I have recently been contacted by an LMS student to answer some questions for a class assignment.  Here is my reponse:

Question:

This interview is for my Curriculum class and deals with collaboration with fellow teachers with a focus on lesson plan development.
What are the elements that go into a successful collaborative lesson plan?

My Response:

1. Defining responsibilities for instructional elements

2. Flexibility for teacher and librarian to assess how lessons are going and adjust as needed.

3. Good rapport between teacher and librarian so when one realizes students are confused, they can each go in to clear up misunderstandings. In general, teachers know their students better than the librarian, so the librarian needs to depend on the teacher to help direct the type of learning experiences individual students need.

Question:

How do you feel it is best to engage in collaborative lesson planning with a colleague?

My Response:

I think it is best done after the librarian has formed a relationship with the teacher. For instance, you might have a teacher you have never worked with before sign up to work on a project they have done for quite awhile. The librarian should pretty much go with the project “as is” the first time around. He/she should support that project as much as possible. At the end, the librarian and the teacher could have a discussion about how the project went, and how it could possibly be improved. If the librarian has an idea that would improve the level of thinking, they can offer to work on it for next year. Maybe suggest adding a technology element to the final research project. For instance, suggest glogster and then offer to teach the students how to use it.  The librarian should definitely offer to do a great deal of the “heavy lifting” involved in revamping a project, and should make changes cautiously, depending on the enthusiasm level of the teacher.

Question:

What subjects or grades use the library most often?

My Response:

In our school, grades 9,10,12. 11th graders do not do as much research as a whole class. The AP history students do a lot however. In 9th and 10th, the research is primarily through English and Science, with some from Social Studies. For 12th grade the research is primarily through English and Social Studies. Very heavy with Social Studies which is the Participation in Government/Economics class. We also have a lot of Health research projects. There are a few math projects.  Recently, band and chorus have been doing more research.  Various electives put a lot of emphasis on research projects as well.

Question:

Why do you think that is?

My Response:

The english department and I work very closely to make sure that the students learn the fundamentals of the research process.  We emphasize using a variety of sources and developing citation skills and information evaluation skills.

Social Studies has such a vast curriculum to cover.  It can be overwhelming and sort of like the Billy Joel “We didn’t light the fire“ version of history.  A research project forces a slower pace and more concentration on learning about a slice of time in more depth.

The health teacher wants students to study health issues in depth and make personal decisions.  Research is perfect for that.

The electives are more focused on student interests, so again a research projects is a great way to allow exploration.

Science  is based on research, and projects give kids a chance to explore, and formulate and express opinions

Question:

How do classes manage their time inside the library?

My Response:

It often depends on the teacher expectations. Most teachers here have excellent classroom management and the kids (mostly) stay on task. Some teachers are much looser with their expectations and some of the students are not particularly on task. We do what we can to get them on task, but if the teacher doesn’t care, neither do the students.

Question:

What resources are most frequently used?

My Response:

For research projects, Web research is the most common. It takes more convincing to get students to use databases. It helps tremendously if the teacher requires database use. I have just added ebooks to the collection and those are catching on. Getting them to use actual print books is like asking them to trade in their cell phones for papyrus and postage stamps.

For fun reading, we have lots of avid readers and our fiction section is getting bigger and better every year. Our non-fiction section is shrinking. As the collection ages, I am replacing it with ebooks and only purchasing the kind of non-fiction that kids enjoy reading for their own interest.

Question:

What barriers are there for collaboration?

My Response:

Time can be a barrier. But I find that if the librarian takes on a big part of planning something new, the teacher will buy in. If the results are really good, it energizes them to try new things in the future.  They also talk about their successes in the faculty room which encourages other teachers to give it a try.

Question:

What do you consider to be best practices?

My Response:

Not sure what would be considered to be best practice. I guess I would say that the most important thing is to know the teachers and know what they worry about. If a teacher knows that you are willing to do much of the leg work to improve a project, they will be very open to collaborating with you. I think librarians need to start small when building collaborative lessons. Success will breed confidence and increases the likelihood that the teacher will be brave enough to do more the next time. Classroom time is precious. The librarian must always seek to be the “value added” to a project that will take a ho-hum learning experience and transform it into an engaging and memorable experience for the students.