Instructional Partner
As outlined in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning the teacher librarian works with members of the school community to develop the policies, practices, and curricula to guide student learning. The teacher librarian collaborates with classroom teachers to develop assignments that are matched to academic standards and include key critical thinking skills, technology and information literacy skills, and core social skills and cultural competencies. The teacher librarian guides instructional design by working with the classroom teacher to establish learning objectives and goals, and by implementing assessment strategies before, during, and after assigned units of study.
Exhibit One |
My first exhibit to illustrate the role of instructional partner is an example novel unit co-taught by 7th grade language arts teacher and myself. We decided to choose the 1994 Newbery Award Winner The Giver by Lois Lowry.
The Giver Comprehension Guide was developed in a collaborative effort. The guide was delivered to the students as an e-copy and it was used as a discussion tool as well as an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning through their exposure to the literature. In the collaborative work and co-teaching experience we established learning objectives and accomplished several language arts common core standards. Some standards identified but not limited to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
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Exhibit TwoMy second exhibit to demonstrate my role as an instructional partner is a template I've provided classroom teachers in any core area that can be adapted for any grade level or any learning level. The goal was for teachers to utilize this tool in their classes to teach vocabulary as well as an opportunity for students to get involved in their learning and CREATE vocabulary definitions beyond the word and definition.
In my work as a District provider of professional development in the area of technology, I've demonstrated a purpose for using Google tools. This template was a appropriate demonstration of how Google tools can be a powerful instructional assistant in all core areas. The SLIDES template is ideal for a 1:1 environment and the created template can be shared "as a copy" with students. Students can manipulate their ideas to demonstrate their learning using identified key vocabulary terms being discussed or taught in their classes. Through this tool, teachers can be very involved with student learning as well through the collaboration (share) and commenting features. |
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EXhibit Three
The third exhibit of my role as an instructional partner is the conceptual text set assignment I developed in my children's literature course. One of our most significant contributions as a teacher librarian is our ability a select books and other engaging media resources for classroom teachers to enhance their classroom experiences for their students. This assignment is a demonstration of my ability as an instructional partner and fosters the standards required of the 21st century teacher librarian:
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Citation:
Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009.
Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009.