Librarian Shared Space

Probably not in my professional relationships, but certainly in my personal and family relationships I have often been on the wrong end of this comment: ‘ the trouble with you  Jude is that you are always right!’ Over the years I guess I just came to accept this as one of my failings, and had not really thought of doing something about that.

My readings have helped me to come to understand the importance of being able to accept someone else’s point of view WITHOUT having to agree with it, and I had never really thought that there was a way to create such a positive outcome. Even more importantly, I see the need for developing skills in interpersonal relationships,problem solving, decision-making and conflict resolution if I am to fulfil my role as TL and demonstrate leadership in bringing about changes and innovation in my school. Effective communication skills and understanding of these is integral to leadership and knowledge sharing, building trusting relationships and a culture of collegiality.

I need to be willing to be challenged, expect and welcome resisters and see these as opportunities that may lead to growth and new learning. If there is negative feedback, I must remember to maintain a clear focus , separate the idea from the person but take other’s concerns seriously. This means listening effectively!

The Mind Tools article helped me appreciate the benefits to an organisation when good conflict resolution processes are used. Ideally it not only means that the conflict is diffused and even resolved, but also that people come out of it with increased understanding, increased group cohesion and mutual respect and improves self-knowledge because the process makes you more aware of what is (and is not) important to you. I had not previously considered that ther could be an upside of having and resolving a conflict. It is easy to see that in schools where this process is used effectively, the flow-on effect must be that there is less major or ongoing conflict happening. As people’s skills and understanding increases, so does their capacity for tolerance of individual differences and relationships will benefit.

Other useful advice from this article was that conflicts need to be resolved early before people become entrenched in a fixed position. I have seen long term conflict in schools where I have worked and it is always damaging to the culture of the school.

One additional rule offered is to keep people and problems separate: we need to recognise that valid differences can lie behind the positions, and by separating the problem real issues can be debated without damaging the professional relationships.  This assumes that one or both of the persons are not just “being difficult”, and unfortunately I have witnessed cases where this appears so. Some people do not appear to WANT to find a resolution. I suggest that if one person has conflicts with several others then it may be the person who is the problem, not the supposed issues. This is why it is a good idea for schools to have a framework, a policy or set of clear processes for dealing with conflict and that all staff are regularly trained and updated in these processes. If real situations don’t exist, role play would help strengthen skills. The Taylor/Coulter article suggests that ‘Prevention is better than cure’

This leads me to many good ideas from this article (no author or date supplied). It is about managing workplace conflict which creates an awkward atmosphere, promotes non-cooperation and unproductive working conditions. If this is over a short period of time relationships can be improved but if left unresolved can approach crisis point.

Some conflict can be resolved early using a third party to mediate. It can be as simple as this person providing information that may prompt participants to reconsider their position. If this is not successful, I would suggest using McKay’s 6 step approach.

Anothter very useful reading was by Townsley and relates to conflict within teams, very valid for schools where various teams operate in all sorts of capacities. I very much agree with her observation that although many leaders are trained in conflict resolution and are aware of disagreements, they seldom assign a high priority to solving the problem. She says ‘we must not turn our backs and hope it goes away’.

Leaders often need to be the mediator in a dispute and so need to be trusted by the people involved, and able to remain neutral. I have been involved in some minor mediation that did not meet my satisfaction mainly because of my lack of trust in the mediator.  Fortunately the other party left the school after several disputes with other staff, so further processes were not needed. However that form of resolution does not lead to improved skills , learning or growth for any that were involved. A productive working through of the processes would have helped all to develop skills for resolving issues in the future, so more likely that they will be able to deal with it themselves without the need for a mediator.

Townsley examines the benefits of understanding the elements of conflict.  One of interest is perception: people associate conflict with negative responses and emotions , and these negative perceptions impact on our approach to resolving the conflict. It is rare for people to perceive that there may be benefits from being involved in  a dispute- such as generating alternative  or innovative solutions, increasing cohesiveness, improved communication skills, increased interpersonal skills. If leaders in particular see this as a positive, they may be more inclined to attempt mediation earlier. She also advocates for schools to provide programs which offer training in conflict resolution skills and techniques.

