to see the priority of the roles that i need to take.
Role of Principals
I found the readings relating to Principals and the ways that Teacher Librarians are viewed eye opening. I, myself, did not see the Principal as influential but after starting in a new school this year I was looking at the role of the Principal different. At my previous school the Principal was hardly seen, always on trips and did not even have an educational background. My current school the Principal is an active member of the team and is always there for open discussions and support.
The differences between these two Principals is/was reflected in all aspects of the school, particularly the collaboration between staff and the library. The library at my previous school had an untrained librarian who was there half a day every day but the lessons were children borrowing and that was it. It was teacher initiated for the lesson to be anything different. Compare this to my current library and Teacher librarian and it is completely opposite. The TL is a constant at grade, team, committee and subject meetings. She is always able to guide you to where useful resources are and she is seen as a crucial part of the school community.
These readings certainly helped me to identify factors that have made me enjoy my new school environment and reflect on what it is that I can do to work towards to be a great TL!
The differences between these two Principals is/was reflected in all aspects of the school, particularly the collaboration between staff and the library. The library at my previous school had an untrained librarian who was there half a day every day but the lessons were children borrowing and that was it. It was teacher initiated for the lesson to be anything different. Compare this to my current library and Teacher librarian and it is completely opposite. The TL is a constant at grade, team, committee and subject meetings. She is always able to guide you to where useful resources are and she is seen as a crucial part of the school community.
These readings certainly helped me to identify factors that have made me enjoy my new school environment and reflect on what it is that I can do to work towards to be a great TL!
Friday, 15 July 2011
Role of TL
There are aspects of the role of TL's that are agreed by Purcell, Herring and Lamb and Johnson such as:
Lamb and Johnson do not discuss teaching as a role or highlight the importance of teaching information literacy skills as well as the organisational side of the school library as well as promoting the school library through book week, competitions, guest speakers and other events.
In all these readings i find it interesting that teaching students the way to critically look at written text, such as what the contents, index etc are and how we can use them, are not mentioned as students still need to learn these skills.
Herring highlighted the fact that the role is multifaceted and that it is ever changing according to the technology and pedagogies that are being used in the current environment.
My own understanding of the role as Teacher Librarian is evolving through the readings as I have only just started working in a school that has a trained Teacher Librarian in it and have been working with her in a variety of ways that link to my position. I am seeing more reasons as to why Teacher Librarians are a logical fit for Leadership positions due to the amount of knowledge relating to the school curriculum.
I wonder if i will be able to fulfil the expectations of being an excellent Teacher Librarian? I am only at the start of the journey and that is the ultimate goal.
- collaborating with teachers and school admin to form policies and procedures, develop learning activities relating to the curriculum
- integrating ICT and digital resources into the school library, evaluating resources, establishing a library that meets the needs of students, teachers and the school community relating to their interests and curriculum.
Lamb and Johnson do not discuss teaching as a role or highlight the importance of teaching information literacy skills as well as the organisational side of the school library as well as promoting the school library through book week, competitions, guest speakers and other events.
In all these readings i find it interesting that teaching students the way to critically look at written text, such as what the contents, index etc are and how we can use them, are not mentioned as students still need to learn these skills.
Herring highlighted the fact that the role is multifaceted and that it is ever changing according to the technology and pedagogies that are being used in the current environment.
My own understanding of the role as Teacher Librarian is evolving through the readings as I have only just started working in a school that has a trained Teacher Librarian in it and have been working with her in a variety of ways that link to my position. I am seeing more reasons as to why Teacher Librarians are a logical fit for Leadership positions due to the amount of knowledge relating to the school curriculum.
I wonder if i will be able to fulfil the expectations of being an excellent Teacher Librarian? I am only at the start of the journey and that is the ultimate goal.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Purcell Reading
I have started to read about what is the role of the Teacher Librarian is. It seems a daunting task when it is put in writing but i suppose if you were to identify all the roles of a classroom teacher it would be just as daunting. I agree that the roles are diverse and that technology and information literacy skills are a high priority though i also agree that promoting our profession is of high importance to dispel the stereotype of what a teacher librarian is and to highlight the fact that trained professionals need to be in the role to make it worthwhile to the whole school community.
Collaborating is of crucial importance but i feel that the issue of lack of classroom teacher involvement and collaboration has yet to be addressed for me. There are teachers that are resistant to change at times and who feel that their students are their concern. They may also feel that library time is a rest for them and that it is used to look for books not learn how to research, interpret, analyse and critically view resources. Maybe this will be discussed in further readings.
Collaborating is of crucial importance but i feel that the issue of lack of classroom teacher involvement and collaboration has yet to be addressed for me. There are teachers that are resistant to change at times and who feel that their students are their concern. They may also feel that library time is a rest for them and that it is used to look for books not learn how to research, interpret, analyse and critically view resources. Maybe this will be discussed in further readings.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Lets get started
So i have already had problems setting up a blog but i am hoping that it will work this time. I am unsure about using a blog as i have never used anything like it before and i am a little daunted at the thought of maintaining it throughout my Masters. I am sure with practice i will look back and think how silly i was.
I have started my first subjects and my eyes are opened more to what the role of the librarian is and how it is changing. It has changed alot from when i was at school and they used to read a book and help us borrow. It involves technology, collaboration and a wide set of skills.
I chose to do my Masters as i always liked the library and saw that there were often jobs advertised for teacher librarian. I feel that it is a specialised area that often goes unnoticed as schools are not forced to have trained staff. This is surprising in the surrent climate we are in.
I have started my first subjects and my eyes are opened more to what the role of the librarian is and how it is changing. It has changed alot from when i was at school and they used to read a book and help us borrow. It involves technology, collaboration and a wide set of skills.
I chose to do my Masters as i always liked the library and saw that there were often jobs advertised for teacher librarian. I feel that it is a specialised area that often goes unnoticed as schools are not forced to have trained staff. This is surprising in the surrent climate we are in.
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