Whoa! Quite a lot in this module to look at and consider, I am still trying to get my head around it all. The assignment is worrying me a little for trying to link it to theory but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
Activity: obtaining data - TL alone? I don't think this is a job just for the TL it is where the teacher will be able to provide a lot of this and the adminisration can provide a lot of family details. The TL can further the data by what they do through surveys but there could be alot of meetings inbetween.
Activity: Tl collaborate with school community. We currently have a suggestion box for students to help with what they want, I have had to go and see teachers or supply information sheets about what they are teaching or requiring for their subjects. It is very rare that I would get a specific book request from teachers or staff, usually it is a general area that will match their teaching area. Sometimes this can be a specific line of research required. I have also asked them to forward sites they have found that they are using that are useful. As to the final say - for the specific library collection it should be the TL as they know the collection and have their budget, on the other hand for teachers who are requiring resources they often have their own budget but it still needs collaboration to ensure we don't have that item in the library collection already.
Activity: Print format diminishing? Digital increase? I think we do need to increase digital resources as that is where many learners are at but i don't think we can rule out print in any way, we still need print to help with traditional literacy skills and for some aspects print is more suited for students rather than the copious amount of searching the may do on the computer for research. As many workplaces are techonolgically wired we need to ensure that we are exposing students to digital aspects, whether that be CD-ROMs, digital objects or searching the internet.
Activity: selection aids - Pegiwilliams. A great site for TLs, provide a variety of books on appro if required, will send them to you, postage free. Limited information at times on the books.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum - The beginning
The thought of doing a subject over the Christmas break seemed like a good idea, until I realised that I would have both kids at home for a majority of it! Oh well, 'thems the breaks'. I was looking at the assessment pieces and thinking this is going to be a lot of work but this is an area that I need more clarity on - I am fairly sure in my interviews for jobs it is my understanding (or lack of) that limits my ability to 'nail' it.
I think one of the main aspects I have to get my head around is the digital collection - especially reviewing and see if it suits my school. It seems easy enough to look at this with the print collection but I seem to run out of time with the digital side and I know this is a problem as we head towards a digital library scene.
I started by reading the first section of Chapter 1 - What is collection management? and found that this matches what we consider collection management in our schools - again I have to make sure I go through our guidelines a little more thoroughly for this subject! I continued reading the next section and was interested in how the two terms developed and for what reasons. It seemed a little pedantic to change the term as I am sure that as libraries were doing collection development there was the management side to it too, so to introduce collection management then and have the confusion or synonomous meanings occuring seemed likely. What I will take from this is as our module states, 'advisable to detect and take into account' the differences when people are writing about them. This will be the main issue with me I think is to have it clear in my head what they are meaning with the use of the term they have chosen.
I did like the alternate definitions in our notes where it linked it to school libraries with teaching and learning aspects and the needs of the users.
Finally, I examined and considered the definitions of 'selection', 'acquisition', 'deselection' and 'collection evaluation' and thought that for the student interest side of needs of the users of a library these are fairly standard - but that for curricular needs and teaching practices/learning theories there requires to be a knowledge of the units teachers are teaching, quite difficult when I am there one day a week and with teachers who haven't used a TL in that way before. So even though we have a Guidelines document for policy and procedure it is generic and I am looking forward to putting some school level documents in there.
I think one of the main aspects I have to get my head around is the digital collection - especially reviewing and see if it suits my school. It seems easy enough to look at this with the print collection but I seem to run out of time with the digital side and I know this is a problem as we head towards a digital library scene.
I started by reading the first section of Chapter 1 - What is collection management? and found that this matches what we consider collection management in our schools - again I have to make sure I go through our guidelines a little more thoroughly for this subject! I continued reading the next section and was interested in how the two terms developed and for what reasons. It seemed a little pedantic to change the term as I am sure that as libraries were doing collection development there was the management side to it too, so to introduce collection management then and have the confusion or synonomous meanings occuring seemed likely. What I will take from this is as our module states, 'advisable to detect and take into account' the differences when people are writing about them. This will be the main issue with me I think is to have it clear in my head what they are meaning with the use of the term they have chosen.
I did like the alternate definitions in our notes where it linked it to school libraries with teaching and learning aspects and the needs of the users.
Finally, I examined and considered the definitions of 'selection', 'acquisition', 'deselection' and 'collection evaluation' and thought that for the student interest side of needs of the users of a library these are fairly standard - but that for curricular needs and teaching practices/learning theories there requires to be a knowledge of the units teachers are teaching, quite difficult when I am there one day a week and with teachers who haven't used a TL in that way before. So even though we have a Guidelines document for policy and procedure it is generic and I am looking forward to putting some school level documents in there.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The beginning of another subject...
Just started ETL501 Information Environment - thought yes I will get a head start and really get into it so I can be on top of my work. Well that got blown out the window due to work and kids, then getting sick. So here I am the beginning of Week 2 and just getting underway properly.
The first thing we were asked to look at was Bloom's Taxonomy. This was bringing back memories of my early teaching days and I realised that quite often a focus on learning through a specific technique such as Blooms falls to the wayside in the mayhem of teaching. When we were a small school with small numbers we seemed to have the luxury of focusing on these things but as we grew bigger, went to senior schooling the focus seemed on getting work programs done, assessment pieces written, curriculum taught that a lot of the school development of teaching and learning was not being done.
I have been reading up on a number of people's views on the activity of looking for resources for a curricular area and am amazed at the depth some have gone to in looking at the activity. It is something I need to work on I think - clarifying my own thinking. As I read whether they needed more information to complete it accurately I realised that I had done some of that thinking myself (not all though). I realised that I had been thinking about who it would be aimed at, what type of assessment piece they were going to be doing and how they were going to learn it and so on. What I didn't clarify in my own mind was the type of learner or catering for different levels as such. I found that I completed the activity thinking about what I would be looking at doing if I was teaching the class, not what students I would be catering for. That is something I must think about. The one thing in reading some of the posts was the extending of my own understanding of the resources I was thinking about.
The first thing we were asked to look at was Bloom's Taxonomy. This was bringing back memories of my early teaching days and I realised that quite often a focus on learning through a specific technique such as Blooms falls to the wayside in the mayhem of teaching. When we were a small school with small numbers we seemed to have the luxury of focusing on these things but as we grew bigger, went to senior schooling the focus seemed on getting work programs done, assessment pieces written, curriculum taught that a lot of the school development of teaching and learning was not being done.
