TL as a leader

Forum Entry on Donham

I appreciated a number of references in the Donham (2005) article. They include those referring to journaling, using the planning guideline from the AASL (1999),  using your passion to maintain enthusiasm and the list of characteristics of a leader.

1.     Journalling: She said that we should ask the following questions when we journal – “What did I learn today? Whom did I nuture today? What challenge did I confront today? How did I make a positive difference today?”

2.     Using A PlanningGuide for Information Power: Partnerships for Learning (American Association of School Librarians ) 1999.

This, she writes, involves setting a direction and writing steps out describing how to reach set goals. This spoke to me as we have just finished writing a mission statement at school, which refers to  21^st

learning.  It has inspired me to incorporate this into my planning for the library.

3.     Passion My passion is technology and its uses in teaching and learning. This article gives me permission to pursue this and hone my skills in this area.

4.     List of characteristics of the leader She refers to Warren Bennis (1999) who lists a number of ways a leader can be described. He included: “technical competence…conceptual skill…people skills…. Judgment…(and) character.

This article has given me a framework to move forward with my work as a TL. It has done this by putting into context and giving a reason for  many of the things I was already doing or could do better.

 

Donham, J. (2005). Leadership. In Enhancing teaching and learning : a leadership guide for school library media specialists (2nd ed.) (pp. 295-305). New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers.