The past weekend I had the pleasure of sharing a keynote and concurrent session with members of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA). Like many other educators around the country, Pennsylvania school librarians are wrestling with their place in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
PSLA is a vibrant professional association. They have/are a strong advocacy team/membership committed to maximizing the impact of their 2012 school libraries study. This is one of the findings “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries:”
“The librarian collaborates closely with classroom teachers in every subject area to teach students everything from making sense of the information they gather to collaborating with other students to create new knowledge” (PA School Library Project 2012).
Classroom-library collaboration can be challenging; it can also be so rewarding in terms of improved student learning outcomes. (And besides, it is more fun to teach together rather than alone!) The time is now for school librarians who serve as collaborators to coteach with classroom teachers to improve instruction and to do the hard work of co-implementing best practices in teaching and learning.
Bravo to PSLA for their commitment to making a positive impact on student learning!
References
Moreillon, Judi. “Collaboration.” Digital Image. From the Personal Collection of Judi Moreillon.
PA School Library Project. 2012. “Creating 21st-Century Learners: A Report on Pennsylvania’s Public School Libraries.” PA School Library Project. http://tinyurl.com/PAstudy2012