Cultivating A Garden of Collaboration

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We’ve had a cold spring, but finally the ground is warming up.  As the sun set last night, my husband and I put in a small garden: tomatoes, squash, okra, eggplant, and melon plants and some bean seeds.  Overnight we had some welcome rain and the corn in the farmer’s field behind our house appears to have grown a foot.  Another farmer nearby has planted a field of potatoes, and my husband chuckles when he remembers the first time I dug up potatoes.  I thought I had found buried treasure as right below the ordinary surface of the garden, I uncovered these rounded jewels.  A garden provides these small surprises almost daily.  I will eagerly watch that row of bean seeds for the delight of those first, green leaves.  I believe we put in a garden as much for these small daily gifts as for the vegetables we hope to harvest.

Where I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a “culture of collaboration,” I have found the same sort of delight in planning with other professionals.  There’s the same sense of putting your hands in the dirt and coming up with nuggets of great ideas that will nourish the learning of our students.  Or, planting seeds of lesson ideas and walking into a classroom several days later to discover they have sprouted into student projects on walls and desks.  Or, receiving an unexpected rain of support from an administrator, who recognizes the importance of collaboration and allows it to grow in unexpected ways.

Often, I believe it’s the small gifts that cultivate and sustain a collaborative culture.  When we meet face-to-face, there is the chocolate on the table, the family photographs someone shares from their phone, or the humorous classroom anecdote shared by a teacher. It’s quite simply the laughter, the raised eyebrows, and the sharing of a time and a space.

Many of my collaborations today take place online.  It’s exciting to meet with colleagues around the country or in Australia.  We share documents in GoogleDocs or Dropbox.  But I often find myself wondering online, “where’s the chocolate?” or “what small gifts might I offer to sustain this relationship?”  Because ultimately, while the collaboration is task-oriented, it’s the relationships that provide the rich soil, sunlight, and rain needed to nourish and grow that work. Relationships provide the medium for collaboration.  They are the heart and the chocolate, and we need to find the small ways to nourish those relationships whether it’s face-to-face or online.

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Reading and Making Connections at the Core

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One of the findings of “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries” is this: “The overall findings fit with research we’ve seen in other states–access to a full-time, certified school librarian significantly impacts students achievement in reading.”

In my PSLA Conference ’13 keynote, Leadership Begins with a Bag of Chocolates, I shared the image above to show the connections among inquiry, coteaching, technology, and reading. Reading is, to my way of thinking, at the core of our mission as school librarians. Reading proficiency is surely at the core of the Common Core State Standards.

Traditionally, school librarians have considered themselves educators who promote a love of reading rather than as coteachers of reading comprehension strategies. If we take the results of the PA School Library Project to heart, we should consider the school librarian’s potential to impact reading proficiency through integrating reading strategies into our cotaught inquiry units of study. Integrating technology, inquiry, and reading through coteaching

References

Moreillon, Judi. “Reading-Inquiry-Technology-Coteaching Connections.” Digital Image. From the Personal Collection of Judi Moreillon.

PA School Library Project. 2012. “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries.” PA School Library Project. http://tinyurl.com/PAstudy2012

Collaboration Is Key to Student Achievement

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The past weekend I had the pleasure of sharing a keynote and concurrent session with members of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA). Like many other educators around the country, Pennsylvania school librarians are wrestling with their place in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

PSLA is a vibrant professional association. They have/are a strong advocacy team/membership committed to maximizing the impact of their 2012 school libraries study. This is one of the findings “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries:”

“The librarian collaborates closely with classroom teachers in every subject area to teach students everything from making sense of the information they gather to collaborating with other students to create new knowledge” (PA School Library Project 2012).

Classroom-library collaboration can be challenging; it can also be so rewarding in terms of improved student learning outcomes. (And besides, it is more fun to teach together rather than alone!) The time is now for school librarians who serve as collaborators to coteach with classroom teachers to improve instruction and to do the hard work of co-implementing best practices in teaching and learning.

Bravo to PSLA for their commitment to making a positive impact on student learning!

