Enabling Curriculum

This report comes directly from the second session of the Professional Development being held at St Michael's, Baulkham Hills. James Herring from CSU has been working with the attendees on a range of ideas - all focussing on our roles as Teacher Librarians within NSW curriculum framework, and on our teaching and learning practices.

"There are a lot of blind statements about what we teach our students in our schools – lifelong learning skills – finding information." says James - and then promptly challenges us to look 'differently' at our goals and the learning outcomes for our students.

What do we know? What do our teachers know? What should be our goals? What is achievable? Our do we manage information? What 'language' or terminology do we use for information literacy skills and processes? How do we manage plagiarism?

"Quite often what the students are taught in schools bears no resemblance to what students need in the workplace. In the workplace people often find information from others in the workplace – through people!" James talked about research that showed the very different perspective that our students have of the research process, as well as the actual skills that are needed outside of a school environment.

It is easy to believe that we 'know' what to do to engage our students and prepare them with lifelong learning skills. Not so!

James will continue to challenge our thinking, as well as to provide practical and hands-on experience in using search engines and online tools to enliven the information literacy component of our Teacher Librarian roles.