I have been reading up on a number of people's views on the activity of looking for resources for a curricular area and am amazed at the depth some have gone to in looking at the activity. It is something I need to work on I think - clarifying my own thinking. As I read whether they needed more information to complete it accurately I realised that I had done some of that thinking myself (not all though). I realised that I had been thinking about who it would be aimed at, what type of assessment piece they were going to be doing and how they were going to learn it and so on. What I didn't clarify in my own mind was the type of learner or catering for different levels as such. I found that I completed the activity thinking about what I would be looking at doing if I was teaching the class, not what students I would be catering for. That is something I must think about. The one thing in reading some of the posts was the extending of my own understanding of the resources I was thinking about.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The end is nigh....for this subject anyway
thank goodness it is over! Results are in for Assignment 2 and must say am alot happier with my results and my comments. They are constructive and provide examples of what I could have been looking at. I feel relief that this first subject is over but still apprehensive that I have another 6 to go. Not sure I am going to handle the stress associated with the expected work load and assignments if they are much like this first unit. But it is nice to be relaxed and concentrating on my family and work at the moment. Hopefully some of the readings for my next unit will be up over the holidays and I can get a heads up on them.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Part C: Critical Synthesis for Assignment 2 ETL401
It was interesting to see the changes in my thinking when I started reading over my blog about my role as a teacher librarian (TL), whether it was new ideas, expanding on what I already knew or consolidating my own knowledge for clarity. Initially my thoughts were centred on the limited time I had in my schools - one day a week and that this was a draw back to doing what was required (King, 2010). As the unit progressed I realised that I could still manage to achieve goals in my schools even with the limited time I was there, in fact I could advocate for more time. The first time I started to realise this was with Covey (1990) where I started to see that saying 'no' was a positive attribute to have (King, 2010). Being able to say 'no' and prioritising tasks allowed me to see beyond the day-to-day management to the school's need for a focused teacher librarian. This was further cemented through Anne Randall's forum comment (Randall, 2010) about the complexity of TL expectations and Catherine Desanti's reply (Desanti, 2010) about the need to prioritise. Suddently I could reflect on my own practices and my understanding of the role I was in, the complex nature of the position (King, 2010a) and that I was the specialist (King, 2010b). Finally the confidence emerged and I could focus on the TL position of collaborating and teaching.
This confidence continued to grow as I started to read more on the TL as a leader and then had the realisation that I was not just a librarian, I was the specialist and I was a leader in my schools (King, 2010). I was being inspired by the readings and by what other TLs were doing and saying what could be achieved, such as Martineau (2009) who reinforced this view of leadership through examples. This merged with my understanding of prioritising and how being clear about my role, my time and expectations I too could be a leader within my schools. This was a turning point for me after one year of flailing about in the unknown land of teacher librarianship, I started to open my eyes to the possibilities in my schools' libraries. This awakening continued when reading about principals and their support of our role in the school and I started to consider how my principals acknowledged the role of the library. This lead to even further understanding of my role as a leader, especially after reading Hartzell (2002), where I could inform the principal of the latest research, I could promote my role to the principal and could, as Haycock (1999) pointed out, enhance the principal's position through what I did in the library. I thought to myself, this is where it starts - really getting into the idea of the TL in the school and what we can do but I thought with my limited time, where do I start? This is when I read Page (1999) and suddenly I could see my pathway, finally a specific look at a development approach to developing a school library, my light bulb went off! It was Kim Carter's (2010) response to Page's article that resonated within me about the views of starting small and that it takes time. I think I had stagnated, jumping from one task to another that I forgot to step back and look at the big picture (King, 2010) and it was this article that ignited the passion for moving forward that I needed.
Finally, entertwining this response with an information literate school community has been a major point of contention and one that I am still wrapping my head around. I think that the clearest point for me was Wolf's (2006) article about the view of using an information process as a scaffolding pathway, which links to a metacognitive tool. I realised the potential of the TL in the school context to be a driving force behind establishing a clear information literacy program across the school into the wider community and it is with this in mind that I am currently discussing literature with one of my principals and the current information literacy program (or lack of one), a proposal for increasing literacy through the library to be linked with our reading schemes within the classrooms. I have also planned to discuss the standards expected of me by using ALIA/ASLA (2004) professional standards and will definitely be having a large copy on display in the library. It is utilising my increased confidence in the specialist nature of this role that I feel I can work with the principal to create a future pathway for the library to be the central learning environment to all members of the school community. This is the first step in working towards a collaborative system within my schools and I know, but feel confident, that there will be many more to come.
References:
ALIA/ASLA. (2004). Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians. Retrieved from Australian School Library Association: http://www.asla.org.au/
Carter, K. (2010, April 15). Reflection on Page's article. Message posted to ETL401 Module 5 sub-forum.
Covey, S. (1990). Principles of personal management. In The seven habits of highly effective people : restoring the character ethic (pp. 145-164). NY : Simon & Schuster.
Desanti, C. (2010, March 20). Re: Henri (2005). Message posted to ETL401 Module 2 sub-forum
Hartzell, G. (2002). Why should principals support school libraries? Eric Digest, November (EDO-IR-2002-06).
Haycock, K. (1999). Fostering collaboration, leadership and inforamtion literacy: Common behaviors of uncommon principals and faculties. NASSP Bulletin, 83(605), 82-87.
King, A. (2010, February 27). Covey reading. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010a, March 6). In the beginning.... Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010b, March 6). Thoughts on being a TL. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, March 20). Own role statement vs. National role statement. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, April 26). My Journey. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, April 26). Re: Reflection on Page's article. Message posted to ETL401 Module 5 sub-forum.
