Small Group Processes...

After doing the research, one thing I have noticed about our staff meetings is that they are rarely effective! In our school we have separate staff rooms for the faculties and we have become teams. Of course, there are other teams that have been formed within the staff members, such as the executive, literacy and numeracy committees, etc. In most of our staff meetings, our principal places us into mixed faculty groups and tries to encourage discussion and interaction with people we sometimes never see except in the meetings. Personally, I am not 100% confident in proposing ideas about anything in front of people I barely know. There is the fear that I'll be shut down because I am a Newly Appointed Teacher; I have only just started to feel comfortable openly discussing issues within my faculty. I'm not the only one to experience these feelings, and I believe our staff meetings would be a lot more productive if we were grouped either within faculties or allowed a choice. That way, formation of natural teams is enabled and meetings are more productive.

Team building

Teacher Librarians are, in a majority of situations, responsible for building a team especially when collaborating. If a TL proposes to collaborate in the beginning, they must have a clear plan of action as the classroom teacher most likely has their unit planned and collaborating could add extra work or mean the work done was unnecessary. To be organised prior to proposing collaboration will ensure you work together as a team more effectively.

The benefits of working in a team with fellow teachers is beneficial to the librarian in several ways. The TL is seen more as a teacher and not 'just' a librarian. In my experience, it has been surprising the number of students who comment when they discover I teach history and geography. This idea is reinforced if the TL works with teachers in subjects that students categories as completely 'unrelated' to the library. Effective relationships are also developed between both teachers and the teachers and students.

Relationships are important for librarians to succeed in the team. All teachers involved in the team must shared the same ideas and objectives. The rules and instructions within the group and those also passed on to students must be clear and consistent. This ensures the teachers appear equal, able to do the same job, the team works cooperatively, and problems that may arise with the task/s can be dealt with properly (especially if team members are absent for whatever reason).

Quality Management

Quality management within education is primarily about improving the experiences of the students. (This does in turn mean ensuring the teachers are happy working within the organisation of the school). We must be careful not to confuse quality with quantity. Just because we can offer technology, sporting facilities, art supplies, etc., does not mean quality education is being presented. This counteracts the preconceived idea that smaller rural schools do not provide an education of high standards. A student may not be prepared to step into a high-tech job, but the foundations have been laid for life-long learning to continue (Tribus, 1993).

With regard to outcomes based education, this method can be damaging to students as they are only being graded on the final result rather than the process involved in reaching it. I can completely relate to this argument posed by Tribus (1993). Most of my stage 5 students slogged their guts out to complete all assessment tasks. Some submitted drafts, emailed me after school, or asked numerous questions. For those kids to work so hard, it was heartbreaking for me to give C and D grades.

Schools as Organisations

When I hear of a place being an ‘organisation’, I think of a formalised and structured enterprise with business suits and brief cases. A school is not my immediate thought. But after reading Bennett (2001) I have definitely changed my perspective. Schools fit the criteria to be an organisation: they have members (staff and students), a purpose (school mission and faculty plans), resources (monetary and materialistic), and structure (policies, procedures, curriculum, and tasks within that structure). Of course, it is dependent on the way an organisation is led that affects the type of organisation it is.

I believe schools are a mixture of rational and open systems of organisation. The rational systems stem from the rules, teaching standards, code of ethics, etc., that generally govern all schools. All schools are expected to teach their students specific subjects within specified timeframes. The open systems of school organisation branch from the outside influences that affect the way the school is controlled and managed. For example, a small government school in a remote community would be managed completely different to a catholic senior school in a capital city. Both communities would have different expectations of the school and their children, and these expectations directly affect all aspects of the school’s organisation from bell times to the curriculum.

Leadership

I've never viewed myself as a leader. Right at this moment, I am attempting to push my skills onto other teachers to prove how valuable a resource I really am to them and their students.

I can relate to both points Donham (2005) makes about leadership. You can be externally oriented, where blame is placed on factors surrounding the leader and excuses made as to why change cannot be made. Or you can be internally oriented, where problems are faced with a proactive attitude. At times I can be one or the other, depending on my surroundings and stress levels. Librarians have to deal with a lack of support. I have discovered this is mainly due to an ignorance people have toward how useful the library really is. For me, my externally oriented attitude is triggered by the lack of willingness to collaborate and make full use of the skills and resources I have to offer. And, at times, it is a struggle to remain proactive when you are the only person in the library.

The End...

Since embarking upon this subject my initial views of the role of the teacher librarian have shifted drastically. Not only is it because I have only been in the position of teacher librarian for a little over 12 months, but because I have had such little knowledge about the library and the services it can offer the students and teaching staff.

I distinctly remember informing my former boss, who was a kitchen manager, that I had received a job offer as a teacher librarian. I was nervous and extremely apprehensive about whether I’d be appropriate for the job. His response was ‘how hard can scanning books be?’ I knew a teacher librarian did more than just ‘scan books’ but I had no idea the role would involve the skills and responsibilities that it does.

Every day I receive mail from companies attempting to sell the library their product. A lot of the catalogues promote Web 2.0 Tools, digital resources and technological hardware, such as iPads and Kindles, to support the use of this software. Because I am working at a rural high school, my opinion prior to this course was ‘there’s no way these kids would ever want to use or would benefit from using this expensive technology’ and I’d throw the brochures away. Since day one at orientation in Sydney, I realise how wrong I really was.

The massive advances in technology have been the biggest eye opener for me. My school library owned not a single digital resource or piece of hardware related to Web 2.0. Trying to build upon and update the collection has been overwhelming up until now. Since beginning the course, I have been able to make wiser decisions in choosing resources that will best interest the users of the library and support their teaching and learning needs.

This course has definitely broadened my perspective with regard to what I teach within my subject of ‘Information Skills’. I have shifted my teaching from focusing purely on the library and research skills as processes separate from other subjects, to collaboratively planning my program with all faculties to ensure information literacy skills are used in conjunction with content and skills students are using within other key learning areas. Since changing the Information Skills program, students are recognising a link between subjects and are beginning to value what I am teaching more. Students are asking to complete their assignments from other subjects in Information Skills because they are relating the skills practiced to the task they are required to do in HSIE, for example.

When I took over from the previous librarian, I was left with nothing but a diagram of the Information Skills Process. Using this particular set of skills did not suit the learning needs of the students at this particular school context. Upon completing Topic 4: Information Literacy, I have since discovered there are so many different models to choose from, and the processes are not set in concrete. On top of this, it is my role as teacher librarian to make this process known to the teaching staff and to create opportunities for them to embed it in their teaching programs.

The biggest challenge I have yet to face is one of confidence and leadership. Due to people’s preconceived notions on the role of the teacher librarian within the school community, fellow colleagues have thus labelled me as a ‘bludger’ and my job as ‘breezy’. Whether these labels were made in ‘good fun’ or not, they have definitely lowered my confidence in being able to try new methods in my teaching, approach fellow teachers with advice to assist with tasks, and voice my opinion. This subject has definitely opened my eyes to the person I need to be within the school community, and has certainly made me feel valuable amongst my fellow colleagues. The next step I plan to take is to be more assertive and sure of myself when offering assistance and advice to teachers, and especially when embracing Web 2.0 in the classroom. 

Better late than never...

While I'm a huge supporter of using technology in the classroom AND a proud Facebook addict, I'm not too sure how I'll go publishing my thoughts about studying on a blog.

Wish me luck!