Final+Draft

Beverly Harbin and Jacqueline Gurley Professor Judi Moreillon Librarians as Instructional Partners 5443 24 September 2010

Benefits to Collaboration in Schools  Currently, collaboration in schools between a teacher librarian and a teacher is a rocky path that needs to be smoothed, leveled and driven on. This path is rocky due to the fact that it is a practice that has received mixed reviews because it requires a change in the entire vision about libraries and their librarians. Libraries are no longer a place of total silence and librarians are no longer the little old ladies with glasses that say “Shhh!!!” all day long. Libraries are now classrooms and librarians are strong individuals with wonderful resources and ideas that want to share their knowledge and energy to help not only students, but teachers, principals and the school as a whole as well. Collaboration is an excellent vehicle to combine the strengths of the librarian and the teacher. McGregor, states “that collaboration is a way to prove his/her value in the learning experiences of students” (199). So why do so many librarians and teachers not utilize collaboration? There are many reasons, but most of the time it is the unwillingness to make the effort and time. Collaboration takes a lot of time and dedication. Learning to collaborate does not happen instantly; it takes practice (McGregor, 211).  Once the two parties have found the middle ground the benefits from collaboration are overwhelming. Video interviews from participants of collaboration have allowed others to see people who have made it work and who can personally stand up and speak of the benefits. A kindergarten teacher named Peggy Harding stated, “Collaboration with my teacher librarian has enabled me to do more planning. We get lots more ideas because we feed off each other” (Peggy Harding). Her saying supports the old slogan, two heads are better than one. She goes on sharing a benefit that students receive, stating “students receive individualized instruction” (Peggy Harding). This individualized instruction allows students to have more personal interaction with the teacher.  Paula Godfrey a principal for an elementary school stated in an interview, “The teacher librarian is one of the most important people who are at the school because there is no one person who impacts the academic achievement of every single child in the building. She has a global perspective of the building. There is no other position that impacts achievement to the extent that the teacher librarian does” (Paula Godfrey). To add to her global statement, Joy McGregor states, "The teacher librarian and the principal are typically the only ones with this "big picture view," and thus, the teacher librarian can propose collaborative ways to address overall problems by collaborative methods" (McGregor 210). These statements support the importance of collaboration from the point that the teacher librarian is able to see the school as a whole allowing her to see where gaps are in the school system. She is also able to teach and touch the lives of every single student which allows for endless teaching possibilities.  Tracy Ross, an elementary Art teacher was asked in an interview, how has collaborating with your teacher librarian impacted your instruction? Her answer, “It has expanded it” (Tracy Ross). Sometimes the needs of the children get overlooked because of the power struggle between the classroom teacher and the librarian. Some teachers hate to give up class time to visit the library. Those teachers are looking at it in the wrong way. Instead of looking at it as a waste of instructional time, they should look at it as a way to have two teachers expanding on their current instruction.  Additional support for collaboration in terms of benefits to the students can be realized by hearing actual collaborator participant comments on these benefits first hand. One example includes an eighth grade teacher named Karen’s testimonial. She states the following about benefits of collaboration to students: “Guided students to new levels of learning” and “students learn how to internalize knowledge” (Karen, 8th grade teacher). Another example is from a seventh grade teacher named Pat, “Students become more successful” (Pat, 7th grade Social Studies teacher). One more statement that supports the benefits to students is, “Students become more independent and responsible for their work” (Mary Ann, 7th grade Language Arts teacher). As an educator, this is the outcome that is desired for the students. We guide them in the hopes that they will be able to succeed on their own in the real world. After viewing these testimonials and hearing the positive outcomes from collaboration a thought comes to mind. With the increased emphasis on high state testing, classroom teachers guard their instructional time closely. With teacher librarian and teacher collaboration, teachers could take advantage of their library time and the teacher librarian to help prepare the students for these state tests . Zmuda and Harada state, "While learning specialists may have highly specialized roles, the common characteristics that shape their jobs make them natural partners in the work of formal leadership to raise student achievement" (43). We are here for the students, so we need to do anything and everything we can to help them succeed. The above research proves that teacher librarian and teacher collaboration can accomplish our goal. Overall, the video testimonials were an inspiration. They have inspired me to seek collaboration with the teachers on my campus. The video from Mary Ann (7th grade language arts teacher), is something that I can relate to. Mary Ann stated that through her collaboration with Dr. M. the students see "the library as a welcoming, learning place" (Mary Ann). My goal for this year is to create a library welcoming library, a place where our students to use. I have redecorated the entire library, set additional time to be open and have forged a relationship with 2 teachers. My intent is to begin a collaborative relationship with these 2 teachers. Hearing the video testimonial of Paula Godfrey (Principal of an elementary school), was intimidating, and encouraging at the same time. This is my second year as the librarian and this is my 5th course in the library science program, so I have very little library educational experience, most of my knowledge of the library is from experience. I understand what Ms. Godfrey was talking about when she stated "how the librarian impacts the academic achievement of every student" (Paula Godfrey). This was a powerful statement that has reminded me of the incredible responsibility that elementary librarians have. As Ms. Godfrey states, the librarian has a global perspective of the school. Other than the principal, no one has this view of the school. This position demands the dedication and commitment of the librarian to encourage collaboration. These videos have motivated me to become an advocate for collaboration. It will take a lot of work and practice to make this work on my campus, but with the encouraging words of the videos I know that collaboration can be a success for the students, teachers and the librarian.  In conclusion, the benefits provided to the school system from collaboration between teacher librarian and teachers far outweighs the difficulty in changes that must take place for the collaboration to happen. Collaboration benefits not just the teacher librarian, but the principal, the teacher, the students and the overall school. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Work Cited <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Art Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2003. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Eighth Grade Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Elementary Art Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2001. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“High School Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2009. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> [|http://teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=125103&title=High_School] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">[|Student_Teacher] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“High School Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2009. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">"Kindergarten Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">McGregor, J. “Collaboration and Leadership.” In Stripling, B. K. and Hughes-Hassell, S. (eds.), // Curriculum Connections through the Library //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">119-219. (pdf)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Principal.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2001. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Seventh Grade Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Seventh Grade Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">[] <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Third Grade Teacher.” Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 2001. <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">[|http://teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=119396&title=3rd_Grade_Te] <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">[|acher] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Zmuda, A., and V. H. Harada. “The Learning Specialist: Clarifying the Role of Library Media <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Specialists.” In //Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for// // the 21st Century //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, 2008. 23 – 43.