I am posting my original query as well as all responses. Although there was
a variety of feedback, many encouraged me to attempt to reach a teacher or
two for collaboration. Since this will be my first year as a librarian, I
think I will try to collaborate as much as possible, while doing the typical
library skills lessons the first semester. Then I'll have a better picture
of how much collaboration is possible, what my principal's expectations are,
etc. Our principal will be new not only to our building, but to being a
principal. Anyway, maybe I'll be collaborating with the teachers right and
left and this will become a non-issue!:)
Thanks to all who responded. I've been on LM_NET for a couple of years
while working on my certification and MLS. I'm finishing my MLS this
summer, and I'm so excited about finally joining the profession.
Jenni Davidson
Librarian
Solomon Elementary School
Solomon, KS
jdavidson@solomon393.k12.ks.us
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jennifer Davidson" <jdavidson@SOLOMON393.K12.KS.US>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 10:35 PM
Subject: library skills classes as self-contained research units?
> I will be a new elementary librarian this fall at a school which uses a
> fixed schedule. It is my impression (I've already been employed in the
> district) that the vast majority of the teachers regard this time as
> babysitting time and will not be willing to do much, if indeed any,
> collaboration.
>
> My question is this: Has anyone ever done a self-contained Handy 5 or Big
6
> research unit? Where the students would be doing this only in your
library
> skills class? My half formed idea is that they could form pairs or groups
> of 3, choose a topic they are interested in, investigate using a variety
of
> library resources and assessing the usefulness of each resource as to
their
> particular project. Any thoughts out there? I am thinking about doing
this
> with maybe 4th-6th graders.
>
> Jenni Davidson
> Elementary Librarian
> Solomon Elementary School
> Solomon, KS
>
*************************
I read your idea (What I am calling a "Library Lab") and thought "WOW"
someone out there is thinking parallel with me!!! I am doing the very same
thing but in the h.s. The reason ( I'm not sure of YOUR reason) I'm pairing
the kids off in 2's is that they cheat so BADLY that if I can somehow find
enough hours (with my 2 classes this summer) to construct a project (very,
VERY similiar) to what you've already described, with all "labwork" teaching
the same skills, but different questions (some are open-ended), I would do
it. So far, I have only managed 2 diff. "labs", but they are awfully
involved and long. Last year was MY first year, so I'm a neophyte, too! I
DID learn that kids are abysmally poor (around here at least) at Boolean
searching and just THINKING (for keywords, etc., etc.) and this is HIGH
SCHOOL! Good luck and if I can answer any specific thing about this or you
can share a good idea with me, please write again! (I have bigideas, but so
little time to implement them!!!)
***********************
I've done research units only during my 30 minutes a week as a prep time
relief. It isn't easy but it's doable. You have to keep it as simply as
possible. I did things like color coding the tables and research folders so
that I didn't have to spend time handing out materials. The biggest problem
was when projects drug out for so long that the students and I were both
tired of them. Your ideas of pairs and groups is good- it helps to keep the
group going when one or two members are gone. I usually tried to find a
topic that was related to what was being done in the classroom or a timely
event such as the Olympics.
Good luck. I love being a library media teacher. This year was my first
with a flexible schedule and I enjoyed it even more. The only difficulty is
getting teachers to make time to collaborate. They are so busy that it has
to find time.
*********************
I did research with fourth and fifth graders during a weekly scheduled
"media center" time. I found it to be very unsatisfactory. There was
little continuity from one week to the next. Then, a class would have a
field trip or a convocation and it would be TWO weeks between research time.
Last fall, my fourth grade team approached me saying that they found that
type of research to be unproductive and wanted to try "something new."
Their suggestion was doing research outside of the scheduled time. They
wanted to complete the entire research process for their class in about a
week. :-) What a great idea! It worked extremely well this year and we
have several projects planned for next year.
