LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Thanks to everyone for your wonderful ideas concerning collaboration
techniques. I can't wait to try them out on my teachers.
Working lunches are successful. It really helps when you "buy"!
Carolyn Reid, LMS
Campbell County High School, Alexandria, KY
creid@campbell.k12.ky.usWorking lunches are successful. It really helps
when you "buy"!
I work in a 4th & 5th grade building, one of the things I do that works for
a few teachers, is simply make the bottom of my monthly newsletter a form
teachers can return to me. I ask a few questions like: Do we need to meet
to plan, would you like to collaborate on anything, any upcoming topics I
could support in the library, would you like some books pulled, etc. I keep
it brief. About half of my teachers like this, I see their classes twice a
week but it is the teacher's prep time so we don't really get to talk. This
brief form then prompts me to make contact with the teacher with
suggestions, books, and then sometimes the plan grows from there.
Good luck,
Kimberly Blunt
Media Specialist
Edgerton Upper Elementary
412 E. Edgerton
Howard City MI 49329
616.937.4391
bluntk@river.it.gvsu.edu
I've found that when all else fails, place joint planning form in their
teacher mail box. Add a possible suggestion for collaborative ideas
based on their curriculum. I am finding great resistance---have a
fixed schedule but insisted on at least on flex day built in and am
trying to add more. To my staff, I am still a drop point for their
planning time ---of course, I'm elementary, grade K-5. I also use
lunch time to launch or plant ideas...if you have e-mail within the
school, send a "note" to different departments with ideas you have
based on their curriculum. We have SOL's to hold over their heads so
it's easier for me to find the "carrot" to entice them.
Gayle_Miller@colonialhts.net
I am in an elementary school where some teachers stick around after school
and some don't. I basically chase them down and ask what they are doing
and what they need. I carry my schedule with me to hall duty in the PM,
because teachers walk their classes out to the busses, and I try to catch
them there. I walk the halls for a few minutes after school and have
caught grade level goups working together (i.e. all the 4th grade
teachers), so I talk to them. It also helps to know what is on the annual
standardized tests, so you know what skills they are frantically brushing
up on. I send e-mails to all the faculty every other day or so,
highlighting new materials or a good web site. Sometimes that jogs their
mind about what we can do together. At least the principal knows I am
trying!!
Jenny
Jennifer M. Baltes, M.L.S.
Grassy Creek Elementary School
10330 E. Prospect Street
Indianapolis, IN 46229
My super principal has worked it out for me!
On the Wednesday afternoons that we don't have faculty meetings, we have
departmental meetings. This is an understtod, every Wednesday afternoon
activity! I try to alternate attending departmental meetings. Sometimes I
go to math, science, lang arts, or even exploratory. Often I am asked what
are you doing with us. I then take the floor and say well let me show you
how i fit in your curriculum. I used tol get some raised eyes when i
attend their dept. meetings, but not any more.
Also, our teachers have two planning periods, and one is required for team
type meetings. Wed is designated as Guidance concern day (which never
takes long). Sometimes I attend and then make my play for collaboration
then. Friday's are interdisciplinary meetings, I regularly attend these as
well. I find now that I can get a lot of what I want to collaborate with
them on done in these team meetings. The teachers seem to appreciate it,
but i still have some hard sells if you know what I mean.
Catherine L. Nelson, School Library Media
Specialist
New Ellenton Middle School, New Ellenton, SC 29809
www.aiken.k12.sc.us/schools/newellentonm/index.html
clnelson@scescape.net
cnelson@aiken.k12.sc.us
Lisa, I work with my teachers all the time, but the time we spend
planning together is very short, one to five minutes.
Kathy Geronzin
Northeast Community Schools
3690 Hwy # 136
Goose Lake, IA 52750
319-577-2249
FAX 319-577-2248
geronzin@hobbes.caves.net
The opinions expressed are my own.
