Collaboration has the potential for changing teaching and learning

Montiel-Overall, P. (2005). A Theoretical Understanding of Teacher and Librarian Collaboration, School Libraries Worldwide, 11(2), 24-48.

I found this reading really hard going and it took me several attempts before I managed to complete it. What it did have to say was quite thought provoking though and well worth the read.

It gave a great definition of collaboration " Collaboration is a trusting, working relationship between two or more equal participants involved in shared thinking, shared planning, and shared creation of innovative integrated instruction."

It said that efforts to share responsibility in education through collaborative practice represent an attempt to transform education into a community of learners.

Collaboration has been closely aligned with two forms of constructivist thinking: a social constructivist world view and a sociocultural world view.

A collaborative environment equalises the playing field by developing mutual understanding.

In an ideal world collaborators would share a similar world view. However, diverse views can serve to enrich the collaborative process.

There are four concepts closely linked to collaboration:

1. networking - essential to initiate the process of collaboration.
2. coordination
3. cooperation
4. partnerships

Collaborators must at lest demonstrate a pattern of behaviour of being friendly.

There are five constructs that range from low to high in any collaborative effort.

1. interest
2. improved learning
3. intensity
4. innovation
5. integration

Through combined efforts and sharing knowledge, collaboration between teacher and librarian could transform education.

Information literacy and how my views are changing

When I first started this course I was lucky enough to be job sharing with a brilliant librarian who has posters of the NSW DET information literacy skills steps hanging all over the library. We also constantly refer to the steps when teaching stage 2 and stage 3 library lessons.

It was with this excellent background knowledge that I went into this subject thinking I knew it all and how hard could it be after all???
Oh how I was deceived. I felt really smug completing my first assignment. As I read the entries on the forum I was thinking 'are these people really THAT dumb??' Now as I reflect I realise I am the dumb one as I read more and more literature about IL I realise that there are so many choices.
As I read James' entry on the forum today he said that IL is a complex concept and practice. Up until then I had thought it pretty straight forward....ooops.
He also said that we should accept the views of others. Maybe I had already reached that stage or maybe I need to be like my 15 year old son and question everything.
Whatever is the correct way I am becoming more and more confused as I continue on this learning path.
I thought I was supposed to have a light bulb moment when everything became clear. The problem is everything was clear and now the light bulb has shattered as I try and get my head around the increasing amount of information that I am required to read.

The more I read.............

The more I read for this course, it seems the more overwhelmed I become.
I have completed all of the essential readings required up until now and I even read some of the extra suggested readings.
I am now up to the stage where I need to get a wriggle on and get a real start on assignment 2. Unfortunately I seem to be a very good procrastinator and my family are eating incredible meals at the moment. In fact one of the kids asked who was coming to dinner last night when they saw me preparing dinner instead of preparing my assignment.
Also by the looks of it my house needs a really good dust and vacuum. Maybe I'll look into that today some time.
Reading all of the forums I am becoming incredibly confused. I thought it was a straight forward assignment when I first read it but now I am beginning to wonder.
Today's goal will be to decide what three information skills models I am going to compare and contrast. Unfortunately all of the family is home today too as it is the ANZAC day public holiday so the day may not be as fruitful as I would like.
Anyway I might as well give it a go.

Developing powerful instructional collaborations does not happen by chance

Todd, R. J. (2008). The dynamics of classroom teacher and teacher librarian instructional collaborations. Scan, 27(2), 19-28.

This article caused me to reflect on my role as a TL in my school in relation to collaboration.
I found the research to be informative and the findings could be related to just about any school library in NSW.
I also felt that I wasn't alone as I read the responses of the teacher librarians and found myself falling into the same responses as the majority each time.
It said that the most common difficulties centred around lack of time, and scheduling issues. That could have been me responding to that question.
I found the conclusion of the article to be informative when it said that there were two major keys to a successful collaboration:1. plan and prepare well. 2. also allow for flexibility and adjustment along the way.

While most people see collaboration as a way to cover twice the amount of work in half the time this is not realistic.

