By Jessica Guo
Introducing Thoughtwork from Coursework
What does it take to become a qualified teacher-librarian in Canada?
Depending on the province, there are extra courses that educators can take to learn the knowledge and skills associated with the profession. A Treasure Mountain Canada 8 paper by Diana Maliszewski and Joanie Proske described the course options in British Columbia and Ontario; there are three providers for British Columbian would-be teacher-librarians and ten Ontario College of Teachers approved institutions that can train TLs.
Many of the projects completed by eager teacher-librarians-in-training do not get shared beyond the virtual boundaries of their courses or learning management systems. This new column for Canadian School Libraries Journal, “Thoughtwork from Coursework”, aims to promote some of the great inquiry learning projects produced as part of some of these teacher-librarian training courses.
Our inaugural contribution is from Jessica Guo and was the inquiry learning project from her Teacher Librarianship Part 2 Additional Qualification Course taken August 2025 from York University in Ontario. Jessica created an infographic as a summary of her findings. We replicate it here with her permission and our gratitude.
JessicaGuo-Blue Cute Creative Process Infographic by Jessica Guo
Jessica Guo (she/her) is a teacher librarian and Secondary English teacher at the York Region District School Board. With her experience in literacy and passion for equity in education, she pushes others to reflect on the power of texts and reading in our ever-changing world.