References

Moreillon, Judi. “Collaboration.” Digital Image. From the Personal Collection of Judi Moreillon.

PA School Library Project. 2012. “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries.” PA School Library Project. http://tinyurl.com/PAstudy2012

Cross Pollination of Ideas and Understandings

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Spring is finally emerging here in the North Country, and the bees are buzzing, birds are singing. Melissa’s post last week about encouraging partnerships with public and other libraries had me thinking about collaboration as a cross pollination of ideas and understandings. When school librarians have a chance to meet and work with others in the field whose overall mission is the same, but different according to parameters of their workplaces, the benefits move both ways.

Earlier in the year, I was invited to present at the New England Association of Independent School Librarians at their annual meeting on April 12, 2013. While I was excited to take on the task, I realized that I really had limited first-hand knowledge of independent schools, and I was eager to learn more. My background includes many years in the public school system and in a public university, so I did a bit of digging to understand my audience. What I found is that there is a range of independent schools for students of all ages, from those that are focused on college prep, to those that provide a niche environment for learning depending on the interests and abilities of the student. While independent schools are governed by a board of trustees, some are combinations of private/public schools, some are based on religious or organizational affiliation, and many are funded exclusively by tuition, donors, and endowments. They include day schools and boarding schools and are not for profit, and are not encumbered or constrained by public school regulations.

Libraries are an important part of the school experience in independent schools, and are often extolled as indicators of the quality of the school. The National Association of Independent Schools has established Guidelines of Professional Practice for Librarians, and there are many regional independent school library organizations.  There is a separate section within the American Association for School Librarians (AASL) for Independent Schools (ISS), and therefore, independent school librarians have access to professional networks that meet their particular concerns, which are not so different than those of public school librarians.

The April NEAISL meeting was held at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont, and attendees came from across New England and upper New York State, in spite of the snow, sleet and freezing rain that is typical of early spring in Vermont.  Susan Ballard, AASL President, was the keynote speaker who suggested ways to advocate for school libraries through marketing or branding, a topic that resonates with all school librarians.  Throughout the day, in formal sessions and informal discussion, I listened for the common themes that connected independent school librarians. Enthusiastic about their work and their schools, they voiced familiar concerns about:

  • Effective technology integration
  • Engaging digital native students in learning
  • Advocacy
  • Changing space needs for libraries-learning commons
  • Diversity or lack of diversity in student populations
  • Collaboration with other faculty
  • Students with special needs or ELL
  • AP courses-yes or no
  • College research ready

While I did not hear very much about Common Core Standards, I must admit, it was a relief not to have that on the table.  As I listened and learned from independent school librarians, I realized more than ever, that dedication to library service for students and staff is the common denominator for all of us in the profession.  No matter where we work,   in urban or rural areas, in large or small public or independent schools, we are all committed to our mission, and we have a lot to share. I want to thank Merlyn Miller, Library Director at Burr and Burton for the opportunity to share, listen, and learn with such a diverse group of professional school librarians.

In order to take advantage of cross pollination of understandings, I urge you to seek out your fellow school librarians to compare notes and ideas. If you are in a public school, plan to visit a local independent school.  If you are in an independent school, locate a nearby public school.  There is a lot to learn from different perspectives, and enjoy your visit!

References:

American Association of School Librarians Independent Schools Section. Online. http://www.ala.org/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/aaslsections/iss/iss .

Conference program for New England Association of Independent School Librarians. Online. https://sites.google.com/a/burrburton.org/new-england-association-of-independent-school-librarians-conference-2013/conference-program.

Guidelines of professional practice for school librarians. National Association of Independent Schools. Online. http://www.nais.org/Series/Pages/NAIS-Guidelines-of-Professional-Practice-for-Librarians.aspx. .

Hand, D. Independent school libraries: Perspectives on excellence. (2010). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

National Association of Independent Schools. Online. http://www.nais.org/Articles/Pages/About-NAIS.aspx?src=utility.