Powerful instructional collaborations require depth of commitment, intense engagement with the mechanics of pedagogy, clarity of goals in terms of student learning outcomes, strategic time management, and organisational skills. It does not happen by chance.

Through learning we re-create ourselves.

Senge, P. M. (2007). ";Give me a lever long enough......and single handed I can move the world". In Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership (2nd ed.) (pp3-15). San Francisco, California: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article spoke about learning organisations and how to build them.
R_3">Senge went on to suggest that there were five new component technologies that were required to innovate learning organisations.

1. Systems thinking
2. Personal mastery - this is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.
3. Mental models
4. Building shared vision- when there is genuine shared vision people excel and learn, not because they are told to, but because they want to.
5. Team learning - This is vital because teams are the fundamental learning unit in modern organisations. Unless the teams can learn, the organisation cannot learn.

He goes on to state that it is important that the five disciplines develop as an ensemble.

A learning organisation is a place where people are continually discovering how they create their reality. And how they can change it.

module 5 readings

Fullan, M. (1999). Chapter 3: The deep meaning of inside collaboration. In Change forces: The sequel, (pp.31-41). London, Falmer Press.

In this article Fullan spoke about the black box of collaboration. He said that collaborative schools are essential for success and gave ways that professional schools make a difference.
He gave a critical evaluation of other literature on this topic and shared the views of Earl and Lee (1998) on the topic of change.
I found it interesting when we were told that only about one-third of elementary schools were engaged in self initiating and actively restructuring processes after five years of reform.
Principals in successful schools take a long term focus which is good because these principals don't tend to shift to the latest fad that is being promoted as being the latest solution to everyone's problems.
My views of leadership were confirmed when it was stated that effective collaborative cultures are not based on like minded consensus. In a previous school that I worked in the head of the junior school surrounded herself with lots of 'yes men' who were all considered to be like minded as she hated confrontation on any sort. By employing like minded people there would never be any need for confrontation. Unfortunately this is the culture of the school as the head of the school also surrounds himself with like minded people who are too weak to stand up for their convictions. Unfortunately if you choose to be strong willed and go against their views you are gradually phased out of the school and encouraged to go elsewhere.
In this article diversity is valued. Oh how I wish I could pass on this article to my previous boss.
This article also talks about community building and suggests that it is only possible if organizational members develop trust and compassion for each other.
at my current school my boss is excellent at building community and collaboration is a healthy side effect of this.
I always considered that collaborative schools were the most innovative, but according to this article that is not necessarily true which take the pressure off a bit.
Although leaders are essential teachers spontaneously self-organise.
This was a fascinating article and one which although was challenging was also quite reassuring.

The Big Six

Wolf, S. (2003). The Big Six information skills as a metacognitive scaffold: A case study.

This case study was interesting in that it supported a lot of views expressed by different authors in relation to scaffolding etc.
I learnt that Metacognition can be described as thinking about thinking........something I don't do a whole lot of.
Scaffolding can also be defined as a support structure for learners engaged in activities just beyond their independent abilities.
I was also informed that studies had shown information seeking behaviours yield more positive results when the students performing them possess strong metacognitive skills. Something that I need to aim for when teaching students, and also to aim for with my own 3 children.
The results suggested that Big6 might act as a metacognitive scaffold for students who are asked to complete unfamiliar tasks involving complex content.
I'm sure that this article will be very beneficial for my next assignment, I know it would have been great for the first one if I had already read it.....

Aha moment........just a few days late!

Oh dear, if I had read all of the readings for module 4 before I attempted to complete assignment 1 I think I would have been able to answer the question so much better......I should have read the schedule guide a bit more thoroughly I guess.


Herring, J. (2006). A critical investigation of students' and teachers' views of the use of information literacy skills in school assignments.