One point in this article with which I strongly disagree is her suggestion to allow people in dispute to express their feelings and get hostility out of their system. I don’t see this as conducive to the process as it does not separate the issue form the personality – which is why I prefer McKay’s 6 step method. Often in a hostile situation, people say things that can’t be unsaid and interpersonal relations are damaged beyond repair.

The readings have all been very enlighteneing and all have reinforced my understanding that communication skills are the connections skills of an organisation. Also that communication underpins leadership and collaboration, so the conclusion can be drawn that effective communication is necessary for effective leadership and supports productive collaboration. All of these readings relate to change, decision making, conflict resolution and negotiation, and all of these require effective communication.

I agree with Savage that in schools, leaders need to encourage upward flow of communication, and this is harder if the staff are trying to communicate failures or problems to those above them. It is always easy to report on positives than negatives!

The study guide introduces negotiation as helping to bring about decisions that all parties can accept and be committed to. In my experience, this is not always successfully done. There may appear to be a solving of the problem, but if not properly negotiated there can be acceptance (begrudging) but rarely is there commitment to the decision.

For this reason, I was very impressed with McKay’s 6 step method for resolving conflict – so much so that I copied the reading and gave it to my principal, with the comment that it was the most useful thing I had in my briefcase at the time, and that he might find it of use if the occasion arises (it regularly does in schools). McKay’s process could easily result in one party accepting the other’s point of view – this is not the same as saying you agree with them. It has certainly helped me as I am often guilty of assuming that my point of view is the right one. I can now see that it is possible to see that another point of view is as legitimate as mine without actually agreeing with the other person. It has also helped me to realise that resistance is an essential ingredient in progress, as resisters often pose alternatives you may not have considered (Fullan, 2004) (unless the resisters are acting without moral puropose).

Reading about emotional intelligence was very worthwhile, and again comminication was integral to these concepts. This came in the ‘Building Relationships’ chpater inthe Fullan text. Emotionally intelligent people are able to adapt to “disorientating shifts”, are self aware as well as socially aware (of other’s feelings, needs, concerns), and are good at relationship management  (develop rapport with diverse members of the organisation). I try to see some of these characteristics in my approach to my work – try to be unruffled by stress, be engaging, grasp what others want and need, be adapatable, flexible, control impulses, and try to be generally happy and optimistic. The hardest for me is to be good at reconciliation as I have a very strong sense of justice and fairness, and really like to see wrongs put right! Often renconciliation happens without the wrongs being righted, very hard for me to feel OK about this. This may be why I am leaning towards doing Conflict resolution and negotiation in my Reflections Assignment.

Although not part of the Communication strand, it has also been helpful to investigate the Quality Learning website which is based on proven principles that guide an organisation towards improvement, devlop a culture of continuous improvement and produces outcomes such as renewed sense of purpose with stronger goal alignment, greater collaboration and co-operation, a focus on improvement across the school and improved leadership capacity (at more than one level). It encourages teamwork and the concept that its everbody’s job to improve the systems and processes for which they are responsible. There is a large amount of detail on the 4 areas of focus – systems, knowledge, variation and people. Some of this will apply to my Part 1 focus (next assignment) on knowledge sharing in organisations.

So what have I learned about communication? Basically that inmany organisations, people assume it happens and it doesn’t!  Not effective communication anyway.  To be good at it we must be good listeners, and I have worked with leaders and teachers who are not good at that! It is very rewarding to have a conversation with someone who truly listens to you!

In summary, I can say that all aspects of this subject are inter-related and overlapping but all come under the umbrella of leadership, and all are underpinned by good communication.

Strategic Planning is planning to plan, to promote positive changes within the school or organisation. It is about planning to make your organisation work – now and in the future. I have often experienced situations where the planning is done at the last minute evet by event with no “big picture” or long term goals driving the planning. School can and do get by on this but not always with the result of positive change in the school. If a vision has not been developed and communicated, each planning of events just becomes a short term solution to “what do we do this week”. I see time and committment by all staff as the two major factors here.