School Library and Public Library Collaboration

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As we were gathering articles for the 2013 March/April issue of Knowledge Quest one of the areas Ann Martin and I chose that we would like to highlight was the partnership between school and public libraries. And while I am sure there are great examples out there, I was amazed that this still seems to be an area where we as school librarians can grow.

In looking back through School Library Research there is really only one piece of research dealing with this partnership. In 2000 Fitzgibbons explored successful cooperative partnerships between school and public libraries, what these partnerships looked like and what factors have to be considered in forming these successful relationships.

This also came to mind as I reflected on the semester as it comes to a close. This semester in both of my courses, that are focused on school library topics, I had students who are not on the school library certification track enroll in each of these courses. I went from wondering why they were taking those courses to enjoying the different views and perspectives they brought to our class discussions. They in return expressed that they had learned more about what school librarians actually do and of course most of them were surprised at the many roles of the school librarian.

This experience made me wonder if we are perhaps not doing all that we could in preparing school librarians to encourage this partnership, and if maybe we are even hindering it’s development. I say this because all too often school librarians have take different classes from other MLIS students that are more specialized and needed for certification and even when they are in general MLIS classes you will often see groups for group work created by type of library focus. After this semester and seeing the great projects and ideas that came from the school library students working with the public and academic library students I will be encouraging these in the future. I think this type of learning experience can go further in promoting these relationships than hearing me say over and over again “you really should be partnering with your local public librarian.”

Fitzgibbons, S. A. (2000). School and public library relationships: Essential ingredients in implementing educational reforms and improving student learning. School Library Media Research, 3. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume32000/relationships

Image: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=19960&picture=hands-holding-jigsaw”>Hands Holding Jigsaw</a> by Petr Kratochvil

Doorway Musings

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 ”What are we doing today?” Jerome asks as his class walks into the library. Their teacher, Mrs. Jones has just left them at the door. “I’m going to tell you, just wait,” I respond having designed a research project (in conversation with some of the grade level teachers) to prepare fifth graders for an upcoming overnight and out of state field trip. “Oh, Mrs. Jones just said you could read a story to us, she didn’t care.” Jerome’s remark hit me in the gut. It didn’t matter how hard I had worked at this school to reach out to teachers in order to plan meaningful library lessons that were integrated with their curriculum. For some teachers, the only value they saw in the school library was a place to drop their students for forty-five minutes. Other teachers would tell me as they left their students at the door, “Oh, by the way they need to check out a biography today,” and I would be faced with the choice of  whether to teach the lesson I had prepared or to drop that plan and teach about biographies, or to do both in a rushed and incomplete way. The library had a revolving door with classes lining up to leave as other classes were lined up outside the door to come in. I was busy; I worked hard and felt good about reaching every child every week. But my doorway told this story: classroom teachers stopped here to leave and pick up. They didn’t really know what happened on the other side of the door, some didn’t really care, and the culture of this school  (and its scheduling of the library) allowed this to happen.

This is one of the more painful and revealing memories I have of my first professional school library position in an elementary school with a fixed schedule. Judi’s post about creating a school culture that supports collaboration brought this flooding back to me.  Implicit and important to the shared practices that express a culture’s values are the ways of understanding and using time.   Time is one of the most important resources we have in a school and we should use it in service of student learning not the other way around. In 1994 the National Commission on Time and Learning prepared a report about American schools entitled “Prisoners of Time” criticizing schools’ promotion of schedules and grade level expectations as being more about time and time served than about student learning.  How can we continue to afford this?

Years ago, Donham Van Deusen and Tallman’s research demonstrated that schools with a flexible schedule included more collaboration between teachers and the school librarian (1994).  We recognize collaboration as a best practice and this blog celebrates and promotes librarians and teachers planning together.  Yet we cannot remain silent about the continuing practice in elementary schools of fixed schedules that thwart our efforts at collaboration and undermine our ability to infuse the school curriculum with twenty-first century skills, resources, and tools.  Judi’s research that pre-service teachers eager to collaborate with school librarians encountered numerous barriers including the library schedule and the school librarian should be a wake-up call to us all (Moreillon, 2008).  Our doorways should tell the stories of eager learners and instructional partnerships not rigid schedules and rigid mindsets.

