1.4+Rough+Draft

I really like your conclusion :) I looked over everything and it looks good to me. I went in and fixed the formatting of the citations so they were indented and everything. I then saved it as a 97-2003 .doc. Let me know what you think!







In the field of education, stakeholders are charged with teaching children the skills they will need to become productive members of society and lifelong learners. In order to accomplish this desired goal, each stakeholder must use a variety of methods to ensure that necessary skills are being learned. One of these methods is collaboration. Collaboration involves every member of the learning community working, learning, and reflecting together. This collaboration benefits every member of the learning community and brings them closer to the desired goal.

In this age of rapidly increasing technology and emphasis on standardized testing, students are required to not only find information but use higher order thinking skills to analyze that information. These are skills that will help students succeed not only on the lesson they are working on but also in life. Students need to be able to use their higher order thinking skills to solve problems and work with other people on projects. One of the best ways to accomplish this level of student learning is through collaboration. According to //Empowering Learners// collaboration makes students take an active role in learning (20). It also gives students more individual attention (Kindergarten Teacher). Having more individualized attention creates an enviornment for active student learning. Individual attention also gives struggling students a chance to have instruction on their level. This can help them catch up if they have fallen behind or if they don't understand the current topic. In our testimonials and readings, we have seen many examples of collaboration especially in the area of 21st century standards. One example came from a High School Teacher when she stated that collaboration had helped her students learn to use technology, research, and create correct citations (High School Teacher). Another example that an art teacher had was "expanding instruction," when the teacher librarian collaborated with her about using art techniques that students saw in book illustrations (High School Teacher). This illustrated a good way to incorporate reading and literature into visual arts. And one final example was described by an 8th grade language arts teacher when she stated that collaboration helped her students to put their own thought into their work and internalize the knowledge they had learned. By using collaboration to learn these skills in combination with subject curriculum, teachers and librarians are giving students essential skills for lifelong learning. There are many benefits that teachers recieve from collaborating with the librarians. When teachers and librarians collaborate they are able to “take the curriculum deeper” (Third-Grade Teacher). This means that they are able to expand on topics that would normally only be covered at a surface level. One way this happens is by planning lessons that cover multiple topics that can be tied together. As students learn about the topics together they are able to see how they fit together. When teachers and librarians plan together, each person is able to bring their individual strengths to the table to create more meaningful lessons for students. In the case of the High School student teacher, she only had a vague idea of what she wanted to do and by working with the librarian they were able to come up with a great lesson (High School Student Teacher). Another benefit of collaboration to teachers is that sometimes the teacher learns new ways to use technology and library resources in their classroom. One of the teachers interviewed said she was “learning right along with the students.” (7th-Grade Social Studies Teacher). By the end of the day she was helping the students more than she had at the beginning of the day. Having the librarian lead the lesson gave her time to get comfortable with the technology and then she was able to help the students. Teachers learning during actual lessons is a much more successful way to integrate technology into the classroom. Teachers are more likely to use technology when they have been given hands on help in learning how to use it. This is a much better use of teacher’s time then having them sit in a half day workshop where they are just listening and not actually doing. This teacher is more likely to use this technology in her room by herself now that she has seen how useful it can be in her instruction. Lowering the student-to-teacher ratio is another benefit of the collaboration of teachers and librarians (Moreillon 7). When you have two teachers teaching a lesson, students will be able to get more individualized attention therefore increasing the chances they will understand the topic. One art teacher gained new ways “to integrate research and writing into the course (Dianne).” Elective teachers often have trouble figuring out ways to include these components into their classes, but working with the librarian Dianne was able to plan a lesson that included research before the students did their art project.

Librarians work to create a positive collaborative learning enviornment within a school. The ability to collaborate throughout the entire school gives librarians the chance to impact the academic achievement of every single child (Principal). This position is unique within a school because it is the only one that allows this type of widespread collaboration. Emphasis on student achievement has led to educational stakeholders wanting to see measurable improvement. Standardized testing has been controversial because of the effects it has on teacher retention and school report cards. Using collaboration librarians can become leaders in schools (Moreillon ix). As leaders, librarians should actively promote collaboration to increase student learning and achievement. Promoting and effectively executing many different collaborative methods will ensure that a librarian can show measurable imporvement in student achivement and learning. One example of a collaborative effort is when a librarian collaborates with a teacher and creates "job-embedded professional development" (Moreillon 8). By using this type of professional development, librarians have the opportunity to create and take part in a hands on learning style. Another example includes collabroation with community stakeholders. //Empowering Learner// reminds us that, "partnering with community organizations...can enrich the program through added resources and interaction with the world outside the school" (21). The collaborating librarian has the ability to impact achievement in many ways because the entire school and community becomes thier classroom through rich collaboration.

Administrators are always looking for ways to improve student achievement especially when it comes to school accountability. By encouraging teachers and librarians to collaborate administrators are promoting higher student achievement. This is one way “to ensure that diverse learners have the maximum opportunity for achievement” (Moreillon 8). The benefits of collaboration to teachers, librarians, and students are also benefits to administrators. Administrators create the enviornment for collaboration through scheduling and encouragement. However, the practice of collaboration has not become a standard within all schools. I wonder why administrators are not requiring this type of learning and teaching? The administration is crucial to the development of a collaborative community and they should foster this experience by allowing for flexible scheduling and promoting collaboration among faculty and staff.

The benefits of teacher-librarian collaboration show that it is a necessary practice for all librarians to engage in and that it is a win-win situation for all who participate. In many cases it will be up to the librarian to initiate collaboration with other teachers. While teachers may be reluctant to participate at first, once they participate the benefits will speak for themselves. With accountability standards rising it is imperitive that all educational stakeholders work together to raise the level of student achievement.

Works Cited:

"7th-Grade Social Studies Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. <[]

"8th-Grade Language Arts Teacher." Inteview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. []

AASL. //Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs.// Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009.

"High School Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. Web. <[]

"High School Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. []

"High School Art Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. []

"High School Student Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. []

"Kindergarten Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 19 Sept. 2009. <[]

Moreillon, Judi. //Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comphrehension Maximixing Your Impact.// New York: American Library Association, 2007.

"Principal." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. <[]

"Third-Grade Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon. Web. 6 Feb. 2010. <[]>