The Mule and the Piano - my view on how the role of the TL has expanded as a result of ETL401

TLs are collaborators

ETL401 has not merely expanded my understanding of the TL, it has actually defined it. Initially  I set out with my iPhone to record a series of interviews with teachers, TLs, Headsof Department,  Library Directors  and Directors of Curriculum and Learning, eager to plot their understanding against mine and exploit what Herring (2007) referred to as the human resource.  I found that each person’s understanding of the role stemmed from a history of collaboration. They used language like “they assist” and “help find information”. Subsequent readings by Haycock, (2007) Purcell (2010), Lamb & Johnson (2008), Herring (2007) and Kuhlthau (1995, 2004) reiterated the importance of this aspect of the role. I learned that the TL is highly relational and that ‘collaborating’ was even deemed a professional standard by ASLA (2002).

Teacher attitude can enable or inhibit the TL’s potential

Through my readings and some forum posts, I also learned that in some schools, collaboration is a one-way street. Lack of interest (Haycock, 2007), time constraints and role confusion (Kuhlthau, 1995), and a lack of understanding of the TL often got in the way of collaborating with TLs. This was a sentiment reinforced by many of my CSU colleagues, some of whom are already working as TLs. Sometimes it was, as Scott Rolfe acknowledged, that some teachers are “juggling so many other balls already that the thought of additional programs sees them turn off immediately”.  Ann-Maree lamented that she would have to “hassle teachers to get on board”. I would have justified my own lack of partnering up along these lines and it has been illuminating to view this situation from the TL's perspective. I found that Scott Rolfe’s observation that  “the wider community … have no clear understanding of what the role of the TL is” is probably true. The TL is underutilized when their role is unappreciated, and this in turn impedes other important aspects to the role such as teaching life-long IL skills (Herring 2011).

Literature, Literacy and Information Literacy

I had expected to learn more about “fostering a love of reading”.  Purcell’s (2010) diagrammatical representation of the ‘Media Specialist’ surprised me by not including anything about promoting a love of reading. At least ASLA’s (2002) standards stated that a TL should know “how to promote and foster reading" but I found it disconcerting that Herring (2007) expressed this aspect of the role as “Fiction and Non-Fiction advocate”. To me, literature seems to be competing for space theoretically, yet in practice, my school library has a disproportionate amount of floor space dedicated to literature, and TLs work tirelessly to promote a love of reading. It seems anomalous. However, my understanding of the TL has expanded to include other key features such as IL and ICT.

The online world is a TL role changer

I've come to appreciate that  the TL's role is inextricably linked to the ever evolving, terribly exciting but possibly scary online information landscape. The digitization of print material, virtual libraries and Google  means that TLs need to stay on the cutting-edge of emerging technologies (Kuhlthau, Maniotis & Caspari 2007, Herring, 2006). Libraries are no longer about books, and I have been challenged to question whether they ever were. The term ‘cybrarian’ (Carol Tonhauser, 2009 cited by Murry, J. 2000) has now become strangely appropriate to me, reiterating Kong (2007) who sees ICT as integral.  

IL is a survival skill 

I have learned that one of the most important aspects to our role is the teaching and implementation of IL skills.  Langford (1998) and Lupton’s (2002) many definitions both confused and enlightened me and but what powerfully remained was an understanding that IL was as important in today’s world as literacy itself.

Don Watson’s (2011) recent essay on education in The Monthly seems to sum up why we need both good teachers and good TLs in the 21^st century.  Like many others, he challenges the notion that access to information does not make us more informed.

“…the best mobile phones cannot do what a teacher can. It is dumb like a mule, and no more the master of information we download from it than a mule is master of the piano it carries on its back”  (p11)

I think most profound thing I have learned is that IL is not just a library skill. It is a life skill and a survival skill, and that the role of the TL in fostering this critical lifelong skill is more important than ever (Kuhlthau, Caspari & Maniotis, 2007).

