Collaboration
When thinking of collaboration and the standards set down by the AASL National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, I immediately focused on interviewing Jennifer Thrift, school librarian at Charles Pinckney Elementary in Mt. Pleasant, SC. After observing her library in February, it was evident that collaboration was front and center with the lessons designed and taught.
When speaking with Ms. Thrift, she noted that you will always want 100% buy in from all stakeholders, but that may never be the case. You must have buy in from the teachers and staff that you are working with, which means that they must see what you can bring to the table to add to the students' learning and understanding. You must be viewed as a valuable teacher resource. This may be easier said than done, as a new to the library teacher. Having resources and ideas ready to share can be a game changer for teacher collaboration, which can then impact how students work in groups and collaborate within the classroom and library settings.
One way that Ms. Thrift ensures that collaboration on both levels will occur is to make sure that what she can bring to the table is communicated to the staff at her school, Pinckney Elementary in Charleston County School District. One key way that she is being taken seriously as a resource within her school is by having her administrator's support as a key member of the school's Personal Learning Community (PLC) communities. Being able to attend grade level PLC allows her the opportunity to show how valuable the library can be and how it can support teachers and students. Teachers are able to witness that the library is so much more than just "fluff". Most recently in a fourth grade PLC meeting, the team took the iReady data and were able to pinpoint target areas that were not met on the last round. The team found that student results showed a weakness in secondary sources. With this information in hand, Ms. Thrift was able to collaborate with teachers to create Breakout session focusing on this specific area. Currently, they are planning a scavenger hunt using Goose Chase, which will focus on reviewing primary and secondary sources. Reflecting on this, it is obvious that collaboration with teacher librarians and administrators is a must. Being able to work together to establish the schedule (whether flexible or partially fixed) impacts the ability to attend PLCs, which impacts teacher collaboration, and ultimately student achievement. This is definitely an area that I am advocating for within my own school. Having these experiences with veteran teacher librarians inspires me to collect data and learn how to collect the data.
Ms. Thrift is a firm believer in bringing in innovative ways to engage students in a format that is not completely direct instruction, but another way to reach students that may need instruction in another format. Besides Breakouts and Goose Chase (scavenger hunt), Ms. Thrift is a strong proponent of MakerSpaces. Recently, students entered the MakerSpace classroom to build animas and their habitats. This was not just a free for all, but standards and expectations were set before students were allowed to create their own examples. This is purely student work, but does have a direct purpose in line with the curriculum. This is one example of where using databases, like Mackinvia, are invaluable. Students are able to research their topic before creating, which allows students to explore before creating.
These activities planned with teachers allow students to collaborate with their peers. As the AASL standards state, collaboration for learners involves them working "effectively with others to broaden their perspectives and work towards common goals". This was more than evident during the Breakout Box sessions. Student groups were selected purposefully, so there would be effective working environments and students had the support from peers (and teachers) that they would need to be successful. This does not happen without teacher/librarian collaboration, which Ms. Thrift stated was essential for preparing for the Breakout session success.
Based on the interview and the observation, collaboration with adults is a key component to ensuring that the learners' collaboration is successful. This requires finding the time within teachers' schedules, as well as helping them to understand what we, as the teacher librarian, are offering is valuable and supports the standards. Finding the time for collaboration comes from administrative support, which does require advocating for a schedule that allows for this to occur. Collaboration is a multifaceted competency on multiple levels with the end goal being the impact on student achievement and success.
No comments:
Post a Comment