Excerpt from Capping Paper Part 3

THE ESSENTIAL TEACHER-LIBRARIAN:

CLARIFYING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TEACHER-LIBRARIANS TO THE

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS IN 21^ST CENTURY LEARNERS

The following is the final excerpt from my final capping paper for my MEd at the University of Alberta Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning Program. This excerpt consists of a list of implications of my literature review on our specific situation in Manitoba. 

This excerpt will appear in the Fall issue of the MSLA Journal.

Implications of the Literature Review

Implications for Teacher-Librarian Scholarship in Manitoba

When collecting literature for the literature review I found:

• There were few scholarly articles on teacher-librarianship or the impacts of teacher-librarians in schools written by Manitoba authors or about Manitoba situations.

Implication:

• Teacher-librarians in Manitoba would benefit from Manitoba based scholarly study on the impacts of teacher-librarians in schools.

Implications for Curriculum Development in Manitoba

The literature review revealed:

• Information literacy in the 21^st century is a fusion of literacies that encompass all other literacies.
• Technology skill doesn’t necessarily translate into being information literate and many 21^st century learners need explicit instruction in information literacy.
• Essential 21^st century skills can be placed in categories that closely mirror the multiple literacies identified as being a part of information literacy in the 21^st century.
• Inquiry based learning is an excellent way to teach information literacy.
• Teacher-librarians in the 21^st century are qualified teachers with additional training and classroom experience many of whom have expertise with inquiry-based learning and teaching information literacy to 21^st century learners.

Implications:

• Teachers and students would benefit from a revision the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b) to specifically and explicitly identify information literacy outcomes and the role of the teacher-librarian. 
• Teachers and students would benefit from the creation of a foundation document for information literacy that provides suggestions for infusion, instruction and assessment of information literacy through inquiry.
• Teachers and students would benefit from suggestions for collaboration between teacher-librarians and teachers on inquiry and information literacy instruction in future curriculum development. 
• Manitoba Education and Literacy would benefit from the expertise of qualified teacher-librarians when revising or creating any new curriculum documents in Manitoba.

·         All stakeholders would benefit from the creation of a position at Manitoba Education and Literacy that specifically relates to information literacy and 21^st century literacies with a qualified teacher-librarian in the role.

·         All stakeholders would benefit from linking the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b) to the role of teacher-librarian.

Implications for Teacher-Education Programs in Manitoba

The literature review noted:   

• Net Geners are currently between the ages of 11 and 31 indicating that many current teachers and new graduates from Education faculties in Manitoba are 21^st century learners. 
• Although Net Geners seem technologically savvy, they may not possess information literacy skills.
• Inquiry based learning is as an excellent way to teach information literacy skills to 21^st century learners.

Implications:

• Teacher candidates would benefit from the inclusion of an information literacy course in their program of studies.
• Teacher candidates would benefit from the inclusion of an inquiry-based learning course in their program of studies.
• Teacher candidates would benefit from learning how to work with a teacher-librarian on a collaboratively planned and taught inquiry-based learning experience. 

Implications for Manitoba School Divisions

The literature review indicated:

·         In many cases qualified teacher-librarians demonstrate expertise in areas such as instructional leadership, knowledge of inquiry-based learning and information literacy and providing professional development to teachers. 

Implications:

·         All stakeholders would benefit from having a qualified teacher-librarian in every school. 

·         All stakeholders would benefit from having a qualified teacher-librarian at the divisional level to address the information literacy needs of the school division as a whole.

Implications for Teacher-Librarians in Manitoba

The literature review established:

·         Teacher-librarians are qualified teachers with previous successful classroom experience

·         Teacher-librarians need additional qualifications to be effective in their job.

·         Qualified teacher-librarians are often instructional leaders who model best practices. 

·         Qualified teacher-librarians are often professional leaders who provide professional development opportunities for school staff.

Implications:

·         Teacher-librarians would benefit from developing a personal professional development plan that allows them to gain expertise with inquiry-based learning, information literacy skills in the 21^st century, and the needs of 21^st century learners. 

·         Teacher-librarians would benefit from staying abreast of current literature. See Appendix F: Selected Professional Resources for Teacher-Librarians.

·         Teacher-librarians who may not already have a certificate, diploma or Master’s degree in teacher-librarianship would benefit from seeking out higher learning opportunities related to their teacher-librarian role.

Implications for the Manitoba School Library Association

The literature review showed:

·         A qualified teacher-librarian has additional training in school-librarianship and information literacy as well as successful classroom experience.   

Implications:

·         Teacher-librarians in Manitoba would benefit from a definition of “qualified” within the contexts of the situation in Manitoba which was then shared with Manitoba Education and Literacy and senior school division staff. 

·         Teacher-librarians in Manitoba would benefit from a Teacher-Librarian Certificate program that would allow them to obtain the qualifications for their job through targeted professional development combined with university course work, similar to the Level 1 Administrator’s Certificate. 