References

Donham van Deusen, J. and J. Tallman. 1994. The impact of scheduling on curriculum consultation and information skills instruction: Part one, The 1993–94 AASL/Highsmith Research Award Study. School Library Media Quarterly 23(1): 17-25.

Moreillon, J. (2008). “Two Heads Are Better than One: Influencing Preservice Classroom Teachers’ Understanding and Practice of Classroom–Library Collaboration”, School Library Media Research.  Chicago: American Library Association, September 24, 2008. http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume11/moreillon

National Commission on Time and Learning (1994).  Prisoners of Time.  Washington, D.C.  Accessed online:  http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/index.html

 

School Structures that Support Collaborative Cultures, Part 2

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Shared collaborative planning time is another school structure that supports educators in building and sustaining a culture of collaboration. In schools and districts where administrators recognize this as an essential component of effective instruction, grade-level, classroom-library, and interdisciplinary collaboration is more likely to be practiced and lead to positive results in terms of improvements in student learning and educator proficiency.

The National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE) is a coalition of education associations, policy organizations, and foundations united to support schools in elevating literacy learning. The American Association of School Librarians is a partner organization. NCLE conducted a national survey of educators in all roles, at all grade levels, and in all subject areas to find out more about what is actually happening in schools. (Note: This report was funded by the Ball Foundation.)

Today, the Literacy in Learning Exchange released the findings: “NCLE Report: Remodeling Literacy Learning.”

The report states that although “working together is working smarter, schools are not structured to facilitate educators working together.” It also noted that “effective collaboration needs systemic support.”

Here’s a recommendation that all educational decision-makers should note: “Embed the collaboration of educators in the school day. This is critical for deep student learning and is a necessary prerequisite to the success of other school reforms.”

Schools can start by instituting shared planning time during the school day and focus on collaborative job-embedded professional development. The recommendations would go a long way to building the necessary school structures to help make professional learning communities successful. I encourage every educator to make time to read this report.

Works Cited

Innovations Lightbulb. Digital image. HHS.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/open/initiatives/innovationfellows/index.html

National Center for Literacy Education. “NCLE Report: Remodeling Literacy Learning.” Retrieved from http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/remodeling

School Structures that Support Collaborative Cultures

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In our conversations about collaborative cultures, it is important to remember that classrooms and school libraries are situated within a system called “school.” Systems have structures that support or hinder the growth of their members. Teacher isolation is one structure that has – for far too long – created barriers to educators’ professional development and to school reform.

“Teacher isolation is so deeply ingrained in the traditional fabric of schools that leaders cannot simply invite teachers to create a collaborative culture. They must identify and implement specific, strategic interventions that help teachers to work together rather than alone” (DuFour 14).

When we consider how school librarians can serve as essential leaders in building a culture of collaboration in schools, we must consider the structures within which we work. Fixed library schedules are one tradition that thwarts school librarians’ efforts to serve as equal partners in instruction with classroom teachers.

In fixed library schedule schools, learners come to the library once a week for a brief lesson and book checkout. Often times, classroom teachers do not stay in the library with their class. There is very little instructional time and whatever concepts or skills are taught are not revisited until the next week during the regularly scheduled time. This practice is contrary to what we know about how people learn. It is not a best practice.

Roger Grape is an elementary school librarian in Dallas Independent School District. He created a digital advocacy story targeted to a school principal audience to promote flexible scheduling in libraries. He advocates for giving classroom teachers and school librarians opportunities to coteach and co-facilitate student learning. As Roger notes, with the support of two educators and given the time they need to practice deep learning, students will achieve more.

Check out “Bendy, Twisty, Flexible Scheduling” by Roger Grape! (And thank you, Roger, for giving me permission to share your work.)

Works Cited

DuFour, Richard. “In the Right Context: The Effective Leader Concentrates on a Foundation of Programs, Procedures, Beliefs, Expectations, and Habits.” Journal of Staff Development 22.1 (2001): 14-17. Print.

