Brainstorming My Essential Question - Reading Review Blog Post #1


As a first-year teacher librarian, I feel like there are dozens of topics that I would like to research further and it's challenging to narrow down my research focus to just one. I will do my best to weigh my options and select an essential question that will immediately be put to use in my teaching practice. I have just started a job at an elementary school in Vancouver and I will be working with students from kindergarten through Grade 7. My position is a job share and I will be working closely with my teaching partner to make decisions about the library. My main priority at this time is developing relationships with students and staff and learning about the school community.

I know I will be collaborating with classroom teachers in order to support students in researching their inquiry projects this year. I feel that building my knowledge of information literacy and library skills (e.g. effective internet searching, using databases, spotting "fake news") would be helpful. I want teachers to see the value that a trained teacher librarian can bring.

The library I am working in is well-organized and popular with the students. I am still learning how it operates, and from what I've observed so far, it is a traditional library and not a library learning commons. If I were to consider our library in terms of the Leading Learning standards of practice, I would say it is in the exploring (or perhaps emerging in some areas) category and we have a long ways to go before we are considered an LLC. In terms of technology, we do have a Smartboard, but our desktop computers are well over five years old and very slow and we don't have any tablets or laptops in the library. I have a personal interest in technology, coding, and makerspaces, but at this time, I feel that exploring these topics might be better for my second year on the job.

While the province of BC was transitioning to the new curriculum, I was a teacher on call, so I didn't attend any curriculum implementation days. However, as a teacher librarian, one of my important roles is to be familiar with the current K-7 curriculum so that I can ensure we have relevant resources available in the library. I would love to delve into the new curriculum and especially to study how to integrate indigenous content across the curriculum (e.g. The Six Cedars).

As you can see, I have many interests and it would take me years to become an expert on all of them, so I'll just have to narrow them down for this course! Fortunately, I think of myself as a life-long learner, so I'll research the areas I don't study at this time in future. And I'm sure I'll come up with more topics along the way!

Comments

  1. Aaron MuellerSeptember 18, 2018 at 6:58 AM

    Excellent blog post outlining not just your professional interests, but also providing insightful context for your school, the state of your library and your goals for the first year in a new role. All of this is very practical and will go a long way to supporting your very important goal of developing and cultivating relationships with your staff and students. The rest of it will come in time, but the first step is to make yourself a part of the school culture, and to support teachers where they are at. You have a very positive attitude towards your ongoing growth and can model this growth mindset to other staff and students. Your keywords are all well chosen, important and useful for your attention and efforts at this time. Good stuff.

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