I can relate to Davies and Davies definition of SP as inspiring and supporting others to achieve a vision based on clear values. Additionally Streeton PS disusses the need for plans to be documented so everyone has access to and understands them. This reading adds that data is useless unless analysed, interpreted and used for improvement. I always document and circulate copies of my year’s goals, planning and evaluation after stocktake. I am aware that is often not read by many, but at least it fulfils the purpose of clarifying in my head where I am going and why. I think one reason teachers don’t read everything they should is because of the paper overload I see in most schools, and many teachers don’t have a system of reading wha t may be useful – the general mess and collection in every pigeon hole seems to collect then just go to the bin! What can be done??? If I want something really important read I take it to a meeting and read through it with everyone, hoping for discussion to follow!

Hough and Paine have some good suggestions relating to teamwork, and support Law and Glover’s statements that school organisational success depends on teamwork, not individual teacher’s abilities. I also agree that it would be better if traditional committees were structured as teams, with a ‘sense of team’.

In discussing teamwork, communication and planning they make the following salient points:

• if there is no ownership of a decision in a team, then members don’t feel a requirement to implement the decision
• “collaborative decision-making involves stakeholders at all levels working together to create new organisational knowledge”
• a team is a group of people working together to achieve a common output – sounds simple and sort of obvious but very useful defn
• total performance of the team is greater than the sum of individual performances – a good example of this was our group PowerPoint Presentation – I know my own attempt at this would have been very different and not nearly as satisfying.
• the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing are worth keeping in mind, good to focus on during the team process
• task learning teams empower members to be involved in continuous improvement

In addition to some of my notes in previous posts, some more knowledge that I could usefully apply in my TL work includes:

Leaders will be judged by what leadership they produce in others (Fullan, 2004). Of the 5 aspects in his book, the one I see as the most significant in my situation is “creating and sharing knowledge”. New knowledge is created all the time in schools, and many staff have skills and knowledge that can be useful to others – I don’t see the lack of sharing as deliberate or selfish, just that the time and opportunity is not made available.

I also agree with Fullan that internal commitment is when people get the job done because it is intrinsically rewarding to do so. I work back after school on my 3 days at work, and I do this because it helps me manage my library to the best of my ability- there are tasks I could ‘not do because time does not permit’. But if I stay back and do them, I am intrinsically rewarded and I don’t see it as overtime or a burden. I often look at the people who leave ‘on the bell’, and complain when they have to do some additional task related to their teaching and I wonder where their intrinsic rewards are??

The Cheng reading discusses the 5 forces – technical, educational, cultural, human and symbolic leadership. He defines leadership as the initiation of a new structure or procedure for accomplishing an organisation’s goals – so this could be undertaken by any member of the school community. It should be encouraged by those who fill the traditional leadership positions. However I have witnessed some conflict in school where the TL trying to lead an innovation has been met with resistance from the school principal. Is that because he did not agree with the innovation or because he did not encourage leadership by other staff members?

I particularly liked Lambert’s wording of  how “participants learn themselves towards a shared sense of purpose”, and Tribus explaining that leadership provides people with the opportunity for personal growth and development. I see examples of teachers who have not sought or accepted this opportunity (to their disadvantage).

Donham describes leaders as can-do people and describes tl leadership as collegial (rather than superior as a principal could be). Tls aspire to be leaders because they look for opportunities to expand and update their expertise. This is evident in recent years where there has been exponential growth in the information environment and a huge change in the way resources are provided and accessed.

All readings discuss vision being followed by mission statement(s). ths vsion is a clear mental picture of a desired future or a preferred future (Henri), and provides a focus for developing goals and objectives.

Sometimes the school vision is implemented with the help of teams within the school (previously known as committees but I can see that committees don not always truly operate as teams). In the performing stage of team work and collaboration, data and knowledge produces system outcomes that lead to improved outcomes aligned with the shared vision of the community. Unless the team is operating to achieve a common goal, then the team is merely a committee.

After my assignment, I will continue this reflection with more focus on teams, communication and strategic planning all of which are essential to the organisation’s ability to grow and change.

Some thoughts in summary from my readings and how this apples to my role as a TL:

Organisational theory is about ways organisations learn to adapt

Fullan speaks of change as a journey and identifies 5 essentials – moral purpose, understanding change , building relationships , knowledge building and coherence.  to me, the knowledge building is the key element and it cannot happen without the othe elements. Several readings emphasise the need for members to understand the benfits of change to themselves as individuals and to the organisation. Tls are important in creating change within a school.