Martineau, P. (2009). School librarians: Vital educational leaders. In California School Boards Authority. Retrieved from www.csba.org/CASchoolNews.aspx
Randall, A. (2010, March 20). Henri (2005). Message posted to ETL401 Module 2 sub-forum
Wolf, S. (2003). The Big Six information skills as a metacognitive scaffold: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/
This confidence continued to grow as I started to read more on the TL as a leader and then had the realisation that I was not just a librarian, I was the specialist and I was a leader in my schools (King, 2010). I was being inspired by the readings and by what other TLs were doing and saying what could be achieved, such as Martineau (2009) who reinforced this view of leadership through examples. This merged with my understanding of prioritising and how being clear about my role, my time and expectations I too could be a leader within my schools. This was a turning point for me after one year of flailing about in the unknown land of teacher librarianship, I started to open my eyes to the possibilities in my schools' libraries. This awakening continued when reading about principals and their support of our role in the school and I started to consider how my principals acknowledged the role of the library. This lead to even further understanding of my role as a leader, especially after reading Hartzell (2002), where I could inform the principal of the latest research, I could promote my role to the principal and could, as Haycock (1999) pointed out, enhance the principal's position through what I did in the library. I thought to myself, this is where it starts - really getting into the idea of the TL in the school and what we can do but I thought with my limited time, where do I start? This is when I read Page (1999) and suddenly I could see my pathway, finally a specific look at a development approach to developing a school library, my light bulb went off! It was Kim Carter's (2010) response to Page's article that resonated within me about the views of starting small and that it takes time. I think I had stagnated, jumping from one task to another that I forgot to step back and look at the big picture (King, 2010) and it was this article that ignited the passion for moving forward that I needed.
Finally, entertwining this response with an information literate school community has been a major point of contention and one that I am still wrapping my head around. I think that the clearest point for me was Wolf's (2006) article about the view of using an information process as a scaffolding pathway, which links to a metacognitive tool. I realised the potential of the TL in the school context to be a driving force behind establishing a clear information literacy program across the school into the wider community and it is with this in mind that I am currently discussing literature with one of my principals and the current information literacy program (or lack of one), a proposal for increasing literacy through the library to be linked with our reading schemes within the classrooms. I have also planned to discuss the standards expected of me by using ALIA/ASLA (2004) professional standards and will definitely be having a large copy on display in the library. It is utilising my increased confidence in the specialist nature of this role that I feel I can work with the principal to create a future pathway for the library to be the central learning environment to all members of the school community. This is the first step in working towards a collaborative system within my schools and I know, but feel confident, that there will be many more to come.
References:
ALIA/ASLA. (2004). Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians. Retrieved from Australian School Library Association: http://www.asla.org.au/
Carter, K. (2010, April 15). Reflection on Page's article. Message posted to ETL401 Module 5 sub-forum.
Covey, S. (1990). Principles of personal management. In The seven habits of highly effective people : restoring the character ethic (pp. 145-164). NY : Simon & Schuster.
Desanti, C. (2010, March 20). Re: Henri (2005). Message posted to ETL401 Module 2 sub-forum
Hartzell, G. (2002). Why should principals support school libraries? Eric Digest, November (EDO-IR-2002-06).
Haycock, K. (1999). Fostering collaboration, leadership and inforamtion literacy: Common behaviors of uncommon principals and faculties. NASSP Bulletin, 83(605), 82-87.
King, A. (2010, February 27). Covey reading. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010a, March 6). In the beginning.... Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010b, March 6). Thoughts on being a TL. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, March 20). Own role statement vs. National role statement. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, April 26). My Journey. Message posted to http://tlliterate.blogspot.com/
King, A. (2010, April 26). Re: Reflection on Page's article. Message posted to ETL401 Module 5 sub-forum.
Martineau, P. (2009). School librarians: Vital educational leaders. In California School Boards Authority. Retrieved from www.csba.org/CASchoolNews.aspx
Randall, A. (2010, March 20). Henri (2005). Message posted to ETL401 Module 2 sub-forum
Wolf, S. (2003). The Big Six information skills as a metacognitive scaffold: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Professional Standards
I was just reading over the TL standards from ASLA/ALIA last night in bed and thought how my views on them had changed. The first time I truly read them slowly and thought about them I thought to myself, 'how does anyone get to this standard?', 'these are impossible standards to meet' and so forth. But last night I thought, what great points to try and meet, I would love to work more diligently towards these standards and attain the level of professional excellence set before me. And I thought, I can do this, it is not instantaneous, just like setting up an ILSC or a Collaborative partnership it is something that takes time and whether I work on one standard, or set of standards, or work across the board on them I know it is something I can strive for. It also allows me to have this framework to base my thoughts to future jobs, as I can use these to guide me to where I would like to be.
Information literacy
I think I had a little 'aha' moment when reading this information. I had always touched on information literacy models but had never had the time to sit and do some readings on them, or realise there were so many. I think it was Wolf's (2003?) article that gave me the moment. The idea of the model as a metacognitive scaffold, my 'aha' moment was two-fold. Firstly, just to comprehend the idea of the model as a scaffolding process made it all the more clearer to me the link between modelling this and students becoming the life long learner. Secondly, as a TL I think it clarified to me part of my position in finding out about this within my schools and working towards unity in the school on this process. I started to envisage conversations with the principal and then presenting at staff meetings, defining the information literate student as a school and leading to the model that we all should be using. I started to understand the TL as a leader at the beginning and felt more confident in that role but after this I see the TL as an initiator, enabler and leader to ensure the school has policies regarding this, that the library is a support to the curriculum and the student. I think I had a focus on student interests at the beginning of this course, and that may be due to one of my schools needing that for our library - for students to want to be there to read books that interested them. I think I remembered the library when I was a student, it wasn't really there for research for me it was there for reading. After doing the readings in this unit I now understand the complexity of my role - there is the part of making sure students have books to read but I now see that if I help consolidate the information process model in use in the school with teachers and help make it clear in their mind then students will be able to use the library effectively for themselves. There is so much more I could say but I think I want to try and pull some of my thoughts together.
It's been awhile...
Talk about going off line for a few days after my first assignment. I really had to think about my commitment to this course and what it meant for family and work. I am still not sure about a lot of it, especially my family time, I really feel like a part time parent at the moment. But after talking to Roy about Assignment 2 I feel a little better although the fact that there is 3 parts to the assignment has me in a little quandry. I have been focusing on Part A but then was thinking I didn't want to spend too much time on it due to the majority of the assignment being Part B. Then I started to think about my blog - had I been putting enough work into it - it is always something I put off until later as it seems so easy, and then time slips away as it has again, I didn't realise that I hadn't written in here since the 7th and now it being the 18th, that is nearly two weeks. Though I must say after pretty much being in bed the last 3 days recovering from tonsilitis doesn't help matters.
Friday, May 7, 2010
what to do now...
