Theme 2 Blog Post: Teacher Collaboration and the Reference Section

Teacher Collaboration and the Reference Section

(General Reference Collections, n.d.)

What do other educators know about reference services?

After completing the lessons for theme 2, I couldn’t help but wonder, “If I didn’t know what reference services were until I began this course, what does everyone else on my staff know about reference services?” I decided to do a little informal investigation of my own.

·       My prediction was that most teachers on my staff knew very little about what reference services are, and that most have no idea what print and digital reference services are currently available to them through the LLC.

·      I engaged in informal conversations with many teachers on my staff about what they thought reference services are, and what reference resources are available to them through the LLC.

·      I wasn’t surprised to find that most of my staff didn’t know what reference services are, and they had absolutely no idea what print and digital resources are available to them through the LLC. This is unfortunate because a significant amount of money is spent to purchase digital reference resources, and if they are not being utilized by teachers and students, the resources are not fulfilling their potential.

I was interested to read in my classmates’ blog posts for Theme 1, that prior to embarking on this course, many had a foggy understanding at best about what a reference section or reference resource was. As future teacher librarians, if we didn’t know what reference sections or reference resources were, it seems reasonable to assume that our teaching colleagues also don’t know. This leads me to a statement by UBC (2023) in lesson 7, “It is essential that the entire school library collection be organized, managed, and promoted so that students and teachers can have effective access to the collection. The main rationale for this is to support the development of student information skills.” Something I hadn’t considered prior to Theme 2 was the promotion of reference materials and reference services to support student learning. After completing this theme, I have realized that an important role (among many others) of the TL is the promotion of the LLC collection, including reference materials. The promotion of these materials, and collaboration between TL’s and teachers to encourage their effective use seems essential due to the lack of general understanding around how to find and use these important resources.

Collaboration and the promotion of the LLC collection

By promoting the library collection, available reference resources and how to use them, TLs simultaneously showcase opportunities for collaboration. MacKenzie (2019) shares, “I have discovered rich support and learning in my own backyard when I have collaborated with my teacher-librarian. This educational professional is often under-utilized in a school environment. Many teachers see the librarian interact only with students, but they are invaluable resources for teachers as well. Collaboration with a teacher-librarian creates a rich inquiry practice for classroom teachers that can easily be implemented with students.” We need teachers to know that TLs are a valuable resource for inquiry and resource based learning. The necessity of sharing this information wasn’t something I had considered before. TL’s need to showcase their information literacy skills with teachers and promote the resources available in the LLC to expand the breadth and depth of their use. MacKenzie offers this infographic to summarize how TLs can support their learning communities using information resources to foster meaningful inquiry.

(MacKenzie, 2019)

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s impossible to ignore the necessity of collaboration between TLs and teachers for the benefit of student learning. “Studies indicate that student competence in handling information is mirrored in achievement, and is most effectively developed when integrated with classroom instruction through collaborative program planning and team teaching by two equal teaching partners - the classroom teacher and teacher-librarian” (Asselin et al., 2003). This is echoed by the Canadian School Libraries Association (2014), “The library learning commons plays a key role in cultivating and facilitating collaboration to provide rich experiential learning opportunities.” TLs have extensive knowledge about their LLC collection, research based learning, inquiry, and reference resources. These are all interconnected and must be promoted as such by the TL to their staff. “Although collaboration between teacher and teacher-librarian can be difficult to achieve, the result is improved student learning. In order to survive, partnerships must receive support, maintenance and reward from administrators” (Asselin et al., 2003). This could be through emails, posters, professional development, information conversations, planned collaboration time, or at staff meetings.

Works Cited

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada Links to an external site.. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. Retrieved from https://accessola.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2003-AchievingInfoLiteracy.pdf

 

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning:  Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Available:  http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/llsop.pdf

General reference collections. Polson High School Library. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.polson.k12.mt.us/polson-high-school/students/library/general-reference-collections

MacKenzie, Trevor. (March 18, 2019). "Classroom inquiry's secret weapon: the teacher-librarian." Canadian School Libraries Journal.  Retrieved from: https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/classroom-inquirys-secret-weapon-the-teacher-librarian/

The University of British Columbia. (2023). Module 7: Evaluating Reference Services. Learning Material. In LIBE 467: Information Services 1. Vancouver, BC: UBC.