When you apply for any teaching position, it is expected by your employer that you demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills.
Assignment One and Reading the ETL401 Forum provided me with an insight into the collaboration that goes on within our schools.
It amazes me the lack of collaboration that goes on between teachers. Excuse after excuse is provided such as 'I'm too busy', lack of encouragement from the school executive or sheer laziness is behind it.
I was impressed to read the role that staff collaboration have in the enhancement of student learning. Herring (2007) found that collaboration between classroom teachers and the teacher librarian resulted in improvements in student learning outcomes. Even though the teachers expressed reluctance to apply the strategies proposed by the teacher librarian, they were able to effectively apply strategies in the classroom. Students demonstrated increased confidence in their learning and improved information literacy skills as demonstrated in improvements to their written work. Ideas can be transferred and can be applied. It also provides scope for professional development, important to improving professional practice.
To be an effective teacher, you need to demonstrate interpersonal skills and engage in a collaborative role in planning units of work and assessing student learning . It is simply a matter of being proactive. Otherwise, students lose out as they miss out on meaningful learning experiences.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Overcoming the hurdles
Last week was a highly productive week as I continued to complete assignments for ETL401 & ETL501.
The portfolio in ETL401 is finally starting to take shape with drafting of Parts A & B well underway.
Part A - Nothing new to report. It's a simple question but making sure that I compare and contrast each model is the challenge. It often comes down to one word in your essay and thats what one of economics lecturers mentioned when I was studying economics in my undergrad course.
I have overcome the hurdles in Part B. To achieve this, I reexamined readings from the unit, but also referred back to Assignment 1, as many ideas that were explored in that assignment were highly relevant such as the significant role that teacher librarians have in the wider school community. I felt that to get an idea of effective standards for teacher librarians, I decided to consider the model used by the NSW Institute of Teachers, particularly in relation to how teachers demonstrate their professional knowledge through their teaching practice. It was interesting to note how Teacher Librarians are required to demonstrate professional knowledge yet the standards don't specify how it should be done. Therefore I will propose in my paper that they will need to specify it and model a proposal based on the professional teaching standards.
With Part C, I look to begin drafting it next week to enable me to reflect more in depth on my learning but also to consider the progress of Assignment II.
The portfolio in ETL401 is finally starting to take shape with drafting of Parts A & B well underway.
Part A - Nothing new to report. It's a simple question but making sure that I compare and contrast each model is the challenge. It often comes down to one word in your essay and thats what one of economics lecturers mentioned when I was studying economics in my undergrad course.
I have overcome the hurdles in Part B. To achieve this, I reexamined readings from the unit, but also referred back to Assignment 1, as many ideas that were explored in that assignment were highly relevant such as the significant role that teacher librarians have in the wider school community. I felt that to get an idea of effective standards for teacher librarians, I decided to consider the model used by the NSW Institute of Teachers, particularly in relation to how teachers demonstrate their professional knowledge through their teaching practice. It was interesting to note how Teacher Librarians are required to demonstrate professional knowledge yet the standards don't specify how it should be done. Therefore I will propose in my paper that they will need to specify it and model a proposal based on the professional teaching standards.
With Part C, I look to begin drafting it next week to enable me to reflect more in depth on my learning but also to consider the progress of Assignment II.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The toughness of assignment two
I'm well into undertaking assignment two of ETL401, given that I can be called into work at anytime and hence lose opportunities to complete the assignment. I would rather be ahead of myself and that saves alot of stress.
Part A isn't a problem for me. It's straight forward and I'm finding from my research lots of valuable information relating to the three information skills processing models. I am finding the content interesting especially with Kulhthau's Information Skills Theory. I was surprised to find that her theory is constantly subject to change. In fact it has been expanded in recent years to emphasise assembling. From what I understand so far it relates to recognising changes in learning and our thoughts.
Part B relating to the Professional Standards has proven to be tough. At this stage I view the standards to be vague and lacks the detail and depth of the teaching standards as set by the NSW Institute of Teachers. I find that Professional Knowledge doesn't relate much to student learning at all where the NSW Institute of Teachers attempts to provide that linkage. This is where I find the evaluation to be difficult. Even linking it to relevant documents as set by the Australian Library and Information Association and the Australian School Library Association is also difficult. For a professional organisation, you would expect more depth.
Part C won't be done until closer to submission to allow me plenty of time to comment on the forums but also post my insights here in the meantime like now.
Part A isn't a problem for me. It's straight forward and I'm finding from my research lots of valuable information relating to the three information skills processing models. I am finding the content interesting especially with Kulhthau's Information Skills Theory. I was surprised to find that her theory is constantly subject to change. In fact it has been expanded in recent years to emphasise assembling. From what I understand so far it relates to recognising changes in learning and our thoughts.
