Collaboration with Colleagues Case Studies

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As educators, we are continuously trying to refine our practice so that we can have a meaningful impact on student learning. Teacher-Librarians are in the unique position to be able to provide support to the entire educational community to achieve this goal. This is one reason why being a Teacher-librarian is such an exciting position. To that end, Leading Learning states that in order to be an effective Learning Commons “It is essential to support both student and teacher growth.” (Canadian Library Association, 15).  This type of collaboration is beneficial to everyone, teacher, students, and the teacher-librarian. The examples below use the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to identify how to best introduce and support change in a colleague’s practice. The following charts outline the Level of Use and Stages of Concern used in CBAM.   

from National Academies

from National Academies

Teacher 1: Mrs. Sinclair

Profile

Mrs. Sinclair is a new teacher to our school, but she has been teaching for over twenty years in another district. She has moved to be closer to her grandkids and plans to retire in a few years. In her previous district, they did not have a TL in elementary libraries, only part time Library Technicians for book exchange. She teaches grade 2/3 and she likes to get her students to do a research project in science, usually on an animal. Her typical course of interaction with the library is to ask for books to take to her classroom for students to use along with her own classroom resources. In the past, she has had little experience using the laptops, as she feels they just invite chaos. However, this is something she would like to explore.

Objective

Mrs. Sinclair would like to use the online databases more consistently with her class. She is moving between the Orientation and Preparation level of CBAM and the informational stage.  She needs support to better understand how to implement the use of laptops and databases with her class. 

Plan for Action

 Send the links of relevant online databases for Mrs. Sinclair to look at on her own time

 Spend time with Mrs. Sinclair to demonstrate the databases and answer any questions or concerns she may have about using them with her classes.

 Have Mrs. Sinclair’s class come to the library for an online database orientation lesson. 

 Support the class as they work with the online databases to research their science project. 

Follow Up

Check in with Mrs. Sinclair to see if she wants to continue using the databases with another subject or project to help her move from the orientation/preparation stage to the Mechanical/Routine stage. Review any challenges that arose with using the laptops, and look for ways that can improve students use of technology.

Teacher 2: Mr. Vee

Profile

Mr. Vee is a grade 6 teacher who is new in his career, teaching for about the last five years. Mr. Vee is comfortable with technology in the classroom, and sometimes sees google as a valid replacement for library research time. Mr. Vee is doing a new debate project with his students, focusing on the language of effective arguments. The topics are more silly than serious, such as which is healthier, coffee or tea? Mr.Vee has requested help with the research portion of the project.  

Objective

Because many of the topics are unconventional, some creative research skills will be required. Mr. Vee has requested the use of library time to demonstrate how to search for reputable sources on the internet. Mr. Vee is at the Routine level of CBAM. He is confident in how to have students use search engines to facilitate their learning; however, he is also at the Consequence Stage of Concern. He is aware that there are other ways to utilize these tools that could have a better impact on student learning.   

Plan for Action

 Introduce Mr. Vee to Explora and other such online references as an alternative option to Google.

 Give Demo and answer questions regarding the databases.

 Offer library time and support during the research phase of the project.

 Have any relevant non-fiction and reference titles pulled and ready to use when class arrives.

 Give class demonstration of the new database to combine with Mr. Vee’s usual lesson on Google. 

Follow Up

Offer to host the final debates in the library and invite other classes, admin, and other members of the community to come and watch. Have a debriefing conversation with Mr. Vee after the project is over to ensure he is satisfied with how things went and address any concerns or ways for improvement for future projects. 

Final Thoughts 

Supporting teachers in using online databases by teaching their classes how to best use these resources helps to ensure future use of these tools. This also allows classroom teachers to learn alongside their students, while reducing the amount of expertise required on the part of the classroom teacher. Working collaboratively with teachers to create meaningful projects with their students helps to grow both teacher and teacher-librarians practice and create a better learning environment for all students. 

References 

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Ottawa:ON.  http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/llsop.pdf

National Academy of Sciences. (2005). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. www.nationalacademies.org/rise/backg4a.htm.

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Santa Barbara: California.