References

ASLA. (2002). Standards of professional excellence for Teacher Librarians. http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm.

C. Kuhlthau, L. Maniotis & A. Kaspari. (2007). Chapter One - Introduction to Guided Inquiry: what is it, what's new, why now? In Guided Inquiry - Learning in the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut, USA: Libraries Unlimited.

Haycock, K. (2007, January). Collaboration: Critical Success Factors for Student Learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35.

Herring, J. (2006). A Critical Investogation of Students' and Teachers' Views of the Use of Information Literacy Skills in School Assignments. Retrieved January 1, 2012, from American Association of School Librarians: http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume9/informationliteracy

Herring, J. (2011, February). Assumptions, Information Literacy and Transfer in High Schools. Teacher Librarian, 38(3).

Herring, J. (2011, January). Year seven students, concept mapping and the issue of transfer. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(1), 11-23.

Herring, J. and Tarter, A. (2007a). Progress in developing information literacy in a secondary school using the PLUS model. School Libraries in View, 23, 23-27.

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher Librarians and the School Library. In S. Ferguson, Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Jacobs, H. (2008, May). Perspectives on... Information Literacy and Reflective Pedagogical Praxis. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(3).

Kong, S. C. (2008, April 22). A curriculum framework for implementing information technology in school education to foster information literacy. ScienceDirect, 129-141.

Kuhlthau, C. (1995). The Process of Learning from Information. School Libraries Worldwide, 1(1), 1-12.

Kuhlthau, C. (2004). Seeking Meaning (2 ed.). Westport, Connecticut, USA: Libraries Unlimited.

Langford, L. (1998). Information Literacy: A Clarification. FNO.org From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal.

Lamb, A & Johnson, L. (2010). The School library Media Specialist. In Overview. http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/collaboration.html.

Lupton, M. (2002, June). The getting of wisdom: reflections of a teaching librarian. (information literacy responsibilities of librarians). Australian Academic & Research Libraries.

Purcell, M. (2010, November/December). All Librarians Do Is Check Out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), pp. 30-33.

Watson, D. (2011, December). The Nation Reviewed. Comment: Education. The Monthly, 10-12.

Hyperlinks

Corney, A. (2011a, November 25). The Human Resource. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger:  http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2011/11/so-where-were-we-oh-yes-as-per.html   

Corney, A. (2011b, November 28). The role of the TL seems to be growing with every interview. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger: http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2011/11/role-of-tl-seems-to-be-growing-with.html

Corney, A. (2011c, November 28). Pathfinders and Pubs. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger: http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2011/11/pathfinders-and-pubs.html

Corney, A. (2011d, November 28). Technology is Scary. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger: http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-is-scary.html

Corney, A. (2011e, December 2). The Cull. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger: http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2011/12/cull.html

Corney, A. (2012a, January 2). The Beach - Is it really an obstacle to Information Technology? Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger: http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2012/01/beach-is-it-really-obstacle-to.html

Corney, A. (2012b, January 10). No Plain Sailing. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Information Scavenger:  http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2012/01/helloagain-followers-all-six-of-you-and.html    

Corney, A. (2012c, January 29). The Mule and The Piano. Retrieved January 26, 2012, from Information       Scavenger. Retrieved January 29, 2012 http://informationscavenger.blogspot.com/2012/01/donkey-and-piano.html

Hannon, A. (2011, December 30). Webmail has been discontinued [Online forum comment]. Retrieved         from http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201190_W_D_Sub7_forum

Rolfe, S. (2011, December 23). Webmail has been discontinued [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201190_W_D_Sub4_forum&task=frameset

no plain sailing

Hello  again, Followers (all six of you) and Lecturer (just one, I think) – this time from the Gippsland Lakes where today it is too windy to sail our lovely little boat so I am FORCED indoors to contemplate (once again) the grand, and surprisingly perplexing, concept of Information Literacy in the 21^st century.

