Balmain DemocratsThis is a featured page


Edward Okulicz

(Australian Democrats for Balmain)


1. Do you believe the learning needs of students are best met by professionally trained teacher-librarians being deployed as relief teachers? Or do you support the restoration of the second hour of Release from Face-to-Face (RFF) staffing allocation which was inappropriately cut in 1989?

As someone training to be a teacher-librarian, I support the second hour of RFF staffing allocation being restored. Not doing so diminishes the role of the librarian as being little more than relief when I see the role as a facilitator of learning working alongside classroom teachers.

2. Are you aware of research which concludes that professionally trained teacher librarians working collaboratively with teachers on the teaching of information literacy skills in context, instead of in isolation, leads to a marked increase on student learning outcomes? Would you like more information on this?

I am not aware of anything specific but I have heard things like this said. I am very interested to read more on this as it is part of my future practice.

3. Do you support adequate school library support staffing, so that professionally trained teacher-librarians are free to collaboratively plan and teach? ie. a guaranteed staffing allocation.

Yes.

4. Do you support teacher-librarian staffing for support classes?

Yes.

5. Do you support a policy for a proportion of the school global budget to be designated for the school library, in order to guarantee a minimum funding base?

Definitely.

6. Do you support the restoration of an adequately staffed school library consultancy, to supplement the excellent services of SCIS and Scan?

Yes.

7. Do you support the preservice teacher training of information literacy, the role of the teacher-librarian, and cooperative planning & teaching?

This is essential. Studying computer science as one of my teaching areas has proved helpful, and some of the advantages of basic information literacy would benefit any pre-service or beginning teacher because they run across all areas of teaching nowadays.

8. Do you support efficient and effective use of technology in schools, i.e. i) the upgrade of OASIS, vs the current slowing down of OASIS, and ii) reversal of the obstruction to internet access and inappropriate use of teachers’ time caused by the DET portal, now infamously becoming known as the ‘pothole’

Yes to both.

(I can’t even log onto the DET website from my work computer, which is in a university of all places.)


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GeorgiaP Sources for Further Information 0 Mar 12 2007, 8:17 PM EDT by GeorgiaP
Thread started: Mar 12 2007, 8:17 PM EDT  Watch
Further References

Australian School Library Association/Australian Library and Information Association (2001). Learning for the Future 2nd ed. Carlton South, Vic.: Curriculum Corporation.

Australian Library and Information Association and Australian School Library Association (2003). Policy Statement -Teacher librarians in Australia. [Online] Available: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/p_tlaust.htm

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) 2004 Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. Accessed online at http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm

Brown, J. and Sheppard, B. (1999). Teacher librarians: mirror images of teachers and pioneering voyagers. In The Information literate school community: best practice, J. Henri and K. Bonanno, eds. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Burgess, L. and Melissas, S. (2003). Making a difference: Research Guide (CD-Rom), Carlton, Vic.: State of Victoria and School Library Association of Victoria.

Kuhlthau, Carol Collier (2004). Seeking meaning : a process approach to library and information services. 2nd ed. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Lonsdale, Michele (2003). Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement: a Review of the Research Report for the Australian School Library Association
Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. Known as the
Lonsdale Report. [Online] Available: http://www.asla.org.au/research/index.htm?PHPSESSID=f9950f6c21df9da69334240a48160eda )

NSW Department of Education (1989). Information skills in the school. Sydney: NSW DET. Available to order online
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoollibraries/resources/publications.htm

NSW Department of Education (1987). Libraries in New South Wales government schools: policy statement. Sydney: NSW Department of Education.

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GeorgiaP Role of Teachers in the Library 0 Mar 12 2007, 8:09 PM EDT by GeorgiaP
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NSW DET outlines the role of teaching staff in the library (1987).

Principals play a vital role in establishing cooperation between teachers and TL for successful educational programs.

Because teachers have immediate responsibility for meeting educational needs of students, they must be involved in planning, implementing and evaluating library services. Active involvement of the teacher in the library extends classroom programs.

The TL as a member of the school's teaching staff must be actively involved in teaching/learning. Teaching is integral to TL work. Awareness of classroom teaching activities enables TLs to be more effective teachers. The TL is involved in provision of resources integral to curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation.

For best student learning outcomes, teachers and TLs ensure appropriate resources for student and teacher use, and collaboratively teach the skills needed by students to use them.

This isn’t always easy with limited time, funds and staffing. However, many principals find strategies to overcome obstacles. Other teachers or community members with specialties, such as music, computer or language, take RFF to free TLs to consult on planning and implementing units. In high schools, TLs regularly rotate around all faculty meetings, esp when curriculum implementation is being planned.

Many units are ideally suited to collaborative planning. Teachers and TLs can formally or informally talk about planning units and activities. Eg, when a teacher needs resources on convict life, the TL can also be advised of the “nature of the activity, including its purpose and relationship to broader curriculum objectives”. She/he might suggest incorporation of information skills into the unit and even assist with assessment of these, including students’ own evaluation of the process. A well qualified TL is an “instructional consultant,” there to support all teachers and their students in creating a successful learning community.
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GeorgiaP Information Skills 0 Mar 12 2007, 7:35 PM EDT by GeorgiaP
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The NSW DET policy on information skills suggests teachers use a consistent, non-linear information skills scaffold (Information Skills in the School. 1989). It recommends six steps in the information process:
Defining, Locating, Selecting, Organising, Presenting, Assessing
(http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoollibraries/pdf/infoskills.pdf )

Based upon Bloom (1956) and Kuhlthau (2004), these are in many syllabi.
The HSIE K-6 syllabus (1998) includes outcomes of

1. Acquiring information, locate, access, manipulate, select and critically evaluate sources of information (p11).
∑ locate information using reference and information skills
∑ select appropriate sources of information
∑ consider the usefulness, accuracy, reliability and validity of information
∑ identify bias, differences between fact and opinion and omissions in information
∑ reflect upon and evaluate the skills that they have used to acquire information

2. Using an inquiry process(p12)
∑ define purposes
∑ identify and gather information selecting relevant sources
∑ analyse, organize, store
∑ synthesise, communicate
∑ apply information
∑ reflect on learning describing the sequence of activities undertaken, reviewing the inquiry process

The syllabus suggests that evaluation of student achievement may include discussion with the TL (p82).

In secondary, the Geography syllabus (NSW BOS 1998) includes skills of gathering, analysing, organising, synthesising and applying geographical information (p 8)

These skills and values are to be found in outcomes statements for almost every syllabus and in relation to Internet and database use

The TL is trained to cooperatively plan, implement, and evaluate units of work (Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching) and in Resource Based Learning, grounding constructivist learning activities in authentic, accurate and exciting print, non-print and e-sources and to help your students to learn how to use these resources most effectively. They are there to help.

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