Critical Reflection of ETL401

A critical synthesis of your reflection on how your view of the role of the teacher librarian may have changed during the subject. This should include examples captured from your personal blog and from participation in the ETL401 forum

When I started this subject, my perceptions were limited to my experiences as a Humanities teacher who would work one on one with a Teacher Librarian. Most of the interactions were proactive on my part and my Head of Faculty never really pushed Library involvement in curriculum. In fact my Head of Faculty perceived the library as intruding on curriculum development if they were proactive. The course readings and discussions have certainly opened my eyes, not only to what a huge resource a teacher librarian could be to a Humanities teacher, but also the positive impact that the Library can make to a school wide learning community.

Most of the schools that I have worked in, the Teacher Librarians have been in a reactive role. I.e. The subject teacher approaches them for help. Through the readings I understand that a teacher librarian can be involved at a more strategic level of the school, working hand in hand with the curriculum developers to create and evaluate learning activities that make a real impact in student learning.

Through the research I came across Libraries such as the Scotch College Library in Victoria (Boyd 2006), which is at the forefront of progressive school libraries. Not only do they manage print based resources, but they also encourage discourse through guest speakers and have authors visiting all the time. They have used Web 2.0 to complement their services and are pushing and driving curriculum change through their programs.

The writings of Todd (2003) in regards to Evidence Based Learning have been one of the more powerful ideas that I will take with me into the Library as it not only makes the role of the teacher librarian transparent, but it also creates an environment of continuous improvement. If evaluation is part of the process of interacting with subject teachers, then the teacher librarians can actively model reflective practice.

References:

Boyd, S. (2006). The connected library: A handbook for engaging users. Hawthorn, Vic.: Utopia Press.

Todd, R.J. (2003). Irrefutable evidence: How to prove you boost student achievement, School Library Journal. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA287119.html

What is Information Literacy?

If you ask someone “What is information literacy?” they will respond with simple description of finding and using information.

Despite the many research papers that identify information literacy as the driving force behind enhanced student learning (Langford 1998, Grafstein 2002), there still seems to be no agreed definition of information literacy in schools (Herring 2011, Buschman 2009).  Often information literacy is misunderstood or substituted for concepts such as “information technology literacy, computer literacy, library literacy, information skills and learning to learn” (Bruce 1997 p21).

It is important for a teacher librarian to have a clear definition of information literacy as often the teaching and learning of these skills form the foundation of many learning tasks. Eisenberg (2008) makes the point that “every person in every possible setting” uses information and the skill in being able to filter out inaccurate information means that IL is an important life skill to develop.

Langford’s (1998) description of information literacy as being “literate in the field of information” is often interpreted as the information skills that Bruce (1997) talks about. Ryan & Wall (2010), p32 have defined information literacy in familiar terms, “students can access, use, organise, create, present and evaluate information”, which is supportive of the descriptors given by both ALIA (2006) and ALA (1989). ALIA’s (2003) descriptor includes efficiently as a key term in regards to how the information is used. Tessmer’s (1985) descriptor includes the word effectiveness and identifies that information is used for a specific or given need. This is supportive of Badke’s (2010) descriptor that identifies that the reason why we would seek information is to solve a problem. Wolf (2007) identifies information literacy  as “the ability to access, evaluate, and use information efficiently and effectively”. The introduction of the words efficiently and effectiveness implies that higher order thinking skills are part of the attributes of an information literate student.

Behrens (1994) identifies that a definition of information literacy has expanded to “accommodate the growing requirements for the effective handling of information”. Pariser (2011) makes an important point that developments in technology may impact unknowingly on the quality of information. A definition of information literacy must acknowledge that information literacy skills are more than just a “way of thinking and reasoning about a subject”; they need to be both contextual and must be adaptable (Grafstein 2002).

Both Bruce (1997) and Eisenberg’s (2008)’s descriptors resonate with me as they both identify that IL does not stand on it’s own. Bruce talks about the multiple literacies within the school environment that influence how information literacy skills are developed and similarly Eisenberg talks about information literacy as a process that needs to be seen within the context of learning. Kuhlthau and Maniotes (2007) identifies that IL is just one of several literacies that occur during the inquiry learning process.

References:

ALIA (2003), Information Literacy Forum Advocacy Kit 2003, www.alia.org.au/advocacy/literacy.kit.pdf

ALIA (2006), Statement on information literacy for all Australian’s, http://www.alia.org.au/policies/information.literacy.html

Badke, W. (2010). Information Overload? Maybe Not. Online, September 1, 52-54.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed September 8, 2011).

Behrens, Shirley J.  (1994)A conceptual analysis and historical overview of information literacy [electronic resource] CSU - Reserve

Bruce, C. (1997). Descriptions of information literacy. In “The seven faces of information literacy” (pp. 20-41). Adelaide : Auslib Press.

Eisenberg, MB. (2008). 'Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age', DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 28, 2, pp. 39-47, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 September 2011.

Grafstein, A. (2002). A disciplined approach to Information Literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship: Jul 2002,. Vol. 28, Number 4, p. 197-204. EBSCO

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy: a clarification, http://www.fno.org/sept98/clarify.html, accessed on 23rd August 2011.

Kuhlthau, C., and L. Maniotes. (2010). Building Guided Inquiry Teams for 21st-Century Learners. School Library Monthly, January 1, 18-21.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed October 8, 2011).

Pariser, E (March 2011). “ Beware online "filter bubbles" | Video on TED.com
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html, viewed 30 September 2011.

Ryan, S. & Wall, J. (2010). Digital Literacy: A Resource for Learning in Resourcing for Curriculum Innovation: Learning in a changing world. Pg 33, ch 5. Australian School Library Association.