The act of blogging itself is a reflective exercise, but looking back at a series of blog posts from the blogger and incorporating ideas of fellow bloggers requires pause. As teachers, we often get our students to reflect on what they have learned after a lesson or a unit, so reflecting on what happened in Phase 2, seems to be appropriate.

Here is a short video that to get you thinking about your own thinking:

I really enjoyed exploring different aspects of the roles of Teacher-Librarians. While I was already familiar with the roles and had done something in each segment, this phase forced me to think about practical ways that these roles can be performed. I reflected on my previous experience, thought about new ways to fulfill my duties, and gained some new ideas from research and my classmates.

From Clare’s blog, I found a common thread of collaboration throughout her posts. Being an effective teacher-librarian is built on collaboration. Clare’s posts show that teachers are better when they work together, whether it is as partners or as mentors. As teacher-librarians, we need to make ourselves open and available to collaboration. It could be in a completely collaborative style when a teacher comes to you with an idea and you plan together or it could be a quick trouble-shooting session with a database or other piece of technology.

Denise is all about choice. Whether it is providing students with choice to promote reading or looking for a variety of resources, Denise has given several options from which I can choose. I think this is an important aspect of being an effective teacher-librarian as well. We need to provide choice in terms of the books on the shelves and the resources available through the library. Having a few different options to meet the same goals allows for users to choose the method that is best suited to them.

I feel like I am riding along with Melissa as she embarks on her journey into being a teacher-librarian. It is neat to read her posts as she becomes more comfortable in her new role. Instead of looking at a specific theme that she expressed, the takeaway I have from Melissa is to get immersed in a role, but to not get submerged. Melissa is focussing on a few specific areas instead of trying to do everything at once. As her confidence grows, her presence as a teacher-librarian becomes more evident and meaningful. I look forward to reading about her next phase.

Although Cathy hasn’t completed Phase 2 yet, I am still inspired by her enthusiasm and her ability to interpret information to make her own meaning. After struggling with the WHY for the shift to the Learning Commons model, Cathy deduced that like other aspects of education, in order to remain relevant, we need to evolve.

Learning about World Libraries was another interesting aspect of Phase 2. There are so many great organizations with excellent resources and products that are being delivered to countries around the world that are desperate for access to information. The opportunities created by putting information in the hands of citizens are virtually limitless.

Overall, I found Phase 2 to be one that required a lot of reflection. Mostly familiar ideas were discussed, but I was forced to think about concrete ways to implement them. My ideas, combined with those from my classmates will hopefully serve me well in my role as teacher-librarian.