Module 7: Teacher Librarian as Educational Leader - Supporting Networks and Partnerships in the Library
What is important to sustaining collaboration and networking in the library?
1. Be Positive, Open, and Inviting - The vignette in "School Librarians: The Forgotten Partners" clearly demonstrates how important it is for teacher librarians to put themselves out there and invite teachers to collaborate (Canter et al., 2011). In every school, there will be teachers who are eager to collaborate with the TL, and there will be just as many teachers who are uncomfortable with collaboration. It is the TL's responsibility to approach and give all teachers equal opportunity for collaboration that will best fit the learning needs of their students. We need to be the ones to communicate to the classroom teacher that "we love collaboration" (Dambruoso, 2014). Diggs reminds TLs to think of the library as a shared space, and never as being "their" library (Diggs, 2011).
2. Have a focused, written plan for collaboration - Collaboration can only happen when all parties involved are on board with the plan, so Canter et al. suggests creating a written, documented action plan that will help with the collaboration effort (2011). They describe it as being a "cooperative endeavour" and effective collaboration will improve educational programming within the school (they specifically refer to students with special needs, but I believe that it will apply to all students). Writing this plan down and eventually recording the results can also serve a dual purpose: for teachers who are reluctant with collaboration, you can use a successful collaboration effort with another teacher to entice reluctant teachers to collaborate with you.
What are the characteristics and roles of the teacher librarian as an educational leader?
1. Becoming a Curriculum Leader - The TL is responsible for being a curriculum leader in the school. Diggs talks about the leadership role TLs can play by assisting the classroom teacher in integrating the Common Core Standards into the American curriculum (Diggs, 2011), but we can apply this to the new BC curriculum as well, especially as the BC curriculum is still very new and many teachers are still struggling with the application of inquiry and "big ideas" into their classrooms.
2. Help Build a Digital Toolkit for the Staff - Technology and information literacy is an integral part of our job, and educating the staff about the potential of Web 2.0 is something that falls on the TL's shoulders. We don't have to be experts at the tool, but "we'll at least try it out" (Dambruoso, 2014). Connecting the staff with resources and digital opportunities can be a challenge, but making time and effort to show teachers new resources and technologies will only serve to benefit the school community in the long run. I shared in a blog post for LIBE477 about the value of lunch and learns - this strategy can used to educate teachers about digital tools and resources for their classroom.
3. We are Teachers - It is most important to never forget that TLs are teachers, first and foremost. While we may do a lot of administrative and leadership tasks within the school, we are still teaching both students and teachers about information and digital literacy (Ray, 2016). We are focusing not just on a classroom, but the school community as a whole.
References:
Canter, L., Voytecki, K., Zambone, A., & Jones, J. (2011). School librarians: The forgotten partners. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(3), 14-20.
Dambruoso, A. (2014, July 18). 10 things classroom teachers need to know about modern school librarians. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://libraryallegra.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/10-things-classroom-teachers-need-to-know-about-modern-school-librarians/
Diggs, V. (2011). Teacher librarians are education: Thoughts from Valerie Diggs. Teacher Librarian, 38(5), 56-58.
Ray, M. [TEDx Talk]. (2016, June 7). Changing the conversation about librarians. [YouTube]. TEDxElCajonSalon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=271&v=IniFUB7worY
What is important to sustaining collaboration and networking in the library?
1. Be Positive, Open, and Inviting - The vignette in "School Librarians: The Forgotten Partners" clearly demonstrates how important it is for teacher librarians to put themselves out there and invite teachers to collaborate (Canter et al., 2011). In every school, there will be teachers who are eager to collaborate with the TL, and there will be just as many teachers who are uncomfortable with collaboration. It is the TL's responsibility to approach and give all teachers equal opportunity for collaboration that will best fit the learning needs of their students. We need to be the ones to communicate to the classroom teacher that "we love collaboration" (Dambruoso, 2014). Diggs reminds TLs to think of the library as a shared space, and never as being "their" library (Diggs, 2011).2. Have a focused, written plan for collaboration - Collaboration can only happen when all parties involved are on board with the plan, so Canter et al. suggests creating a written, documented action plan that will help with the collaboration effort (2011). They describe it as being a "cooperative endeavour" and effective collaboration will improve educational programming within the school (they specifically refer to students with special needs, but I believe that it will apply to all students). Writing this plan down and eventually recording the results can also serve a dual purpose: for teachers who are reluctant with collaboration, you can use a successful collaboration effort with another teacher to entice reluctant teachers to collaborate with you.
What are the characteristics and roles of the teacher librarian as an educational leader?
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2. Help Build a Digital Toolkit for the Staff - Technology and information literacy is an integral part of our job, and educating the staff about the potential of Web 2.0 is something that falls on the TL's shoulders. We don't have to be experts at the tool, but "we'll at least try it out" (Dambruoso, 2014). Connecting the staff with resources and digital opportunities can be a challenge, but making time and effort to show teachers new resources and technologies will only serve to benefit the school community in the long run. I shared in a blog post for LIBE477 about the value of lunch and learns - this strategy can used to educate teachers about digital tools and resources for their classroom.
3. We are Teachers - It is most important to never forget that TLs are teachers, first and foremost. While we may do a lot of administrative and leadership tasks within the school, we are still teaching both students and teachers about information and digital literacy (Ray, 2016). We are focusing not just on a classroom, but the school community as a whole.
References:
Canter, L., Voytecki, K., Zambone, A., & Jones, J. (2011). School librarians: The forgotten partners. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(3), 14-20.
Dambruoso, A. (2014, July 18). 10 things classroom teachers need to know about modern school librarians. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://libraryallegra.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/10-things-classroom-teachers-need-to-know-about-modern-school-librarians/
Diggs, V. (2011). Teacher librarians are education: Thoughts from Valerie Diggs. Teacher Librarian, 38(5), 56-58.
Ray, M. [TEDx Talk]. (2016, June 7). Changing the conversation about librarians. [YouTube]. TEDxElCajonSalon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=271&v=IniFUB7worY
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