On Friday 7th May, at the annual ASLA-Tas State Conference Dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant, Invermay in Launceston, there were two awards announced - the Doreen Hopkins Medallist and the School/College Research Fellow of the Year Award for 2010.
The ASLA-Tas Executive, Judging Panels and members present at the state-drawn conference were able to share the news and give congratulations to Executive Officer, Lorene Furmage for the well deserved awards.
Details of the Award criteria aand nominations are at the ASLA-Tas website. The citations have been sent to members' lists.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Training teachers and teacher librarians
A US article of interest follows. The focus of this article reminded a few of us attending the Hobart hearing of the Inquiry last week and the conversations with members about the beginning teachers being in survival mode for the first year or two of teaching. Do you agree?
https://webmail.hutchins.tas.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=daaed996cb914290ac2f76aa458ec871&URL=http%3a%2f%2feducation.change.org%2fblog%2fview%2fwhat_should_we_teach_the_teachers
“A constant complaint from graduates of teacher education programs (myself included) is that they do not prepare teachers for the real world of teaching. My own teacher education program taught me the theories of adolescent development, curriculum design, and of schooling in general, but did not tell me what to do in front of a group of 25 screaming 9th graders when I wanted to get their attention. Now I am on the other side, as a teacher educator, and I struggle with the best ways to prepare future teachers.
Teacher education programs generally have three components: Foundations courses (courses in the history, philosophy and/or psychology of education), Methods courses (how to write curriculum), and a Practicum, or what is commonly called student teaching (usually a semester or a year of teaching under a mentor teacher). Teacher candidates take between one and two years to complete the course of study for which they are awarded a master's degree. Then they enter a classroom.” ....and more in the article.
This would be similar in Australia. The thought of adding into a course the digital literacy component for teachers to skill them to take over this aspect of the role of the TL is beyond comprehension!!!
https://webmail.hutchins.tas.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=daaed996cb914290ac2f76aa458ec871&URL=http%3a%2f%2feducation.change.org%2fblog%2fview%2fwhat_should_we_teach_the_teachers
“A constant complaint from graduates of teacher education programs (myself included) is that they do not prepare teachers for the real world of teaching. My own teacher education program taught me the theories of adolescent development, curriculum design, and of schooling in general, but did not tell me what to do in front of a group of 25 screaming 9th graders when I wanted to get their attention. Now I am on the other side, as a teacher educator, and I struggle with the best ways to prepare future teachers.
Teacher education programs generally have three components: Foundations courses (courses in the history, philosophy and/or psychology of education), Methods courses (how to write curriculum), and a Practicum, or what is commonly called student teaching (usually a semester or a year of teaching under a mentor teacher). Teacher candidates take between one and two years to complete the course of study for which they are awarded a master's degree. Then they enter a classroom.” ....and more in the article.
This would be similar in Australia. The thought of adding into a course the digital literacy component for teachers to skill them to take over this aspect of the role of the TL is beyond comprehension!!!
the Inquiry
Representing my school, a verbal comment that I made to the Australian Parliament House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training Inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools at the Hobart hearing on 30th April follows:
The role of the Teacher-librarian has never been more critical in our schools. Their roles can epitomize the shift in thinking to the new learning spaces, and the teaching and learning styles that have been brought about by embracing technological change. The thinking curriculum, the growing evidence about how students ‘learn to learn’ as well as the importance of growing good leadership in resourcing schools adequately, all underpin our call for new staffing roles and funding for school library services.
This investigation demonstrates that research has always said there is a direct relationship between improving student achievement and adequate resource allocation - well-stocked and professionally led school library instructional programs designed and delivered by teacher librarians have an important impact on the [whole] school effects, not just the classroom effects.
The many faceted roles of the school library staff incorporate areas such as:
* reading for everyday literacy, pleasure, well-being and school engagement;
* ICT skills, competencies, digital literacy, and technology based learning;
* self-directed learning and independent study for academic integrity as well as lifelong learning;
* resource allocation for the effective management of learning spaces and the school's assets;
and what we now call across school, college and higher education
* a ‘learning commons’ for information literacy programs – whether inquiry based learning, creative and critical thinking, cross curricular literacy and new media literacy, technology rich learning spaces; and differentiated instruction.
What does a Teacher-librarian do? TL’s teach all students, not just classes as they are the key providers of the everyday literacy programs within schools, ranging from handling information, using traditional print media through to the sophisticated critical literacy and new media literacy skills. Teacher librarians teach all students every year, so they develop ongoing relationships with students.