I can't say that the result of my first assignment has helped assuage my fears about the work load and my life being balanced. I can definitely say that I have become completely paranoid about my second assignment now. Asking for help will definitely be on the agenda, now I just have to refocus. I really thought I had a grasp on the underlying principles but .... Oh well, another day will come and I will be in front of the computer again.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Information Literacy - the beginning
Whist doing the initial readings for information literacy from Langford, L. (1998), Abilock, D. (2004), and Herring, J. and Tarter, A. (2007) I thought to myself it seems very familiar, fairly self-explanatory. I kept thinking back to teaching English and Science, having to write my assessment pieces from scratch, identifying what I wanted the students to achieve, did my task allow that? Then scaffolding it in steps so the students could see the different parts and when explaining it, working through the different phases as they did the task to make sure they were doing what was expected. Then I also remembered the students that had difficulty, that they required more scaffolding, more structure to achieve it and remembered the basic questions - what are you looking for? what do you know or need to know? Where do you need to be at the end?
Then I remembered doing this exactly with my Year 12 English group on Frankenstein. I think it seems that some students 'get' the process without being told the name of it, but as a teacher (or teacher librarian) we need to be aware of it for the students that don't know. Looking at my schools we have a large ESL population, a lot of these students wouldn't know the process, or where to start, even our learning support students would need to know the steps but we mustn't forget that other students will need the process when they do come up against something that is new and different and they think they don't know where to start. So explicit teaching of a process is important - what process? that is something that needs to be decided considering all the different ones out there. It is a process that needs all staff to be on board with and doing in all subjects across all year levels and not left to the TL to teach it during their library lessons.
Then I remembered doing this exactly with my Year 12 English group on Frankenstein. I think it seems that some students 'get' the process without being told the name of it, but as a teacher (or teacher librarian) we need to be aware of it for the students that don't know. Looking at my schools we have a large ESL population, a lot of these students wouldn't know the process, or where to start, even our learning support students would need to know the steps but we mustn't forget that other students will need the process when they do come up against something that is new and different and they think they don't know where to start. So explicit teaching of a process is important - what process? that is something that needs to be decided considering all the different ones out there. It is a process that needs all staff to be on board with and doing in all subjects across all year levels and not left to the TL to teach it during their library lessons.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Action Research and Collaboration
I am finding the information excellent in this subject and the readings are really inspiring to 'get motivated' in my schools. The problem I am finding is that being part time (and it feels like I harp on this all the time) I can't get into it effectively. One day a week in a school does not effectively allow relationships to form and true collaboration to occur - it takes a lot of hard work just to clarify to teachers what you can do for them but if you don't fall on a day that they have non-contact or if it is only in 1/2 hour blocks it is very difficult to find times to do it and do it right. I know there is the idea of principal support and I feel that technically the principals do support me but that there is so much else happening in the school and when others can work that sometimes it is not feasible to be changing the scheduling. Perhaps if I worked more frequently there it would be better. I do have that some teachers really don't see my potential in collaborating with them but see it as more work.
Harada (2004) really clarifed the Action Research side of things and I can see the benefit of it and hope to include it in my future lessons (at the schools where I have managed to talk to one teacher [starting small as Page (1999) indicated] and found some movement towards collaboration). But again it was with a kindergarten class where flexibility is able to occur quite easily but working to a curriculum where a number of Essential Learnings have to be achieved or where certain types of assessment need to be completed I still have doubts sometimes that it can work effectively across a school. Maybe it is the pessimist in me.
I will say that last week I did my first lesson with the Year 7s on a topic they were studying in class - basic collaboration at the planning level but a start. It seem to go well - it was mainly focused around refreshing students knowledge about our library database but I also introduced them to our Regional library online to look at different results. I will see how our lesson goes this week with some new pointers.
Harada (2004) really clarifed the Action Research side of things and I can see the benefit of it and hope to include it in my future lessons (at the schools where I have managed to talk to one teacher [starting small as Page (1999) indicated] and found some movement towards collaboration). But again it was with a kindergarten class where flexibility is able to occur quite easily but working to a curriculum where a number of Essential Learnings have to be achieved or where certain types of assessment need to be completed I still have doubts sometimes that it can work effectively across a school. Maybe it is the pessimist in me.
I will say that last week I did my first lesson with the Year 7s on a topic they were studying in class - basic collaboration at the planning level but a start. It seem to go well - it was mainly focused around refreshing students knowledge about our library database but I also introduced them to our Regional library online to look at different results. I will see how our lesson goes this week with some new pointers.
Monday, April 26, 2010
My Journey
It is interesting to look at how my view of my role is changing. I came into my TL positions from a Secondary teaching position not knowing much about the role of the TL. My experience of a TL in my school had not been positive although I knew I could look at sending students to get help from the TL in the library. At the time I was quite hesitant in sending small groups but after reading about flexible scheduling I see it as a component. This is quite apt as in my role as a TL I was not always positive about teachers sending a few students to search the library but I see now that I could be utilising this more effectively but I have to make the teachers aware of the best practice in doing this. I was also against flexible scheduling - I wanted classes there at specific times so I knew when the library was free and I could do my other work. Again as part of my learning curve I am coming around to the idea of flexible learning.
I also am more confident in my ability to be a leader in my schools in this position. I don't think I saw me as a TL as a leader but as an aide, which reduced my standing in the teachers' eyes. I think I am a stronger person with a better awareness of where I want my library to go in the school. I also think that with my teaching background I have that experience to help with collaborating with teachers and feel quite comfortable. My journey in this subject is continuing but it is nice to be consolidating information about my role and position in the school. I feel I have initiated some of these components but didn't feel that it was my place to make them a project in the school, now I do.
I also am more confident in my ability to be a leader in my schools in this position. I don't think I saw me as a TL as a leader but as an aide, which reduced my standing in the teachers' eyes. I think I am a stronger person with a better awareness of where I want my library to go in the school. I also think that with my teaching background I have that experience to help with collaborating with teachers and feel quite comfortable. My journey in this subject is continuing but it is nice to be consolidating information about my role and position in the school. I feel I have initiated some of these components but didn't feel that it was my place to make them a project in the school, now I do.
