The first thing I did at the start of ETL401 was listen to James Herring’s podcast on Teacher Librarianship. One word from that podcast has continued to repeat over and over, in my mind: ‘REFLECT’.
But at that stage of this subject, I had not quite grasped the enormity of what James Herring meant by this.
As I meticulously explored the readings for ETL401 Assignment 2, the same word kept repeating over and over in my head: ‘REFLECT’. And so, as I was reflecting, I received a particularly encouraging response on the ETL401 subject forum:
‘I agree..if it has to be based on personal experience I am in real trouble as I am not a teacher and have never worked in a school! You can do it Emma! Just look back over your readings and what you have learnt in this subject. Good luck!!’ (Rogers, 2011).
The first puzzle pieces clicked together.
So I was reflecting on what I was reading, but I was having trouble with the idea of reflecting on experiences I have not personally had. Not only that, I am pretty new to blogging so I didn’t really understand its purpose. An example of these initial confusing thoughts is expressed in one of my blog posts:
‘I created my blog a while back... so yes I know how to create one, and the settings are not too hard to work out’ however the thing I was still ‘struggling with was.... the purpose of me posting to my Blog?’ (Conroy, 2011).
You see, I was under the misconception that we were to create a blog, as an exercise to show we knew how to create one. I have been required to carry out similar tasks in other subjects. But I had a feeling I was off the mark, so I did some research and reading on the purpose of blogging. I discovered so much, but the following blogs (briefly annotated, and listed in no particular order) were particularly helpful in establishing my own purpose:
http://anon-teacherlibrarian.blogspot.com/
The link to this blog was sent to me by Katherine, another ETL401 student who has been very supportive to me throughout this subject. As a ‘non' Teacher Librarian (TL) myself, the way Katherine has supported me by sharing links like this, has made me feel much less isolated.
But at that stage of this subject, I had not quite grasped the enormity of what James Herring meant by this.
As I meticulously explored the readings for ETL401 Assignment 2, the same word kept repeating over and over in my head: ‘REFLECT’. And so, as I was reflecting, I received a particularly encouraging response on the ETL401 subject forum:
‘I agree..if it has to be based on personal experience I am in real trouble as I am not a teacher and have never worked in a school! You can do it Emma! Just look back over your readings and what you have learnt in this subject. Good luck!!’ (Rogers, 2011).
The first puzzle pieces clicked together.
So I was reflecting on what I was reading, but I was having trouble with the idea of reflecting on experiences I have not personally had. Not only that, I am pretty new to blogging so I didn’t really understand its purpose. An example of these initial confusing thoughts is expressed in one of my blog posts:
‘I created my blog a while back... so yes I know how to create one, and the settings are not too hard to work out’ however the thing I was still ‘struggling with was.... the purpose of me posting to my Blog?’ (Conroy, 2011).
You see, I was under the misconception that we were to create a blog, as an exercise to show we knew how to create one. I have been required to carry out similar tasks in other subjects. But I had a feeling I was off the mark, so I did some research and reading on the purpose of blogging. I discovered so much, but the following blogs (briefly annotated, and listed in no particular order) were particularly helpful in establishing my own purpose:
http://anon-teacherlibrarian.blogspot.com/
The link to this blog was sent to me by Katherine, another ETL401 student who has been very supportive to me throughout this subject. As a ‘non' Teacher Librarian (TL) myself, the way Katherine has supported me by sharing links like this, has made me feel much less isolated.
http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/
Not much else to say, except that I don’t know how I ever lived without this ‘Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia’ TL blog!!
Not much else to say, except that I don’t know how I ever lived without this ‘Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia’ TL blog!!
http://jherring .wordpress.com/
James Herring’s Blog is (of course!) always full of helpful information, and is also a very informative and entertaining read.
These sources of inspiration made me realise that I am not alone in my chosen field, just because I am not yet a fully qualified TL.
I also realised quickly that I was meant to be using my blog as a tool in my assignment!
