Blog #3—Collaborate

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 Hey, Readers! This is the third in a four-part series focusing on school librarians. Three years ago, the American Library Association published its shared foundations in the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries (2018). The handbook focuses on six foundations that “dynamically combine to allow school librarians and learners to personalize their growth” (American Association of School Librarians (AASL, 2018, p. 16.) The six foundations are as follows (p. 16): 


  • Inquire

  • Include

  • Collaborate

  • Curate

  • Explore

  • Engage


I was privileged to sit down with two librarians who each discussed two of the foundations at length. Our conversations were enlightening and inspiring to me as a pre-service librarian. I know they will help others, too, in their quest to marry theory with practice.


This conversation is a follow up to installments #1(Inquire) & #2 (Curate). Next up is a conversation that I had with Kim B., who is an amazing high school librarian in South Carolina. Kim works hard to build curriculum for her school, whether it be for individual classrooms or for blended learning professional development. She is a rockstar collaborator, so she was happy to discuss the Collaborate foundation with me. Here are the highlights.


Questions were as follows, with Kim’s thoughts and my reflections.


  1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?


Kim mentioned that she is always looking to frame activities for students to collaborate. She understands the need to let them talk to each other, to form ideas, and to form understanding of material. Gone are the days where students learn in silos. In the digital space, she has become a fan of Google Meet breakout rooms, where students can discuss and work in smaller groups.


Kim works in my building, so I have had an opportunity to watch and work with her for the past few years. She is a teacher first, having come from the Science classroom into the library many years ago. Her understanding of the students and how they learn is very comprehensive. Kim works tirelessly to hone her craft. She is always sending strategies to others and working on her own lessons that get students into networks that will help them grow.


  1. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?


Kim and I discussed the fact that his year has been like no other. Our school adopted a blended learning model a few years ago, and Kim has been one of the building-level innovators and facilitators of that professional development. In blended learning, the class is broken down by into different modalities for learning. These can include station rotation, playlists, flipped learning, or small group instruction that blends technology with face-to-face instruction. For this model, Kim’s greatest resource has been her expertise both with technology and with the instructional models themselves. They have definitely come in handy during COVID times, when much of our instruction has been online. Other resources she encourages include Padlet, Google Meet, Flipgrid, and SC Discus. 


Many of the resources Kim mentioned in our discussion facilitate the Collaborate foundation well in that they “stimulate learners to actively contribute to group discussions” and they help students understand that “learning is a social responsibility” (AASL, 2018, p. 84). Padlet allows for backchannel chats, and Flipgrid gives student voice (literally) center stage. She also mentioned looking at MAP data to help group students as well as getting to know the interests of students. In this way, grouping is more effective. Her pedagogy is sound and effective as she uses all of the tools at her disposal in creating curriculum for her school.


  1. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples.


Kim works with many classroom teachers throughout the school year. She actively pursues relationships that will result in fruitful partnerships. Some of the many units she has collaborated on include the following:

  • Geometry Gingerbread Makerspace

  • Murder Mystery book connection with math students

  • Teacher Cadet Novel Unit (List of Cages)

  • Science Book Study (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks)

  • Essay and Poetry Writing units for English


Kim is happiest when she is creating curriculum for the classroom. She searches tirelessly for material and inspiration and then builds units of study that fit what classroom teachers have specified they need. Often, she says, in searching for one thing, she will find something else that she knows will be a good fit for a teacher. That is partly how she builds collaboration. She shares that inspiration and forms partnerships. She is never without a project!


  1. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?


Kim mentioned that really understanding what a teacher wants is one of the challenges she faces. Getting that right is a key to continued partnerships. Also, understanding the standards of different disciplines takes time and effort, but is well-worth it. In this way, Kim stays instructionally relevant with teaching and learning, and she can let the standards guide her plans.


This is what I consider a true art in librarianship. Learning expertise with a multitude of standards can be a daunting task, and yet librarians like Kim become experts when they are co-teaching and collaborating. It is a wonder to see!


  1. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

 

Kim sees the shared foundations as ways to challenge learners in the curriculum. Collaborating with teachers and then helping students to collaborate with each other is a task well worth exploring. Also, providing students multiple means of expression has helped to reach our student body during distance learning as well as now that students are transitioning full-time back to the classroom.


As a seasoned librarian, Kim has become a master of pedagogy as well as technology. She is an excellent resource and a good partner. She finds excellent material and also develops her own. She has led summer professional development and is truly a teachers’ teacher. Her school is blessed to have her on faculty.


**Stay tuned for Part 4 of this series, where I continue my conversation with Kim with regard to the Engage foundation. Thanks for reading!


References

ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association. (2018). National school 

library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. 

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