Last weekend I attended a conference dedicated to implementing the new AASL Learning Standards. When I asked various people what they found most useful about the new standards, everyone said it was the student assessment and the self reflection piece. We spend so much time collaborating on the front end, but not the back. The Big Think provides the perfect platform for the reflections and the So What's.

In terms of collaboration, I managed to coordinate the library, computer, and art specialists into an earth science study of volcanoes. Students did research in the library and computer lab, using graphic organizers and websites I researched and set up in our class wiki. Now they are working on applying their knowledge by making PowerPoint presentations in the computer lab and creating models of a specific volcano they researched in art class. It's really fun, but I'm responsible for designing all of the assignments and assessments, finding the online resources, setting up the wiki, etc. I guess in that way it's not really collaborative, but I don't think anyone else really wants that extra work, so I'm on my own there for the time being.

In the past, students were pretty much limited to a computer program that tracked their progress in math and reading because they were only allowed to be engaged in technology which yielded standardized data. All of their computer lab time was spent on this program. This year, students have been able to actually use technology for research and presentation. We'll be doing a similar collaborative study of Mexico. Our specialists are just great, and classroom teachers want to collaborate, too, I think it's just a matter of making the time and someone taking the first step. It's not easy in a world based on multiple choice tests, but I'm inspired.

It was not exactly the Big Think, but I can recall one time debriefing seventy-five eleventh grade students on the metacognitive journey experienced on a program taught with the Academy of Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). In the original years when we were engaged in this collaboration, it was an arduous, but profitable and enjoyable, activity. AMPAS selected a theme with the teachers of the schools that would participate. If it came early in the year, witch hunts of all types and throughout history would be examined. Guest speakers included Ellen Geer whose father was blacklisted in the McCarthy witch hunts. She spoke of those who refused to name names, and compassion for those who were too weak to withstand the pressure. Students watched films and met in groups to discuss and design appropriate assignments. However, over the years the assignments and the topics became more generic and less collaborative. Teachers were now told what they would do and teach. My teaching partner and I were most dissatisfied, but could not deny our students the three days they spent at the academy if they were getting anything out of it. In the debriefing, the students themselves said the speakers and the assignments were dull and failed to lead to any enlightenment. They could not link it to what took place in class, and they resented how their time was spent. It was on their recommendation that we terminated that collaboration.

Teacher may (or may not) be more likely to collaborate when they see things set up for them and do not have to worry about technological issues. For example, while I'm glad teachers have finally decided to use Opposing Viewpoints on Gale Centage in the Digital Library, this happiness is mixed with a certain dismay when I see how ubiquitous the assignment has become. If, instead, there was a wiki constructed and teachers could monitor the contributions of students who document their research, they might be willing to try this. Students in this way would not be able to write the same paper for different classes which I'm sure they do now.

I am glad to see so many of my colleagues are experiencing the same frustrations: reluctance of teachers to collaborate and try new things. I think the biggest roadblock is time. Planning, teaching, assessing...these are all exhausting undertakings. Many of the teachers at my school are coaches, team leaders, department chairs, and work 120% (which is an extra class with no prep). Really sitting down and planning something is very time consuming...especially when a teacher needs to go to the bathroom, eat, make photocopies, and give a makeup test in the 40 minutes he has for lunch.

Getting a foot in the door, finding some teachers who will let you come in...build the relationships and build the project over the long term.

I work at a K-5 school with 525 students. Of the 25 teachers, only two (one third grade and one fourth grade) actively collaborate on a regular basis with the teacher librarian. The second grade teachers bring their classes in a few times to do additional research on their insect projects. The fourth grade teachers work with the teacher librarian on body systems, and the fifth grade teachers collaborate somewhat while doing their president reports. However, this work is limited to research skills and attempting to teach note taking and bibliography skills. The projects are quite like "bird units," with very little synthesis and "big thinking" going on. It will take building new partnerships and helping the classroom teachers to think bigger in terms of what we can do for them, and this must be done on a positive note with a positive attitude. Not "here's what you're doing wrong," but "here's how I can help you make your project something extra special."