*********************
That's exactly what I do. I have them buddy up because of time and that is
the biggest piece you will have to consider, as well as the kinds of
resources you'll want them to use. One of my goals when doing research is to
become familiar with references, I only have one set of encyclopedias that
is for younger children. I cannot have them all looking at these
encyclopedias at the same time, I have to set rotations based on resources
that I have a lot of and those that I only have a few of. If your blocks are
only a half hour, plan on a relatively thorough research activity taking
several weeks. I start in first grade and work my way up. In first, we
pretty much do everything together, by third they are using more of the
materials themselves but I control what I want them to use (encyclopedia,
almanac etc.) Be prepared for total "controlled" chaos, there will be a lot
going on as you begin to let them do more of their own work than when they
are being guided. It is a kind of fun chaos as long as you can see them
growing as they use the tools you want them to work with. Also keep in mind
that if you are required to give grades, include in your project simple ways
to evaluate along the way. That way you will have some sort of tangible way
for grading (if that is an issue for you.)
Good Luck! Kids love to look things up...
********************
Another idea would be to ask the teachers for a
subject that would tie in with something they would be
doing in class that year. You might not get any
direct collaboration, but you would get your foot in
the door.
**********************
Yes, I did something like this in a middle school, though I often did check
to find out what the topics were in the grade levels -- And even in the
clusters, since they differed by cluster. Some teachers would stress
connections to their curriculum and even join in; others would duck out.
I tried when I taught in a K-5 to do the same thing for 3,4,5 but only some
3's would stay, the 4th and 5th grade teachers definitely thought that I was
the babysitter and would duck out as soon as I got going, and since the kids
never came back on their own in small groups with a pass as I suggested to
pursue it, there was no follow-up, so I was only doing intial introductory
one session book/encyclopedia source lessons/
One K-6 where I taught I did "projects" only to the level of graphic
organizers pulled together in folders and only had them take a two to three
weeks per topic, as I also did other isolated skills -- magazine index,
index use, etc. inbetween but anchored it to their "report" That was
utterly self-contained with no teacher ever present.
**********************
I am a middle school librarian (grades 7 and 8).
Before I came on board, the previous librarian was
assigned an "exploratory" class called, "Research."
Each rotation for exploratories lasts 35 school days,
so during that time she would do exactly what you're
suggesting. The kids would research a topic--in this
case, the immigration experience of their
ancestors--using Big 6 skills. The kids had to use a
variety of resources, create a presentation, assess
their projects, and cite their sources. It was a good
project, in theory. However, depending on the
classroom teacher who was assigned to work on the
project with her, the librarian very often found
herself doing most, if not all, the work. And the
skills taught in the class didn't seem to carry over
into everyday work for students.
This year we have jettisoned the research class.
Instead, teachers make appointments with me for their
classes to come to the library when a major project is
assigned. Together we work on a particular aspect of
the research process. For instance, the 7th graders do
a water biome project. I teach them the correct method
of taking notes and I teach them how to cite their
sources. The eighth graders do a human genome project
where they must find 15 science articles in relatively
current sources and summarize their findings. I help
them learn how to use our state digital library online
to find sources that are usable for them at their
level of understanding.
This method of teaching research works much better
than the old isolation model, because the teachers
learn how to find and use information, the
requirements are built into a unit of study that the
kids are already responsible for learning, and the
transference of skills is more easily made.
I know this doesn't help you much, since you're in a
fixed schedule situation and you are, whether you like
it or not, the "planning period provider" for
classroom teachers (that situation causes so much
division and animosity in schools and I wish it would
go away because it creates a very unpleasant
atmosphere among teachers at times. But you already
know that, don't you?).
A compromise might be to talk to teachers about
projects that they are working on with their students.
