Reflection: Vision of the Future

-

Ms. Zmukic & Basil 

At the beginning oft this term I mentioned how the idea of inquiry made me uncomfortable yet it was what I wanted to explore. I had a lot of opportunity to learn and talk about inquiry during my LLED 469 class at the same time the learning and exploration done through LIBE 447 has helped me solidify my understanding of inquiry. Looking back at the process I recognize that we were given a lot of time to explore and learn on our own. I think this is vital because as teacher's and teacher-librarians no one is holding us to accountable to keep learning. However, to be successful in those roles it is necessary to become someone who views themselves as a life-long learner. As someone who naturally loves learning and has always identified as being a good student I recognize that I am privileged that the way school is structured works for me. However, as an educator I want to be able to make sure that the way I teach is able to meet the needs of my diverse learning community. Richardson states "there should also be no doubt that, to prepare students to be learners, we need adults in classrooms who can serve as outstanding role models for learning. If we’re to develop learners who can make sense of the whole library, we must already be able to do that ourselves. In other words, the adults in the room need to be learners first and teachers second." (p.455) Thus I need to keep up my role as a master learner. 

As September approached and I begin my journey as a Teacher-Librarian, I have found myself feeling a lot of  things: thrilled, excited, overwhelmed and anxious just to name a few. I wanted to make sure that the digital artifact I made was meaningful and purposely to the teachers I would be working with in September. I also wanted to use a new platform which I had not explored before. As a librarian I'll have a lot on my plate from weeding to curating, putting together a website, collaborating with colleagues and taking the steps to create a Making Space. It honestly feels like a lot to to do especially for one person. However, by focusing on the key principals taught in this course I know that I will be able to achieve my future vision. LIBE 447 has taught me the importance of: 
  • Working to foster a reading culture 
  • Staying connected with the teacher-librarian community digitally
  • Building a participatory culture in my school
  • Using technology to meet the needs of all learners
I then took my key teachings and created a digital artifact. I learned how to use a new virtual platform, in turn curated different types of resources to promote diversity and shared my learning with a larger community on Twitter. 



References: 

Richardson, Will. Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single) . TED Conferences. Kindle Edition. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Continued Development of Skills

-
Image
Question:   Explore how you can continue to develop your own skills, pedagogy and professional development on your own, back in your own library/classroom and environment. What strategies, tools, resources and networks can you implement to maintain your explorations and development? What are some of the ways that educators and professionals are connecting and sharing their learning? What can you do during this class and after it is over to maintain your connections and networks, to further develop your knowledge, experience and skills? Based on the results of The Teaching and Learning International Survey it was shown that " teachers have been found to learn more from each other than with mentors or in traditional classes and workshops. Even better news is that teachers using collaborative practices are more innovative in the classroom, hold stronger self-efficacy beliefs, and have higher job satisfaction" (Patzer).  In his book Why School? Education Must Change when Learnin...
Read more

LIBE 477 - Reading Review Part A

-
Image
As September rolls around I begin my transition from a classroom teaching of 3 years into a teacher-librarian. This will not only be a shift in my physical space but also a change in the way I think about students and teachers. One part of my practice that I have always felt drawn to is collaboration, being in a teacher librarian position will allow me to collaborate and create a wider impact. The idea of collaboration reaches broader horizons when we think about how the library space can be used as a tool for community building for not only our students but also teachers and other community members.  In the past year I have taken a number of LIBE and LLED classes through UBC. I have continued to broaden my understanding of what it means to be a teacher-librarian. The best way I can explain this roll is that it is multifaceted. We are involved in assisting staff as well as students. Furthermore there are many hats we can wear such as teaching about new sources of media, databases, ...
Read more

The Evolution of Practice through Collaboration of Learning

-
Image
  Using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is used to address change implementation on a systems level. This model can help supervisors or change leaders to understand: ·       The process of change ·         How individuals respond to change ·         How to insure that the correct actions are followed to help ensure the success of the change initiative (Central Rivers AEA) Through this model we are accepting that all change and learning takes time which is something we as teachers believe to be best practice for the learners in our classrooms. However, it is just as important to allow teachers to have time as they implement new approaches, technologies and resources into their own practice. Susan Loucks-Horsley reminds us that “People need suitable help along to way if they’re going to fully implement a new idea, and they’ll require different kinds of help as their needs...
Read more