Page's Paper
I found Page's (1999) paper very enlightening, I love the way they broke down the way to adopt a collaborative approach at a school. I could actually see myself implementing some of these applications at my schools, again the reinforcement of administrators being critical to the success of it was highlighted but I also liked how they indicated that teachers were critical to implement it. I found this a key aspect about teachers - in my schools if the teacher is not interested in collaborating then it doesn't happen. I even have it where a teacher is interested but as I am only there one day a week it makes it hard to set aside time - even our own. But back to Page (1999), the first Phase of "Establishing Systems and Structures" (p. 208) where it is important to identify the strengths and weakenesses of your own area then the other aspects of school and it identify the 'key' people. Then to look at what you have versus what you want it to be and define your role to the staff in a number of ways. The concept of the plan and using topic sheets was something that I could utilise in my schools, I had started it in a very informal way through email and mentioning it to staff at meetings but to actually have a sheet that identifies the topics for the term in the different key learning areas that all teachers fill in and then indicate if they want planning time for cooperative learning I thought was a great way to start. It also added to records to keep for referring to.
I also thought the communication aspect was vital in my position of only being very part time in my schools, it is something I am trying to improve upon and it was great seeing how important it is in establishing this collaborative plan. But the best thing I liked was the concept of starting small - it was something that most other papers didn't recognise (whether they thought it was implied or not needed due to a whole school approach) as in my position I can only work with one teacher in this detail and for the time required to begin with so to actually have a paper point this out and say it is where to start and not try to change everything at once was great.
This paper is something I can see my future plans revolving around, I am looking forward to outlining a plan using the different phases and components of the phases for my schools. Also to be discussing this with my principals - it gives me somewhere to start specifically. I feel more positive about implementing a collaborative approach now than I have with previous papers.
I also thought the communication aspect was vital in my position of only being very part time in my schools, it is something I am trying to improve upon and it was great seeing how important it is in establishing this collaborative plan. But the best thing I liked was the concept of starting small - it was something that most other papers didn't recognise (whether they thought it was implied or not needed due to a whole school approach) as in my position I can only work with one teacher in this detail and for the time required to begin with so to actually have a paper point this out and say it is where to start and not try to change everything at once was great.
This paper is something I can see my future plans revolving around, I am looking forward to outlining a plan using the different phases and components of the phases for my schools. Also to be discussing this with my principals - it gives me somewhere to start specifically. I feel more positive about implementing a collaborative approach now than I have with previous papers.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
ETL401 Assignment
For something I was meant to do straight after the assignment, this is coming a little late. I have been thinking about it but trouble with the internet and kids make it difficult to find a quiet niche to write something but here I am finally.
The assignment was quite thought provoking - a number of the ideas I had made it difficult to narrow it down to what I wanted to write about. I did find it hard clarifying an ILSC, I think because I had all the pieces but couldn't see the overall picture [a bit like Senge (2007) was talking about I found]. So when I was researching about an ILSC I was thinking I know this but when it came to writing about it I came a bit unstuck. I think the main aspect I gathered from an ILSC was that everyone needs to be involved in creating and maintaining one. Not just the teachers and students but the parents and support staff as well. That it isn't just about having the information available but that an information process is being used by all in everything that happens in the school.
The role of the TL needs to be clear and outlined to all staff - fine detailed role descriptions need to be accessible and the TL needs to be seen as a specialist teacher with clear attributes that can be used by the staff in the school. Such as integrated units being created by teachers and TLs, including assessment and evaluation. The TL needs to be adequately trained to meet these requirements in a school - I have even found that by doing this subject I am trying to make some changes in the schools I work in. Little changes to begin with due to being at each school only one day a week, but changes nonetheless.
My obstacle I focused on was the principal's support in making the TL a leader in collaborative practices as I found in all my schools that this was not happening to the level it is required. The readings were quite clear on schools benefiting from having principal support but there was minimal literature on what was happening in schools that did not have this support and how TLs were achieving change. I used most of the readings in our course outline to support my solutions, which were mainly on the TL's role. The TL needs to be making the prinicpal aware of the possibilities in curriculum where the TL can benefit the school's vision. Through leadeship roles, ongoing PD and evaluation and some funding.
Overall I found the topic interesting and consolidating in its nature. A clarification of the place we have in our schools at this point and of where we want to go with our role in the future.
The assignment was quite thought provoking - a number of the ideas I had made it difficult to narrow it down to what I wanted to write about. I did find it hard clarifying an ILSC, I think because I had all the pieces but couldn't see the overall picture [a bit like Senge (2007) was talking about I found]. So when I was researching about an ILSC I was thinking I know this but when it came to writing about it I came a bit unstuck. I think the main aspect I gathered from an ILSC was that everyone needs to be involved in creating and maintaining one. Not just the teachers and students but the parents and support staff as well. That it isn't just about having the information available but that an information process is being used by all in everything that happens in the school.
The role of the TL needs to be clear and outlined to all staff - fine detailed role descriptions need to be accessible and the TL needs to be seen as a specialist teacher with clear attributes that can be used by the staff in the school. Such as integrated units being created by teachers and TLs, including assessment and evaluation. The TL needs to be adequately trained to meet these requirements in a school - I have even found that by doing this subject I am trying to make some changes in the schools I work in. Little changes to begin with due to being at each school only one day a week, but changes nonetheless.
My obstacle I focused on was the principal's support in making the TL a leader in collaborative practices as I found in all my schools that this was not happening to the level it is required. The readings were quite clear on schools benefiting from having principal support but there was minimal literature on what was happening in schools that did not have this support and how TLs were achieving change. I used most of the readings in our course outline to support my solutions, which were mainly on the TL's role. The TL needs to be making the prinicpal aware of the possibilities in curriculum where the TL can benefit the school's vision. Through leadeship roles, ongoing PD and evaluation and some funding.
Overall I found the topic interesting and consolidating in its nature. A clarification of the place we have in our schools at this point and of where we want to go with our role in the future.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
When can I study?
Finding it very difficult to find time lately - what with work issues, home issues and then find the time to study. It is hard to find quiet time with a 2 and 4 year old running around and needing to get ready for bed. No time to myself until they go to bed - at least 7.30pm (thank goodness for husbands who put sons to bed and read them a story!). By then after my day I find it very hard to sit at a computer screen and do readings and assignments!
Not to mention end of term time with work - new library assistants still learning the ropes, technology issues, teacher issues, planning for next term (even if it is by myself!). Actually have sent an email to try and encourage teachers to use my expertise - but also to make time to sit with me and COLLABORATE. Let's see if it happens (quietly pessimistic or should that be optimistic?) as there is very little time to do this, well no time in school hours. This lends to my assignment (which is all in my head at the moment) about principal support for collaboration as my obstacle.
