FOSIL, Education and School Libraries

This episode explores the librarian’s evolving role in education, sharing practical strategies for fostering collaboration between teachers and librarians to create meaningful, student-centered inquiry experiences. We discuss recent publications, success stories from classrooms, and offer a preview of the upcoming FOSIL book, aiming to redefine how libraries contribute to holistic, impactful education.As always we would love to hear your thoughts on this episode.Links:* Re/Dis-Covering the Promise of Freedom Through Inquiry: Part 1, by Darryl Toerien and Lee FitzGerald for ACCESS (Volume 38, Issue 3, September 2024), the journal of the Australian School Library Association (ASLA). Aimed at principals, SLT and classroom-based teachers.* First SLA Blog post in FOSIL Group Forum: Between the Library and the Classroom: Becoming Integral to the Educational Process 2.1* “As We Begin, So Shall We Go”: FOSIL as Means to a “Transcendent and Honourable End”, by Darryl Toerien for Synergy (Volume 22, Number 1, June 2024), the journal of the School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV).Maritain quote: "Nothing is more important than the events which occur within that invisible universe which is the mind of [a person]. And the light of that universe is knowledge. If we are concerned with the future of civilization we must be concerned primarily with a genuine understanding of what knowledge is, its value, its degrees, and how it can foster the inner unity of the human being" (The Range of Reason, 1952, p. 3).Engaging and Empowering School Libraries is a membership that aims to support school librarians in teaching through inquiry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

FOSIL, Education and School Libraries is a podcast that aims to encourage and support you to think of school libraries in a different way. We hope to develop your understanding of the value of school libraries, help you engage with the content on the FOSIL Group Website, introduce you to people who are using FOSIL and most of all just have a conversation about the role of school librarians within education.If you are looking for my Engaging and Empowering School Libraries Podcast you can find that here https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/podcastToday Darryl and I look forward to what our new year of podcasting will bring, including:- Updates on Blanchelande projectsWorking with UK SLAPublished ArticlesBooks… to be writtenConferences - including an announcement of a FOSIL gathering - February 2025Strategic PartnersBlanchelande Yr 1 tourist brochure https://gsy.bailiwickexpress.com/gsy/news/written-children-children/BBC Report https://www.facebook.com/share/r/8EvX1rx5PVyre5SK/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

In the second part of our history of school libraries, we talk more about the evolution of school libraries from 1986 to the present day. We continue to focus on Norman Beswick's history of school libraries as an influential piece of research from the same period, which looked at the dramatic trajectory of librarianship, budget struggles, and changing roles with the advent of computers in education.We explore two crucial hopeful signals during that time - the rise of information skills and the increasing collaboration between teachers and librarians. The discussion also touches upon the concept of information literacy and how it differs from the inquiry model. Additionally, we critically examine Anne Irving's nine-question steps model from 1985 that set a new tone for the synergy between teachers and librarians.Our conversation highlights the role of school librarians in teaching information literacy skills, the difficult struggle for curriculum time, and the undeniable link between information literacy and education. We touch upon the internet’s impact, the devaluation of school libraries and the challenge of teaching information literacy amidst these changes. We discuss how a focus on information availability may have hindered a smooth transition during the introduction of computers to schools.The episode creates an understanding of the evolution of school libraries, touches on the impacts of AI, and the need for diverse, multicultural teaching methods. It emphasises librarians' role in diversifying teaching methods and portrays libraries, beyond academic learning centres, as hubs for personal development, independent learning, and more. We conclude by reemphasising the importance for school libraries and librarians to align their educational philosophy with the current concerns and aspirations in the educational sector.Portraits of an Engaged and Empowered Inquirer https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/portraits-of-an-engaged-and-empowered-inquirer/Membership Information https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/aboutmembership This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

