Background Information on Tuckshops
Parents and Citizens Association employ staff in Tuckshops. The Workplace Health and Safety regulations, health regulations and nutrition guidelines set by the Education Department are growing in complexity and change regularly. Tuckshop convenors often do not possess well-developed information literacy skills. To do their job well and ensure that they and their tuckshop comply with the regulations, and in an effort to promote best practice, the ACSA has been approached to develop this plan to improve information literacy skills for tuckshop convenors. The Plan addresses the needs of the convenors in a multi-pronged approach that can be implemented in stages. This web-site has been developed to ensure the convenors have access to relevant legislation and information, to help them deliver the best service they can and develop skills to encourage them to be life-long learners.
The school environment provides a sense of community on many levels. All Tuckshop convenors in Queensland Schools must comply with the same requirements, have the same or similar restrictions and needs so providing a virtual space where they can access information, share ideas and learn new skill, makes sense. By adopting a community setting, the plan aims to ensure that all users feel comfortable and on an equal footing no matter what their present skills. It is good practice to give students of any age more than one method of learning subject matter. This caters for different types of learner, a variety of thinking styles and competency levels. The plan will also ensure that the users can have ownership of their learning by being able to self-pace and offer a variety of approaches to gaining access to the information and using the information. Although the plan is specifically targeted at convenors, an extension of this plan could cater for other tuckshop staff and volunteers. This caters for different types of learner, a variety of thinking styles and competency levels. The plan will also ensure that the users can have ownership of their learning by being able to self-pace and offer a variety of approaches to gaining access to the information and using the information. Although the plan is specifically targeted at convenors, an extension of this plan could cater for other tuckshop staff and volunteers.
Literature Review
Current research into the area of information literacy has resulted in information which contains a similar premise and will be beneficial in defining the objectives of the plan. The initial purpose of the plan would be to ensure compliance with regulations which relates to Standards 1 & 2 in the Australian and New Zealand information Literacy Framework (2004). The long term objectives would be to encourage this user group to seek out relevant information and apply that which is suitable to the work environment, which relates to Standards 3, 5 & 6. Standard 4 although important, appears to be more skill and experience based which may be considered in the approach taken. The Information literacy program components outlined in this framework also provide interesting debate regarding how these user needs can best be met.
The Final Report from the Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, released on January 10, 1989, in Washington, D.C. stated,
"To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”
“Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand."
Broad Assumptions about Tuckshop Convenors
1. Mostly women – often mothers and existing members of the school community (or another school community) due to suitability of shifts
2. Often acted in a volunteer capacity before formal position
3. Often have returned to the workforce after a sustained absence
4. Often non-professional previous career
5. Generally have a similar socio-economic status as the wider school community
6. Often have low to main-stream education level
Government, community or other policies and agendas
Whilst Tuckshop Convenors work within the school community they are required to adhere to the policies and expectations of a diverse range of regulatory authorities in the course of their employment. The access and management of this information and maintaining currency of information, with frequent changes in policy, is the core objective of the Information Literacy Plan.
Business and employment
Department of Education and Training
Queensland Council of Parents and Citizens Associations
Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000 - Blue Card
Food Safety and Handling
QAST – Queensland Association of School Canteens
Food Act 2006 - Queensland Health
Food Production (Safety) Act 2000 - Safe Food Production Queensland
Department of Employment and Industrial Relations – WH&S and IR
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Nutrition Guidelines
Nutrition Australia
Department of Health and Aging (Federal) – Active Schools Program
Smart Choices Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy - Department of Education and the Arts and Queensland Health
As well as managing the policies and procedures around issues such as:
·Allergies
·Volunteers
·Fundraising
·Bookkeeping
·Product ordering and stock rotation
User Group Information Literacy Plan
A few strategies and directions that may be considered:
1. Professional development for P&C executive and Principal
2. Principal to provide access to computers, internet etc and provide learning space for convenor
3. P&C executive to develop policy for monitoring implementation, accreditation and providing feedback to ACSA.
Tuckshop convenor involved in professional development to address need for information literacy. The dissemination of information has been traditionally delivered at workshops and through newsletters. Enormous changes to IR, WH&S laws and changing parental expectations mean the convenors are faced with information and compliance overload and often have poor skills to access, define and utilise the relevant information.
*Training in how to access information
*Ensure compliance with regulation and make it as simple a process as possible
*Encourage peer to peer interaction eg; share recipes, share budgeting tips, health regulations and even where to buy stock from
*Implement strategies to improve literacy, skills, knowledge and competencies
Strategies for evaluating the plan after implementation
· Evaluation will be both formal and informal.
· Principals to report on and monitor the performance and perception of performance of tuckshop. Feedback from parents/ students/ staff and convenor.
· P&C can monitor performance through performance measures such as increased trade or profit/ feedback from parents
· Report on safety inspections and health inspections and readiness for any such inspection.
· Convenor can be asked to reflect on process and report verbally or in writing.
Images Retrieved from:
Voisin, S. & Fatfree Vegan Recipes. (2005).Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2005/12/recipe-index.html