The beautifully situated St Barnabas chapel not far from my camp on Raymond Island doubles as my study, and THIS, my friends, is my divine view...

Today I looked up from my ruminations to see a Mrs koala strolling by as though this was the most natural thing to be doing (well, in this part of the world it actually IS), with a tiny new-born babe koala cub clinging to her back. Well, sorry ETL401 but this STOLE my attention and I was momentarily paralysed by joy. 


Isn’t nature beautiful? There is no library like the real thing, my friends.

Anyway back to work. I’m going to take a side-ways approach to this PRICKLY TOPIC of what REAL power teacher librarian MIGHT have for a moment, and go back to Teacher Training. Can’t we TEACH TEACHERS at teacher training level to be more “information literately” minded in the classroom and to absolutely worship and adore their teacher librarians? Shouldn't the learning culture of our educational environments begin at birth?

It’s been a while since I did my Dip.Ed so please forgive me if I’ve forgotten but do we still (did we ever?) teach teachers during teacher training about information literacy models? It sure would save the TL a HECK lot of heart ache and convincing if she could assume that teachers were TRAINED to respond positively to collaborating with teachers and wouldn't it be great if she were CONFIDENT that they spat them out of teacher's college complete with an in-depth understanding of information literacy, perhaps with a couple of models, say Herrings PLUS or the BIG6, up their sleeves so our TL could ASSUME they were all on the SAME PAGE?

Imagine you are in a school meeting AFTER school. There is an IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:  

TL to IMPLEMENT NEW IL MODEL IN SCHOOL. PLEASE LISTEN.

Mmm. A few humble thoughts on the TL trying to implement a great info literacy model in her school. 

Oh, and please excuse the gender specific terminology ‘she’ – I DO realise TLs come in both genders (hello, boys) and possibly others in between (hello, lovelys) but we do seem to get away with ‘he’ a lot in our writing, don’t we. Today I will try to get away with ‘she’.

First let's try to be positive and  imagine the OBSTACLE FREE ENVIRONMENT, A.K.A. The Ideal World.

Stay with me. Let’s say the TL comes up with a BRILLIANT info literacy model. 

• We have the curriculum coordinator, the principal and the director of library services on board. 
• The TL is able to provide PD to many or all of the staff using her BRILLIANT info literacy model. 
• The library itself is well resourced, with print and access to digital resources, and the means with which to access these easily. 
• The library itself is a wide and welcoming place. 
• Classroom teachers are keen to collaborate. 
• The TL’s work load is balanced in such a way that she has ample time to partner up with individual teachers as well as spend time with students guiding them through research and intervening only where warranted, as per Kuhlthau at al’s Guided Inquiry model (Kuhlthau, Maniotis and Caspari 2007). 
• She manages this in addition to her other tasks of collection management (and all the other stuff she has to do which I’m sure are the basis of all the ETL subjects I haven’t completed as yet). 

So what are we waiting for? Press START and implement this model in an obstacle free zone! Hooray!

Perhaps there are BIGGER ISSUES than just the school – UM, LIKE, NATION-WIDE REPORTING AND ASSESSMENT CULTURE

I sound facetious. I’m being cynical.  Yet I realise I am yet to do the research or the reading – that will come in future subjects. But as I am still a teacher, and I still think like a teacher, I am trying to apply this to a typical classroom teaching situation. What do kids think about when you set them a task? Let’s see…um,

1)      Getting it done and out of the way

2)      Getting the best marks for it (if they are so motivated).

3)      Memorising enough of the material to pass the test (well).

4)      Making sure the task takes as little time as possible so that they can get back on facebook or x-box or on the trampoline outside.

