fyi : back issues

Spring 2003 - eLearning

Formalising your professional learning journey

Joy McGregor and Lyn Hay

Is it time you revised your collection management policy? Feel like updating your knowledge of children's literature? Are you considering introducing information services via your school's intranet? Has your school recently introduced a content management framework? Do you need to develop leadership skills? Does your school have a web publishing policy? Are you wondering how to incorporate information literacy into your school's learning agenda? Are you currently negotiating your role as teacher-librarian?

Many of you may have already attended professional development sessions that have addressed these areas. But did you take that extra step of fully implementing the ideas you gained? Or did you go back to school and become consumed by the everyday minutiae that we all cope with constantly? It is at times difficult to reconnect in practice what you have experienced in a professional development session with the same enthusiasm or insight.

Kelleher (2003) claims that in current models of professional development "activities resemble a series of boats floating in different directions". They "tend to amount to a series of disjointed experiences that do not necessarily have any observable effect on education. Often there is little connection between the diverse workshops and speakers that are made available to teachers throughout a school year". How can one consolidate and translate such diverse professional development activities into informed and actionable practice?

 
Harada examined research about effective professional development and isolated several crucial elements.

These include:

-Professional development is designed as long-term programs with opportunities for application and feedback

-Program focuses on questions that foster investigation of effective practices

-Instruction provides guided opportunities for discourse, practice, and reflection

-Learning is viewed as a cooperative, social experience

-Evaluation involves ongoing assessment

-Culminating experiences and products are shared with a larger network of educators

Use of technology is an integral part of program delivery and implementation (2001, p. 14)The above elements suggest a different paradigm for professional development and can be reflected in a more formalised program of study at the tertiary level.

 
Professional development can be both a journey and a destination. Studying at the tertiary level can be highly flexible, personalised to the individual's needs, taking into account the demands on a person's time. It can be a one-off experience with one subject. It can be a building up of a set of subjects that can later be converted into an award. With no set timeframe for completing, there are no pressures related to rate of progress. One can study during summer one year, spring the next, and then have a year off.

 
Why not consider a professional development plan that includes some form of tertiary study? Completing professional development at the tertiary level provides teacher-librarians with the opportunity to go that step further. Completing formal assessment encourages teacher-librarians to put theory into practice and provides feedback for further growth. Being affiliated with a tertiary institution affords greater access to and awareness of information resources and services. Coming together with a group of like-minded people allows teacher-librarians to tap into others' expertise and experience across systems, states, and countries. Being part of a subject cohort at the tertiary level can extend your professional network beyond your local system or region.

Many busy teacher-librarians are reluctant to commit to enrolling in a formal postgraduate qualification as a way of further developing their knowledge and skills. It is important, however, to realise that universities now offer a range of programs that can be individualised to meet various needs, and one's options are not purely confined to 'enrolling at university to complete a degree'.

 
While a number of tertiary institutions can provide a range of professional development pathways for teacher-librarians, the following scenarios illustrate the ways in which Charles Sturt University has tried to address the broader professional development needs of practitioners within a more flexible mode of delivery.

Scenario 1
You have always loved children's literature. However, you struggle to keep up with current developments and aren't sure of the best way to make this literature be seen as a meaningful part of learning in your school.

 
Solution
Study a single subject such as Literature in Education where you would explore current children's literature and how to effectively integrate it into the school's curriculum.

Scenario 2
You have a friend who has been a HSIE teacher for fifteen years. He uses the library a lot as a resource base for supporting his teaching. He's ready for a career change. He knows that the current teacher-librarian at his school is retiring in two years and is interested in exploring the possibility of moving into that position, but isn't sure this move will be right for him.

Solution
Tell him to enrol in an introductory subject such as Teacher Librarianship as an associate student. Here he will learn about the educational role of the teacherlibrarian, in particular how information literacy, resourcebased learning and collaboration contribute to student learning outcomes. Make sure he is aware that single subjects studied as an associate student can later be credited toward either a Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) or a Master of Applied Science (Teacher Librarianship) at CSU.

Scenario 3
You are currently working in a primary school where 80 per cent of your library time is relief from face-to-face (RFF), and you are feeling disillusioned about your ability to be actively involved in the school's curriculum programs. You think you could serve staff and students better by developing a school library program that has a resource-based learning focus at its core. You also have observed that teachers are unsure about integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their curriculum. You understand that current syllabus documents require students to develop skills in using information effectively but you don't know where to start.

Solution
Enrol in a Graduate Certificate in Applied Science (Information Literacy) and select subjects such as Information Literacy, Teacher Librarian in the Learning Community, ICT Experience, and Information Environment. These subjects would encourage you to collaborate with teachers to bring information literacy to the forefront in your school's curriculum, using ICTs and a variety of information sources in a resource-based learning environment.

Scenario 4
You are a primary teacher with a four-year teaching qualification who has agreed to fill the teacher-librarian position in your school. This year you have been involved in a series of professional development seminars and workshops sponsored by the Education Department to provide you with a basic understanding of your new role. You realise that, firstly, you are enjoying the challenge of being a teacher-librarian, and, secondly, that you need to know more about how to effectively fulfil your role.

Solution
Upgrade your qualification with an ALIA-recognised course such as a Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship). Nine subjects provide a comprehensive understanding of teacher librarianship, covering a wide range of issues, concepts and best practices. These subjects will give you the opportunity to apply your new learning within your own school context through a number of practical assessment tasks.

Scenario 5
You have recently taken a Director of Information Services position in a large high school. Your new principal expects you to provide leadership in policy development related to access to information and ICT integration. You recognise the potential for adding further value to existing information service provision. You are also interested in exploring the potential of knowledge management principles and practices.

Solution
Stage 2 of the Master of Applied Science (Teacher Librarianship) requires a Graduate Diploma or a Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship). It consists of four subjects chosen from this pool: Teacher Librarian in the Learning Community, Information Service Provision, Knowledge Management, Information Policy Issues, and Online Communities. You could commit to a professional development plan over two years that involves completion of one subject per session. The four areas of the school's needs can be met, and you come out with a Master's qualification. Consider approaching your principal to sponsor your study.

From these scenarios, it can be seen that such things as time, money, prior learning and confidence need not inhibit one's professional learning journey. If funding is an issue, why not consider these alternatives:

-Enrolling in a single subject and seeking funding from your school to subsidise subject fees.

-Claiming enrolment in a tertiary subject as a form of professional development, which is a tax deduction.

-Seeking opportunities for HECS placements, which require enrolment in a full course of study.

-Lobbying your education system to establish a sponsorship program to assist a cohort of local teacher librarians in completing a series of subjects.

Personalise your formal professional development to suit your current needs. Possible destinations are many: gaining a professional qualification in teacher-librarianship, upgrading knowledge in a specific area of interest or need, developing a new specialisation, upgrading from an initial TL qualification to the Master's level, or updating knowledge further while gaining a second Master's.

Why not invest your precious time and energy effectively by setting out on a meaningful learning journey that formalises your professional development?

References
Harada, V.H. (2001) 'Professional development as collaborative inquiry', in Knowledge Quest, vol. 29, no. 5, p.13-19.
Kelleher, J. (2003) 'A model for assessment-driven professional development', In Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 84, no.10 p. 751, viewed 15 August 2003, retrieved from Proquest database.
Joy McGregor is Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator of the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) at Charles Sturt University.

Lyn Hay has worked as a Lecturer with the School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University for the past 10 years and has been involved in the development of a number of curriculum initiatives supporting the professional development needs of teacher-librarians.