Target-teacher training

[Cathy Cheely <ccheely@VDOE386.VAK12ED.EDU>]

Fellow netters!

Many apologies for being so tardy getting this targeted to you.  I
finally received some excellent replies to my original posting.
For your update, I finished writing the Library Power proposal and
submitted it and managed to include in the proposal a firm
agreement from our local teacher college to work with us in
requiring a period of time (they were careful not to call it an
internship at this point) when student teachers would work in the
media center during their training.  Now I am waiting to see if
Dewitt Wallace and ALA/AASL think that and the rest of the proposal
are good enough to go with. Will this teacher training happen if
the grant isn't funded?  Probably not.  There is no one to push it
at the school level and it would require the efforts of a great
many folks which won't happen without coordination.
Sorry this is so long but I thought the replies were very
thoughtful and should be read in their entirety.

Original post:
I have seen references on LM_NET to teacher training programs
> that require an internship (or something resembling one) in a
> school library as part of the educational program.  I am
> writing a proposal and would greatly appreciate any info I
> could get on such a project.
>
> It makes much sense to me since we all know that until teachers
> have an idea of what we do, they can't really support us!

From: IS 391 <ml05611@llwnet.ll.pbs.org>
Cathy, when there was a teacher-trainer in the mentor program
for new teachers in my school he worked with me to pass new
teachers throughat least one "cycle" in the library.  The
trainees spent time with me learning about resources and
were able to take their classes to me for structured
demonstration lessons.  This served two purposes, namely
to ease them into using the library effectively once they
became "full-fledged" staff members and to give them what
was often their only experience in watching another teacher
teach.  While it ws quite informal, it worked.
Anne
> --
From: Barb Winans <bwinans@bigcat.missouri.edu>
Think it would be an excellent idea.  We are talking to
undergraduate classes in the College of Education at the University
of Missouri, Columbia and we are explaining the services of a media
center and I am still amazed how little undergraduate students know
about media centers.
They were surprised when we told them of the requirements for
certification for school library media people in the state of
Missouri.

From:joyner.lib.ecu.edu
OK, OK, I'll respond.  I run a curriculum lab here at this
university and as far as I'm concerned the assignments many of the
professors make of these students are a type of
internship in the school media center.  We have worked long and
hard to wean everyone (professors included--actually first) away
from textbooks, and these students' assignments are designed to
have them use myriad resources to complete their units--to find
fiction and nonfiction, picture books and chapter books, computer
software and AV and integrate them into their lessons.  Now we all
know that some people do a better job of their assignments than
others; but when students complete their assignments well, they
have learned how to use the media center.  Of course, I am
the first person who would say "yes" if this were an option here at
ECU, but I'm not sure I believe it's realistic to add another
internship/observation/course/whatever to these already overloaded
students.  Frankly, if your curriculum lab is functioning
effectively and your professors are keeping up-to-date, the
assignments should be taking care of the "internship."
Frances Bryant Bradburn frabra@joyner.lib.ecu.edu


From: Mary E Bryan <mebryan@tenet.edu>
  SOme of the comments I hear most are "I didn't know you would do
that,"and "Thank you so much for doing that for me."  To both of
these comments I answer, "It's my job.  These are the types of
things I am suppose to do."  So many teachers and administrators
have no idea of the services we can supply.  If the personnel is
new to the area of teaching, they know not what to ask for or if
they have not had great service before, they do not know what to
ask for.  Promoting this job could lead us all to an early grave
for overworked people, but heck, we are all over worked anyway
and this way at least we will be serving more and more.  The only
way we are going to survive in a site-based and budget cutting
world is to provide the most and the best to all even if we have to
go out and drag the needs and wishes from those people we serve.
Good luck Cathy.  Give those new teachers all you can.  Mary Bryan,