5)      Their parents reading their end of semester report

And how does our current school culture reinforce this malaise? We have an assessment reporting culture which is built around grades, percentages, summative grades and university entry scores. The first thing many parents look for on a report are the GRADES. As long as reports, grades, AIMS testing (YES I SAID AIMS TESTING) and the like drive the curriculum, this will remain the unalterable focus for the student, sometimes the teachers, and sadly many parents, and not the learning PROCESS itself. Unless we can change the culture of assessment and reporting, we don’t have much of a chance to shift the focus of learning from outcome/product based to PROCESS based, to one which fosters the higher level metacognition we have come to so value in academic reading (yes, bold for added emphasis because author knows that people are drawn to BOLD when they skim read. Which is really rather hopeful actually. I'd be happy with just a skim read).

At ground level (read “in reality”), a lot more has to change before really good Information Literacy models can be successfully implemented and CULTURALLY accepted as normal practice. This is obviously not just a little obstacle for the Teacher Librarian. Nor is it a challenge for the school. It is part of a much bigger nation-wide pedagogical debate. The revision of the Australian Curriculum in this country offered us an ideal opportunity to put this debate more prominently on the education map.

CHALLENGE: THINGS HAVE TO BE UNDONE AS WELL AS DONE

I think a fair bit of ‘undoing’ needs to occur before the ‘doing’ or the implementation of really robust and culture-changing information literacy models can set in. Students’ view of their own learning seems to be very much compartmentalised into discreet areas of study (what Herring suggests seems to stifle transference in his Feb 2011 paper) and to be honest, I think most teachers foster this culture. For most info literacy models this would be an obstacle as it works against the transference of info literacy skills – that skills learned in one area are applied in another.  It is not helpful that we rarely use language like ‘transference’ (Herring) or ‘metacognition’ or having an ‘affective’ response like anxiety when faced with a lot of new material (Kuhlthau). You know, even young students are amazingly adept in learning, using and understanding new language. If being language deficient can limit the boundaries of our world, then language can also EXPAND the boundaries of our world. We should be introducing the language of transference or concepts related to thinking about your own thinking, and make these a part of the natural learning vocab repertoire – this has occurred to a degree in my own teaching environment and it’s one way to foster the changing of learning culture. If students become more familiar with the concept, they are more likely to work with it as though it’s the most natural thing in the world – like it’s the only way they know. From a humble teacher’s perspective, this just might address some of the obstacles faced by the TL trying to implement a great info literacy model in her school.

Finally, ASSESSMENT RUBRICS and INFO LITERACY

Great idea. I’ve looked at a few by Carol Brown and Mueller and these look okay. They offer a way to gauge how well students are aware of their own learning and research processes etc…. What happens to these assessment rubrics though? Are these reported on? Please forgive me if I sound cynical AGAIN, but often the first thing a student will as is ‘will this go on the report?’

• ·         If yes, we have application from students.
• ·         If no, we have application from the motivated and interested (typically this seems to be about 10%) and many of the remainder do it without too much reflection (unless the culture of the learning environment has changed!).

However, reflection is THE key component of this task. Can you make something like this ‘reportable’? I’d say it’s wrong to do so because such a task is not about grades, but in a culture which values grades and is driven by reports (and in an Independent School this features very prominently) this presents an interesting tension. Brown and Mueller didn’t really address this.

The Beach - Is it really an obstacle to information literacy?

Greetings from Phillip Island

Ok – we are onto ASSIGNMENT 2. 

What’s that? Do I hear a distant ahhh, as in a kind of choking or drowning sound from those still to submit Assignment 1 (Yes, Dudes, it’s due TOMORROW). Call me gifted, but I can actually feel the ache in the gut, combined with an ever so slight nausea emanating from those about to have their first encounter with the dreaded EASTS, who are desperate to press SUBMIT but are JUST TOO AFRAID just in case there is a CRITICAL DETAIL they suspect they have missed which is worth fifty per cent of the total mark.