Final Thought

             The two most important things I learned from this inquiry are that the role of the teacher-librarian in the education system of the 21^st century is an essential one and that a strong case can be made for having teacher-librarians in every school in Manitoba.

Excerpt from Capping Paper Part 2

THE ESSENTIAL TEACHER-LIBRARIAN:

CLARIFYING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TEACHER-LIBRARIANS TO THE

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS IN 21^ST CENTURY LEARNERS

The following is the second excerpt from my final capping paper for my MEd at the University of Alberta Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning Program. This excerpt consists of a summary of my literature review and a short excerpt from my reflection section.

Summary of Literature Review

How is information literacy defined in the 21^st century?  Through my review of selected literature, I found that information in the knowledge age of the 21^st century is no longer static, nor is it something that someone can own or necessarily trust.  Information is ever changing and highly contextual.  Furthermore, seeking information has become a process by which the seeker experiences greater transformation from that process than from the attainment of knowledge.  Similarly, literacy in the knowledge age has moved well beyond reading and writing.  To be literate in the 21^st century one must be able to access, comprehend and communicate with digital media as well as print media.  “Although information literacy figures prominently in descriptions of 21st century education, other ‘new’ literacies are integral to new school library programs as well, thus creating a ‘literacy of fusion’ ” (Asselin & Doiron, 2008, p. 10).  Information literacy is consequently transformed in the 21^st century to a fusion of multiple literacies needed to function and succeed in the 21^st century.

What is unique about 21^st century learners?  Many authors agree that students in the 21^st century appear to be technologically savvy.  However, a number of articles and studies I examined suggest that these things do not contribute to 21^st century learners’ information literacy.  Students are often ill prepared for the information demands of college or university, often unwittingly put themselves at risk online and are often unable to effectively evaluate the information they find and use. 

What skills are essential for success in the 21^st century?  According to the literature that has been examined and highlighted, the following interrelated and interdependent categories will be imperative for 21^st century learners to master: basic literacy; information skills; critical thinking skills; creativity and innovation skills; collaboration and teamwork skills; multimedia skills; technology skills; ethical thinking skills; and skills for lifelong learning.  These categories cross all boundaries in the fusion of literacies that has come to be defined as information literacy. To become successful in the 21^st century “students will not only need to master reading and writing, but also learn how to communicate – to compose, to problem solve, and understand” (McPherson, 2008, p. 37). 

What is the role of inquiry-based learning in information literacy programming?  A number of authors reviewed in the literature review have indicated that the inquiry process and inquiry-based learning are excellent ways to teach both information literacy and essential 21^st century skills such as those listed in the above noted categories. 

What is the role of the 21^st century teacher-librarian? A teacher-librarian who is qualified can most effectively become an instructional leader by utilizing and demonstrating best practices and current instructional strategies.  This instructional leadership that many qualified teacher-librarians exhibit extends to an expertise with inquiry-based learning and teaching 21^st century skills to 21^st century learners.  Additionally, I found that qualified teacher-librarians are often professional leaders who share their expertise in the areas of inquiry and 21^st century skills with colleagues, allowing all members of the school to benefit from said expertise through collaboration on inquiry projects or through professional development provided by the teacher-librarian. 

REFLECTIONS

Initial Thoughts

            One of the most significant things I learned from my review of the literature is the fact that the multiple literacies that now define information literacy mirror almost exactly the categories of skills identified as essential for success in the 21^st century (see Appendix E: Information Literacy and Essential Skills).  This leads me to determine that information literacy not only encompasses all of these essential skills, but that it is a necessary component of 21^st century education.  If, as the literature I reviewed suggests, inquiry-based learning is an effective way to teach information literacy, and if, as the literature suggests, qualified teacher-librarians are more likely to be experts in teaching information literacy and inquiry-based learning, then it follows that teacher-librarians will be an essential component of the education system in the 21^st century. 

Knowing that our role is so important is reassuring.  In fact, the literature review has provided me with ammunition for dealing with the wrongly held belief that the Internet will cause teacher-librarians to become obsolete.  However, now the question becomes how can Manitoba teacher-librarians do the job we clearly are supposed to be doing if we have no framework in this province that governs information literacy?  Also, how can we justify our necessity if no scholarly study on the impacts of teacher-librarians in schools has been conducted here in Manitoba?   It is difficult to convince school boards and administrators of the importance of having a qualified teacher-librarian on staff and teachers of the importance of working with a qualified teacher-librarian if there is no explicitly mandated curriculum document or any specific provincial evidence that supports our role.  All that we can do is work within the existing curriculum structure while at the same time advocate for either a revision of current curriculum or the creation of a new document for inquiry and information literacy.

In my original paper, the sections that follow this summary include my own reflections on the implications of the literature review for our particular situation in Manitoba.  I examined the Manitoba curriculum and the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b) for specific references to inquiry and information literacy as they have been defined above. I then list the implications of my literature review for the various stakeholders here in Manitoba.

To read these reflections and implications please see the full paper posted on the MSLA website.