Grape, Roger. Bendy, Twisty, Flexible Scheduling. Mar. 2013. YouTube.com. 1 Apr. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWo3FWmQVhM>.

Collaboration and Mentoring-Take 2

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Be the change you wish to see in the world…

Mohandas Gandhi

Barbara Stripling, President Elect of ALA, was the keynote speaker at a recent Massachusetts School Library Association Conference (March 2- 4, 2013). As a mentor, she encouraged those attending to “be the change,”  to make a difference by changing  one life at a time, and helping students raise their own dreams, skills, and dispositions of inquiry. Weaving the themes of collaborative relationships, decision making, and problem solving, she shared a vision of a vibrant model for student centered learning in 21st Century schools.  Her passion and commitment to the field of librarianship and education is both inspirational and challenging. How can we live up to this ideal?  I guess we just have to work harder at what we do best, so that we can be the change, too.

Two colleagues and I traveled from Vermont to Sturbridge, Massachusetts to participate in a three day event that allowed us to rub shoulders with Barbara Stripling, Richard Byrne, Pam Berger, and a host of authors, including Jack Gantos.  We were excited to meet and talk to our compatriots from another New England state to compare notes about school library issues.  We were also meeting some of our Twitter friends for the first time face to face.  Sitting in a large conference room, it was amusing to overhear people saying, “So there you are!  It’s so wonderful to meet you in person after getting to know you through your blog or Twitter.”  Having a chance to sit down and chat with the presenters between sessions, or during lunch and dinner provided a personal experience that you don’t have every day.

As in other sections of the country, in New England and the Northeast, there are opportunities within reasonable driving distances for collaboration and mentoring at regional/state school library conferences and meetings.  Many teacher librarians can’t afford to go to national conferences very often, or at all.  Some have no financial support from their districts for professional development other that what is provided at the local level.  State professional organizations play an important role in bringing national speakers and showcasing best practices within the field to a gathering of folks who come to share ideas, connections, and to make or renew friendships.   PLNs now put practitioners in touch with others throughout the nation, and also provide connections within a geographical area, too.  Social media and Twitter feeds allow everyone to communicate and collaborate across time and space.  There are so many different ways to mentor and be mentored, in our fast paced world, but face to face collaboration is still a very powerful way to connect the dots.

Having returned from the conference with many new ideas and new relationships, I am already putting plans into action that will affect my teaching and learning.  Coincidentally, once again, the current issue of Knowledge Quest : Mentoring Through Partnerships continues to look at collaboration, and the role of professional organizations is seen as a venue for mentoring.   Melissa Johnston shares her conclusions from some research about technology leadership in Knowledge Quest  (2013, 38), “Not only do professional organizations provide support for school librarians through relationships with other school librarians, but this research finds that professional growth opportunities from  professional organization activities such as conferences and publications serve as enablers as well.”  From my own experience, I can’t agree more!  And as a final note, when I was doing a school visit last week, I went into the school library, and there  inscribed on the wall was a familiar message: Be the change you wish to see in the world.  I felt as if I had come full circle.

 

Barbara Stripling elected ALA president (2011). School Library Journal (May 4, 2012) http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/894466-312/barbara_stripling_elected_ala_president.html.csp

Johnston, M.P. (2013). The importance of professional organizations and mentoring for leadership. Knowledge Quest 41(4). http://www.ala.org/aasl/knowledgequest

Massachusetts School Library Association Conference: Lead & Learn (2013).  http://maschoolibraries.org/content/view/1046/704/

Collaboration and Mentoring

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The newest Knowledge Quest hit the mailboxes of school librarians all over the country yesterday. As one of the co-editors for this month, I was so excited to focus on collaboration but in the sense of collaborative partnerships with other professionals. This issue of KQ takes a look at the various types of mentoring relationships, including: with other school librarians, with teachers, with students, and with public librarians.School librarians from all over the country share their experiences, research, and ideas on how we can learn from each other, whether you are a seasoned school librarian or just a newbie. Take a look at this issue – I think the broad scope will engage you and introduce some possible partnerships you may not have thought of that can indeed help you grow as a professional.