As I sit here reading this article I am cringing in my seat. Herring used a lot of the references that I used for my first assignment and saw things that I didn't see.........were we really reading the same content???????
It was really interesting to see his critical evaluation of the different sources on information literacy skills and the way he was able to see the subtle differences in each article. I guess that is the mark of a true pro.
It was interesting to see his interpretation of the various research projects that had taken place.
I also found the results from his own study of secondary students to be quite intriguing. Guess I'll be reflecting on this article for the next assignment where we have to compare and contrast 3 different information skills models. I will also be reading all of the required readings before I submit my next assignment so I get my aha moment before submitting the assignment instead of after when it is way too late.

Information literacy

Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes.

This was very short and easy to read.
It gave a concise definition of information literacy and then broke it down into skills and strategies and outcomes. A good one to use if needing to make objectives and outcomes for a school program.


Herring, J. and Tarter, A. (2007). Progress in developing information literacy in a secondary school using the PLUS model. School Libraries in View, 23(pp23-27).

While this article was aimed at High School students it can easily be adapted to the primary school student.
As a TL we were informed that our major responsibility is to develop information literacy in schools.
The article gave us some information regarding a study carried out with secondary students. While the results were interesting it would be good to see a similar study carried out with primary students.
I thought the recommendations put in at the end of the article regarding ways that TL's can develop information literacy within schools was outstanding and I will be looking at ways of implementing the suggestions into my teaching.

Topic 4 readings

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy: a clarification

This article was a great critical evaluation of lots of articles that the author had read. While reading this I realised that my assignment probably should be more along the lines of the way Langford wrote this article.
She pointed out that there had been a shift in educational thinking in relation to information literacy.
She gave a short history of literacy which was quite interesting, but probably a statement that had the most impact on me was when she said "The concept of literacy really depends on the information needs of the society of the time" so according to this statement as technology changes and our access to it also changes so will the concept of information literacy................maybe that's my aha moment right there.........
I liked the way that she compared all of the definitions provided by the different authors. I too had read what these authors had written and had not picked up on the subtle changes like she did. It is getting pretty obvious to me that I am no academic!
I would not have thought that Doyle's set of rubrics were a benchmark for understanding information literacy, but I may need to look into that a bit more thoroughly.
she managed to confirm my expectation that information is a lifelong goal not one that is achieved easily or quickly.
She pointed out that TL's are in a favourable position to ensure that all of this takes place, but also points out that it is also the role of the classroom teacher to ensure that it takes place in the classroom setting.
I am so glad that she stated that the outcome of an information literate society is lifelong learning. Yay she confirmed what I had come to believe while completing assignment 1.

Assignment finished and submitted!!!!!

I submitted my assignment today. The reason why I did this is because I am really sick of looking at it and trying to make it better. The more I look at it the more errors I think I find and the more frustrated I get as I really don't know how to fix it and make it better.
I know I haven't completed the first part as well as would be expected, but I am hoping that the second part makes up the shortfall in my marks. I also figure that I will have to work extra hard on the second assignment to make up for the shortfall of marks I am expecting in this first assignment. But then again Uni is funny and I may actually do better than I think.
Roy has suggested blogging my 'aha' moments of the assignment before I forget.
At this point in time I am beginning to feel really stupid as I don't really recall any aha moments during this assignment. I had done a fair bit of research on information literacy for a subject I completed last year so many of my aha moments came then when the whole concept was new to me.
I am feeling quite concerned about the readings I have done this year though as I think they all say the same thing except with really minor wording differences, so I am quite concerned I have missed something HUGE and have missed the whole point of this subject.
I guess only time will tell.
One thing I have learned through this ordeal is that I need to persevere in learning to be a teacher librarian as it is really challenging and quite complex and full of rapid changes in the area of technology. I feel blessed to be in a great school with others that can help me in the area of technology as it is an area that I don't do easily.
The forum has been a huge confidence builder for me as I see others who are also having the same difficulties as me and are getting hung up on the same issues as me. The forum has also been helpful as sometimes the people who post comments are a few steps ahead of me which is great because the problem has been solved even before I get to it.
I have just joined the Sutherland Shire teacher librarian network and already they have provided me with a wealth of information that can't be found in books. Some of the other teachers have been absolute lifesavers for me.
I need to think a bit harder about the aha moments and will get back to that after I have though a bit harder.

