Personal Professional Development as a Digital Mentor and Student Advocate
While looking for various ways to develop my pedagogy, I realized that professional development occurs beyond online databases. Growth occurs through experiences and interactions with people. I should interact with more professionals in the education field, whether through virtual or physical spaces. According to Lila Armstrong in her article "Professional Development: What Does It Mean to You? :
Understanding the philosophies behind
different teacher PD approaches has helped me appreciate how schools,
administrators and teachers need to navigate between professional autonomy and
a common goal when it comes to learning; it is more than just sitting in a room
together on the same day, it is about building structures to enhance student success.
Engaging in
meaningful discussions with various professionals of unique skills and
experiences in different settings will help me learn more about digital
literacy, inquiry, social media for kids, and reading culture.
The strategies and
tools that I will facilitate to continue my professional development revolve
around engagement with teacher communities. I would like to connect with other
professionals through different means while networking as much as I can. One
way I have learned from this course is to follow teacher-librarian blogs,
including those of my class peers which have been most inspiring. Outside the
course, I have found two examples of blog sites that I thought were interesting
and useful to follow. They are are Books and Bytes Canada (https://www.booksandbytescanada.com/)
and CSL (https://www.canadianschoollibraries.ca/blog/). The first is a blog by
a teacher-librarian who provides many great ideas and lessons. The second is a
blog website created by the Canadian School Library organization where many
librarians discuss different topics. Another strategy would be to join a
committee to engage with other teachers and librarians. I found a forum on
British Columbia Library Association (BCLA) that displays several committees
who host online discussions regarding education and libraries.
The last learning experience I would engage in is to attend professional development workshops. I have attended many Pro-D Day events in the past, and I will continue to do so as a teacher-librarian. For example, I found a teacher-librarian webinar that was hosted at a BCTLA conference in 2021. The video discusses teaching visual media literacy to students:
I will use these tools to network and connect with colleagues to learn more about my pedagogy from them.
My plan during and after this course is to
join a mentorship program, online librarian groups, and in-person committees at
the next school I’m hired at. I have been advised by colleagues in the past
that I should join a mentorship program where I could learn from another
educator while in the field.
They are correct
as such an experience would be beneficial for me, especially as a
teacher-librarian. I have found a program on the BCLA site where librarian
mentors and mentees can apply to participate (https://bclaconnect.ca/resources/mentorship-program/). In his article, “ Tucker’s Lens: Using Teacher
Professional Development to Drive Student Achievement,” Marc Tucker emphasizes
the importance of “ master teachers in…schools to teach the new teachers how to
teach.” He explains that in China, after the Mao Zedong dynasty, experienced
teachers were expected to spend more time as a mentor to new teachers to
rebuild their education system. It would be a great opportunity to follow a
veteran teacher-librarian in a library environment to engage in meaningful
discussions, receive criticism, and experience librarianship through the lens
of an experienced professional. The last activity that I will engage in is to
join teacher-librarian groups online and in-person. There are two Facebook
groups that I believe will be relevant to my professional development. I will
join the LearningLibrarians and CanadianEdLibsNetwork who have many members
across Canada who are happy to post their knowledge and experiences with the
group.
Image found on "Tucker's Lens: Using Teacher Professional Develoment to Drive Student Achievement" NCEE website (https://ncee.org/quick-read/tuckers-lens-using-teacher-professional-development-to-drive-student-achievement/)
My professional development as a teacher and teacher-librarian will
never end. As the world continuously evolves with new technologies and new
knowledge, so will I as a teacher and librarian. To best support student
learning and growth, I will also need to learn and grow like them, learning through
collaborations with master teachers and colleagues. People are the best
teachers of course. I have learned much about my pedagogy through people when
they engage and share ideas. For example, in the podcast “We want them to be
Creators over Consumers,’” I learned more about social media safety for
students through the thoughtful discussion between veteran educators and
district leaders. Adapting to new challenges and environments is part of being
a digital mentor, student champion, and school advocate. I will put these new
revelations on professional development to good use.
Armstrong , Lila. “Professional Development: What Does It Mean to You?” CSL Journal , vol. 5, no.
7, 3 Mar. 2021. https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/professional-development-what-does-it-
Tucker , Marc. “Tucker’s Lens: Using Teacher Professional Development to Drive Student
Achievement.” NCEE, 7 Apr. 2021, ncee.org/quick-read/tuckers-lens-using-teacher-professional-
development-to-drive-student-achievement/.
“BCTLA Conference 2021: Building Visual Media Literacy Skills -Davidson, Johnston.” BCTLA
Official, YouTube, 21 Apr. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q0i1MjXNXU. Accessed 14
Oct. 2023.
“Mentorship Program.” BCLA, 29 Nov. 2022, bclaconnect.ca/resources/mentorship-program/.
“‘We Want Them to Be Creators over Consumers’ ” Smart Social Podcast: Keeping Students Safe so
They Can Shine Online, created by Josh Ochs , 7 Sept.
2022.
Hi Claudia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the blogs you follow. I haven't seen the Books and Bytes Canada Blog so will have to do that in the future. I have also found the BCTLA conference materials very helpful. I agree that my professional development will never be done.
A thoughtful post that documents your thinking, strategies, and plans for continuing to develop your skills and knowledge. I strongly agree with your ideas about the importance and value of collaboration and mentorship. You have left your reader with many strong resources to explore.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your link to the discussion forums on the British Columbia Library Association's webpage. I find that, for me, browsing through random websites for ideas can be overwhelming and a waste of time. I prefer to get my professional learning "just in time", and joining forums where I can ask about a specific issue or pressing need is of great value to me. Joining a forum of educators from my home province of BC will especially relevant in my future practice as a Teacher-Librarian. Thanks again!
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