Collaboration and reflection Proactivity and Reflection: Tools to Improve Collaborative ExperiencesMinnesota Media, 2004 Collaboration is the Holy Grail of librarianship. It’s how we become indispensable to others, but it is arguably the most challenging part of our jobs. There never seems to be enough time. Many teachers are very independent. Scheduling works against team efforts. Library media specialists can and should add genuine value to the educational process through collaborative planning and teaching. A book worth reading is Reflective Practice to Improve Schools. Below are a few suggestions drawn from professional reading (see appended bibliography), from watching really good library media specialists at work, and from reflecting on my own successful collaborative efforts. Please don’t just read the suggestions. That’s it. I. Use student mastery of content area objectives as the goal of the planning and activity. II. III. Practice Covey’s philosophy of win/win or no deal when collaborating. IV. V.
School Library Journal One librarian’s role is transformed, and with it, her approach to and appreciation for collaboration. The author, left, co-teaching a class. Collaboration. I quickly realized that in order to make sure students were comprehending research and technology skills, I needed to be part of conferencing, review student’s work throughout the process, and read their essays. Tara N.
Position Statement on Flexible Scheduling The library program is fully integrated into the educational program so that students, teachers, and school librarians become partners in learning. This integration strengthens the teaching for learning process to ensure students are active learners who guide and continually assess their learning process. Open access to a quality school library program is essential for students to develop the vital skills necessary to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas in a variety of formats. Inquiry skills are taught and learned within the context of the curriculum and may occur in the classroom, the library, or at home with 24/7 accessibility to a wide range of resources, technologies, and services. The integrated library program philosophy requires an open schedule that includes flexible and equitable access to physical and virtual collections for staff and students. The PARENTS advocate for a library program that provides their child with access 24/7.
Embrace Your PD Role | Building a Culture of Collaboration® Teacher librarians wear many hats, and some hats cross many roles listed in a job description. In our daily school library hustle and bustle, we may not think of ourselves as professional developers for our colleagues, but indeed we wear that hat in many ways. This is not a radical new idea, but merely a recognition that providing access to new information, new literature, new technology, and new pedagogy for teachers in our schools, has always been part of our mission, and is based in a collaborative model. So let’s take a minute to focus on the myriad ways we interact to share access to information and ideas with our teaching colleagues, and to be intentional about improving and expanding our PD offerings. This month BACC bloggers have opened up a discussion about reaching out to our colleagues with PD opportunities-the why and how. Goal setting for integrating PD through collaboration What do I know about the various school improvement initiatives in my school district? Work cited:
8 Fun Ways to Help Your Students Collaborate in the Classroom The days of students silently working independently from textbooks at desks neatly arranged into perfect rows are long gone! In today’s classroom, you’re more likely to see students standing or sitting together around tables or huddling on the rug, gesturing and talking excitedly, drawing diagrams on tablets, sketching ideas on whiteboards, or gathered around computers. Collaborative learning is a 21st-century skill that is at the top of most districts’ curricula. Here are eight activities and tools to foster an environment of collaboration in your classroom. 1. Collaboration doesn’t necessarily come naturally to students. Source 2. Put your students’ affinity for selfies to good use with Flipgrid, a simple yet powerful tech tool that allows students to express themselves creatively and amplify their voices. Teachers create grids with topics of discussion and students respond with recorded videos to talk about, reflect, and share via webcam, tablet, or mobile device. Source 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Co-Teaching Without Boxes or Boundaries A MiddleWeb Blog The metaphor “thinking outside of the box” has recently been brought to my attention in a number of situations as people have reached out to say, “We need your ‘out of the box’ thinking on this…” After hearing this statement a number of times over the last few weeks, it made me think about what we are actually saying when we use this fairly clichéd expression. Of course thinking and learning are contextual – and there are times when thinking inside the box may be appropriate. OK, so you guessed it: I am going in the direction of co-teaching and the need for co-teachers to allow their thinking to be stretched and empowered! Before you read on, take a moment and guide yourself to think about finding solutions through a fresh perspective. Out of the Box Co-Thinking The opportunity for two teachers to combine their thinking when making instructional decisions can result in some incredibly powerful learning experiences for students. No Boundaries Co-Teaching Be Resilient!
Seven Tips to Make Teacher Collaboration Time Productive Become a Teacher >> Browse Articles >> Hot Topics Featured Author: Mrs. Laura Owen Mrs. Add Mrs. The opinions and statements made in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the opinions or representations of the University of Phoenix. About University of Phoenix At the largest private university in North America, you can attend classes at one of our more than 190 convenient locations. Earn your degree sooner than you think. While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. University of Phoenix University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (ncahlc.org). Walk into a school today and you will rarely see teachers independently planning for instruction. Common planning time is most effective when team members establish ground rules at the beginning of the school year. 1. 2. For each meeting, a clear purpose must be identified. 3.
