The Reflect

 Reflecting on Phase 2 

A Smorgasbord of Library Related Awesomeness 

Like all good buffets, the Phase 2 offerings were wide and appealing. There was something for everyone's interests and honestly, a bit overwhelming. From fostering learning to ICTs to world libraries (oh my!), the learning was vast and varied. Which leaves learners with a plate in hand at the front of the table looking at so many choices.  Depending on how well a potential TL chooses, the resulting plate could be the best meal they'd ever experienced or could result in the worst heartburn. 

I am a big picture thinker and so I look at the phase offerings with that big idea lens.

And when I think about what the biggest take aways from this inquiry step are, I see two big ideas:

How a TL can be integral in helping to develop and improve pedagogy.

and 

 The reinforcement of the value of the library 

How a TL is integral:

If the library offerings are the smorgasbord, the TL is a one person kitchen: the prep cook doing the grocery shopping and prep work, the chef making the recipes and executing the dishes and even the serving staff laying the offerings on the table for all to enjoy. It's quite the expectation on any TL but since Librarians are super heroes with capes, I think they can do it. Cooking is fun, right?! 

(But let's move away from the food metaphors as it's making me hungry. We'll circle back) 

One of the big takeaways for me in this phase was how the TL is integral to supporting teaching staff. If, as Tomlinson and McTighe (2006) argue, that "teaching is an art that calls on its practitioners to work simultaneously in multiple media, with multiple elements" and that, "to be an expert teacher is to continually seek a deeper understanding of the essence of a subject, to increasingly grasp its wisdom" then the teacher librarian is on a never ending quest to improve their own practice as well as support teachers in their development. 

There is no doubt that the library, or learning commons, is powerful and necessary. Ray Doiron (2005) put it bluntly when he argued, "The teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher can form a powerful partnership for promoting and developing reading. Research by Keith Curry Lance confirms that schools whose libraries have well-developed instructional programs and well-stocked resource collections contribute to higher student achievement. In these schools, the school library is a focal point for learning".(p34)

Above and beyond merely reinforcing literacy and reading comprehension, the modern vision of a library and teacher librarian has come to include the idea that they are a hub of curriculum and professional development for their school community. In fact, in 2007, the AASL made it clear in their new standards, "that 21st-century school librarianship is not just about teaching a set of “skills;” it is about being a partner in powerful, inquiry-fueled learning."(Fontichiaro, 2009). 

This means that TLs are on the front lines of pushing education forward. Which requires supporting teachers as they bring more nuanced and diverse methods of teaching into their classrooms. School librarians are very much agents of change, which can be challenging according to Fontichiaro; "When school librarians think about promoting change in instructional practice, it’s easy to see only the ideal scenario and become frustrated or disappointed when reality does not match up. A shift from idealistic to pragmatic thinking can mean being realistic about the slow pace of instructional change and envisioning the journey ahead as one with many way stations. Just as Aesop showed with the tortoise and the hare, there are many ways to run the race toward inquiry. If school librarians are patient, like the tortoise, sustained change can occur."(18). 

This is not an easy part of the job; being an agent of change is difficult and requires the ability to read people, collaborate and do a million other things at once. I would argue that this is an area of the cookbook (hello again my kitchen metaphor) that some TLs would prefer not to cook from; they are complicated, multi-step recipes that don't always turn out. And the smell of burnt collaboration can linger a long time in any learning commons. But a true chef attempts the more difficult and challenging recipes on a regular basis as they know that there is learning in the attempt and eventual mastery of the dish. 

The library is the heart of the school/community

If a library is a place of professional development, collaboration and progression of skills for teachers, what is it for students? 

Hopefully, it's a home base of safety, welcome and acceptance. World wide, libraries provide opportunities, education, safety and hope for a better future. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has taken on this idea and make it their mission statement and initiative. They are working to create libraries in developing countries and working with the UN to ensure primary literacy rates rise across the globe. These are not small feats; they prove that libraries and TLs are changing the world. A kitchen (here comes the metaphor again...) is the cliched heart of the home and if a TL is intentional in the design, layout and purpose of that kitchen then everyone will feel welcomed, seen and fed in the ways they need most. 

Like the students in these short videos show, libraries are never out of style and should work for everyone. 

Final Take Away

If the curricular development and improvement of learning opportunities for diverse learners is the main course, then the warm and welcoming nature of learning commons is the dessert. Which, arguable, is always best part! 

Time to get a snack but remember... no food in the library! 

References

Doiron, Ray. “Ch. 3. Teacher-Librarians and Classroom Teachers: Partners in Promoting Reading.” Literacy, Libraries and Learning: Using Books and Online Resources to Promote Reading, Writing, and Research, Pembroke Publishers, 2005, pp. 33–46.

Fontichiaro, K. (2009). Re-envisioning existing research projects School Library Monthly 26(1): 17-19.

Tomlinson, Carol, and Jay McTighe. “Ch. 2. What Really Matters in Teaching? (The Students).” Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design: Connecting Content and Kids, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006, pp. 12–23.