Finished assignment......well I thought I had!

After completing my first assignment for ETL401 I read it through again only to discover that I think I have described the role of the TL in an information literate school community instead of critically evaluating it.
I have included millions of references as that is what James likes to see, I have read the marking sheet AGAIN, listened to the podcasts AGAIN and re-read all of the criteria on the power points AGAIN.....
At the moment I am feeling incredibly frustrated and very discouraged as I try to salvage what I have spent the last 4 days working non stop on instead of enjoying the Easter break with my family.
Looks like I will be spending the next few days trying to fix it all up.

If it's good enough for Keith Richards then it's good enough for me

Sitting here reading the Daily Telegraph while I procrastinate finishing off my assignment I was blown away when I read that Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones has revealed a secret desire to be a librarian...........Well there you go, who would have thought???

Assignment 1 for ETL401 and Happy Easter

What a way to have to spend the Easter long weekend.........................completing this assignment about information literate school communities.

So far I have eaten all of my Easter eggs,(and then some!) and have heaps of printed articles covering my kitchen table while I try and make some sense of this assignment.
I am finding it incredibly difficult to stay and focus (obviously haven't mastered Covey yet) and get it all together. I know what I want to say, but unfortunately I said it all in about 200 words so now I need to find another 800 somewhere to make it to the quota required. I don't get it when people say that they need more words to say all of their information.
I am also struggling to be critically evaluative and not merely descriptive because basically all of my articles seem to agree with each other about an information literate school community and I can't seem to think outside the box to think of anything in opposition to what they have said.
At the moment I have about 30 tabs open on my computer with all of my searches for articles. at least James will be pleased with all of my references. I just hope it all makes sense, and I also hope I can get it all completed by tomorrow as my husband goes back to work on Tuesday and my eldest gets back from Dragon skin tomorrow night and I will then have to entertain the kids for the rest of the holidays.

Monty Python rules!

“I don’t believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that’s been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians.” - Monty Python

A Statement on Information Literacy

Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) (2002). Statement on information literacy
Retrieved from http://online.cesanet.adl.catholic.edu.au/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-7133/statement+on+information+literacy.pdf

In an effort to empower students for lifelong learning they need to have the ability to retrieve, evaluate and use information effectively.

Information literacy is a dynamic concept which continues to evolve as new technologies become part of student learning.

As a teacher librarian it is my responsibility to teach students skills in critical appraisal.

The rest of the article just confirms all of the other literature that I have read about IL.
It was interesting though to see the way that the Teacher Librarian's role has been set out. after reading it, I am feeling less confident about my role as a teacher librarian and feel that I will never reach the lofty standards of being an excellent teacher librarian.

Resource - Based Learning

School Library Association of Queensland (SLAQ) (2008). Resource-based learning guidelines.

This article was great as it was simple to read and understand. It also gave step by step guide of how to plan a resource-based unit of work.
Along the way it also told you the role of the school, library, and teachers.
It also stated the benefits of the cooperative planning and teaching.

Using the information in this article it really will make it quite a simple procedure to begin to implement this style of learning in the library. I'm sure that it will be time consuming and many mistakes will be made along the way, but I'm willing to put in the effort to give it a go. Now all I need is a teacher to cooperatively plan with to enable the successful implementation of RBL.

Qu'Appelle Valley School Division and Regina Catholic Schools, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education (2004-2005). Resource-based learning, in Teacher-Librarians: Supporting Student Learning project.

This article didn't really offer any new insights that haven't already been stated in the other readings we have read so far.
However, after reading all of these articles I don't understand why we are not all teaching like this anyway.

Resource - Based Learning

Campbell, L., Flageolle, P., Griffith, S., & Wojcik, C. (2002). Resource-based learning. In M.Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching , and technology. (Wiki-based version of the original publication by Association for Educational Communications and Technology).

I don't think I had ever heard of the term Resource -Based Learning before I started this course.
I have found it interesting, informative and something I really want to develop at my school.

