Teacher Librarian as Leader

Tips on self-care for school librarians to avoid burnout. Not strictly leadership related, but it is hard to lead effectively if you are burnt out! Adapted to the school library context from a presentation given by academic and public library librarians - some of the content has an American flavour, but much is applicable to the Australian context.

"Current education is calling on schools to transition into a new paradigm of learning. We can see this in the challenges given through current standards (e.g., Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and International Standards for Technology in Education), the demands of the work place, the complexity of the world, and lack of effectiveness of the "stand and deliver" method of teaching. 21st century teaching and learning is this new paradigm that is trying to create students that will be problem solvers and critical thinkers. Our society is changing at such a rapid pace; we, as educators, are preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet. This means we have to change how we teach and how we lead our schools."

"Change is a multifaceted process, it requires a suite of cognitive and emotional skills to transport you smoothly through the process from start to finish. And being change-ready means that you have already spent the time and effort to strengthen this toolkit of mental skills so that you are primed and ready. This means that you are able to intelligently anticipate, prepare for, manage and respond to change. In doing so you are well placed to thrive off the resulting opportunities, as well as mitigate any potential negative consequences. "

A Digital literacy program, written by google, for use in classrooms etc

A downloadable flyer teacher librarians can use in their schools, perhaps via a school newsletter, to promote the library and the teacher librarian to parents

Interesting article, around the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, about conspiracy theories and fake news, and how people get caught up in them. As TLs we are often in a role of teaching digital literacy and combating fake news is a part of that.

"Initiating and maintaining a Personal Learning Network (PLN) can be an incredibly exciting, rewarding and very effective way to engage with professional learning. However, learning mediated by social networks is not without its challenges. "

"A cohort of 33 teacher-librarians is viewed as indispensable to the district's vision of a technology-infused path to improved outcomes for students. After the community passed a $24 million technology levy in 2013, the district began its weLearn 1:1 initiative, which by 2017 will provide all teachers and students in grades 3-12 with an electronic device in a flexible learning environment, and a personalized digital curriculum."

"Educators, schools, government officials, and parents must re-think education and how to prepare the next generation to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities and overcome the challenges enabled by ever-increasing technological change. "

Online Teachers' Guide to Global, Collaborative Teaching and Learning. This guide, a much-needed update on the Exchange 2.0 guide, is an unbranded, user-driven resource for teachers looking for projects and resources to collaborate with other classes around the world.

Future of Jobs Report 2018: "By 2020, more than a third of the desired core skill sets of most occupations will be comprised of skills that are not yet considered crucial to the job today … Overall, social skills - such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others - will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills, such as programming or equipment operation and control. In essence, technical skills will need to be supplemented with strong social and collaboration skills.""

"The school library, and the librarians that work within them, are a wonderful, and sometimes overlooked resource for educational technology support, providing invaluable help and knowledge for teachers and students. "

The same essential qualities and characteristics that exemplify what great leaders do have pretty much stayed the same. What has changed are the tools, research, and societal shifts that impact the work.

n her SXSW EDU keynote, Jennifer Gonzalez explores the Aerodynamics of Exceptional Schools. In any school, just as in air travel, different forces impact our progress: some of these forces push us forward and lift us up, while others pull us back and drag us down. The success of our schools depends largely on how well we manage these forces. By applying wisdom from change management theory, instructional coaching, the tech industry, and even the fitness world, we can learn how to fight weight and drag, increase lift and thrust, and make our schools truly exceptional.

A look at trends and global directions to inform education. Continuous learning is on the agenda well and truly beyond formal years of education. It is estimated 30% of our working day will be spent learning. Longer working lives and changing skills increase this need.

It is hard to find a way to let your administrator know in an elegant way some of the benefits of having a school librarian. Practical strategies for teacher librarians to inform leadership and build own strengths to focus on future ready library services and teaching.

"Research about educational trends and pedagogical models shows the significant difference effective school library services can make on student literacy and learning outcomes. The research findings illustrate the positive impact of dynamic, inclusive library services and environments - physical and virtual - that are aligned with the school's vision and learning goals."

Continuum of leadership growth in varied aspects of school community engagement

The AASL Standards framework reflects a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning by demonstrating the connection between learner, school librarian, and school library standards. Three sets of standards (Learner, School Librarian, and School Library) make up the AASL Standards Integrated Framework featured within the National School Library Standards. Use the resources here to familiarize yourself with the structure and get started using the standards in your practice.