The Future

I chose the image of an infant outfit with Future Librarian printed on the front to reflect how I feel I’m in the infancy of my learning as a Teacher Librarian (TL). It has been a rewarding challenge to begin studies in a new area after spending thirteen years as a Secondary English teacher. I feel confident my studies in the Masters of Teacher Librarianship at Charles Sturt University are giving me an excellent grounding, but I am aware I am at the beginning of a lifelong learning journey.

Just as my role as an English teacher is guided by AITSL’s Professional Teaching Standards, TLs are guided by Australian School Library Association’s (ASLA) and Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) (2004) Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians. I have regularly referred to these standards and found them an excellent guide to the knowledge, skills, and foci I need to develop.

Reflecting on the Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians the first area I need to focus on improving is 1.1 Knowledge of the Principles of Lifelong Learning. While I value lifelong learning, I realise I do not know enough about promoting it. For example, I do not “thoroughly understand how all learners develop and apply lifelong learning skills and strategies”. During the Masters in Teacher Librarianship I realised, for example, that I have forgotten Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development and Vygotsky’s Social Development theory. I have since restructured my Year 12 English Communications course delivery to work with Australian genre theory based on functional linguistics. This is just a start; I have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do. I also realised I do not “have a sound understanding of how children and young adults become independent readers”. As an English teacher this is concerning, and I discovered I have not concerned myself with this as most Secondary students are already independent readers. But, as a TL, if I am to effectively support students from Year 7 of a range of learning abilities I need to develop this understanding. In a time when TLs are being increasingly challenged to show evidence for their practices and how these benefit student learning (Sheerman, 2001, p. 24), what I do needs to have solid grounding.

Another area in need of development is 2.3 Library and Information Services Management. I found creating policies, procedures, and vision statements challenging. I didn’t know where to stop with providing detail and found it difficult to balance information with making documents that were user friendly to all stakeholders. I am also not the greatest Mathematician, and assume I will have trouble with budgeting as well. With the emphasis on budget constraints at most libraries on the Sydney study tour I participated in, I know I will need to reach out to others in my professional learning networks for assistance.

A standard in which I have made significant improvement because of the Masters is 3.3 Leadership. I have focused on actively engaging in school leadership and getting involved in committees because of the inspiration to lead gained from this course. While I have developed the understanding of the need for a whole school focus on information literacy, I have not yet acted on this. As I discuss in Teacher Librarian As Leader I should not wait until I’m in a leadership position to start this, I can lead from within.

My main strength is in 2.1 Learning Environment, “appreciate the dynamic nature of ICTs and their role in education”. I find I enjoy learning ICTs and pick them up quickly. I have also found I am able to teach staff and students to use them effectively and now often have members of the school community come and ask for help. What is important is that I not only teach how to use these technologies, but explain how they can be used enhance learning. For example using a Google doc shouldn’t simply be a replacement for Microsoft Word, it should be a collaborative space of shared thinking, editing, evaluating, and feedback. My knowledge of curriculum is also good, and I have the “sound understanding of current assessment theory and processes” specified in 1.3 Knowledge of Curriculum. This will hopefully allow me to effectively support staff in designing teaching and learning strategies that will enhance student learning outcomes.

One standard I know I will not have trouble addressing should I gain a TL position is 3.2 Commitment. Perhaps it is a personality trait that draws people to the TL profession? Every lecturer, librarian, TL, and library assistant I’ve met through the course, placement, study tour, and general experience has been a passionate individual dedicated to professional excellence in serving people’s information needs. With a lengthy teaching background I know I will focus on teaching and learning, and as an English teacher also know I will foster a reading culture.

All of ALIA’s (2004) Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians are essential for my future success as a TL. Some, such as 1.2 Knowledge of Teaching and Learning and 2.2 Learning and Teaching, will come easily for me because of my previous education and employment. Others, such as 1.4 Knowledge of Library and Information Management and 2.4 Evaluation, will require me to develop a new set of knowledge, skills, and understandings. What is exciting about this journey, however, is that I am not alone. I will not only have a whole school community for support, but I have learned through this Masters course that there is a vast, highly professional community of librarians and TLs willing to help by sharing their ideas, resources, and learning journies. Two of my favourite librarian bloggers this course has introduced me to are Judy O’Connell and Buffy Hamilton. They are examples of the challenging thinking and inspiration I can gain from others in the field of librarianship.

While I have a long way to go, I have found the challenge of new learning motivating. I will complete my Master of Teacher Librarianship degree in 2014, and hope to find opportunities to extend my learning further. There are the biennial ASLA conferences (next is in 2015) and ALIA’s training courses to get me started. Also, my school is looking at supporting staff in studying a Masters in Education. This would be a great opportunity to develop my theoretical understanding of how students learn.

My decision to study for a Masters in Teacher Librarianship has been rewarding, and I am looking forward to embarking on such a dynamic career full of innovative potential.

References

Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2004). Library standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. Retrieved from: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx

Sheerman, A. (2011). Accepting the challenge: evidence based practice at Broughton Anglican College. Scan. 30(2). 24-33.

 

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