Figure 1.1

At ease, everyone. Just Do It. You’re forgetting to ENJOY this course. Here’s a bit of Philosophy From Anna Corney for you: Read lots, enjoy learning lots, write it up, check the assessment criteria and PRESS SUBMIT. Move on and have a lovely summer immersing yourselves in the NEXT LOT OF READING which happens to be the subject of my next post.

Let's digress for a moment and reflect on ways we can enjoy our summers while undertaking our Masters in Teacher Librarianship in two easy steps.

STEP ONE: To all intents and purposes (yes, to those who always thought it was intensive porpoises, it’s not), have a break. As you can see, I am clearly enjoying the summer, reading in the garden at our beach-house at Phillip Island (figure 1.1) and typing this VERY POST as the revelry of New Year's Eve lingers on as the belching of bogans and the cracking open of new cans is heard from the beach shacks nearby. See? I have not forgotten to ENJOY THE JOURNEY J And as you can see, I  have been utterly immersed in the activity of Seeking Meaning with the Queen of all Librarians, CAROL. C. KUHLTHAU who seems to be a bit of a legend.


Here I am again with her on the sand...

and in the water...

and walking the dog...

… happily combining the two wonderful interests of my life, a Masters in Teacher Librarianship with pleasure. YES it is possible!


STEP TWO: Um there is no step two. Just get on with it.



NOW on to more serious stuff entitled…

WE ARE FORGIVEN (oh what a relief!)

Yes indeed, it is with real relief that I read that we are forgiven in advance if we cannot agree on definition for information literacy (Langford, 1998). This is a GREAT THING. To all you confused prospectiveTL’s out there, guess what? We have permission from the Librarian Gods to be critical about those we come across in our academic reading. Even novices (novi?) like us can offer threads of insight regarding the concept of Information Literacy equal to that of the most esteemed Professor Emeritus. After all, those of us who are teachers are at the COAL FACE are we not? We ought to know something…. OR DO WE? Mmmm.

I have posted these musings in their original form on the CSU forum under TOPIC 4. Heck, was that the right place for it? I now think they should have gone under ASSIGNMENT 2. Or perhaps even TOPIC 3? I know they have to go on SOME forum somewhere AS PER THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE so in order to satisfy this, I think I will simply post the link to this blog. I mean, I could cut and paste these musings a million times on several forums in the hope that they will get noticed but that would make me a Forum Floozy and I was bought up better than that.

PS if ANYBODY apart from a supervisor is actually reading this post, could you please indicate so by commenting below? A hello will do just fine. I'm curious that's all

Back to My Musings… (this is a good time to get a coffee and think about whether you want to return for the second half. It gets REALLY serious. BUT there MIGHT be another BIKINI SHOT at the end so keep going). Also, keep in mind that this comes from the perspective of a humble teacher, not a TL.

1.    From my experience, the role of the TL ought to be more apparent to teachers within the school. In fact, my readings suggest that they should just about be RUNNING the school. Or at least pushing the principal around a bit and being a bit of a teacher tart. Are they really that prominent on the school landscape? In my albeit limited experience perhaps they could be standing taller and shouting a bit louder.

2.    Each school needs to come up with its OWN definition of what information literacy is (obviously based on academic reading and good research) and work towards achieving this outcome in a collaborative way, and one which is mindful of the need for transference of skills (as per Herring’s very enlightening Feb 2011paper)

3.    This may sound a tad old fashioned but personally, I think that teaching information literacy as a set of skills is actually acceptable in the early stages of becoming info literate ( just as learning the alphabet and phonics is to early readers). But after that, the goal should no longer be the learning of the skills, but APPLYING these skills to the broader search for meaning (just as language acquisition becomes not about knowing the alphabet and words and sounding them out, but comprehension and reading for meaning and learning to write etc..).

4.    And finally, the student who eventually recognises the above and is aware if it, is engaged in higher level thinking and in metacognition – an overall aim from what I gather from all the experts and very nicely captured here by this frog who is actually engaged in some metacognition.

and now another question about our role in implementing an Infor Literacy model in our schools...