Ask for a copy of a unit they will be working on at
some point in the year. Ask if you might sit down with
them individually and plan a library skills component
that will help them and their students more
effectively complete the unit. Then, when the 5th
grade is working on a unit on careers, for instance,
you can use their library time to find information in
a number of sources that might be useful. They can
evaluate the information they find. They can learn how
to take notes, or they can learn how to cite their
sources. You won't have time to teach them how to do
all these things before the unit is over, but if you
and the classroom teacher choose one skill that the
kids need to learn as part of the careers unit, you
will have had some collaboration and maybe somewhere
along the way one or two of the teachers will begin to
see you as something more than a babysitter. At the
very least, it will help make your job more relevant.
I hope this helps a bit.
********************************
Unless your district is really different from the ones I've seen, and I'm
way off base in my common sense guessing, you won't have to resort to this
last-ditch strategy. :) SURELY, every teacher at SOME point during the
ENTIRE year, will assign some sort of research topic (which may or may not
be of the students' choice). All you have to do :) is find out from them,
when it will be, and present your Big6 or whatever then. Even if they don't
tell you until the minute their kids walk through your door, you can
immediately scrap your previous plan and pull our that wonderful lesson on
research skills that you have had waiting all along. Then, the following
week, tell them about the resources you have scrambled to find, that support
their research topic. And of course, keep smiling the whole time. It will
be successful and next year the teachers will come to you sooner, tell
their friends... Eventually, the teachers will want to do the thing that
makes your life easier because they've learned by experience that it is the
best thing for them.
One of my first supervisors was always describing talking to teachers this
way: tell them--in a nice way, of course!
*********************************
My suggestion would be to find a teacher (just 1) who would be willing to
take a risk and try something new and work with you. Find out what the
classroom is working on in science or social studies and create a project
that would require research. I started with a third grade teacher (new to
the school this year) and when she came looking for some books to go with
their "night sky" unit on space - I suggested a project we could do
together. She was excited about it, we got together briefly (before school)
to plan what we wanted to do and just did it. She scheduled a half hour in
the library for an introduction (I found the time in the schedule) and then
the books went back to the classroom for the children to finish. I created
a worksheet for them to take notes with and introduced the Big 6 during this
half hour. When they finished the notetaking, we planned time in the
computer lab and the children typed their research up. During this time I
showed them the format for the bibliography (another worksheet in the packet
I gave them), and we finished the slideshow. It was easy, the parents we
invited to see the show were impressed, the principal loved it and both the
classroom teacher and I looked "good". Try with just one teacher and you'll
see the results. This helps me keep my "fixed-flex" schedule at my
building. The principal loves to see the results of research collaboration
and works hard against the teachers cry for more planning time when she sees
what can be accomplished.
*************************************
This is a problem that I have had for years and have had no help from the
administrators. The administration sees the library time as a break for
teachers and there is little correlation between what I do and what the
classroom teacher does. I can assign the students to do a task for the next
week and nothing is every followed up on because the teachers have no idea
what is going on. My principal wants me to go to planning meetings, but the
few that I have been to have ended up as gripe sessions instead of
productive collaboration. I even had one teacher state loudly in faculty
meeting that she was not going to plan my lessons for me.
*************************************
Jennifer, after years of having a flexible schedule I was put in the
teachers planning block this past year with hour weekly classes for all
grade. I tried the stand alone research project the second semester with
second and third graders. It was very difficult supervising a whole class of
students with no help from a teacher. However, I didn't have them in pairs
or teams and I was working with younger students. One thing I learned is
that kids don't know how to ask good questions about a topic. I also ran
into some classes missing a week due to programs, conferences, etc. and then
being behind the other classes in the process we were using.
*****************************************
I've done this with sixth graders in the middle school I most recently
taught at. First I did an intro to the Big Six. I used some of the materials
from a few different Big Six books. Then I suggest you select a topic that
they are studying in their classes. This way there is a tie in to the
curriculum and it is not just a pointless library exercise. I have done
several different activities depending on what they were studying at the
time.
I must say I don't really know that they retain anything this way unless it
is also done in their classrooms. This was the one part that I really
dislked about this job. I hated being a "Special". I just lost my job due to
budget cuts and I am hoping to have flexible scheduling in my next position.
*******************************************
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