The role of a TL - a reflection on my learning.

I started this journey with what I now recognise as an overwhelmingly ignorant understanding of the role of a TL, but my journey as a TL started as a desire for change and change often has a starting point that seems naive upon reflection. This reflection is but one step further along a path that stretches in front of me.

As Purcell (2010), Hartzell (2002) and Miller (2005) amongst many others have found, my own understanding of the role of a TL (or lack thereof) is a common one amongst teachers. My initial reading of Purcell (2010) gave me my first clear vision of what the role, or more appropriately roles, could be. I had erroneously perceived the TL as a support person and was excited by the possibilities of the roles detailed by both Purcell (2010) and Herring (2007). Much later I realised, whilst researching for Assessment 2, that a major obstacle to filling these roles was a mirror of my own initial perceptions of the role. Many principals and teachers are underexposed to quality school library programs, lack positive personal experiences as students themselves, and lack training on how TL's can improve the teaching/learning process (Hartzell, 2002). This, as McCracken (2000) found, leads many TL's to perceive that they can't fulfil the roles to the degree that professional standards outline.

The ocean got deeper as I started reading into these professional standards from around the world. The ASLA standards (2004) made me realise I was one of many who hadn't had exposure to an excellent TL in my student or professional life, and how much I looked forward to gaining that exposure with my own eyes, rather than just through the readings. As Purcell (2010) also stated, all facets of the role can't be covered at all times. Everhart (2010) simply advises TL's to leave the library and seek out professional relationships and to be actively engaged with teachers and the principal. Haycock (2007) found in a study on collaboration that the more successful TL's are less cautious and more extroverted. I discussed this in this post and came to the conclusion that the TL's worst enemy in this respect is themself, most easily fixed by taking more risks to change these perceptions.

Like a fellow class member, Rigg (2012), my understanding of a TL's role didn't include the concept of collaboration. Collaboration is highly regarded by a number of authors as success factors for both student learning (Haycock, 2005, 2007; J. E. Herring & Bush, 2011) and relationship growth (Haycock, 2007; Morris, 2007). Haycock (2007) even suggests that no other professional behaviour has more of a positive effect on student achievement. The emphasis placed on this facet of a TL's work, and the wealth of material available has had the most significant effect on my own learning this semester.

One of the aspects that I have been most excited about implementing is the technology focused role that TL's have. With IT qualifications and experience, I had hoped the role of a TL would suit my blend of teaching and IT skills. As discussed here, this aspect of the role holds more opportunities than I had even wished for. Statements by Hay and Todd (2010), Loertscher and Koechlin (2011) and Martineau (2010), covered in the aforementioned blog post, open up a world of opportunities to those ready to grapple with them.

The role of information literacy (IL) must sit alongside collaboration as the real focus of my learning this semester. As I wrote here, IL didn't feature in my primary education degree and hasn't overtly featured in my professional life in high school. As with collaboration, I have gone from zero knowledge to what I would like to think of as a decent theoretical knowledge on the subject. The sheer number of definitions and models is daunting to the novice but I am committed to lifelong learning and the many years of experimentation that will be required.

I started this journey hoping that a TL is more of a skills provider than a teacher is and in that respect I was right. What I hadn't realised was the depth of the role. It isn't about being a support person which has made me reassess my motives. Startlingly, my initial strong reservations about returning to academia have changed, and my motives along with it. I do want to be a leader in knowledge and am excited by the ways I can help everyone engage with it, construct it and present it.

Information Lit. No question mark this time. well maybe.

Well, I think I know something on the subject now but it could be that optimism before the frustration hits as I realise I don't know as much as I thought, thanks Kulthau for that tidbit into my thinking. Reading all this certainly does make me reflect more on how I am learning.

IL is the core literacy of the 21st century and the 'Information Age', as people require access to an increasingly large and diverse range of information to serve their needs beyond just an educational one. IL was developed in the educational context as a means of understanding the different ways of working with mainly text-based information but has evolved to encompass different purposes in different contexts with links to other 'new' literacies such as digital, media and visual literacies (Bruce, 2004:Langford, 1998).