IS THE PERFECT TL POSSIBLE?

She'd have to be pretty damn perfect if she can 1) develop or steal the perfect IL model 2) convince the whole damn school to collaborate with her and implement it.

From what I have been reading, (and that seems to be HEAPS judging from the hours NOT spent lolling about in the water) the role of the TL from a teacher’s perspective is rather different from the role of the TL from the academic's point of view.


I’ve been learning about theoretical BEST PRACTICE and I know what the IDEAL role looks like, but I don’t necessarily know this from observation (ahem). Having been a classroom teacher for over 15 years, I think this points to a SERIOUS ANOMALY. I’m not sure (yet) that all that theory takes into account the daily demands of the TL like the little time consuming but inane tasks of the TL (at least Purcell asked TLs to keep a diary of tasks undertaken in her 2010 article - onya, Purcell). I can only assume there are a million additional demands to the TL just as I KNOW there are a million additional demands to the role of the teacher (which are frustratingly not apparent to all my non-teacher friends who think we have holidays and teach a bit on the side - oh, is that what I'm doing right now? Shhh).

The 64 million dollar question remains: what’s ACTUALLY in store for me when I graduate? Will I realistically be able to apply all this wonderful theory into sustainable practice? I would love a very experienced TL to ANSWER this question for me RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

OBSTACLES

(don't you love this word? Say it out loud a few times. Obstacles. It's like a mouth full of food or maybe snorkelling.  It belongs with discombobulate and obfuscate... ok, forget it).


What are possible OBSTACLES to a TL implementing THE BEST EVER information literacy model in a school ? Here are some post academic reading, slightly cynical (but I'm prepared to concede naive) thoughts on the matter…

My first reponse to Task B of Assignment 2 was, why develop a YET ANOTHER IL model? Unless there is a very generous prize out there for the one-millionth Information Literacy Model for schools. But for the sake of the second assignment let’s contemplate the idea of obstacles.

1.    Justifying developing a new info literacy model has to be about addressing the needs of YOUR school community (assuming they are unique in some way hence the development of a model is warranted OR the information landscape has changed YET AGAIN and so it is warranted)

2.    There is no point in having a fantastic info literacy model without the resources to support it, whether print, digital or environmental. Some schools are well resourced. Some are begging the basics.

3.    Little point in having the best info literacy model ever if you can’t get classroom teachers collaborating – if they are busy, what do you do? Bribe them? Is there funding for that?

4.    Beyond that, and even more importantly the model is doomed without the support of the curriculum director, principal and library director (some schools are big enough to have all three, yes). There’s a lot of work for the humble TL to ‘sell’ an idea to therest of the school IF they are reticent to change. If they are open to new ideas, LUCKY YOU and GO FOR IT.

5.    ALAS a lack of support for the model reduces it to a MERE SET OF SKILLS taught by the TL in ISOLATION. Brrr. (yes, precisely what we don’t want and currently the subject of our next essay)

6.    BUT greatest obstacle to TL implementing a great info literacy model is operating in a school where they THINK they know what a TL does but they don’t really. Apparently, according to Herring (2011) and others, there’s a heck of a lot of ASSUMPTIONS out there about the MYSTERIOUS and ELUSIVE role of the TL

7.    Another obstacle: if academics can’t agree on a definition for info literacy, what hope do the rest of us have? I think probably the way forward is for the SCHOOL to agree on their own definition of info literacy and build on THAT. One enlightened TL working with one eager-beaver classroom teacher, though NOBLE, will not change a school culture. EVERYBODY needs to get on board. If possible, the TL should provide others with PD, which is a far more efficient way of reaching the masses and implementing a model across the school.

Ok, therein end the musings. Just some very humble reading-inspired thoughts from a classroom teacher, maybe with a little attitude, starting her TL journey and who hopes it’s all a lot easier  for TLs in the REAL WORLD.

oh and PS, here is the promised bikini shot...