But I was then stuck on how to start my blog.
I decided that the best way to start would be to write down the uncertainties that were in my head, on my blog. Once I started, it felt good to be writing down these doubts. Doing this started to remind me of Carol Kuhlthau’s ISP model and James Herring’s PLUS model, because they both encourage sharing these kinds of feelings, and see initial uncertainty as natural.
More puzzle pieces were clicking together in my head.
As a person who sometimes panics when I am uncertain... I think the way ETL401 intends TL's to view information literacy (as way, WAY more than merely a set of skills!) is such a positive, confidence-boosting way to teach information literacy, and I can’t wait to educate my own school community in the same way, one day when I am a TL managing my own library. I also really look forward to collaborating with other staff and, consequentially, encouraging them to see ‘our lessons in the library’ at the very least, as complemantary to 'classroom activities’ (HUB, 2010).
I realise now that rather than reflecting on obstacles I have (or haven’t) had, this subject (ETL401) has prepared me for obstacles already being faced ‘out there’ in my field, so that when I am a TL managing a school library, I can take on a leadership role and confidently address these obstacles.
Just as Herring suggests using tools such as concept maps and brainstorming (just to mention two of MANY examples) as scaffolding for students to build on their knowledge, I realised that my blog is MY scaffold for this subject, and will continue to be my scaffold throughout my career as a TL. Blogging is such a phenomenal reflective tool (and lets face it, I am now addicted !!).
Thanks to finally understanding its purpose, blogging has thus opened up many new doors for me in terms of collaboration, even though I am not qualified as a TL yet. This is very exciting, especially when I go back through my blog and ‘REFLECT’ on my initial feelings of confusion and uncertainty in regard to teacher-TL collaborative practices.
After looking back and reflecting on the ETL401 subject forum and my own blog posts, I can see how my feelings of being lost and not knowing where to start at the beginning of this subject were similar how a student likely feels at the beginning of a research task. This is why the process of going through Assignment 2 has reminded me of Herring’s PLUS model again.
Even more puzzle pieces click together.
I also realise that I not only needed a more precise understanding of how to educate through such information literacy models, but I also needed a deeper understanding of information literacy, before I could EFFECTIVELY teach it to students. I believe that I will always be reflecting because reflecting is a crucial element of ‘Lifelong Learning’.Information literacy is about being committed to lifelong learning.
I have also formed another belief about teaching information literacy skills across the curriculum, which is reflective of the declaration of Senge (2007) that ‘tools and ideas’ provided by TL’s destroy ‘the illusion that the world is created of separate, unrelated forces’. When experiencing uncertainty at the beginning of a task, information literacy models (such as the ISP model and the PLUS model) enable students to ‘reassemble the fragments’ and ‘organise all the pieces’ of information in their minds (p.3). As ETL401 comes to an end, it seems to me, such viewpoints are parallel to my own realisation that:
But I was then stuck on how to start my blog.
I decided that the best way to start would be to write down the uncertainties that were in my head, on my blog. Once I started, it felt good to be writing down these doubts. Doing this started to remind me of Carol Kuhlthau’s ISP model and James Herring’s PLUS model, because they both encourage sharing these kinds of feelings, and see initial uncertainty as natural.
More puzzle pieces were clicking together in my head.
As a person who sometimes panics when I am uncertain... I think the way ETL401 intends TL's to view information literacy (as way, WAY more than merely a set of skills!) is such a positive, confidence-boosting way to teach information literacy, and I can’t wait to educate my own school community in the same way, one day when I am a TL managing my own library. I also really look forward to collaborating with other staff and, consequentially, encouraging them to see ‘our lessons in the library’ at the very least, as complemantary to 'classroom activities’ (HUB, 2010).
I realise now that rather than reflecting on obstacles I have (or haven’t) had, this subject (ETL401) has prepared me for obstacles already being faced ‘out there’ in my field, so that when I am a TL managing a school library, I can take on a leadership role and confidently address these obstacles.