Part B relating to the Professional Standards has proven to be tough. At this stage I view the standards to be vague and lacks the detail and depth of the teaching standards as set by the NSW Institute of Teachers. I find that Professional Knowledge doesn't relate much to student learning at all where the NSW Institute of Teachers attempts to provide that linkage. This is where I find the evaluation to be difficult. Even linking it to relevant documents as set by the Australian Library and Information Association and the Australian School Library Association is also difficult. For a professional organisation, you would expect more depth.
Part C won't be done until closer to submission to allow me plenty of time to comment on the forums but also post my insights here in the meantime like now.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
I have been fairly neglectful in posting a regular blog entry. As you can see I am endeavouring to remedy this. Over the next few weeks, I will also share my views on each topic.
Assignment One is now done and I thought I would go back to my entry from last month to answer this question. Now that I have completed half a semester, now would be a good opportunity to propose a new answer to my question: What is a teacher librarian?
It is vastly different to what I proposed at the start of semester.
The role of the teacher librarian is to teach the school community how to effectively use information and equip students with the skills that they will need for effective learning. This includes the provision of a variety of resources that will assist students in fulfilling this objective including literature and multimedia sources.
In addition, teacher librarians contribute actively to the professional development of staff through programming and proposing suitable teaching strategies that will develop skills in information literacy which will ensure that students achieve academic success.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Day at the School Library
I had the opportunity to fill in for an absent teacher-librarian at a catholic school in southern Sydney last week, and provided me with a chance to experience the role of teacher librarian on a school day.
This was my first casual day in this role and I have been employed as a casual teacher of Human Society and It's Environment at the school.
The day went well. As it was a sports day, I only had three three periods plus managing the library during the recess and lunch breaks. It is normal for the library to be quiet.
I was fortunate that the library assistant was there to teach me in how to loan and return books. The students at the school use their "ID Cards" to borrow. Laptops can also be loaned as the school only provides laptops to Year 9 Students. I am aware other schools provide laptops to year 11 students and it was disappointing to see that the students missed out at this school.
Also I engaged in a teaching role through supervising two study classes and I was allowed to move them from their classroom to the library. The students enjoyed it as they had the option to read or borrow the laptops, reducing possible misbehaviour amongst themselves.
Sport Supervision was part of my role, supervising students undertaking ice skating at Canterbury Ice Rink.
There was plenty to keep me occupied!!!
At this school, the teacher librarian seems to assume an active role in the day to day life of the school. They are not confined to the library, but also provide supervision of classes and also part-take in activities such as school sport.
For a person like myself, I can find working alone in the school library to be isolating, and to be provided with the additional responsibilities provides myself with an opportunity to get to know the students better. It means that I can in my role use the information about students to provide suitable resources that will assist in their learning. We are not librarians, but teachers as well. We are there to educate the students!!!
This was my first casual day in this role and I have been employed as a casual teacher of Human Society and It's Environment at the school.
The day went well. As it was a sports day, I only had three three periods plus managing the library during the recess and lunch breaks. It is normal for the library to be quiet.
I was fortunate that the library assistant was there to teach me in how to loan and return books. The students at the school use their "ID Cards" to borrow. Laptops can also be loaned as the school only provides laptops to Year 9 Students. I am aware other schools provide laptops to year 11 students and it was disappointing to see that the students missed out at this school.
Also I engaged in a teaching role through supervising two study classes and I was allowed to move them from their classroom to the library. The students enjoyed it as they had the option to read or borrow the laptops, reducing possible misbehaviour amongst themselves.
Sport Supervision was part of my role, supervising students undertaking ice skating at Canterbury Ice Rink.
There was plenty to keep me occupied!!!
At this school, the teacher librarian seems to assume an active role in the day to day life of the school. They are not confined to the library, but also provide supervision of classes and also part-take in activities such as school sport.
For a person like myself, I can find working alone in the school library to be isolating, and to be provided with the additional responsibilities provides myself with an opportunity to get to know the students better. It means that I can in my role use the information about students to provide suitable resources that will assist in their learning. We are not librarians, but teachers as well. We are there to educate the students!!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Flat Earth News
I am currently reading the book 'Flat Earth News' by Nick Davies.
I find it amazing some of the material that I have come up across especially when it relates to the evaluation of material.
We have to be very careful with what is being published, especially with the lack of follow up or research. Journalists are under pressure to find information for their organisation and have it published as quickly as possible. If it often means relying merely on regurgitating press releases, not conduct interviews or research to undertake background but also not questioning the validity of information handed to them by agencies and informers.
Some of it is recycled stuff from the past, and all of a sudden the media picks on it because it's the talk of the day.
I find it amazing some of the material that I have come up across especially when it relates to the evaluation of material.
We have to be very careful with what is being published, especially with the lack of follow up or research. Journalists are under pressure to find information for their organisation and have it published as quickly as possible. If it often means relying merely on regurgitating press releases, not conduct interviews or research to undertake background but also not questioning the validity of information handed to them by agencies and informers.
Some of it is recycled stuff from the past, and all of a sudden the media picks on it because it's the talk of the day.