Towards an information literate school community:

the teacher librarian and principal as transformational leaders.

An article outline by Crittle, McDonnell, Wadley & Walsh.

Principals will develop understandings of:

cultural change necessary to prepare students for the Information Age

value of TLs within models of shared leadership

concepts ‘Lead Learning Team’ and ‘transformational leaders’

shared decision-making’s integral role in developing an ILSC

Audience and Outcomes

Too many schools prepare students for an industrial society which no longer exists.

Confounded by the rapid rate of technological change, schools can find themselves unsuccessful in their attempts to creatively manage quality systems for 21st Century learners.

Needs analysis

The article describes how:

A quality school functioning as an ILSC is one in which all stakeholders work cohesively and collaboratively to become empowered as lifelong learners.

What is an Information Literate School Community (ILSC)?

The article will explain how:

“QUALITY in education is what makes learning a pleasure and a joy.....It takes a quality experience to create an independent learner.”

(Tribus, 1993, p. 6)

What is an Information Literate School Community (ILSC)?

The article provides conclusive evidence to show that when a school community integrates information literacy (IL) across the curriculum, student content knowledge improves, as does understanding of strategies for effective independent research.

How does the ILSC lead to improved student outcomes?

This sort of change requires the school to undergo a paradigm shift, changing their structure, culture and goals.

Change of this magnitude can be difficult to achieve.

Whole school change

It is vital that the principal helps the school community understand and embrace information literacy.

A principal who creates ‘cognitive compliance’ (Bennett, 2001, p 113) and ‘shared moral purpose’ (Fullan, 2004, p 13) will be more likely to achieve an ILSC.

Facilitating change

The TL has the power to help create ‘cognitive compliance’ and ‘shared moral purpose’.

This power comes in two forms:

knowledge the ability to empower others

The teacher librarian - the principal’s partner in creating an ILSC

Knowledge: The TL’s training in IL can be used to professionally develop the school community.

Empowerment: The TL comes into contact with all teachers and students. When combined with their expertise in collaboration, this makes them highly influential.

The power to create change

Evidence shows transformational leadership positively effects student learning outcomes (Mulford, 2003, pp.109–124).

Transformational leaders: inspire shape the vision for creation of an

ILSC set goals for the ILSC facilitate creation of Lead Learning

Team (LLT) (Hough & Paine, 1997, pp. 109–124).

The TL and principal become ‘transformational leaders’

Information in

Information out

Lead learning team

TL facilitates Lead Learning Team comprised of members representing all stakeholders in the school community.

administrators

wider community

parents

school council or

board

students

teachers

administrative representative

student representative

parent representative

council or board representative

TL & principal

lead & facilitate

wider community representative

teacher representative

TLs have transferable skills as:

team-building mentors consensus-building facilitators innovators within the sphere of IL

They provide leadership within the LLT for school-wide SDM processes which are open, inclusive, culturally-affirming and supportive of the ILSC.

TL’s role in shared decision-making (SDM):

School-wide SDM Process Diagram:

SHARED VISION

and BELIEFS

CONSENSUS APPROACH

SUPPORT TRUST

OPEN COMMUNICATION

SENSE OF TEAM

SDM for EVERYDAY

SITUATIONS:

Use of systemic

processes & procedures

SDM for LEARNING SITUATIONS:

Needs-based task teams are assembled

LEAD LEARNING TEAM

ACHIEVEMENT OF END GOAL(S)

followed by evaluation, revision & renewal

The TL will act as the primary source for ongoing professional development of all teachers, in IL .

“From an IL perspective the work of the teacher librarian must be geared towards the primary client group (teachers)…”

(Henri, 2005, p. 8)

Professional Development

Structure for delivery of professional development

Teacher from LLT

Teacher from LLT

Teacher from LLT

Teacher from LLT

TLGroup of Teachers

Group of Teachers

Group of Teachers

Group of Teachers

The success of any structural or leadership change is dependant upon continual re-evaluation.

The two key components that require evaluation and measurement are:

change in leadership/decision-making structure

integration of IL into the school community

Evaluation

To prepare students for the 21st Century schools must change. Using the unique capabilities of the TL, the principal can combine the benefits of a program of information literacy with the power of transformational leadership, to meet this challenge.

Conclusion

Bennett, N. (2001). Power, structure and culture: an organisational view of school effectiveness and school improvement. In A. Harris & N. Bennett (Eds.), School effectiveness and school improvement alternative perspectives (pp. 89 - 122). London: Continuum.

Fullan, M. (2004). Leading in a culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey -Bass.

Henri, J. (2005). What is an information literate school community and what are the implications for teacher librarians? Unpublished book chapter.

Hough, M., & Paine, J. (1997). Collaborative decision making with teams. In Creating quality learning communities. (pp. 110 - 127). South Melbourne: Macmillan.

Mulford, B. (2003). Balance and Learning: Crucial Elements in Leadership for Democratic Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 2(2), pp. 109–124.

Tribus, M. (1993). Quality management in education. Retrieved August 15th, 2009, from http://www.langfordlearning.com/Resource

%20Folder/Papers/Myron Trubus/Quality%20Mgmt%20in%20Education.htm

References