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers 20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers contributed by Miriam Clifford There is an age-old adage that says, “two heads are better than one.” Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing? Yes, those two were, of course, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft. Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher-level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Groups tend to learn through “discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other’s ideas.” Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Many consider Vygotsky the father of ‘social learning.’ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Deep Learning Experiences within a Fixed Schedule – School Library Connection Blog Fixed schedule got you feeling trapped? This week, we’re featuring a few favorites from our archive, after Sue Kowalski put in a request from #ALAAC16 for some resources to support our many colleagues on fixed schedules. Today’s article from Julie Green and Laurie Olmsted focuses on creating deep learning experiences for second graders within a fixed schedule. Subscribers will find dozens more relevant resources at our online home and can also look forward to a great new article on this topic by Ernie Cox in the August/September 2016 issue of the magazine. Two and a half years ago, elementary school librarians in the Birmingham Public School district had to change to a fixed schedule for half the day with kindergarten through second grade students. This change was due to cutbacks and the need for common planning time among classroom teachers. A Jump-Start Last year, elementary school librarians identified an inquiry and research focus for second graders. Further Research Implementation
S.O.S. for Information Literacy Collaboration is an evolving process that does not happen overnight. Here are some of our tips for developing successful collaborative relationships. Develop a "collaborative mentality." This means your collaboration "antennae" are always seeking out collaboration opportunities wherever and whenever they arise.Get "up close and personal" with the curricula for each grade level in your school and determine the most likely "payoff points," where you can immediately provide services and resources to meet the needs of both teachers and students.Hang out with teachers; have lunch in the teachers' room, go to team planning meetings, join curriculum and technology committees---whatever it takes to be able to interact and learn what's important to them and their students.Be enthusiastic, approachable, and a good listener. Food is a great motivator.
Building Teacher Collaboration School-wide Teacher collaboration has been a common element of middle grades initiatives for years, typically one or more of these three organizational models: common planning time, professional learning communities, and critical friends groups. Each model is distinct, yet they share common features. They 1) advance teacher learning, 2) address context-specific issues, 3) foster collegiality, 4) reduce teacher isolation, and 5) lead teachers to greater insights about teaching and learning. The overarching, and arguably the most important common element, is the goal of improved student learning. What makes each organization model unique? Table 1. Strategies for Building Teacher Collaboration Organizational models facilitate, but do not guarantee collaboration. As with other skills, we gain a greater capacity for collaboration with the opportunity to practice. 1. 2. Trust influences the effectiveness of collaborative work. 3. 4. Discussion moves the conversation forward. 5. Teacher Collaboration
How to Create Fruitful Co-Teaching Partnerships A MiddleWeb Bog By now co-teachers around the nation have had a chance to get off on the right foot. I hope you had a flying start! Maybe even hit the ground running! The first goal for co-teachers is to pave the way for a successful year by establishing a learning environment that nurtures a sense of community. If you are working together by choice, it’s likely you are well into a good groove by now! A forced pairing can flourish This is the reality: most co-teachers find themselves together in the same classroom because somebody says they have to be. Some “forced pairings” rise to the occasion and decide to just make it work. My quest to elevate co-teaching has always been to find an antidote for the feelings of resignation that frequently emerge when co-teachers are forced into a relationship. Jim Knight’s partnership approach Jim Knight The Partnership Approach has seven core principles that deepen the awareness of collaboration. Co-Teaching with Knight’s Core Principles 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Teachers Support Differentiated Learning Through Professional Development and Collaboration Sometimes, y'all when we're researching we find out things that we think we knew already might not be exactly true. Is that okay? Yes. The teaching team at Forrest Lake is a tightknit group. Many of them have worked together for several years collaborating to improve their teaching skills and supporting each other as they embrace rapidly evolving technology. Alright, we need to look at home life. How they travel in transportation. Transportation. Yeah. Every other week grade-level teams meet in what they call "Collaborative Corner" to discuss challenges and plan interdisciplinary lessons together. Because we have plenty of resources on everything. Media specialist, Lizzie Padget. Do you like having the taste of the countries with everybody in a different room? And Curriculum Coordinator, Marian Scullion. The student will demonstrate an understanding of other settings across the world. We've used a number of different models over the years for staff development and training. Oh we can do that too.