Module+1.3+Notes

McGregor Article Notes

"Collaboration" is an over-used, worn-out word. The idea has not been embraced by all educators and is still unfamiliar to many teachers and administrators. The concept of collaboration is new and somewhat intimidating to some teacher librarians. There is a mixed response as some teacher librarians are happily actively collaborating with teachers. Teacher librarians sometimes say they feel alone when pushing their agendas. Collaboration can be described simply as "people working together".

The teacher-librarian must assume leadership role and move from supportive role to intervention in leadership.

Why is collaboration difficult?
 * Not enough money as funding gets cut
 * Not enough time as time/staffing also gets cut

Collaborative learning communities-- some teachers are resistant to change. One of the most important factors is the school principal-- whether they have had positive or negative past experiences with collaboration will color their attitudes.

The teacher librarian's knowledge of curriculum is important-- they need to have a whole-school view. Teacher's prior knowledge and experience is also important, as is the ability to see the big picture. Teacher librarians need leadership skills, including patience, need to offer encouragement, support and empathy.

Principles and strategies that lead to successful collaborations include:
 * Create/take adv antage of opportunities
 * Discuss expectations
 * Acknowledge agendas
 * Determine goals and objectives
 * Set priorities
 * Create teams
 * Keep team focused on mission
 * Evaluate
 * Document evidence to encourage team members to invest time in future planning
 * Reward positive efforts
 * Lead professional growth
 * Share leadership

Article notes and possible quotes for paper: "And, as information specialists, school librarians develop a multidimensional social network that enables them to build a presence within the school learning community, and to connect others to information services and resources." (p. 20)

Resistance to Collaboration: "A lot of teachers think collaboration is going to be a lot of trouble so they resist investing the time to work together beyond requesting books that support what they are teaching." (p. 21)

"Collaboration is a key theme that the American Association of School Librarians emphasizes for building 'partnerships for learning' between the school library media specialist and other members of the learning community." (p. 22)

Module 1.3 Notes ~ S. Dutton Citation: Schultz-Jones, Barbara. "COLLABORATION IN THE SCHOOL SOCIAL NETWORK." __Knowledge Quest__ 37.4 (Mar. 2009): 20-25. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.19 Sep. 2009 .