Resource-based learning is not tied to a single learning theory or to any specific pedagogy.
RBL is designed to actively engage students with multiple resources in both print and non-print form.

I find it a great method because it makes the learners take responsibility for selecting resources that appeal to their own learning preferences, interests and abilities.

RBL units often culminate in student products that are presented to an audience.

In a RBL school, students are more self sufficient, ask productive questions, synthesize, analyse, interpret and evaluate information.

Steps for implementing a resource-based learning unit:

• Identify goals.
• Determine acceptable student produced artifacts.
• Collaborate with the media specialist to plan the unit.
• Select resources in a variety of formats.

Role of Teacher in Resource-Based Learning
Teachers act as facilitators. The teaching of facts is replaced by teaching students how to learn.

Benefits of Resource-Based Learning

Good lessons engage students.

There are six strategies for motivation:

1. choice
2. challenge
3. control
4. collaboration
5. constructing meaning
6. consequences

Resource-based learning can significantly change teacher practices, challenging them to reinvent old practices and routines in ways that reflect the changing world in which students learn.

Resource-based learning promotes problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills.

Challenges of Resource-Based Learning
The greatest challenge is co-operative planning.
assessing student attainment of learning goals and objectives.



What I learnt from this reading
The thing I learnt from this reading was that I need to change my whole way of thinking and the way I teach students. I'm sure that it will be quite time consuming, but after teaching for over 20years I am quite excited about the prospect of something new and re-inventing myself in the classroom.

Do school libraries improve student achievement??

Well this was going to be the article that I quoted from in my job interview this week, only to totally forget to even mention it. Oh well at least I will be able to recall it for any future interviews.

Oberg, D. (2002). Looking for the evidence: Do school libraries improve student achievement?, School Libraries in Canada, 22(2), 10-14.

This article was mostly about carrying out action research projects to help a school to know if the students are improving as a result of the school library program, and how to use the data collected.

Quite a useful article if I ever feel the need to complete this type of research or if Roy somehow makes us do it as an assignment for this course.......please don't!!

Developing the respect and support of school administrators

Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 13-18.

A very informative article about the role of a supportive Principal. This article will be very helpful in developing my assignment.

On the whole TL's often have low expectations of principal support.
This article gives us the perspective of a principal in their perception of a TL. It's actually right on the mark of many TL's I have met.......but not me!!! I'm perfect!

There are 4 key roles of a principal.

1. As a supervisor working directly with TL.
2. As a model demonstrating personal commitment.
3. As a manager enabling the program.
4. As a mentor providing visibility and importance.

Teacher Librarians gain support and respect form principals in 3 main ways.

1. By building professional credibility.
2. By communicating effectively with principals.
3. By working to advance the school goals.

TL's need to be aware of and utilize professional networks throughout their professional lives.

Blogs at school

On the 15 March the Department of Education introduced blogs to their system.
It is fantastic.
I have totally embraced the new technology and I must say that if it wasn't for this course pushing me out of my comfort zone I probably wouldn't have embraced it so quickly and confidently.
I have a couple going.

1. A library blog - so far the stage 3 students have been given the opportunity to suggest ways to improve the library, review books read for the PRC, review any book.
2. A G&T science blog - Each child can write up the experiment they presented complete with a photo and the rest of the group can comment on it. This is fantastic!

In the staff room we were discussing the possibility of have another one with staff member of the week on it. They could tell us about themselves and then we could all write positive comments. It was hilarious coming up with comments....We probably won't carry this one through.
I am looking forward to extending the life of the library one and next term I am beginning to work on Tournament of the mind so I am going to start one for that as well.

WARNING: BLOGS CAN BE ADDICTIVE

Yes, I did blow that interview!

Yes I did blow the interview. I missed out on getting the job.
It went to the librarian from the primary school that my children attended.
Even on my best day I wouldn't have been able to compete with her. She is amazing with many years of experience.
Oh well there is always next time.
As I wasn't the perfect mother when my children attended the local school I know I wouldn't stand a chance of even getting an interview for her job so I won't be bothering to apply for her old job.......