Gibbs identifies the need for staff to reflect on and evaluate effectiveness of surrent organisational structures. Then they can establish whether a journey is relevant and appropriate.

Continued improvement depends on continual learning and I am not sure whether all practising clssroom teachers share that mindset. Yes they do make changes to their practices but is it because it is imposed from above or because they find it intrinsically rewarding? Quality learning is measurable, sustainable and involves ongoing improvement

Decsion making is a process and involves different styles – different circumstances require different styles, or combination of styles.

The six-step approach of Harvey, Bearly and Corkrum could be useful to apply in my work. I agree that incremental implementation is important as well as consensus  – where everyone substantially agrees. 

I had not previously considered the real value of teams (essential building blocks) and teamwork in schools – most schools have committees to oversee aspects but are they truly teams who practise teamwork? Successful teams have a complementary range of skills and abilities. In the school community the TL can provide leadership that leads to the effectiveness of the group effort – many talents are wasted if not accessed and used!

Law and Glover p 72-73  provides useful advice on forming teams and will be useful in my reflecting of our group task.  Beck and Yeager’s Making teams work has on  p88 &89  enlightening explanation of Forming, Focusing, Performing, Levelling which is their version of the group development cycle:

In stage 1 the group is looking for clear definition of boundaries, to know the group’s mission, and what their individual roles are in accomplishing this mission.

The Focusing stage will begin with questioning, and this enables the members to gain ownership of the group’s mission. Decision making procedures should be clarified, how people will communicate and how they will solve problems.

Stage 3 is typified by productivity, shared responsibility, clear sense of purpose and responsibility. The member’s commitment leads to mutual support. This is the opportunity for using knowledge and skills.

In the Levelling stage  the group may start to ignore the boundaries, the underlying needs are to get re-focused on new goals or procedures. I am unsure of exactly how this level fits in with the whole mission and implementing of change, I will need to further read on the last stage to make more sense of it.

 This is a very extensive topic and covers all of the subtopics including innovation and change, strategic planning, communication, decision -making, management, teamwork and collaboration. The subject objectives all include these aspects but I have trouble isolating each aspect and allocating it to an objective – all overlap and inter-relate. And leadership is the overarching theme which connects them all.

 In relation to our collaborative assignment and topic, I am reminded of a meaningful quote from Colleen Foley at the DET Workshop presentation “School Libraries 4 Literacy learners: Challenges” she stated that increased internet use and access hasn’t necessarily resulted in increased information literacy skills” in our students (Hay &Foley, 2009). Why? Colleen went on to explain the need for students to be given scaffolding, explicit teaching at point of need and in context to enable them to gain skills in independent learning.

My response travels in a different direction, without disagreeing with all of those arguments – could it be that online access to millions of resources has become a source of time-wasting! In my experience, in primary school where students and teachers have been given little or no direction or training in how to find quality resources on the internet, the habit of “Googling” is rife and the chance of students (and teachers) using a quality authoritative resource suited to the task, their needs and learning abilities is very hit and miss, and I propose more miss than hit. It is very easy for students to appear busily engaged while they make several trips around the world on Google! It’s worth taking note of next time you see students researching on the net. If we re-invent our approach, there is opportunity to create a powerful learning community.

In my school there is opportunity, nay imperative need for me, as the TL and provider of resources, to take a leadership role in creating a school or library website or wiki so that online resources can be selected (using policy criteria), acquired, organised and shared with all students and teachers, with the aim of improving teaching and learning in our school. For the time, we have the chance to share common resources without breaching copyright, so ongoing costs for supply of resources is reduced. As well, resources are updated regularly, again at no extra cost except for time. TLs can make use of peer networks and DET services for support with resource availability

Resources alone will not achieve this outcome, there will need to a strategic plan to change the “google culture” and to involve all teaching staff, and even parents in collective action. If teachers can see the need for change, they too can be motivated knowing it will improve their curriculum delivery as well as increase student learning skills. Professional development would be most beneficial if it is involving shared and collaborative learning, rather than bringing in outside consultants who don’t also “own” the problem.