Schools require new libraries, new teams, new systems, new services, new licenses and permissions that encourage safe and remote access. The new discovery interface technologies that better school library information management systems provide, allow effective and efficient information handling skills across a vast number of the world’s electronic databases and quality digital educational content beyond the access of the search engines such as Google. Libraries provide a managed gateway to world knowledge.
Good libraries have been providing more access to far more digital resources than the physical resources for a decade. As books are increasingly digitized, there will be less reliance on low quality and controversial online resources from the internet or the ‘great library in the sky’.
In response to the ‘format shift’ for books and other curriculum resources to e-books, the need for an ICT skills continuum and competency frameworks will ensure that school libraries and teacher librarians pay special attention to information literacy as a cross-curriculum and over-arching set of 21st century and transferable skills. Whilst the Australian Curriculum embeds digital literacy, national ICT reports focus on these emerging technologies and new media literacy skills . Fluency in the new media literacy skills is not automatic and it requires explicit teaching and development across the curriculum.[i]
In summary, Teacher librarians need to be available for their facilitating roles in partnership with classroom teachers to ensure the integration of information literacy, ICT and literature programs as well as supporting all students on personalized bases in their research, study, online learning and recreational reading.
[i] Australia. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Strategic ICT Advisory Service (2009) Collaboration in Teaching and Learning (CTL) Dulwich, SA: Education.au Available at http://www.educationau.edu.au/sites/default/files/2009_SICTAS_CTL_1.pdf
The role of the Teacher-librarian has never been more critical in our schools. Their roles can epitomize the shift in thinking to the new learning spaces, and the teaching and learning styles that have been brought about by embracing technological change. The thinking curriculum, the growing evidence about how students ‘learn to learn’ as well as the importance of growing good leadership in resourcing schools adequately, all underpin our call for new staffing roles and funding for school library services.
This investigation demonstrates that research has always said there is a direct relationship between improving student achievement and adequate resource allocation - well-stocked and professionally led school library instructional programs designed and delivered by teacher librarians have an important impact on the [whole] school effects, not just the classroom effects.
The many faceted roles of the school library staff incorporate areas such as:
* reading for everyday literacy, pleasure, well-being and school engagement;
* ICT skills, competencies, digital literacy, and technology based learning;
* self-directed learning and independent study for academic integrity as well as lifelong learning;
* resource allocation for the effective management of learning spaces and the school's assets;
and what we now call across school, college and higher education
* a ‘learning commons’ for information literacy programs – whether inquiry based learning, creative and critical thinking, cross curricular literacy and new media literacy, technology rich learning spaces; and differentiated instruction.
What does a Teacher-librarian do? TL’s teach all students, not just classes as they are the key providers of the everyday literacy programs within schools, ranging from handling information, using traditional print media through to the sophisticated critical literacy and new media literacy skills. Teacher librarians teach all students every year, so they develop ongoing relationships with students.
Schools require new libraries, new teams, new systems, new services, new licenses and permissions that encourage safe and remote access. The new discovery interface technologies that better school library information management systems provide, allow effective and efficient information handling skills across a vast number of the world’s electronic databases and quality digital educational content beyond the access of the search engines such as Google. Libraries provide a managed gateway to world knowledge.
Good libraries have been providing more access to far more digital resources than the physical resources for a decade. As books are increasingly digitized, there will be less reliance on low quality and controversial online resources from the internet or the ‘great library in the sky’.
In response to the ‘format shift’ for books and other curriculum resources to e-books, the need for an ICT skills continuum and competency frameworks will ensure that school libraries and teacher librarians pay special attention to information literacy as a cross-curriculum and over-arching set of 21st century and transferable skills. Whilst the Australian Curriculum embeds digital literacy, national ICT reports focus on these emerging technologies and new media literacy skills . Fluency in the new media literacy skills is not automatic and it requires explicit teaching and development across the curriculum.[i]
In summary, Teacher librarians need to be available for their facilitating roles in partnership with classroom teachers to ensure the integration of information literacy, ICT and literature programs as well as supporting all students on personalized bases in their research, study, online learning and recreational reading.
