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.