Oh well, back to the readings - or dinner I think I hear the 'dinner's ready' call.
Not to mention end of term time with work - new library assistants still learning the ropes, technology issues, teacher issues, planning for next term (even if it is by myself!). Actually have sent an email to try and encourage teachers to use my expertise - but also to make time to sit with me and COLLABORATE. Let's see if it happens (quietly pessimistic or should that be optimistic?) as there is very little time to do this, well no time in school hours. This lends to my assignment (which is all in my head at the moment) about principal support for collaboration as my obstacle.
Oh well, back to the readings - or dinner I think I hear the 'dinner's ready' call.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
TL priorities
One of the first things we have to do for the year is outline our goals under 6 headings associated with the role. We then use the goals and discuss them with our principal who signs off on them. Once this discussion has occured and both the principal and TL are on the same page then the real work begins.
The problem comes about in that all areas are interlinked - collaborating for lessons means having the technology to provide appropriate ICT lessons, which means that PD has occured for appropriate understanding. There also needs to be access to appropriate resources in the library which means time spent on resourcing the library to allow this whilst keeping abreast of current fiction/non-fiction that will cater to students personal reading leisure time. Then comes the planning time, teaching time and management of the system. All must be balanced appropriately to ensure the library is integral to all users. We must not become focused on the teachers alone or on the students' as lifelong learners but also still be aware that reading is an important part of life and if we can keep them reading this in itself is going to help them as a learner.
I think that staff meetings are an important tool of professional development - especially for the TL to inservice staff. Also working with teachers who are willing is a first step to prioritise - we cannot do everything at once. If we can work with the teachers willing to collaborate and then present this at meetings other staff members will be able to see the benefits and follow on. Explicit teaching examples are a benefit.
The problem comes about in that all areas are interlinked - collaborating for lessons means having the technology to provide appropriate ICT lessons, which means that PD has occured for appropriate understanding. There also needs to be access to appropriate resources in the library which means time spent on resourcing the library to allow this whilst keeping abreast of current fiction/non-fiction that will cater to students personal reading leisure time. Then comes the planning time, teaching time and management of the system. All must be balanced appropriately to ensure the library is integral to all users. We must not become focused on the teachers alone or on the students' as lifelong learners but also still be aware that reading is an important part of life and if we can keep them reading this in itself is going to help them as a learner.
I think that staff meetings are an important tool of professional development - especially for the TL to inservice staff. Also working with teachers who are willing is a first step to prioritise - we cannot do everything at once. If we can work with the teachers willing to collaborate and then present this at meetings other staff members will be able to see the benefits and follow on. Explicit teaching examples are a benefit.
Principals in Action
Reading the information about principals was very interesting as I work in three schools part time in the Catholic Diocese but have three different prinicpals with differing views about the TL. And in one school I have had two relieving prinicpals who again have different views about the TL. I remember having a discussion with one prinicpal upon starting who said, '...don't worry about planning with teachers as their non-contact is on different days so it will be too hard to manage'. A great start to 'collaborating with teachers on their planning! I was there to take their students for a 'library' lesson, with maybe some work on internet safety and websites but not tied directly to their units of work.
Hartzell's (2002) paper was straight forward and provided characteristics of effective library media services, concluding how principals can support libraries, especially as the principal is in control of everything within their school. I also thought it was interesting that Hartzell (2002) talked about the TL supporting the Principal in research collections, further to this was Haycock's (1999) view that the 'role of the principal is enhanced by...the teacher-librarian' (p.85) and Oberg's (2006) findings that 'teacher-librarians provided professional development for principals...' (p.15). This was a novel idea that the TL teaches the principal but I suppose it is true - we often have to inform the principal (and teachers) of what we are capable of doing and how we can do it.
All readings talk about the principal as the instigator of collaboration - that it is how the prinicpal models the role of TL collaborative planning to the teachers as to how effectively teachers take it up. That it is through 'active leadership of the principals and TL team' (Oberg, 2006) that affects the collaboration of planning in schools.
Hartzell's (2002) paper was straight forward and provided characteristics of effective library media services, concluding how principals can support libraries, especially as the principal is in control of everything within their school. I also thought it was interesting that Hartzell (2002) talked about the TL supporting the Principal in research collections, further to this was Haycock's (1999) view that the 'role of the principal is enhanced by...the teacher-librarian' (p.85) and Oberg's (2006) findings that 'teacher-librarians provided professional development for principals...' (p.15). This was a novel idea that the TL teaches the principal but I suppose it is true - we often have to inform the principal (and teachers) of what we are capable of doing and how we can do it.
All readings talk about the principal as the instigator of collaboration - that it is how the prinicpal models the role of TL collaborative planning to the teachers as to how effectively teachers take it up. That it is through 'active leadership of the principals and TL team' (Oberg, 2006) that affects the collaboration of planning in schools.
Henri vs. Reality
Reading the Henri article took some time and re-reading (mainly due to children demanding my attention a number of times or my thoughts drifting to my own TL experiences). The idea of collaboration seems to be a common thread that reverberates through my experiences and the article. Also the practice of integrated units which became a component of Qld teaching with the introduction of Outcomes. The idea of teaching across subjects and student groups has long been on the agenda of teaching but from what I have seen is still a limited practice. I have not seen the TL in discussions with the principal and teachers to effectively facilitate and develop programs. There is some collaboration between TLs and teachers but not always effectively. I think flexible teaching teams is a great idea, especially in primary schools where specialist teachers are not always a part of the teams when teaching areas e.g. science, art, ICTs and as such this is an area that could be looked at in more detail. In one of my schools the principal has started to look at this and we have a specialist science, art, music and p.e. teachers now giving specialist lessons, with the TL also being involved at various stages (as long as the teachers are willing to collaborate). I don't think it has been defined specifically enough yet as it is in its infancy but this could be a good start to the idea of flexible teaching, especially across student groups but I must say I don't think it will go this way. At my old school there was a push to group students according to ability levels for Maths and English but again it was not followed through - deemed to hard when moving into Year 8. Middle schooling was looked at for the same reason but again very few schools seem to have gone that way or done it effectively.
But anyway back on track now - Henri's views are significant but are they manageable without a rethink across the schools. If teachers are not on board with this view it might not happen.
But anyway back on track now - Henri's views are significant but are they manageable without a rethink across the schools. If teachers are not on board with this view it might not happen.
