The following is a critical synthesis of my reflections throughout the course of this subject ETL 401. From the outset this subject has challenged me. I had visions of engaging in academic debate on the forums, blogging regularly about my reflections and evaluations of the readings and conducting my own wider research in to the topics that interested me. Life, however, has a way of interfering. For the duration of this subject I have been on my final year internship as a primary teacher and the workload was immense. I attempted to keep up with forum discussions and participate when I could. This was easier in the beginning when I was still supervised at school. I read all the readings in my RFF time (during which my students were not colouring in at the library). My blogs however got left behind with my reflections becoming part of my internship evaluations instead. So the following is a synthesis of how this subject has changed my view of Teacher Librarianship.
The topic of the role of a TL was interesting in that it seemed to confirm my suspicions that TL’s and libraries were being under utilised in schools. On one of my professional experience placements the library time the students received was wasted. A teacher, not the librarian because she was on leave, would take the students and read a book. Any book. Then the students would complete an arty task or colouring in of some description that centred on what the book topic was about. At the conclusion they were sent back to me. I was not on RFF during that time and at no point was I encouraged to participate in these sessions although if not needed elsewhere I would attend and participate. I felt the sessions would be better used if collaboration with myself on classroom activities was occurring.
Purcell (2002) emphases that if TLs really want to impact on student achievement and learning then they must prioritise inquiry based learning projects ahead of clerical duties. We have clerical duties to perform in schools but they need to be put in their place. Again this comes back to being proactive and visible in the outcomes of the school so that the role of TL will be more highly respected and utilised. If all you do is check books in and out and provide colouring in time for students, then that is what will be expected of you.
The ASLA as I have mentioned on forum postings are too broad for a TL to follow and achieve success. As with most professional standards, they should be viewed as a guide only with personal and contextual content being added to them to suit the school environment the TL is working in.
Lamb & Johnson (2008) and Purcell (2002) both make statements that the TL has the role of delivering professional development of media and information literacy to the staff and wider community. I have seen this achieved on a small scale in a school but I think it may be stretching the focus too far. If TL’s find the obstacle of time management with their day to day role all consuming to the point that it impacts on assisting students with higher levels of achievement, then it would be unrealistic to place the burden on them of instructing staff as well. As a teacher, I would much prefer to have the assistance of a specialist in these areas that can contribute to the learning already in place in the classroom rather than try to be an additional ‘specialist’ myself.
As stated in the forums I particularly enjoyed the article by Boss & Kraus (2007). Project-based learning or guided inquiry are fundamental pedagogies that can achieve high rates of success in students and allow for differentiation at many levels to cater to students learning needs and abilities. It is not an easy process to establish in a classroom and can take a great deal of time setting students up with the necessary skills to enable them to engage in authentic projects. I noted on a lot of the forum postings that TLs were struggling with the process of planning, programming and implementing PBL and it occurred to me that they were acting in isolation. As a librarian, I would make it my place to consult with teachers as to the type of learning that is occurring in their classrooms and if they are not of the mind set to establish authentic project based learning experiences, then I would certainly suggest ways in which this could be achieved with the help of frameworks, IT and other resources at my disposal. Nobody wants to be told how to do their job, but I would doubt very much that an offer of assistance or resources to aid that job would be turned down or frowned upon.
The notion of support is vital to any profession. TLs definitely need the support of the school principal and staff and wider community. I do believe that it is a common notion that librarians merely lend and shelve books all day. Principals today are no longer running schools as educational facilities but more like profitable business ventures. Rarely even do principals conduct any face to face teaching unless they belong to a small school of one or two teachers for example. Oberg (2006) raises the issue that gaining respect of a principal is only possible if the TL engages in activities that are going to support the whole ethos of the school and the success of its overall educational outcomes. Gone are the days of stereotypical bookworm librarians. TLs need to be very aware of the goals of the school and as mentioned before, need to provide the evidence that they contribute to the successes gained.
After engaging in all the readings and assessment tasks I find my head spins with the information I now have on the role a TL can play in a school environment. Gone are my notions of inspiring children to embrace books and the worlds that can open up to them. Being a TL in the current climate of education may not be that inspiring with the obstacles that evidently are faced by those in the profession. But the possibilities of what a TL can achieve are limitless if they possess the determination to push the boundaries. At the end of the day I do believe that collaboration is the key. The school ‘community’ is called such because it is not driven by people in isolation. It is made up of many stakeholders who all hold a vested interest in the success of our children. As I have mentioned, being a classroom teacher is a wonderful profession that I am proud of achieving. However, the role of TL allows me to focus my skills in order to assist student achievement. Rather than teaching 6 KLAs and all their aspects to a class, as a TL I can focus that teaching to specific areas of information literacy and lifelong learning skills to those same students and provide more authentic pedagogies and experiences that will enhance their classroom learning. My teaching background and professional development will be of great advantage as I am able to fully comprehend the obligations of classroom planning, programming and implementation, not to mention the dramas of timetabling. Explicit and extensive knowledge of the curriculum, syllabus documents and political pressures of education I believe, will allow me to be able to communicate with many other professionals in the education industry and hopefully better equip me to collaborate more successfully. I am excited and empowered and thank the developers of this subject for raising my awareness and ability to forge new ground in achieving success for our future generations.
References:
Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning. In S. Boss, & J. Krauss, Reinventing project-based learning. International Society for Technology in Education.
Lamb, A., & Johnson, I. (2008). School library media specialist 2.0: a dynamic collaborator, teacher and technologist. Teacher Librarian , 36 (2), 74-78.
Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian , 33 (3), 13-18.
Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library Media Connection , 29 (3), 30-33.
