PART 7: TEACHER-LIBRARIAN TEAMWORK

(Teacher walks into the library)

T: Hi, I’m here to schedule my class into the library

L: Great! What are the students going to be working on?

T: The Middle East crisis. It’s part of the 10^th grade social studies framework.

L: Well, that covers a lot of ground. How do you to narrow down the topic? By country? By time period? What do you have in mind for the students to produce?

T: I thought about having them do a report on the Israeli-Palestine situation, but I’d like to do something that would really engage the students and get them researching the crisis in depth.

L: Hmmm, well, a debate is always engaging.

T: Yes, but it can be sort of polarizing, and I want the students to justify their stances, not just rant and rave.

L: That’s true. Maybe a simulation of a summit would be more positive. (Pause) I appreciate your comments about students backing their opinions. Gathering good facts and coming to reasonable conclusions from them is very important. It’s part of that whole information literacy effort we’ve been working on in the school.

T: Information literacy? Oh, yes, I remember that last faculty meeting when you were talking about the Big6 research process. I wonder if that would work here.

L: I think so! That six step approach will help students manage a project as potentially complex as the one you’re suggesting. That way they won’t get lost or confused.

T: Is that true! The last time I had them do a research project, some of the students just printed reams off the Internet, and other waited until the last minute – and it showed in their work. I want them to be successful – and to really have a good grasp of the major issues in the Middle East conflict.

L: So it sounds as if we should take a look at how to build those research steps. Can we give it a try right now?

T: Sure, no time like the present. That way I can see what the library has to offer.

L: You know, I appreciate it when teachers look at our resources ahead of time so they can be sure that the activity will be successful. (Pause) And we can work on how to present the Big6 process together. We’ve already started defining the project, which is the first step: Task Definition.

T: Right: that’s the summit idea.

L: So let’s get more specific

T: I could have each student be an Israeli or a Palestinian. They could each research their own country’s perspective.

L: Are you going to have them jigsaw their research? You know, two students as farmer, one Israeli and one Palestinian. Two politicians, two teens, and so on. That way they’re not all looking for the same information in the same sources.

T: That’s a great idea. And it’s in the spirit of a summit. I like the way you think, Mrs. L! (Pause) Since we’re on a roll, what do you think we could do to incorporate technology, since that’s another school wide initiative? I like graphic organizers as a way to brainstorm, but I don’t know any techie ways to do that.

L: I like Inspiration software program. It’s installed on the computers in the library and you can also access it from your classroom. When we finish planning, I’ll show you how to use it.

T: Thanks, coach!

L: And you can show students how to use it as part of the first step in your class. It’s a great way to generate key words.

T: Now if the students will know what to do with those ideas and key words...

L: Well, the second step in Big6 has to do with information seeking strategies. That can be done in your class too. Would you like me to come visit your students? We can schedule that in.

T: That would be great! You can talk about the different ways to find information. I really want them to get beyond encyclopedias and the Internet. Personally, I like to have students ask experts in the field. Mrs. L, I don’t know if you realize that I did a big unit that used interview techniques.

L: That’s great! Students need to know that information comes in all kinds of formats. (Pause) But I’d like to get back to the issue you brought up about the Internet. A lot of students don’t know how to search the Internet efficiently. I’d like to talk with them about ways to use key words in combination to find useful information.

T: Sounds good. Can we do that in the classroom too? I’d like my students to do online searching in class now that we have Internet access from there.

L: Of course! We both want students to feel comfortable about finding and using information anywhere. Which brings us to the third step: Locating and Accessing Information. I notice that students bypass indexes, which can lead them to find good information that they would overlook otherwise. That part probably should be done in the library.

T: That makes sense. By then the class should be focused on their research approach, and each group should know what questions to ask. Are you going to show them your Internet list of Middle East sources? I was so impressed with those Web sites you shared with my department. (Pause) Only I’m worried that the class might stop right there and won’t want to research anything else.

L: I can appreciate that! The library has so many resources in that area. Let’s make sure the class sees the possibilities. And since there’s so much to choose from, I’d like to show your class how to figure out if information is accurate and useful.

T: That’s true. There is so much garbage on the Internet. And I’m worried that they won’t read anything carefully. I want them to pull out the information they need and put it into an order that makes sense to them.

L: I like the way you think, Mrs. T! I presume that you’ve talked with your students about taking notes? That’s part of the Big6 step of using information.

T: Yes, and I like the notion of reflective thinking while students take notes. Is there a good way to do that with computers? That would help students go from notes to word processing.

L: Well, I can show your students how to create columns in desktop publishing that will help them capture their responses as they select important facts. Having a number of computers networked in the library really helps students go from one step to another in their research.

T: What about organizing information? I can see my students getting loads of facts and having no sense of how to order them. I know that a timeline helps me to see the historic causes and consequences of events.

L: I like timelines too. If you want , I can show your class how to use a spreadsheet to collect the data and then sort it according to their group’s need. How does that sounds?

T: Wonderful! It’s great to have you as a partner to help students think. (Pause) And that leads to the issue of how they’re going to share their information. We already decided that a summit would be a good way to share information. I’ve started using PowerPoint when I want to make a point, (chuckles) and I had the students do a short presentation that way. What do you think about our students using it for this project? It’ll make them feel like they’re at a real summit!

L: Good idea! You might even get some experts in the field to attend your class. That would make a super impression on the community as well as the students. Which brings to mind that you’re talking about two steps in the Big6 research process her: Synthesis and Evaluation. We can both show them some presentation tips, and I can stress the copyright issues they should think about when they’re going public.

T: Yes, that ‘s a good way to get at that plagiarism issue. I want my students to be producers of ideas, not just copiers. But I don’t know about bringing the public into the classroom. Any other ideas on how to broaden the impact of the summit?

L: Well, students could always email their findings to experts. I know some good ways to do that.

T: Hmm, that should be doable, especially since some students already email me their homework. Do you think you could videotape the summit though?

L: I’ve love too! That way I can see the results of all their work. I appreciate that fact that you understand that the librarian is part of the entire research process. The more that you and I work together with students throughout the process, the more that students will see how a learning community works.

T: And how lifelong learning works! (Looks at her watch) Oops! It’s time for me to get ready for my next class, Mrs. L, but I think we made a lot of progress in designing a meaningful project for my class. Thanks for the help – Can I come after school so you can show me the Inspiration software?

L: I’ll be ready. And I’ll show you some of the other sources that will be helpful for your students. It’s been great planning with you, Mrs. T. The students are lucky to have such a forward-thinking teacher!