Own Role statement vs. National Role statement
As a TL in Catholic primary schools we have a scope of role document that outlines the roles and responsibilities of specialist teachers - teacher librarians that was developed from the roles and responsibilities section of our Enterprise Bargaining IV agreement. This was then unpacked for us in regards to the expertise and value to the educational package, though is not exhaustive.
The four areas are: TLs partner teachers to develop, implement and evaluate a curriculum which facilitates student learning; TLs work collaboratively to provide opportunities for students to become discerning users of information (critical and cultural literacy); TLs advocate reading, promote literature for children and young people and offer reader guidance and; TLs manage a school's information resources and services.
The first aspect I noticed when comparing the two standards was that my own role was quite focused on collaborative work with teachers, collaborative teaching of the students, especially in ICTs, inquiry processes and literature promotion and resourcing the curriculum. This was on top of managing the system and service in place. Whereas ASLA had 3 main areas, each broken down into 4 bite sized components of understanding the role, which is then further broken down into specific statements.
In the first area of Professional Knowledge (ASLA 1) I feel that my own scope of role fulfils 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. Most of 1.1 is covered although I feel that the theory side of the knowledge is an area that is not fully covered in the scope but there is some implied aspect to some of the descriptors that we need to have it to perform the statement.
ASLA 2 - 2.1 appears to be covered through my descriptors of the learning environment, 2.2 is covered by ensuring we are collaborating and planning with teachers through the year and being involved with resource discussions and further ICT development. 2.3 is our system managment statements. 2.4 of Evaluation requires more descriptors in my role although we do have to provide audit statements of resources and spending, stocktake reports, budget proposal and collection development plans and bring planning and lessons along to inservice/cluster days. The evidence side of student learning is not formally outlined in my role.
ASLA 3 - 3.1 lifelong learning is not directly referred to but the concept is apparent in our role, research is not detailed in our role, educational issues is not specifically an aspect although we are expected to be involved in our moderation processes; 3.2 Commitment is covered in our role; 3.3 Leadership - in certain areas we are meant to be leaders and it is often talked about at our cluster days. 3.4 Community repsonsiblities all are aspects that are expected from us as TLs and is often discussed through conferences and workshop days.
Looking at the IASL aspects of TLs I feel that my scope of role does fulfil the areas outlined the majority of the time. There may be a few areas that are not always maintained through the year such as cultural but this could be due to the lack of time that is give to TLs as it is linked to school size.
Overall I think that the scope fulfils those aspects outlined in other documents and it was great to be able to see that when comparing them. It was always daunting looking at ASLA's document as there are so many high level objectives but seeing them broken down for our role specifically was a great opportunity to match them up. Although it is still overwhelming how much a TL is meant to do in a school situation, especially as I am only there one day a week with an extra day every four weeks.
The four areas are: TLs partner teachers to develop, implement and evaluate a curriculum which facilitates student learning; TLs work collaboratively to provide opportunities for students to become discerning users of information (critical and cultural literacy); TLs advocate reading, promote literature for children and young people and offer reader guidance and; TLs manage a school's information resources and services.
The first aspect I noticed when comparing the two standards was that my own role was quite focused on collaborative work with teachers, collaborative teaching of the students, especially in ICTs, inquiry processes and literature promotion and resourcing the curriculum. This was on top of managing the system and service in place. Whereas ASLA had 3 main areas, each broken down into 4 bite sized components of understanding the role, which is then further broken down into specific statements.
In the first area of Professional Knowledge (ASLA 1) I feel that my own scope of role fulfils 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. Most of 1.1 is covered although I feel that the theory side of the knowledge is an area that is not fully covered in the scope but there is some implied aspect to some of the descriptors that we need to have it to perform the statement.
ASLA 2 - 2.1 appears to be covered through my descriptors of the learning environment, 2.2 is covered by ensuring we are collaborating and planning with teachers through the year and being involved with resource discussions and further ICT development. 2.3 is our system managment statements. 2.4 of Evaluation requires more descriptors in my role although we do have to provide audit statements of resources and spending, stocktake reports, budget proposal and collection development plans and bring planning and lessons along to inservice/cluster days. The evidence side of student learning is not formally outlined in my role.
ASLA 3 - 3.1 lifelong learning is not directly referred to but the concept is apparent in our role, research is not detailed in our role, educational issues is not specifically an aspect although we are expected to be involved in our moderation processes; 3.2 Commitment is covered in our role; 3.3 Leadership - in certain areas we are meant to be leaders and it is often talked about at our cluster days. 3.4 Community repsonsiblities all are aspects that are expected from us as TLs and is often discussed through conferences and workshop days.
Looking at the IASL aspects of TLs I feel that my scope of role does fulfil the areas outlined the majority of the time. There may be a few areas that are not always maintained through the year such as cultural but this could be due to the lack of time that is give to TLs as it is linked to school size.
Overall I think that the scope fulfils those aspects outlined in other documents and it was great to be able to see that when comparing them. It was always daunting looking at ASLA's document as there are so many high level objectives but seeing them broken down for our role specifically was a great opportunity to match them up. Although it is still overwhelming how much a TL is meant to do in a school situation, especially as I am only there one day a week with an extra day every four weeks.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Thoughts on being a TL
Before I get involved in finding out what I am supposed to be doing as a TL I want to put my own thoughts about how I perceive the role.
I must admit before working in a school as a TL I didn't give too much thought to the TL in the library - I didn't think they impacted upon my teaching in any way and I definitely didn't think they were involved in my planning. I thought a TL was a Librarian - someone the students could ask to find something in the library or maybe help with a search on the internet. I thought they could teach the students how to search the catalogue but didn't give much thought to the application of this in a wider capacity, such as boolean searches or advanced searches on Google as an example (I know, we always use Google, Google is God!! but at least everyone knows it). Maybe some of this was the fault of the TL in not promoting their role and what they can offer to a T, maybe of my own education as a T, not being informed about the use of TLs in planning and teaching. It could also be that as a secondary teacher I tried to keep up with new developments in my subjects and not across the curriculum.
It was not until I took a part time position as a TL that I started to realise there was more to the role, in fact sometimes more than our roles were supposed to be, especially in technology. There were still the basics that I thought a TL did, trying to promote reading, buying resources, managing the database and teaching students to use the catalogue but then came the ICTs. Integrating ICTs into lessons, collaborating with teachers, planning, developing resources, promoting ourselves and our service. Even after a year I am still trying to work out the actual boundaries of the TL position as I have and still do work across three schools and each school has a different view of the TL and their place in the school and not really one of them is using the TL as more than a resource stop for their own planning, if there is even time to do planning with teachers, which is a no go in a couple of the schools I know.