Excerpt from Capping Paper Part 1

THE ESSENTIAL TEACHER-LIBRARIAN:

CLARIFYING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TEACHER-LIBRARIANS TO THE

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS IN 21^ST CENTURY LEARNERS

The following is an excerpt from the Introduction of my final capping paper for my MEd at the University of Alberta Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning Program.

This excerpt appeared in the Spring issue of the MSLA Journal.  

The Literacy with ICT Continuum

In 2006, Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth (MECY) published the Literacy with ICT (information and communication technology) Continuum.  The document defines literacy with ICT as “choosing and using ICT, responsibly and ethically, to support critical and creative thinking about information and about communication across the curriculum,” (MECY, 2006b, p. 8).  After attending an in-service on the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b), I finally realized the link between this document and the inquiry process that I was learning about in my EDES 542: Inquiry Based Instruction course.  The role of the teacher-librarian in Manitoba suddenly became clear to me.  The Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b) with its organization based on the inquiry process and its content based on information literacy skills was obviously the document that could provide those guidelines I was so desperately in need of.  I was surprised none of my teacher-librarian colleagues had pointed this out to me. 

Unfortunately, the Literacy with ICT (MECY, 2006b) document defines information literacy in terms of technology use only, and in fact does not use the term ‘information literacy’ at all.  I realized there was much confusion in my school division regarding the multiple definitions of information literacy in the 21^st century and uncertainty about the role of the 21^st century teacher-librarian.  This resulted in a perception that caused teachers, administrators and other divisional staff to interpret the Literacy with ICT (MECY, 2006b) document as something to be addressed by the “technology department” only, leaving a glaring gap in the ability of teacher-librarians to address the information literacy needs of students. 

Through further investigations and involvement in local and provincial professional associations, I came to realize that it isn’t just the teachers in my school and division that struggle with the role of the teacher-librarian; it is our entire provincial education system. Teacher-librarianship in Manitoba is in a state of confusion. 

With a government mandated continuum comes funding.  As a result of the impetus to infuse technology throughout the curriculum through the use of the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b), school divisions have spent a lot of monies on technology.  There exists a perception that the technology departments of school divisions have been quite well funded at the expense of libraries which have suffered cost cutting measures such as reduced staffing.  Regrettably this opinion and its implications have caused much uncertainty about who should be helping teachers to implement and integrate the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b).   

Teacher-librarians have been left in the cold with regards to information literacy programming in Manitoba, yet hope exists for our renewed role in schools.  The inquiry and information literacy structures that exist within the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b) can allow teacher-librarians in Manitoba to re-establish their expertise with information literacy and clarify their roles as both teachers and leaders in our schools. 

What is our Role?

For teacher-librarians to clarify the essential nature of their position in Manitoba schools, it is first important for the role of the 21^st century teacher-librarian to be well defined.  A clear definition of our role in information literacy instruction and our expertise with inquiry based learning will lead to an understanding of how our role coincides with the Literacy with ICT Continuum (MECY, 2006b).   To that end my capping paper examines the question How can the role of the 21^st century teacher-librarian be clarified and defined within the context of the already existing curriculum structure in Manitoba?

            To help me answer this question I investigated pertinent professional and academic literature to answer the following questions:

·         How is information literacy defined in the 21^st Century?

·         What is unique about 21^st century learners and the essential skills necessary in the 21^st century?

·         What role does inquiry-based learning play in information literacy programming and instruction?

·         What is the role of the 21^st century teacher-librarian?

After reviewing the literature I reflected on how teacher-librarians can define their role within the context of the already existing curriculum structure in Manitoba.  Additionally I included implications of the literature review for various stakeholders in Manitoba.

A summary of my literature review and a list of the implications will be published in the Fall MSLA Journal.  For a complete copy of this capping paper please visit the Manitoba School Library Association website.    

Christine Robinson, MEd

The Evolution of a Title

As you may have read in my previous post, I had been second guessing my capping paper title.  The title I was thinking of posed some problems and as all things evolve, so did my title and thought process around the topic of my capping. Below find the evolution of my title:

1^st thoughts:

Why Teacher-Librarians are Essential: The Evolving Roles of School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians in the 21st Century. 

Proposal title as well as Draft 1 & 2:

The Essential Teacher-Librarian: Clarifying the Role of the Teacher-Librarian in the Implementation of Information Literacy Programming in Manitoba Schools

 Draft 3:

The Essential Teacher-Librarian: Clarifying the Role of the Teacher-Librarian in the Implementation of Information Literacy Programming

Draft 4 & 5:

The Essential Teacher-Librarian: Clarifying the Role of the 21^st Century Teacher-Librarian

Final title of published capping paper:

The Essential Teacher-Librarian: Clarifying the Contributions of Teacher-Librarians To The

Development of Information Literacy Skills in 21^st Century Learners

Although this title evolved, you can see that I never took out the word “essential” because I truly believe that we are an essential part of 21^st century education.  Plus it was intended to be a piece of advocacy for our essential role in schools.