What experiences have you had with co-taught learning units between classroom teachers and specialists? What were the successes? The challenges? Add your comments below.
I have had limited experience collaborating with classroom teachers and co-teaching units mainly because I have been so overwhelmed with all the normal "library" responsibilities. The times I have collaborated were rewarding, and I feel that the teachers I worked with would like more support in that area. I typically found myself pulling research materials for classes coming in to work on a project and assisting kids with finding and evaluating web site resources. The students (when juggling schoolwork, afterschool jobs, sports, etc.) are also feeling pressured to stay on top of deadlines and too often resort to the "tried and true" Google searches. They really need help in evaluating web resources.
Therefore, that is where I start. I also pass along web 2.0 tools to teachers to try when tweaking their presentation materials...to make their classroom presentations more meaningful and memorable. I shared a presentation format using primary sources with several of the history teachers, especially since the LOC site is directly related to American History. I also make an effort to use these same tools in the presentations I give to students, teachers and parents in interact with, that is I try to model their use.
One of the challenges we encountered was the district blocks on certain websites. It required submitting a request to the district technology department and explaining why this site should be unblocked. It takes time and perseverance to gain the use of certain sites and tools. I understand the need for "protecting" our students from inappropriate materials, but it borders on the ridiculous when my librarian cohort class ning is blocked simply because it's a social networking site.
Another issue that I've encountered is when the teacher with whom you're working wants to stick with the methods s/he has used in the past. Teachers often become secure in their positions and simply use what has worked before. I can agree with that premise, but approaches and strategies need a fresh look and should be innovative. As a person new to my building and district, I can make recommendations and suggestions, but I can't force new methods or ways of thinking on my staff.
However, for the most part, people are very receptive to new ideas and willing to try them, even if it's to a limited extent. Again, I need to model these resources and strategies as much as possible so others can see what they are capable of doing.
Comments (3)
lspear@ghchs.com said
at 12:12 pm on Aug 5, 2008
I went over my collaboration notes from this year and realized that I had collaborated on close to 30 projects last year. Some of the collaboration was dodgy at best and I provided nothing more than some websites and a book cart. Others were more comprehensive. During the school year, I’m so busy I tend to forget what I do and when. I had completely forgotten that I collaborated on a “Magic Realism” unit with a teacher. I didn’t do research. I actually presented a portion of the lesson on how to identify aspects of magic realism in 19th and 20th century art and how those aspects tied into themes and symbols in “Bless Me Ultima” and “The Milagro Beanfield War.” The response was very positive and it changed the library collection because students started asking for more works by Isabel Sllende, Garcia Marquez, Lafacio Hearn and other I had mentioned in class. That’s the good news. The big challenges come from two situations:
1. The teacher refuses to allow the library to provide information and insists students must find everything themselves.
2. Teachers who obviously hate the research project because it has been forced on them and do no interaction with students. I have to be very careful to be supportive to students but not usurp the “authority” of the teacher.
Ann Sperske said
at 2:13 pm on Jul 7, 2008
I co-taught some successful units with many disciplines. Most successful units were those in which we collaborated on the entire unit not just the technology or research piece. One of my most enjoyable came from working with a math teacher. She and I used a unit that I got from Chico High School and we tweaked it to work with her students. She is the only math teacher on campus that uses project based instruction in her math classes. Because she is so open to ideas, we were able to really involve her students in the project guidelines. They created projects based on rules they helped write. My role was on par with hers but our responsibilities were unique. I taught the tech piece using Excel and PowerPoint and provided research sites and she did the math. The students completed amazing projects and were jazzed to learn more about differential equations and modeling projections.
Heather Neidenbach said
at 1:14 pm on Jul 7, 2008
The co-taught learning unit that stands out most in my mind is one that took place close to the end of last school year. For this unit, the science teachers wanted the students to conduct research related to taxonomy and present their findings in a group presentation using PowerPoint. The teachers reviewed material on taxonomy that they had covered in class and the time spent in the library was focused on research and creating the presentations. The students used a combination of online resources that I helped them access and searched for other information on their own. We reviewed the characteristics of quality resources and, along with the teachers, how to cite the sources in their presentations. This aspect of the project also led to discussions about plagiarism and fair use.
It was amazing to see what the students were able to find on their own and the questions their discoveries prompted. All of the teachers, including myself, learned more about the ins and outs of PowerPoint as the students created their presentations. Some of the challenges included booking time in the library during a very busy time of the year. Students also came in during their lunch period and after school to work on their presentations. Other challenges were related to technical issues involving cross platform issues and different versions of PowerPoint used at home versus what is currently available in the library. Overall, the unit was very successful, both in terms of student learning and as an example of collaboration between teachers and Teacher Librarian.
You don't have permission to comment on this page.