I'll leave it at that for the moment - I might have a think about what I have written and add (or subtract) thoughts or ideas. Signing off for the moment...
I must admit before working in a school as a TL I didn't give too much thought to the TL in the library - I didn't think they impacted upon my teaching in any way and I definitely didn't think they were involved in my planning. I thought a TL was a Librarian - someone the students could ask to find something in the library or maybe help with a search on the internet. I thought they could teach the students how to search the catalogue but didn't give much thought to the application of this in a wider capacity, such as boolean searches or advanced searches on Google as an example (I know, we always use Google, Google is God!! but at least everyone knows it). Maybe some of this was the fault of the TL in not promoting their role and what they can offer to a T, maybe of my own education as a T, not being informed about the use of TLs in planning and teaching. It could also be that as a secondary teacher I tried to keep up with new developments in my subjects and not across the curriculum.
It was not until I took a part time position as a TL that I started to realise there was more to the role, in fact sometimes more than our roles were supposed to be, especially in technology. There were still the basics that I thought a TL did, trying to promote reading, buying resources, managing the database and teaching students to use the catalogue but then came the ICTs. Integrating ICTs into lessons, collaborating with teachers, planning, developing resources, promoting ourselves and our service. Even after a year I am still trying to work out the actual boundaries of the TL position as I have and still do work across three schools and each school has a different view of the TL and their place in the school and not really one of them is using the TL as more than a resource stop for their own planning, if there is even time to do planning with teachers, which is a no go in a couple of the schools I know.
I'll leave it at that for the moment - I might have a think about what I have written and add (or subtract) thoughts or ideas. Signing off for the moment...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Flexible scheduling, is it realistic?
A comment about TL's and flexible scheduling introduced the concept of our duty of care. In a time where the TL has limited resources (including time in the school) to then have groups of students dropping in to do their research or discussion without any scheduling, where does that leave the TL? As a babysitter for some teachers I am sure, and this is not fulfilling our duty of care to the students, or the school. I can see it now, the teacher is trying to cope with their class of 29 students and think to themselves - some students not focused in class? Send them to the TL to do some group work. Also you could end up with over 30 students at one time if they don't have to schedule - as was stated by Tamara 'a logistical nightmare'.
In theory a great idea, students able to utilise the library to its full potential, but in a time where RBL and RBT are still unclear to a large percentage of teachers, where inquiry driven assignments are in their infancy, flexible scheduling is something to strive for, where all students and teachers are aware of its purpose and role in the curriculum.
In theory a great idea, students able to utilise the library to its full potential, but in a time where RBL and RBT are still unclear to a large percentage of teachers, where inquiry driven assignments are in their infancy, flexible scheduling is something to strive for, where all students and teachers are aware of its purpose and role in the curriculum.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
In the beginning...
With teaching as my background and coming into the TL position I always felt behind the eight ball with the expectations in my new role. Starting this course is a step in the right direction and after some of the readings I feel that I am not on my own.
It is interesting to read information from other countries about the role of the TL and the decline of it in schools due to (largely) a lack of understanding of the role and a lack of utilisation of the person in the role.
Another thing that strikes me is the diversity of the position - yes I am a teacher, yes I manage the library, yes I promote reading, yes I work with technology to ensure it is up to date and related to the work being done, yes I plan with teachers. Yet we still get people thinking we read books all the time! A lot of the issues that are coming up are ones that I have thought about during my time as a TL. And I must admit - as a teacher I did not see the role of the TL as being integral in my teaching - (a lack of education both from the TL and from the school!). I understand that the TL might not feel it is their place to promote their role as all other roles are fairly self explanatory but as they are the specialist in their field just as a LST might take a session during a staff meeting or an ESL teacher so must a TL - there must be someone fighting our fight and if not the only person qualifed to do so then who?
It is interesting to read information from other countries about the role of the TL and the decline of it in schools due to (largely) a lack of understanding of the role and a lack of utilisation of the person in the role.
Another thing that strikes me is the diversity of the position - yes I am a teacher, yes I manage the library, yes I promote reading, yes I work with technology to ensure it is up to date and related to the work being done, yes I plan with teachers. Yet we still get people thinking we read books all the time! A lot of the issues that are coming up are ones that I have thought about during my time as a TL. And I must admit - as a teacher I did not see the role of the TL as being integral in my teaching - (a lack of education both from the TL and from the school!). I understand that the TL might not feel it is their place to promote their role as all other roles are fairly self explanatory but as they are the specialist in their field just as a LST might take a session during a staff meeting or an ESL teacher so must a TL - there must be someone fighting our fight and if not the only person qualifed to do so then who?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Covey reading
One thing that caught my attention is the ability to say No. It is such a little word but can be so difficult to use, especially in being a TL with a multifaceted job description. I think that the ability to say a 'pleasant no' is vital in a service domain like ours especially without being apologetic.
Also the view that we don't have the priorities in our heart is a vital aspect that leads to a lack of discipline in staying true to our priorities. I find that I do the check list or 'to do' list and do have a priority coloumn next to it to organise them, I do have the view of 'bigger' things that need to be done but not in the larger scheme of our service. This is something I will have to internalise for myself. In fact sometimes I use the idea of planning as an excuse not to fulfil the tasks I need to do. If I need to do a number of tasks, the first thing is to plan when they can be done, what priority do they have, what deadlines? So therefore, I plan thinking I am being organised but what if it is my lack of discipline revolving around my priorities for overall job that is behind my need to plan? Something I will need to reflect on.
Also the view that we don't have the priorities in our heart is a vital aspect that leads to a lack of discipline in staying true to our priorities. I find that I do the check list or 'to do' list and do have a priority coloumn next to it to organise them, I do have the view of 'bigger' things that need to be done but not in the larger scheme of our service. This is something I will have to internalise for myself. In fact sometimes I use the idea of planning as an excuse not to fulfil the tasks I need to do. If I need to do a number of tasks, the first thing is to plan when they can be done, what priority do they have, what deadlines? So therefore, I plan thinking I am being organised but what if it is my lack of discipline revolving around my priorities for overall job that is behind my need to plan? Something I will need to reflect on.
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