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