Dr. Ross J. Todd

PhD, MA, Graduate Diploma School Librarianship

BA, ATCL, Certificate of Secondary Teaching, AALIA

RESEARCH DIRECTION

My research primarily focuses on the engagement of people and their information worlds, and how this interaction can be understood to facilitate professional action and change, and make a difference to individuals, organizations, societies and nations. Drawing on an intellectually diverse and rich multidisciplinary base, it focuses on the interconnectedness of people, information and knowledge, the development of creative and responsive information and knowledge infrastructures that can make a difference to individuals, social groups, institutions and organizations, and facilitate professional action and change.  Against this broad backdrop, my research continues to specifically focus on  the transformative role of school libraries in 21^st century schools, their integral role in the learning fabric of schools, and their role in ongoing school improvement and reform.

My research has three interrelated foci:

1. Understanding how children learn and build new knowledge from information.  This includes information seeking and use, knowledge construction and representation, and charting changes in knowledge;

2. Information utilization for learning.  This includes understanding how school librarians and classroom teachers can more effectively empower student learning; and how the development of information and critical literacies through guided inquiry and constructivist learning approaches lead to the development of deep knowledge and understanding;

3. Evidence-based practice for school libraries.  This centers on understanding the transformative role of professional practice founded on a strong evidence base, welding together research, experience, insights and systematic measures.  It embraces evidence for practice, evidence in practice, and evidence of practice.

© 2006 - 2008