In the school context, IL can be described as being focused towards the development of the skills and attributes of learners as they engage with learning about subject matter (Candy, 2000). Over time, this fairly simplistic definition has evolved with reference towards a learner's behaviours and a learner's ability to utilise their new learning in new and different situations (Herring, 2012:Kulthau, 2004).

I like this definition the best as it doesn't just work in the school context: "a new liberal art which extends beyond technical skills and is conceived as the critical reflection on the nature of information itself, its technical infrastructure and its social, cultural and even philosophical context and impact."(Birdsong, 2009)

It looks like everyone in every context is getting in on IL, which is only making the whole thing more confusing as you look for an approach that works.

Personal attributes

Haycock wrote in his 2007 article that less cautious and more extroverted TL's are much successful. I can understand this but many, including me, would have embarked upon careers as TL's because of the perception of the job as quieter and introverted. My two passions are reading and technology, which do beautifully in keeping my more introverted nature happy! As TL's, we must realise the media stereotype of a boring and often cranky person is a common one for a reason, and if we are to change the perception then we must change ourselves. We are our own worst enemy.

Peeps like Nancy Everhart advise TL's to just get out there and look for opportunities to be part of the greater teaching and learning process.
I understand I must take more risks.

Obstacles to excellence

I've just read articles by Hartzell, Oberg, Marcoux and Miller + others as research for Assessment 2. They all point to the perception of the role as a fairly fundamental barrier to achieving excellence as a TL. I start to get it, no coin from big stuff down the hall until you prove yourself competent at the very least. No respect from teaching staff until you get off your butt and get involved. Success depends upon changing what seems to be a common perception of the role.

So drained, now ready to continue

O that first assignment almost killed me (and my family) but now I am ready to get going again.

Secretly I am almost enjoying the readings, as wanky as some of them are. There is great pleasure in thinking I could be doing these things that the magical TL people write about. One day.
(O yes, I still prefer the more practical articles by TL's in the field.)

Information Literacy?

My degree is 9 years old, but I don't remember the term of Information Literacy. Having worked in high schools for most of the time since graduating with a Primary Ed degree, maybe I have missed some obvious stuff. High school is so separated by curricular areas. Information Literacy? I understand now what is covers, but the term is new to me.

From the readings, it seems to be a large part of what a TL should be developing in their school.

How embarrassment for a Uni that it isn't included in a 4 year teaching degree!

I can tell one thing, the fact that it has so many different definitions and so many available models means that it will always cause some confusion. I can understand why some teachers were confused by it in the J. E. Herring & Bush, 2011 study in some Aussie schools. I'm a fan of standardisation as a way of speeding up improvements and making life easier and this is one thing we should attempt to accomplish.

mmmm technology

Hay and Todd found in 2010 the belief amongst teacher librarians is that information technology based competencies in students “is the central action of the teacher librarian”. That's fairly exciting for me, as I think that also but I am not yet a TL. 

Martineau (2010) describes teacher librarians as leaders in ICT. ooo I like that. A group of TL peeps talk about transforming static library web sites into wikis and user generated centres of learning which will fit my web skill well. Perhaps teachers might start to use their smartboards as more than projectors...

I really like the idea of Personal Learning Environments that Loertscher & Koechlin wrote about in 2011. We already use personalised browser start pages and apps like facebook that allow us to display what we desire so why not start that for students? The idea of a PLE is going to be something I am will look into in the practical sense.
From what I am reading, the opportunities for tech in the library and school are incredible.

The Library, it shouldn't be a separated thing

One of the things I am getting now is that the TL should know what is going on in all KLA's across the school. This brings the library into the classroom. I like the Selective Dissemination idea that Tilke (2002) talks about. He says TL's should be emailing teachers in each subject area parts from the latest subject journals etc. This would really make a TL visible around the school.

Collaboration/Instructional Partners

Well, the first in a series of admissions of ignorance regarding the role of a TL. As I suspected when contemplating this course, the role of a TL is vastly larger than I had realised.
The role of a TL as a collaborator has definite prominence in the standards, antiquated though they are, and this importance is backed up in many of the readings I am using for Assignment 1. I naively hadn't realised that TL's are ideally leaders in program creation, even though I suspected that some were knowledgeable peeps, and TL's should ideally be involved in programming around the whole school.

Exposure to excellence in the TL world?

All this reading makes me reflect on my own experiences with TL's. As a teacher I have been oblivious to a certain extent, but I can honestly say I haven't recognised a great TL in the 5 or so schools I have spent most of my career in. Of course that doesn't mean that there hasn't been one, but I'd say the chances are slim. TL's I have seen HAVE been support staff, but that could be caused by principals who aren't supportive of an integrated library program. I am learning that there are many factors involved in how this all comes about.

Standards for TL? These peeps are organised!

Well a bit of a giggle but I hadn't realised there would be standards for what a TL does and what the Library is meant to achieve. Not quite teaching standards yet, but the new US AASL standards certainly look much more like we teachers are accustomed to. It looks like us Aussies are a little behind the 8 ball in this regard.
So now that I know I have standards to address in my future work, the job just got a whole lot bigger than I had imagined.
The tech references are a little sparse though!

Purcell - she's got her head screwed on

I just had my first read of Purcell's take on the role of a TL. It detailed a much more exciting role than I had thought possible, which may be related to it being a US role but hopefully that isn't the only reason.
Reading it, I found it a much more focused piece than Herring's article I read yesterday. It sounded like she had been employed in a school library in the last decade! I was happy to read at the conclusion that she currently works as a TL. Refreshing!
I was excited by her role definitions, and the scope that they allow. Obviously time would inhibit full demonstration in each role but I can see that using a 'time study' could really focus on your weaknesses in the role of a TL.
I will do a more complete reading of this article in the coming weeks.

Herring flew back from Scotland to help me with this vid. Thanks mate.
Best viewed in full screen.

Constructivism, they are still harping on about it?

My return to academia feels like a timewarp, back to the same old...
So I just read Herring's Teacher librarians and the school library article. He mentioned that educators are coming around to the idea that students have to play an active part in their learning, rather than being 'fed' information. Hot damn, are we still talking about this? Snoresville, Tennessee. Let's accept it and get on with it peeps.
Herring actually brought up some interesting points about the role of a Teacher Librarian. I sensed he doesn't approve of school libraries promoting reading for pleasure as a priority which got me thinking. I have always thought that a love of reading is probably the most important foundation for 'life long learning', so my role as a TL would be to engender a 'reading for pleasure' attitude in all my students. I wonder what the other big-wig TL's in academia say? I am quivering in anticipation.

The other point he mentioned there that I will need to follow up is that the school library shouln't be an extension of the public library. I like that, it would surely save money by putting up redirect signs in certain sections - "For info on dolphins, aquatic mammals or just animals in general, please see your local library."

Sup? The beginnings...

Once a Teacher Librarian, what is thine purpose?
Not sure, say I, besides roles supervisory?

I haven't read any articles yet regarding the role of a teacher librarian so this is useful as a baseline thought, before getting stuck into some academic articles that I hoped never to read again after finishing my first degree...
The role in question changes between schools and changes again between Primary and High schools, both of which I work in. I find it an appealing role in that I can escape the full time teaching load that would otherwise cause an early retreat from the school system. It doesn't involve dealing with the same group of students day in/day out and is varied in that it deals with individuals through to small groups through the whole classes - the variety I think will ensure I am interested and interesting!
The role itself is hopefully one of a skills provider, rather than the more traditional/boring/standardised test obsessed role of a teacher as a knowledge conveyor.
Now to my first reading...