Tammy Reynolds has only worked as a teacher-librarian for three years, but she’s already become a leader amongst her peers.
Her efforts to help colleagues use technology effectively in the classroom earned her the B.C. New Teacher-Librarian of the Year award, an award provided by the B.C. Teacher-librarians Association that recognizes those who are making an outstanding contribution to the profession at and beyond the school level.
Last year, Reynolds participated in a pilot project at Coal Tyee Elementary School that used laptops, iPads and iPods in the classroom to enhance student projects and help vulnerable learners.
Working alongside Grade 2 teacher Donna Anderson, Grade 4 teacher Catherine Galloway and Shelley Beleznay, the district’s literacy coordinator, Reynolds discovered ways to engage young students using this technology.
What motivated her to participate in the pilot project – dubbed Project Success – is the changing role of the teacher-librarian.
“Being literate isn’t just about books anymore,” she said. “My job is to help foster a love of reading regardless of the tool they’re using.”
With the support of Reynolds and the other teachers, the students created digital stories, comic strips and used photography, video and a voice recorder app in their projects.
“We explored a whole different variety of apps,” she said. “For many kids, it allows them to orally share what they know, show they understand something through pictures and images. The finished project looks so professional when it’s put together.”
On top of helping students, Reynolds invited teachers and teacher-librarians into her classroom so they could get an idea of how to use the iPads and iPods in their own classrooms – after the pilot study concluded, the technology was available for use by other schools.
Val Martineau, a teacher-librarian at Randerson Ridge Elementary School, said Reynolds’s help made her feel more comfortable with bringing the iPads and iPods into her own school and knowing how to use them.
“Had I not gone to those demonstration classes, I wouldn’t have felt as confident having them in my school,” she said. “She’s created such a warm, safe feeling in her library.”
Beleznay said schools have access to carts of laptops, iPads or iPods for six-week periods and often teachers will partner with the school’s teacher-librarian to implement the devices in classrooms.
“It’s a steep learning curve to implement technology,” she said. “Having a partner and colleague to learn and work with is helpful. One of the things we can say without a shadow of a doubt is the kids are engaged.
“Our more vulnerable learners are having an opportunity to participate in ways they might not have been able to before.”
Reynolds, who became a teacher in 1990 but decided to make the switch to teacher-librarian several years ago, said she was “surprised but honoured” when she learned about the award, but that she couldn’t have done it without the support of her school, parents and other teacher-librarians in the district.
She said the award shines a light on the important work that teacher-librarians do in schools – not only is she there to help students, her job is also to support other teachers.