I agree with Denham (Reading 1) that enthusiasm invigorates and inspires others. A vision would portray the intent of the Library and its resources in the context of the overall school learning programs, and hence be connected to the overall school vision. Mission statements following the vision would provide a focus for developing the goals and objectives. These vision and mission statements could be made clearly visible on the web page or wiki.

In reading Fullan’s chapter on Making coherence I agree that even though leaders provide vision, policy, mechanisms for interaction and implementation, and monitoring it is only the teachers who can build capacity and commitment in a collective endeavour to fulfil the goals, Once the teachers realise they own the problem, they will realise they can create and own the answer. Surveying online usage of resources in our school as well as in others is a good way to highlight the need for change.

Fullan’s Chapter on Moral Purpose provides strategies that I see as useful in pursuing change in a school.  He describes the need to remove barriers to implementation, regular monitoring and evaluation, re-evaluation, plan action, responsibilities and deadlines (if they apply) and expectations. There will be a   need for professional development, support and training of staff as well as students.

Reference:

Hay, L. & Foley, C. (2009) School libraries building capacity for student learning in 21C. SCAN 28(2),  pp. 17-26.

I have learned a valuable lesson for people like myself who have a blog that is open to the public. It seems that because I chose to use a high profile “marketing catch-phrase” like ORGANI……AL   TH..RY (see title of my last post, I ‘m too scared to write it gain!), my post has attracted 3 responses or comments that are I think are called pingbacks and are not what one wants on one’s blog. When I try to click on them to delete them it just takes me to the link they have set which is a hung screen and heavens knows what else!!! All I have managed to do is set them as SPAM and add a message at the end of that post. I guess there are options such as becoming an Edublogs supporter (you pay for that), or making my blog unavailable to the public, but not really what I want ( I enjoy reading other students blogs, and hope that occasionally someone may like something I have written). So my solution at this stage is to considerwhat titles I give my posts eg DON”T USe titles like the ones in our course that would be very attractive to these sort of internet trawling devices!!!

I am keeping a separate journal about our collaborative assignment and group work, but I am already AMAZED at how my thinking has changed about several things:

Even after one group discussion, I can see how group planning of a task is so effective in focussing thoughts, setting goals, rethinking ideas, delegating tasks, sharing problems, refining writing etc.

Being introduced to one simple web tool such as Google Docs has opened my eyes to the possibilities such tools offer, and we are just using this at the simplest level!! There is potential there for use with students that I am sure will be engaging and motivating for them.

And SKYPE! Well, what Ican I say! I have been dragged kicking and screaming to this technology tool ( I WAS DETERMINED I would get this assignment done without it) and after just one week I am a total convert! Again I am sure I am only using it at the simplest level of possibilities but THERE COULD BE NO OTHER WAY! Truly enlightening! WE did get through a group conference with only a few technical hiccups. I have also been tutored (thanks Rose) in how to share a document on the desktop – will need to practise more on that! The potential again for other uses is unlimited I am sure.

My readings, how they apply to practice and critical reflections:

The readings 3  and 7 were the most useful to me .

Reading 3 (Harvey, Bearley and Corkrum) relates to decision making and problem solving, but has implications for strategic planning. I would make use of the concept map at the end to help guide a plan for change. The plan would need to begin with a clear vision or mission statement , with an emphasis on anticipated outcomes and everyone would need to understand and support those outcomes. Decisions can then be based on this foundation and would be a base for the strategic plan.

Reading 7 (Cheng, YC, 2002) is very useful and clearly defines aspects of leadership.  This is very relevant to our assignment brief as it specifically discusses paradigm shifts in education, notes the rapidly changing environment of schools and I believe no more so than in the provision of learning resources by the TL. There is a section entitled “resource developer”  that specifically discusses the TLs role as resource developer and distributor. These resources support effective teaching and learning in general, but more so the Quality Teaching strategies schools seek to implement.

From CSU reserve , the Burdekin,E Leadership and the Teacher Librarian (1997) reading has a good explanation about the various levels of power and of leadership. I agree with  Burdekin’s suggestion that the empowering of others is the true role of a leader, rather than a leader exercising power. Leaders can come from all evels within the organisation and in practice this includes the TL in a primary school (provided they have the skills, knowledge and expertise). The TLs then are able to “position themselves to be an integral part of changes that face schools” and their power can be viewed as their capacity to translate intentions for improvement into reality and then sustain that growth. I particularly can see a use for his 5 steps for effective visioning – valuing, reflection, articualtion,planning, action. I would see these as the initial steps to be taken in strategic planning for change in my school.

In conjuction with a strategic plan for change, sections from Adaptive Leadership on the Saskatchewan Education website at http://ww.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/pol_eval/school_plus/  refer to action research as a plan-act-observe-reflect cycle. Leaders see and identify gaps between what they see happening in their school and what they would like to see happening, then see possibilities for improved teaching and learning.  Plans are made and action research is one of the planning strategies.

PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO VIEW THE 3 RESPONSES THAT THIS POST APPEARS TO HAVE – THEY ARE PINGBACKS OR SPAM AND I have marked them as that but can’t seem to get them totally deleted. They will take your computer into a long “hanging” and not at all what you would want!

How do these topics apply to the TL as a leader and how do they apply in other contexts of my expereince?

As Leadership is relevant to all 3 topics, my general encompassing views about Leadership in summary:

• I need to respect a leader persoanlly as well as professionally
• the best leaders I have worked with are positive, enthusiastic and inspiring, they have had a vision which is shared witha nd by the whole school community, the vision includes the whole community and they are supported by all participants
• a good leader is strong in making decisions, and then in communicating those decisions, the implications and consequences
• leaders need to be credible, be a role model, have well developed people-skills and be able to empower others (this is not the same as delegating)
• leaders fail when they impose change, innovation is not welcome when it is not understood

Communication covers both written and verbal and consistent procedures need to followed within the organisation to ensure that communication is effective. Often leaders just presume it is happening. People don’t respond well when they receive information through the wrong channels.

In relation to Communication, my role as a TL demands leadership skills and hence strength in communicating. I need to plan collaboratively (enhance teamwork), undertake co-operative learning at every opportunity (sharing knowledge). I need to make use of my new skills and knowledge by sharing with all staff and empower them to be able to use the same skills in their teaching and learning activities. In my past experiences I have learnt that with emerging technologies, showing someone what to do is not beneficial. The only way to learn how to use new technologies is to USE it – so sit with your student (staff or child) and supervise and guide their efforts, don’t do it for them! This is true empowering!

I need to respect all points of view, and develop sound conflict resolution and negotiation skills. In all organisations there are some members that are more willing thatn others to work as a team. Make strong partnerships with those that do, they will be your valuable assets.

Organisational theory is about how an organisation learns and includes decision making, problem solving, teamwork, collaboration and again leadership. These are all basic to the role of the TL, and all need to be well developed as the TL manages change and innovation in the school’s information services. It means making optimal use of the skills of all of your school staff. It also includes knowledge management which according to Wikipedia’s definition, is “the process if capturing, organising and storing information and experiences of all of the staff, then making this available and accessible to everyone.” It is important to look at the processes and practices of the school or Library and determining if they succeed in this. Often the standards for these processes and practices are set by the school leadership. What can the TL do to improve or strengthen these practices?  ( answers to this will be part of this semester’s study)

Strategic Planning is again a basic tool used by all TLs in short and long term management of a library. Without having studied this topic or conducted reading, I believe that in my 10 years in school Libaries (and also in my home and financial management)  I have been able to display strength in strategic planning. Change, or more usefully, continuous improvement is essential in all organisations and is based on objectives and anticipated outcomes. First we needs to analyse needs and current practices, decide what you want to happen, anticipate any obstacles, then take the required action to move towards the achievement of the outcomes. Your setting of goals may be in the form of a vision or a mission statement – for the TL this will involve identifying objectives and outcomes for the delivery of your school’s information services. I see it is as a journey and you must decide where you want to be before planning how to get there, or how you will achieve those goals. Regular and continuous evaluation and review should never be neglected. Never  before have TLs been faced with as much change as they face in the 21stC and change requires strategic planning. Decisions are made based on this planning, then good leadership skiils ensure that the organisation is constantly working towards fulfilling the goals or vision.

Lots to learn, one step at a time. I look forward to being able to add to these pages as the readings reveal all!

I began my academic learning journey in teacher librarianship armed with ten year’s experience of relieving or managing seven different primary school libraries. I had identified three main areas of responsibility: management, leadership and teaching/learning.