From: CAROLAN@ids.net
 I have long advocated your idea of teacher training in the media
center with our local University (University of R.I.).  But got no
where.  My conclusion was that many of the faculty were so far
removed from actual practice that it was pitiful, absolutely
pitiful. Maybe your idea of coming into the library for a spell
will fly.  Or how 'bout a required mutually planned library project
in at least one class?  But *mutually* planned not one of these
half-baked projects the student teacher wants to do at the last
minute and never consults the media specialist...all for the good
it'll look on the resume.
So, what a reading teacher and I now do is a library/reading skills
orientation for all incoming student teachers which takes an hour
and everyone MUST attend.
I have been known to pull them right out from front of the class
even though they and their critic teacher "forgot" that the library
orientation was scheduled.  We have a booklet we've written called
LIBRARY PROJECT PLANNING which we hand out too.  Well we keep
trying!!:-)

From: "Dr. Peter L. Henderson" <HENDER@maine.maine.edu>
I think your idea about including the media center in the teacher
training program is right on!  In fact I recently spoke to the
supervisor of the student interns at the local college & got myself
invited to speak to the present group of interns.  I plan to take
with me one of the teachers with whom I work closely in planning
and implementing units.  I also try to be one of the first to
welcome the interns who come to my school and to give them a guided
tour and offer my servivces.  I think "Making the Most of Your
Media Center" should be a requirement for all prospective teachers!
Jane Henderson
Gateway Elementary School  Van Buren, ME   Hender@maine.maine.edu

From: "Gail A. Richmond" <grichmo@eis.calstate.edu>
Several years ago, we librarians in San Diego Count formed an
informal network for called the Committee for Library Media
Planning.  At that time we discussed the need for teacher education
programs and administrator training programs to include more
library media info than how to use the VCR and check out books.  We
did approach our state school library media organization.  I
believe that letters were sent to the teacher education
institutions encouraging them to include such training in the
programs. Then Califormia was hit be three years of massive budget
cuts to education and continued student body growth.
Now there are even fewer credentialed librarians with jobs, and the
interest seems to have waned in pursuing this issue.  Maybe we
should--it might help to be the salvation of our positions.  Food
for thought, certainly.
** Gail Richmond, Librarian  **

From: MOHMIE@delphi.com
I think it's a wonderful idea for teachers to be required to know
how to access information in a library and to understand and be
able to do some electronic information retrieval and manipulation
of a data base. (Most of the teachers in my school can't even grasp
the concept of why you would want to sort items in different ways
or retrieve by certain specifications....Now if we can get schools
of Education to require it or Washington to acknowledge it as a
necessary part of teacher training--that would be ducky.
Paula Neale


From: Diane Kester <LSDDKEST%ECUVM1.BITNET@suvm.syr.edu>
  Your question cannot be answered with a simple comment or two.
First, no one would disagree that student teachers should spend
time in the media center as a part of their training.  In fact, as
teacher education programs follow the NCATE guidelines with
multiple experiences in the schools during the years of teacher
education, the opportunities for learning about the roles of the
media specialist increase.
   So much depends upon the individual teacher education
departments -early childhood, elementary, middleschool, and the
individual subjects in secondary education.  Each one at our
institution have different experiences for teacher education
students.  As I get to know the people in these programs, I am
trying to spread the word.
   From the school, the media specialist could be sure to seek out
the student teachers and invite them to visit and give an overview
of the media program of the school.  It will take the conscious
effort of all of us to provide the experiences for the teacher
education students.

From: Judith Lira <jlira@lobo.rmh.pr1.k12.co.us>
We have just joined forces with Colorado State University in their
intern program.  The Professional Development School Students are
spending 12 weeks at our school, working with teachers, two times
per week. I discovered in the first week they were here that they
did not realize how high-tech the Media Center is--the
instructional tools that our teachers have to work with.  So, I
started working with the instructors of the Professional
Development School (more commonly referred to as PDS) to give
instruction to these students. The instructors are in total
agreement aboaut the need to train these future student teachers.
January will bring a new set of PDS students to our school,
so the instructors and myself will be planning a 10 hour seminar
that each of the PDS students will complete as part of the
requirement of the college class.
I can't say enought about the need--the PDS students will agree
with me, I'm sure.  To say they were overwhelmed is an
understatement.  Keep plugging away.
I am in total agreement with you. I also think the employment of
the future teachers demands they be technological aware, alert, and
trained to be hired in the school system.

