ISCI 794 Collaborate

 

                                                  (Picture includes 6 bookshelves with lots of colorful books)

    For collaboration I decided to interview Stephanie Case who is a second year librarian at Gable Middle School.  Her first year in the library was at an elementary school, so I was curious on how collaboration looked between middle and elementary school.  In our district elementary schools are on a fixed schedule, so collaboration is hard.  The middle schools are on more of a flexible schedule, which allows collaboration to be a little bit more tangible. 

    Mrs. Case shared many ways to which she collaborates with her teachers in her school.  One of the best ideas that she shared was how she actively participates in team planning with each department at least once a month.  When she goes to these meetings, she usually sits back and listens.  When the teachers are done, she asks them what they need from her and then gives them information about what she had to offer in the library.  What I wouldn't give to have that time!  She said that was the biggest difference between elementary and middle school.  She did not have that time in the elementary library because of the back to back classes.  She also talks about how she uses collaboration with her students.  Sometimes students learn more from each other than they do from their teacher.  Mrs. Case plans collaborative lessons with teachers that she can share with her students.  

    Mrs. Case uses maker spaces to help her implement collaboration.  Maker spaces are a great way for students to use what they know, collaborate and come up with a solution to a problem or just create something interesting.  Some of the resources that she has in her library are Legos, straws, blocks, craft supplies, Ozobots, 3-D pens and other building materials.  I need to purchase these!  It sounds like so much fun and I can see how these would be a great resource to promote collaboration with students. 

    One of the main challenges with collaboration is getting everybody on board.  Not all teachers are opened to collaborating with her.  She said that this can be frustrating because she has so many different ideas and resources that the teachers could be using with their students.  I can see how this would be frustrating.  She mainly collaborates with ELA teachers but would like to do more with other subject areas.  She is hoping once those teachers see how other teachers are using the library, they will be more open to the process.