ETL 504 The Teacher Librarian as Leader

So after an extended break I am back on track, studying again.  I am a little bit nervous but am also looking forward to it.  In this subject we are asked to critically reflect on our current views of leadership and the role of the teacher librarian  in schools.  Before I start module one I wanted to write a bit about how I currently view the leadership role.  It's probably easier if I write about what leadership is not because, honestly, most of my experience of leadership in schools has not been positive.  A leader should not become a leader for the attention and "glory".  They should not dictate what has to be done, or enforce change on others without discussion.  Leaders should show respect to all.  I think they need to be fairly amiable, and have the ability to get along with others. They need to be able to listen and take on criticism, using it for improvement.  I also think leaders, particularly in schools, have a responsibility to bring new ideas and experience to the school.  Leadership, in my opinion, can take on many different forms.  You can still be a leader without being right out there in the public eye.  A leader can and should motivate others and encourage change that leads to improvements in pedagogy and school procedures. 

Aha! Moment

Yes I've had my own little aha! moment. The lightbulb is flickering due to our essential reading "Introduction to guided Inquiry - What is it, what's new, why now?" Everything we've looked at so far is connected in this article: the roles of the TL; collaboration; leadership, constructivist learning; information literacy; curriculum; the information process etc. Guided Inquiry connects all this together and in my view should be the main instructional framework for all schools.
What challenges do I foresee in the implementation of such an approach? The main one is probably getting everyone on board - teachers, parents, students, executive. I think it would work best as a whole school approach but if that was not happening you could still make a difference with just a few classes and some teacher support. You are also going to get students who lack motivation, no matter what you throw at them but I think it would be great with the majority of students.

Inquiry Learning and PBL

I've started reading about inquiry learning, PBL, constructivism, and 21st century learning and what does this mean for us at TLs.

A few points that stand out:

• student centred/student lead


• higher order thinking


• implementation of technology


• collaboration


• 24/7 anywhere,anytime learning


• adapt, adopt, modify


• cyclic inquiry model


• intuitive, deep, conceptual knowledge


• knowledge is created by dynamic interaction with the learning environment


• lifelong learners


• strategies can be interwoven


• student generated questions


• technology


• motivation

Why is this important to TLs?

• related to the information process/info literacy


• show leadership by modelling constructivism strategies


• collaborate with teachers to embed in teaching/learning strategies


• promoted by various pedagogical initiatives


• to help students develop lifelong learning skills in an info-rich environment.

I think as TLs we need to consistently think "outside the box" and consider constructivist strategies whenever we are planning units of work or activities or collaborating with teachers.

Awesome Vodcast!

Watch this excellent vodcast by Mike Eisenberg on the role and image of the TL. He advocates for a "makeover" of the school library program to ensure the TL keeps their job. He has created a to-do list to help transform our image and programs and to transform how we are perceived and what we actually deliver. First on the to-do list is to GET AN ATTITUDE, second is to embrace the BRAND, the MISSION and the FUNCTION. I won't say any more but I would love to hear what other people think about what he has to say.

What People Don't Get About Working in a Library - The Atlantic

What People Don't Get About Working in a Library - The Atlantic

Click on the link to read. It seems like the majority of people, not just school communities, are ignorant about what really goes on in the library. Some major marketing of the profession as a whole is needed for this to change.

Assignment One

I am still unsure as to what two aspects of the role of the TL I shall use in my first assignment. I have read a range a articles and still cannot decide. Do I choose aspects of the role that I personally feel are important, or do I choose aspects for which there is a lot a literature available? I was considering that TLs need to be both a qualified "teacher" and a "librarian" and what these roles may involve. The teaching aspect is essential and the role of teacher also overlaps with the role of "instructional partner". Perhaps I have been considering this because I have been teaching for some time and I feel that this has a lot to do with defining who I am. I found myself reading a lot about the role of leader and what that may entail, but I also feel the role of information specialist is important. I'm not sure where I will go to from here. I think I will re-read the Herring and Purcell articles (again!) and hope something jumps out at me. I really want to be able to start writing something concrete down.

Show Me the Evidence!

Show Me The Evidence! (Mary Jo Langhorne 2005)

• There are various studies that show school library programs have a positive impact on student achievement.


• Evidence can be locally generated in a variety of ways.


• Data can be used to enhance budget requests. Budget requests need to be carefully correlated with building instructional goals. It helps to prepare the budget professionally with a spreadsheet. Base it on analysis of the data and include school curriculum and instructional goals.


• Use the data that is at your disposal now, not when cuts are being made.


• A great resource: School Libraries Work! (Scholastic) http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/slw3_2008.pdf


• It is up to us to recognise this as a golden opportunity to solicit support, be visible and gain ground.

My Thoughts: I saw this article as a call to action. We are told what sort of evidence we have at our disposal and practical ways that we can use it and share it with stakeholders. I felt a sense of urgency through the article - the time to act is NOW!

Leadership

Leadership seems to come up in just about every article to do with the role of TLs and there are even whole articles devoted to the topic. In a nutshell, TLs show leadership to students, staff and parents. They provide leadership as a teacher, as an information specialist, as an instructional partner, and as a program administrator. Importantly, they need to show leadership in advocating information literacy as an essential part of students' education and in making it a whole school focus. In my opinion, this is the most important leadership that a TL must show. All TLs know how necessary information literacy is in today's society. Now we've just got to get everyone else to realise it too.