In this episode, we discuss the evolving role of school libraries within the broader educational system. Addressing pressing issues such as the undervaluation of librarians and the alignment of library programs with institutional educational goals, this conversation underscores the library's essential contribution to student development.With a focus on the IFLA School Library Guidelines, we also navigated the challenges of aligning libraries with the quantifiable outcomes often prioritised by schools. By examining strategies for librarians to articulate and advocate for their role in supporting holistic education, this episode presents a compelling call to action for educational leaders and librarians alike. Listen in as we explore the critical intersection of education, purpose, and the pivotal role of school libraries in shaping informed, curious, and well-rounded individuals.Membership information https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/aboutmembership This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

In this episode, Darryl and I continue our conversation about Douglas Knight’s ideas about a library's two major and unique functions, regardless of type. These two functions are:- * First, it makes possible meetings of mind and ideas not limited by our normal boundaries of time, space, and social or economic level.* To say this is to suggest the second great function of a library. It is the institution in our society that allows and encourages the development and extension of ideas -- not their passive absorption, but their active generation. … The technical means of his encounter may be a record, a tape, a film, a print-out or -- most radical of all -- a book. Libraries are not bounded by means; they will and should employ any means to achieve their ends.Clarification on non-fiction to fiction ratio: NF to F ratio should rise from 50% NF to 50% F through 66% NF to 33% F to 75% NF to 25% F as children move from Primary through Secondary (Darryl)The link to Douglas Knight's document can be found here https://bit.ly/3ShxMSK Podcast - Non-fiction collections in school libraries: Do we still need them?https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/podcast/episode/9d8adc04/non-fiction-collections-in-school-libraries-do-we-still-need-them FOSIL forum link -https://fosil.org.uk/forums/ Engaging and Empowering School Libraries Membership -https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/aboutmembership This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

This month Darryl and I discuss the importance of Blanchelande's Year 9 Signature Work and its impact on student learning. The conversation highlighted the challenges of measuring academic attainment through signature work and explored the difference between student engagement and academic attainment.Key Takeaways from this podcast • The impact of the year nine signature work on student learning and engagement, highlighting the challenges of measuring academic attainment through this approach. • The discussion explored the change in students' attitudes towards learning as a result of their engagement with signature work. • Future directions and implementation strategies for the year nine signature work. • The conversation emphasised the importance of an early introduction to inquiry-based learning and its potential impact on the quality of work and attitude towards inquiry in the future. • We covered the role of habit in the learning process, drawing parallels between the development of information literacy skills and inquiry skills. • The conversation also highlighted the starting point of inquiry as an attitude of wonder and puzzlement, emphasising the importance of cultivating a desire to learn.Note: We did not explain fully why it is called 'signature' work. The short and simple explanation is that students are asked to produce something they would be happy to sign or put their signature to... Understanding that this is their work and should be proud to sign it. Darryl's explanation can be found here https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/year-9-grade-8-interdisciplinary-signature-work-inquiry-blanchelande-college/#post-81808 Other resources:LibGuide NewsLetter: https://blanchelande.libguides.com/LibraryGuide/News/The-Future-Needs-You-Living-Well-in-a-World-Worth-Living-insee Year 9 Individual Project and Year 9 FOSIL Inquiry Skills ProjectDon't forget to subscribe to all of the forum post in order to be notified if there are any new posts or replies https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/subscribing-to-the-forums/ My membership information - https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/aboutmembership This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com

Darryl Toerien and I continue our monthly chat, FOSIL, Education and School Libraries.This month we are chatting about the IASL conference, the need to have leadership for school librarians and why inquiry skills should support students learning how to learn, as well as learning knowledge. IFLA presentation - Digital Literacy necessary but not sufficient https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/ifla-2023-wlic-digital-literacy-necessary-but-not-sufficient/Year 6 (Grade 5) Interdisciplinary Signature Work Inquiry https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/year-6-interdisciplinary-signature-work-inquiry/Membership information -https://www.elizabethahutchinson.com/aboutmembership This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elizabethhutchinson.substack.com