Leading Learning in the School

It seems fitting that the topic of professional development for staff comes in the week that almost all of the covid restrictions in Switzerland and my school are being removed.  For the past two years, all of the focus has been on managing online learning, modified learning at school, and a mix of the two.  As most staff have been entirely focused on just trying to manage what became our new normal, and as there have been far more months where we weren’t allowed to gather together, or this was very restricted, professional development and even collaboration, in many respects, has been pushed to the side.

This week is the first time in two years that parents are allowed on campus, we no longer offer at home learning, and all of our ‘bubbles’ that have been carefully maintained have just about disappeared.  So what does this mean for professional development in the future?  At a time when relationship building is going to be critical, and staff are feeling really tired of all things computer-based, how can I meet their needs and ensure I am offering the support my diverse community needs?

Modelling Learning

In the past, I made different pictorial tutorials to enable staff to see step-by step instructions for a resource.  During the lock down, we’ve been working on enhancing this idea by also providing video tutorials.  These have been very successful as busy staff have been able to really see how something works, even if we can’t be there to offer the advice in person.  We are also fortunate to have a member of the team who has an excellent video tutorial voice.

 

                                                    Sample tutorial video from ISZL

Many of my colleagues feel pressed for time and don’t want to read emails or articles.  I think that by attending meetings and proposing different lesson ideas/tools to be integrated, and then offering to come in and lead the lesson in the class will be the most successful model.  While there are some things that staff could easily take on themselves, seeing a lesson in action, or watching a tool be introduced ensures they understand what is being proposed and takes the pressure off of them having to master something new to teach to their class.  This also provides opportunities to build our relationships further and gives me the chance to offer feedback to the teacher in the moment to propose next steps or way something could be adjusted for future success.

Using Visuals

I mentioned previously about providing Loo Lit as a way to let staff know what resources we have in the library and I am seeing more examples of using these types of displays to share opportunities for staff PD, or giving more information about how a digital tool could be used. The addition of QR codes to these displays is a great way of allowing staff to take the information with them. Another option is a weekly email to staff with a choice board look to show links to new resources. I think as long as you keep things brief and offer yourself as an expert, staff will be more likely to read the information. 

Sample of a newsletter from Van Meter Library

Presenting our knowledge

I am a very uncomfortable presenter when speaking with groups (unless they are young children). I also find staff feel overwhelmed by having to attend meetings or more formal training events.  Having read about different school offering drop in times at lunch, I think in the future I would like to offer some drop in sessions after school, or if we can make our timetable work, offering some lunchtime get-togethers where we can demo different tools.  We’ve learned that food and drink have power in our school so by creating a social atmosphere with snacks, we may entice more people to join in with training.  This would also reduce the pressure to present for myself and help me to feel more comfortable in this aspect of my role.

What do they need?

I think as an important beginning step, we need to survey the staff and find out where their needs and interests are.  There was a huge amount of technological upskilling that happened at the beginning of the pandemic, but with a very large and diverse staff, there are also many different needs.  I think often there is an assumption of what people want and need to learn, but by reaching out to the staff to find out here they want to go next, we can develop sessions that are actually wanted.

What about books?

We are very fortunate in our school to have passionate staff that are happy to make book requests. We have a large professional collection that we weed every few years, alongside our curriculum coordinator, and are able to buy most requested resources.  I do think as a next step, we need to talk with our administration about funding for this collection.  At the moment, the money comes from the library budget, but after a recent change in our PD model, we are seeing more groups of people requesting books to read together.  This change has become costly for the department and we need to find a way to ensure we can continue to support their requests.

 

References:

Future Ready Librarians. Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved February 24, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurereadylibrarians.

Hacking School Libraries (and Other Classrooms!). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved February 16, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/HackingSchoolLibrariesAndOtherClassrooms

Int’l School Library Connection. Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved February 24, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SLAsia

ISZL Libraries (2022). Destiny Back Office.

McClintock Miller, Shannon (2019). Tech talk! A new way to share with our teachers & community! Vanmeter library voice. https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/p/shannons-instagram.html