While I was student teaching in a fourth grade classroom last school year, I put together a unit called "We Are All Citizens of the World," and I built into the unit collaboration with the teacher librarian and the technology specialist. I did this because of my experiences here in library school, knowing that what we do really does add value. I am proud that one of our Big Thinks was to write to our mayor, describing how we are concerned with global warming and how it will affect our world, and asking him to sign the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. I am thrilled to report that he actually came to our classroom and shared his concerns with global warming, and expressed how he is planning to make this one of his main areas of work during his time in office. Now, this made a huge impact on the students, and is was a great way to show how citizens can make a difference. The students began to see how going the next step after a learning unit can lead to something better.

I've collaborated as both teacher and as librarian. In both cases, I was a specialist working with other specialists, or at least I look at it that way. It IS sometimes difficult to find the time to plan together. It definitely can take time away from other things we are supposed to accomplish as teachers and as librarians. But the rewards are worth it. Any time taken from other activities will be made up in improved student performance if we plan carefully and constantly monitor and assess our planning, our teaching and students' learning before, during and after the learning experience.

I work at an independent school, and though I want even more collaboration, the English and history teachers are pretty good about it. Part of the reason, I think, is because I have been at my school so long (beginning year # 23!), and I taught English for many of those years. I have worked really hard to entice new teachers to come, and what I often have to do is find out what they are doing in class, come up with lesson ideas and talk to individual teachers about possibiliities. I've heard so many horror stories like those you are describing so I feel fortunate, but I still want more participation from other departments.

I, too, have found that the English and Social Studies departments at my school and at other schools where I have worked have been really reluctant to collaborate. These are some of the excuses I have heard in my 10 years of teaching, "No one does it better than me. I have done all the research already." "I can't meet with you until next May because we are doing practice testing until April." and of course, from an AP European History teacher, " My students don't do projects nor do they have homework because I tell them everything they need to know in my lectures." When I asked this same teacher this question,"Have you ever used Google Apps or Docs in your classroom?" He replied," Google is just a search engine and I can't get into the computer labs anyway so I gave my students the books they needed to do research from and told them what to do their reports on." But I have also had some success and in those cases, found a lot of joy and exurburance!

Martina, I think that it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that many of your departments' teachers are set in their ways and closed minded. When I look at my middle school's Social Science teachers I would say that 3 out of 9 teachers are progressive and forward thinkers. The others are more rigid and set in their ways. The more progressive teachers also are the most popular with the students. This class is probably a blessing in disguise for you and I commend you on your journey and opening up more doors and possibilities.

As a high school teacher for the past nine years I have not really had any experiences with specialists at the school where I work at. The closest I have had was when the librarian speaks to all the US History teachers and we all try to come up with research topics for the following school year. I believe we have been meeting with the librarian for the past two years but all we really do is discuss the topics and she tells us explains to us what resources the library has in terms of research. Where I work at teachers tend to be very isolated and its been difficult when we try to get together and agree on a particular topic.

It seems that many teachers (specially Social Science) teachers (I being one of them) tend to be very close minded and many of us are set on our ways. After taking this class it has opened my eyes on all the different resources I am letting pass by due to my narrow ways. I have also realized the wealth of knowledge my students will receive if I would open my mind and work with the library specialist.

I would be lying if I suggested that I was anything less than a complete control freak which does not make me the best example of successful collaboration. I'm in my toddler state at this time. I do research and help in the intitial stages of a project unless it is related directly to my field (visual arts). I am not part of the assessment process.

There are two issues central to co-teaching and teacher-librarian collaboration, the first is time and patience. We do have a tendency to fret the outcomes on the first go rather than consider that, like any new tech application, we are always going to be in beta mode. If the project sinks like a lead balloon on the first go then fold the experience into the process...don't abandon the collaboration.

The second is that elephant in the room...standardized testing. Students who benefit from more experience with technology and collaboration are the students who have the least access to technology and may be likely to have low grades and test scores. This is the group with whom schools don't want to try something new and untested because they are too worried about meeting growth targets.

Unfortunately, STAR testing isn't interested in how individuals learn from each other or how they grow by examining the processes that lead to new learning. The STAR just wants to know if the student knows the answer to question #28 is "B."