Rough+Draft

There is one reason that teachers, teacher-librarians, and administrators are in education. We are here to teach students but to accomplish this effectively, we must work together. Collaboration is essential to that goal. A. Zmuda reminds us that “the goal is //not// to increase collaboration but to improve student performance. The goal is //not// to force staff to attend professional development; the goal is for them to improve their practice in order to improve student performance” (Zmuda and Harada 31). In all of the readings and testimonials, there was a common theme—only through collaboration can we have success. Working together creates a learning community that allows “kids to get more individualized attention” (Peg), “helps the students learn and become more successful” (Pat), “enables more planning and lots more ideas” (Pat), and encourages the students to “feel the library is their classroom” (Peg).

Collaboration is built into the community of our school district. Each Monday, the students are dismissed one hour early, and the teachers work together to create a uniform curriculum. We have four essential questions that are addressed: What do we expect students to learn? How will we know what students have learned? How will we respond to students who are not learning? How will we respond to students who already know the material? We are required to collaborate with teachers in our department, teachers across the curriculum, and with the teacher-librarian.  Some of the most useful collaboration I have experienced is with our teacher-librarian. In her testimonial, Paula mentions that her “teacher-librarian helps students effectively evaluate sites during research projects.” Just this week, we have collaborated with our teacher-librarian to help the 9th grade English students understand reliable resources before beginning a careers inquiry unit. The unit will be so much more effective for the students because of the involvement of the teacher-librarian. She has a different perspective and teaching style that helps reinforce the concepts we are teaching the students in reference to research.

One noticeable similarity between all the //TeacherTube// testimonials is that each teacher is well versed in the meaning and the process of teacher-librarian collaboration. It is obvious to the viewer that the teacher-librarian has worked hard to educate teachers in every aspect of classroom-library collaboration. Because of the dedication from the teacher-librarian, the entire school benefits from regular collaboration lessons that increase student achievement. Mary Ann who is a 7th Grade Language Arts teacher, says that collaboration is “an experience for teachers as well as students.” While collaboration enables teachers to “take their curriculum deeper,” it also provides “authentic learning for students” (Third Grade Teacher: Judy P). This enables the teacher-librarian to have a “global perspective of the entire building” (Principal: Paula).

School districts nation wide are now adopting and implementing strategies that require collaboration between every partner in education. For the past few years, my school district has provided training from Jim Shipley’s //Continuous Classroom Improvement// program. Yearly staff developments and regular “Goal Team Meetings” ensure that educators are collaborating and assessing data for increased student achievement. Teachers are not only required to collaborate with different grade levels, but also arrange classroom observation visits to gain additional knowledge in teaching styles and methods. Our district has also scheduled regular visits from a //Reading Mastery// coach to provide “job-embedded professional development” for reading teachers. According to Moreillon, “ongoing, continuous improvement in teaching practices is necessary if educators are to ensure that diverse learners have the maximum opportunity for achievement” (8). The teacher-librarian must play an active role in collaboration because of the knowledge she brings to the student. In “Collaboration and Leadership”, McGregor says the through the teacher-librarian, “teachers develop an understanding of what information literacy has to do with their curriculum” (209). If teacher-librarians choose to be passive educators whose main responsibility is to check out books, the students are not getting all of the knowledge they need to succeed. If improved student performance is the key, then teacher-librarians must take an active role in the teaching environment of their school. According to McGregor, “collaboration is a chance for the teacher-librarian to prove his/her value in the learning experience of students” (199).

A way that a teacher-librarian can show that collaboration can be effective from both the teacher and the students, is to demonstrate or model some of the co-teaching strategies illustrated in Dr. Moriellon’s powerpoint

For example, [SHEILA--COULD YOU LOOK IN THE NOTES AND ADD SOME EXAMPLES?]
 * New Addition: The following are examples of effective co-teaching strategies: team teaching, alternative teaching, parallel teaching, center teaching, and one teaching, one supporting (Moriellon).

Another member of the collaboration team must be the administrators. In fact, McGregor claims that the principal is the most important factor in the equation (207). Without the administrators support collaboration is difficult at best. I feel very fortunate to work in a school district that endorses the idea of collaboration. It is built into our schedules, and it is encouraged in our teacher development. There have been many experiences when we have pulled all of the English teachers out of the classroom to attend a conference. Some principals would not allow that to happen, but our principal believes that our teacher development is most effective when we are able to collaborate about the experience. McGregor claims that the most important factor in collaboration In conclusion, this case study has proven that collaboration is essential for student learning. In //Empowering Learners// it states: “In today’s learning environment, the line between teacher and student has blurred. All members of the learning community now share the roles of teacher, learner, and collaborative partner” (20). As teacher-librarians we must take our collaborative role seriously. We are just as responsible for student performance as the classroom teachers. We will need to do everything we can weave ourselves into the collaborative community of our schools.