From Weekend Aus mag - March 7-8 2009 - Lessons from the Bronx, David Nason, - page 25 - the history teacher says "I teach students - not history - so part of that is teaching them how to read and write, regardless of where they are when they come into my classroom."
It's the "I teach students" part - it doesn't matter what your subject is.
Focus on students.
ANU Reporter Autumn 2009 - page 12 interview with John Hart and Jim Lengle from USA re Obama's election campaign (and subsequent win)- interesting thoughts about modern communication - how Obama was able to reach many more people effectively using the internet - gone are the days of the doorknock?
SCIS connections issue no 68 term 1 2009 - Learning not to answer their questions - teaching students to think - information literacy skills - don't GIVE them knowledge - teach them to find it for themselves.
page 10 - challenges for teacher librarianship - discouraging teachers from using the library and librarian as a stop-gap for their own poor planning or unpreparedness. Let teachers know that TLs are not emergency personnel who can help teachers stuck in a problem which they should not have created.
I think this could be put another way - plan with the teachers where practicable - let them know TLs are of great value and very, very useful.
Access - vol 22 issue 4 2008 - Touching the ground: page 31-33 - I like this for the author's (Andrew Smith) point of view that the school library has a human face - school libraries and TLs "function as complex social and cultural spaces. The contribution made by teacher librarians in these spaces is irreplaceable. In their own unique ways they add a richness and depth to schools as they manage these spaces and the students who occupy them." YES YES YES. I so agree. - a very uplifting and imformative article, especially as the author is a recent recruit to the profession.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Contemplating
Sadly cannot remember in which resource this was written (and may have been written in several), but it does distress me: that what students learn at school will be obsolete by the time they have finished their schooling.
On its own this is extraordinary. Even in context, I wonder. I know students and parents who would ask what is the point of attending school.
I do not feel that what I learned at school is obsolete. The amount of information available now about science, fiction written since my school years, geography, history and even learning another language given that languages are living, has increased, changed, shows development, progression in many areas. But to suggest that what I actually learned is obsolete is extreme. Would it not be better to say that it is part of the "life long learning" experience, that without it I cannot build to go further?
On its own this is extraordinary. Even in context, I wonder. I know students and parents who would ask what is the point of attending school.
I do not feel that what I learned at school is obsolete. The amount of information available now about science, fiction written since my school years, geography, history and even learning another language given that languages are living, has increased, changed, shows development, progression in many areas. But to suggest that what I actually learned is obsolete is extreme. Would it not be better to say that it is part of the "life long learning" experience, that without it I cannot build to go further?
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Frustration plus
It took me 20 minutes to get into this - I must be doing something so wrong but for some unknow reason it finally worked.
Found the history of Australian sschool libraries very interesting - did not realise the history of the federal funding to create/enhance school libraries from the 1960s on.
Readings from Ludin, R 1981 and Hazell, A 1990 have enlightened me but also depressed.
So much in my environment has not improved. Seems still to depend on the individual principal's point of view as to whether primary schools, in particular, have a fully functional library and a teacher librarian.
With respect to readings in Topic 6 - a lot of readings make me feel that common sense about organisation in the work place is so important. I know it can be expressed in writing by academic people, but in the work place, as I am a full time mother and wife (those are not part time jobs), I teach full time (and I know 12 weeks holiday or down time is mine but that involves a huge amount of preparation and indeed interest in finding better ways to do things) as well a variety of activities outside home and work life, common sense in organisation comes from experience and trial and error.
Found the history of Australian sschool libraries very interesting - did not realise the history of the federal funding to create/enhance school libraries from the 1960s on.
Readings from Ludin, R 1981 and Hazell, A 1990 have enlightened me but also depressed.
So much in my environment has not improved. Seems still to depend on the individual principal's point of view as to whether primary schools, in particular, have a fully functional library and a teacher librarian.
With respect to readings in Topic 6 - a lot of readings make me feel that common sense about organisation in the work place is so important. I know it can be expressed in writing by academic people, but in the work place, as I am a full time mother and wife (those are not part time jobs), I teach full time (and I know 12 weeks holiday or down time is mine but that involves a huge amount of preparation and indeed interest in finding better ways to do things) as well a variety of activities outside home and work life, common sense in organisation comes from experience and trial and error.
Monday, 2 March 2009
week 2
Oh dear I think I have created two posts which have a very close address.
A few observations from the weekend -
1 Read Weekend Australian Feb 21 - 22 and noted Never Wrong for Long - about the authenticity of wikipedia. Having studied 501 last semester, this is particularly interesting as there appears to be a concern on the part of the creators about the accuracy of posts. There are suggestions of regulating the posts to ensure a greater truth so to speak.
2 Access number 22 issue 4 2008 - Christopher Chan's article reviews studies on the impact of school library services on student achievement (etc) - very interesting given that the conculsion is that the studies can be said to consistently support school libraries as being of benefit to student learning.
Makes me feel a little more confident in pursuing this course.
A few observations from the weekend -
1 Read Weekend Australian Feb 21 - 22 and noted Never Wrong for Long - about the authenticity of wikipedia. Having studied 501 last semester, this is particularly interesting as there appears to be a concern on the part of the creators about the accuracy of posts. There are suggestions of regulating the posts to ensure a greater truth so to speak.
2 Access number 22 issue 4 2008 - Christopher Chan's article reviews studies on the impact of school library services on student achievement (etc) - very interesting given that the conculsion is that the studies can be said to consistently support school libraries as being of benefit to student learning.
Makes me feel a little more confident in pursuing this course.
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