From: Winona Middle School <0681wms@ties.k12.mn.us>
How is your proposal for teacher training going?  Students in the
middle school licensure program at Winona State University are
required to  "who evidence of using media/technology" in their
practicum work.    The wonderful chair of that licensure program
always brings her classes to our middle school's media center.  It
is so wonderful!    This is an interesting topic--preservice
teachers do need training in media/tech.
Mary Alice Anderson, Winona (Minnesota) Middle School


From: Ronnine Bohannan <family@noao.edu>
Three years ago, 1990/91 school year, when I was working in Adams
County School District 12 in Colorado, I had a student teacher who
was doing her student teaching in our building spend two weeks of
her time in the library.
Her advisor at CU Denver had required this time in the library.  It
was a wonderful experience for both of us and if I had not been
moving at the end of that school year I would have requested more
student teachers spend a couple of weeks in the library.  The
student became familiar with many resources and participated in
planning storytime and skills lessons that integrated with the
curriculum of her supervising teacher.  This was at the
elementary level.  I have the final report on a different computer
than I an using now and could send you a copy if you'd like, I
think it also contains the name of the Professor at CU that was her
supervisor.
It would be wonderful to get a program started that would require
all student teachers to do part of their training in the library,
it would certainly make working with teachers easier for school
library staffs.
My return e-mail address is family@kale.tuc.noao.edu  You will have
to use the complete address, my account is not set up to receive
replies, so a reply will just bounce back.
Ronnine Bohannan


From: NAG81%ALBNYVMS.bitnet@uacsc2.albany.edu

I am interested in your question about teacher internships in the
library.I have my school library certification, but have been 20
years in childrn's services at the public library, with close
cooperation to schools and curriculum    For the past 2 years I
have worked with SUNY at Albany (NY) overseeing the library school
internship program in the MLS program.  I am amazed at how many of
the students have no education background, but are going into
school media.Just as startling is the number who come with
education backgrounds, but had no idea what a library can or should
do.  It seems amost as if the student teaching time is really too
late to influence some of these future teachers.
Why haven't their professors had assignments requiring them to use
the library throughout their 4 yeardegree?  Is it because the
professors don't know how to use a library or what it has to offer?
it realy is a vicious cycle of perpetuating library ignorance.  At
the public library, I try to influence as many student teachers as
possible (with 3 area 4yr colleges and 2 2-yr early ed colleges I
get a pretty good number of students).  I figure if they
start to look on libraries in a positive manner, at least their
students should benefit.  Maybe internships are the answer.  I
don't know, but I hope something can be done.  Keep me posted on
your work.  If I can help in anyway, let me know.
Nancy A. Gifford
SCP_GIFFO@sals.edu  or

     From: Richfield Public Schools <0280do@ties.k12.mn.us>
I asked the same question on the net some time ago and received few
replies too. You have recognized the problem.  I work in a
respected 9-12 school building. At the present time we have about
6 student teachers. None of them know how to use our media center.
None of their supervising teachers use the center. Minnesota is
developing new graduation standards that will include assessment by
activity project to demonstrate learning.
How can teachers improve teaching if their media skills are learned
on a hit or miss basis?
Frustrating to say the least!
Stan Kantar


--
Cathy Cheely, Media Specialist  Brunswick Sr. High School
Lawrenceville, Virginia 23868
e-mail ccheely@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu or ccheely@leo.vsla.edu
Phone: (804)848-6287  fax. (804)848-2796