Based on my experience an awful lot of cooperative planning is done in the
hallways, bathroom, staff room at lunch, and standing at the mailboxes -
bits and snatches here and there. Teachers also use their prep time to meet
with me. One of the best resources we have is our substitute teachers
(although I am not sure this practice is okay with the union). When the
teacher they are covering for has a prep period they cover for another
teacher who then is freed up. We can request sub time through the office.
We can also request to be left off some supervision activities. For
example, if all the grade eights are heading out to a field trip or have a
special activity or assembly, a grade eight teacher can request to be left
behind to work with me. We also use e-mail.
The best method for me so far is to make frequent, short visits while they
are teaching, and depending on what the students are doing at that moment,
we may have a few minutes to batter around some aspects of what we are
planning. I put our ideas together and then we revise. Many times the
teachers take what we have created home and then we revise.
It all sounds so disjointed, but it seems to work. I look forward to
reading other ideas.
Kathy
> ----------
[SMTP:KThomson@epsb.edmonton.ab.ca
I started trying to do this in earnest last year. I think it was helpful
that I didn't try to switch the whole school over to this new plan the
first year. I asked for volunteers, and got about one third of the school,
which was just about right. I kept doing the old stuff with the other
grades. Yes, planning time is a problem. I found it helpful to create a
listserv and send email to each member at least once a week. It was kind
of a newsletter type of thing, and the teachers enjoyed hearing what other
classes were doing--it gave some ideas and they knew who to talk to if they
wanted to try something similar. This year I am adding teachers--about
another third--and I am hoping to switch everyone over by the following
year.
BTW, I recently reviewed a book for BOOKLIST which I am going to try and
incorporate into our collaborations this year. It is called THE THOUGHTFUL
RESEARCHER, by Rankin. She has an article in SLJ this month and the book
was published in May. Rankin is a teacher/librarian in who observes how
kids do research and does case studies to learn what works and what
doesn't. She also does an excellent job breaking down the research process
into discreet teachable skills. [SMTP:weisman@mcs.net
find out when the teachers have their planning periods, contact Team
leaders and attend team leader meetings. Your time will only become more
valuable! See if you can build a focus group.
Leslie Bendt
Media Resource Technician
Gamble Rogers Middle School
St. Augustine, FL
lgbendt@mindspring.com
I've already talked with department heads about an
early in the yeaar department meeting with teachers
and me. I will go over new materials, websites, and
offer suggestions for corroborative lessons.
I try to hone in on teachers who are receptive and ask
them to spread the work when we've done a good
project.
I also try to get to both lunch periods on a fairly
regular basis to find out what's going on.
Jill Brown, LMS
Nardin Academy
Buffalo, NY
buflib@yahoo.com
As a school "teacher" I was entitled to a planning period each day just as
classroom teachers were. Thus, I usually set aside a set day during the
week that was "planning/administrative." That ensured that on that one day
I would be available during the teacher's planning time (whenever it was
during the day) to plan with them on curriculum matters. Generally I aimed
to meet with each teacher once a month for a planning session -- sometimes
we met in teams if they were collaborating on a unit with one another.
During that session I got a sense of their goals and objectives for that
unit and suggested some immediate reactions to places I could fit in
information skills or literature sessions. They would react to which
emphasis they would like me to take. At the end of the session I had a
pretty good idea of where library skills could fit in and I would send them
an outline of the conversation highlighting the sessions where they could
schedule a library session. From that point they simply stopped in at
their convenience and scheduled the specific session. Worked very well.
During the day when which I set aside for planning/administration
individual students and small groups were ALWAYS welcome to come to the LMC
at any time and they often did but since they were not "scheduled" with me
I usually needed to be only available for quick questions/supervision and
was free to talk to the teacher/s at one of the large round tables.
Suffice it to say I did have a full-time media secretary.
Thank all of you again. You've helped make my job a little easier.
Lisa Canoy, Media Specialist
Northeastern Randolph Middle School
lcanoy@randolph.k12.nc.us
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv
For LM_NET Help & Archives see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
LM_NET
Archive Home