[i] Australia. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Strategic ICT Advisory Service (2009) Collaboration in Teaching and Learning (CTL) Dulwich, SA: Education.au Available at http://www.educationau.edu.au/sites/default/files/2009_SICTAS_CTL_1.pdf
Saturday, May 01, 2010
ASLA Tasmania State Conference
The Boathouse on Northbank
55a Lindsay St Invermay Launceston
Friday 7 to Saturday 8 May
Professional learning for all education library staff: Teacher
Librarians, Teachers, Library Managers, Technicians and Assistants
Friday
8.30 Registration / Tea & Coffee
9.00 Welcome
9.15 Opening Address – Steve Wilkins
10.00 National initiatives and ASLA engagement
11.00 Concurrent Sessions
· Resource Description & Access – C Denholm
· Excel: Introducing spreadsheets tor library reporting – J Fielding
11.45 Concurrent Sessions
· Historical research and the picture book - Corinne Fenton (author)
· Managing the transition from print to electronic resources – Chair: D Morris, J Abell
· Database Searching – A Mills
1.30 Concurrent Sessions
· Communication, collaboration & community: Web 2.0 @ library information services – K Bonanno
· School Libraries of the Future – R Sussman
· Creating a Clever Clickview Community - K Nielsen-Creeley
2.50 Concurrent Sessions
· Dipping A Toe Into Web2.0 - K Reid
· Leveraging school library partnerships from a social perspective – R Sussman
· E-books – General introduction and discussion on library services issues
3.50 Close
6.30 for 7.00 Conference Celebratory Dinner (with award presentations) Gourmet BBQ with desert. The Boathouse. Full bar service available.
Saturday
8.30 Registration
Teacher librarians @ work: aspiring to professional excellence
Library technicians @ work: developing expertise and building networks
9.00
10.00
National standards: Political goobledegook or fair-dinkum professionalism – K Bonanno
Clickview: The Package: what are you doing, what are they doing? - K Nielsen-Creeley
Advanced Book Repair and Product demonstration – Raeco representatives
Moving forward: Merging practice and new technologies – J Bales
AV Equipment: The basics – j Fielding
11.30
Practice around Australia – inspiration from across the continent Web 2.0 tools for desktops and social bookmarking – J Fielding
1.15
What’s common about Learning Commons – A Research Study - S Chaplin, S Ludford
Cybersafety – J Fielding
2.15
Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians: How do you rate? K Bonanno
Developing expertise: Professional learning non-teaching library staff – Chair: H Chapman, R Rathbone
3.30
Plenary – Moving forward (open to all delegates)
4.00
Close
8.50 Welcome & Housekeeping
The Boathouse on Northbank
55a Lindsay St Invermay Launceston
Friday 7 to Saturday 8 May
Professional learning for all education library staff: Teacher
Librarians, Teachers, Library Managers, Technicians and Assistants
Friday
8.30 Registration / Tea & Coffee
9.00 Welcome
9.15 Opening Address – Steve Wilkins
10.00 National initiatives and ASLA engagement
11.00 Concurrent Sessions
· Resource Description & Access – C Denholm
· Excel: Introducing spreadsheets tor library reporting – J Fielding
11.45 Concurrent Sessions
· Historical research and the picture book - Corinne Fenton (author)
· Managing the transition from print to electronic resources – Chair: D Morris, J Abell
· Database Searching – A Mills
1.30 Concurrent Sessions
· Communication, collaboration & community: Web 2.0 @ library information services – K Bonanno
· School Libraries of the Future – R Sussman
· Creating a Clever Clickview Community - K Nielsen-Creeley
2.50 Concurrent Sessions
· Dipping A Toe Into Web2.0 - K Reid
· Leveraging school library partnerships from a social perspective – R Sussman
· E-books – General introduction and discussion on library services issues
3.50 Close
6.30 for 7.00 Conference Celebratory Dinner (with award presentations) Gourmet BBQ with desert. The Boathouse. Full bar service available.
Saturday
8.30 Registration
Teacher librarians @ work: aspiring to professional excellence
Library technicians @ work: developing expertise and building networks
9.00
10.00
National standards: Political goobledegook or fair-dinkum professionalism – K Bonanno
Clickview: The Package: what are you doing, what are they doing? - K Nielsen-Creeley
Advanced Book Repair and Product demonstration – Raeco representatives
Moving forward: Merging practice and new technologies – J Bales
AV Equipment: The basics – j Fielding
11.30
Practice around Australia – inspiration from across the continent Web 2.0 tools for desktops and social bookmarking – J Fielding
1.15
What’s common about Learning Commons – A Research Study - S Chaplin, S Ludford
Cybersafety – J Fielding
2.15
Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians: How do you rate? K Bonanno
Developing expertise: Professional learning non-teaching library staff – Chair: H Chapman, R Rathbone
3.30
Plenary – Moving forward (open to all delegates)
4.00
Close
8.50 Welcome & Housekeeping
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