Just as Herring suggests using tools such as concept maps and brainstorming (just to mention two of MANY examples) as scaffolding for students to build on their knowledge, I realised that my blog is MY scaffold for this subject, and will continue to be my scaffold throughout my career as a TL. Blogging is such a phenomenal reflective tool (and lets face it, I am now addicted !!).
Thanks to finally understanding its purpose, blogging has thus opened up many new doors for me in terms of collaboration, even though I am not qualified as a TL yet. This is very exciting, especially when I go back through my blog and ‘REFLECT’ on my initial feelings of confusion and uncertainty in regard to teacher-TL collaborative practices.
After looking back and reflecting on the ETL401 subject forum and my own blog posts, I can see how my feelings of being lost and not knowing where to start at the beginning of this subject were similar how a student likely feels at the beginning of a research task. This is why the process of going through Assignment 2 has reminded me of Herring’s PLUS model again.
Even more puzzle pieces click together.
I also realise that I not only needed a more precise understanding of how to educate through such information literacy models, but I also needed a deeper understanding of information literacy, before I could EFFECTIVELY teach it to students. I believe that I will always be reflecting because reflecting is a crucial element of ‘Lifelong Learning’.Information literacy is about being committed to lifelong learning.
I have also formed another belief about teaching information literacy skills across the curriculum, which is reflective of the declaration of Senge (2007) that ‘tools and ideas’ provided by TL’s destroy ‘the illusion that the world is created of separate, unrelated forces’. When experiencing uncertainty at the beginning of a task, information literacy models (such as the ISP model and the PLUS model) enable students to ‘reassemble the fragments’ and ‘organise all the pieces’ of information in their minds (p.3). As ETL401 comes to an end, it seems to me, such viewpoints are parallel to my own realisation that:
clicking puzzle pieces together
IS
Teacher Librarianship!!
____________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
Conroy, Emma. K.(2011,October 8). Stop ! Collaborate & Listen : UNDERSTANDING BLOGGING [Web log comment]. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://upl8withemmak8.blogspot.com/2011/10/understanding-blogging.html
Herring, James. E. (2011).Teacher Librarianship (ETL401) @ Charles Sturt University (CSU) Podcast. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL401_201160_W_D/page/8c9c288c-9ea9-4960-00cc-69a5bf6b56d7
HUB. (2010, May 5). Why do we need TEACHER-librarians in our school libraries?: A Queensland primary teacher librarian responds. The HUB. Retrieved October, 2011 from
http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/why-do-we-need-teacher-librarians-in-our-school-libraries/
Rogers, Karen. (2011, September 16). Identifying an Obstacle [reply to Msg]: ETL401 Assignment 2 Forum. Message posted to http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub8_forum
Senge, Peter .M. (2007). Chapter 1: Give me a lever long enough … and single-handed I can move the world. The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership (2nd ed),3-15.
Conroy, Emma. K.(2011,October 8). Stop ! Collaborate & Listen : UNDERSTANDING BLOGGING [Web log comment]. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://upl8withemmak8.blogspot.com/2011/10/understanding-blogging.html
Herring, James. E. (2011).Teacher Librarianship (ETL401) @ Charles Sturt University (CSU) Podcast. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL401_201160_W_D/page/8c9c288c-9ea9-4960-00cc-69a5bf6b56d7
HUB. (2010, May 5). Why do we need TEACHER-librarians in our school libraries?: A Queensland primary teacher librarian responds. The HUB. Retrieved October, 2011 from
http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/why-do-we-need-teacher-librarians-in-our-school-libraries/
Rogers, Karen. (2011, September 16). Identifying an Obstacle [reply to Msg]: ETL401 Assignment 2 Forum. Message posted to http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub8_forum
Senge, Peter .M. (2007). Chapter 1: Give me a lever long enough … and single-handed I can move the world. The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership (2nd ed),3-15.