In the area of management, this employment ensured confidence in applying all aspects of library and OASIS system management. My many years of classroom teaching, where there has always been a need for ongoing learning and adapting to changing curricula, would provide a sound basis for providing a teaching and learning program in the library. And leadership? I had little knowledge of the role of TLs in professional development, school curriculum development, pedagogy, research and professional communities. My limited awareness of this area told me this was an area of specialty for the select few! This was to be the first area where a steep learning curve would be inevitable. The other is the area of ICT and its integration in all teaching and learning. In previous schools, I had relied on IT co-ordinators or specialists who were responsible for that curriculum, without building my own expertise. Steep learning curve number two began where my school’s IT specialist left with no time to train a replacement.

My initial skimming of the course outlines confirmed that I had made a fair evaluation of the TL’s role, but it would be an understatement to say that I had no idea how much more there was to learn. All teachers need to be learners, and I became the learner!

As expected, in the area of library management, I have consolidated my knowledge and practices, in line with this school’s particular needs. Prompted by new understandings about the need to provide and follow a written policy in Collection Management, I will follow up the collaborative development and ratification of my course assignment policy.

Reading for this course provided me with a better understanding of my leadership responsibilities in professional development of teachers, and curriculum development in the school. ASLA/ALIA (2005) provides useful guidelines on developing a whole school strategy for improvement of information services including definition of student learning outcomes. Moore (1997) alerted me to the realisation that the teachers, not the students, determine the way students use and view the library. With new knowledge and increasing expertise in explicit teaching of Information skills, and the support of my principal, I felt sufficiently empowered to initiate change. I began with a staff presentation on the benefits of Resource Based Learning, Information Literacy programs and collaborative planning and teaching (Nethery, 2009a). Staff assessed the current standing of the school and library using the Rubric (Henri et al, 2002), and used it as a tool for shared planning of future goals. Future planning includes defining anticipated student outcomes, the introduction of one of the information Process Models partnered with the Quality teaching framework and follow up monitoring of the listed student outcomes (Nethery, 2009b) to determine effectiveness of current practice. I plan to hold parent workshops on how to help students use information, and how the school provides resources that can be used beyond the classroom.

 My most productive learning about Information Process models has been by being actively engaged in accessing and using information for course assignments (Nethery, 2009c).

A significant change has been my acceptance that reading about current research and pedagogy is of critical importance (Nethery, 2009d). In the past where I simply browsed, I am now engaged in reading research columns, and use it to inform and adapt practice, or at least to plan changes (Todd, 2002). SCAN and posts to the NSWTLNet have both increased my awareness of Web 2.0 tools and technologies. My forum post, 07-03-09, expresses my concern about the school’s lack of student immersion in these emerging technologies. With expertise provided by my DET mentor, I have begun another steep learning curve: re-structuring and updating the school’s intranet page as a place to hang resource links. Future planning includes setting up a library website (Nethery, 2009e, f).

The ASLA/ALIA Standards of Professional Excellence provides opportunity for new learning. Mackinnon (2009) proposed a powerful use of these standards as a personal auditing tool for assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses, and for setting goals and priorities (Nethery, 2009g).

A well -managed service alone is of no value if the TL doesn’t fulfil her critical role in teaching and learning. I have not changed my view of the importance of this role, but have gained new understandings of how to fulfil the role. I need to be a role model, to ensure all teachers are information literate and enlist all teachers’ commitment to the integration of IL in all classroom programs. It’s their responsibility too!  I am now fully appreciative of the difference between my previous lessons that required students to simply collect and re-present information, and authentic learning tasks that require construction of new knowledge or understanding. The way I now design library tasks reflects this. I see that students are more engaged, and teachers report that tasks integrated with cross-curricular units make learning more meaningful.

Reflections on lessons was introduced to me at the DET workshop, and again proposed by McTighe & Wiggins (1999), Ehmann,( 2009). Reflecting on my blog postings has been very effective in providing evidence that my knowledge and understanding of the TL’s role has developed, especially in the area of leadership, and teaching practice. This reflection helps inform my judgements and modify my professional practice. What has not changed is my passionate belief in the importance of school libraries in a student’s learning journey, where students are learning how to learn.