Teachers and School Librarians Working Together for Student Achievement

This is a work in progress! Collecting and curating all my blog posts on teacher-librarian collaboration.

Teacher-Librarian Collaborative Activities:  Library Scavenger Hunt
LSH 2016

Teacher-Librarian Collaboration Lesson Plans & Mini-Lessons
Lesson Plan on Information Literacy: Teaching the Big 6 Model (2006)
Dear School Librarian In Action: Library Skills Instruction for Prep Students (2012)

Teacher-Librarian Collaboration: Dynamics, Functions, Purpose and Roles

The Beacon Academy Library Packet for Teachers - A promotional material for inspiring collaboration with teachers (2012)

School Librarian as Collaborative Teaching Partner Five ways to make collaboration happen (2015)

Grade 9 English: Preparing for Personal Project
Grade 9 English: Preparing for Personal Project
A recent post on teacher and school librarian collaboration, where I worked with the English teacher in planning a mini-lesson on Search Strategies for Grade 9 students (2017)

The School Librarian: A Trusted Sidekick - Adapting Dianne McKenzie's framework and approach when collaborating with teachers (2017)

How school librarians can help teachers? A smorgasbord of activities that school librarians can do in partnership with teachers, for reading development, promotion and literacy skills teaching (2018)

The school librarian can also assume the role of student services or support for student life. Here is a blog post where I wrote about the plans and activities that school librarians can do in collaboration with class advisers. (2019)

Storytelling Workshop at DepEd Cabuyao

My storytelling workshop with teachers and principals of DepEd Cabuyao last week was another engaging encounter. For four hours, participants listened, joined in the games, worked in groups, created story flashcard and told stories! Here are some photos of the fun we had!

During the workshop, teachers illustrated their own story flashcards.

Selfie and photobombers!

Happy teachers at work!

Teachers told stories during the workshop using story flashcards which they made earlier.

I thank the organizers of the workshop, DepEd Cabuyao and the Philippine Librarians' Association Inc., Southern Tagalog Region Librarians Council (PLAI STRLC) for putting together this training session for teachers. We hope to see their efforts and initiative grow in the near future.

Filipino Librarian of the Month: Tericel C. Tamayao

Librarians like Tericel Tamayao help kids navigate the digital environment

Our Filipino Librarian of the Month is Ms. Tericel C. Tamayao. Tericel is the teacher librarian of the Early Learning Center of Brent International School Manila. 

a. Why did you pursue LIS in college?

16 years ago, a librarian husband and 2 kids later, I met LIS in PUP that I don’t have a choice but to pursue because I was a late enrollee then. All the most popular and exciting courses were closed. That time, I am not really proud about the course and whenever my friends were asking me about it, just to at peace them, I remember that I keep on telling them that I will shift to Journalism next semester (which is my first choice of course). But it didn’t push through. A lot of crazy things happened.

To fast forward, all my dedicated and hardworking professors in PUP greatly influenced and motivated me to continue and finish the LIS course. Most especially when I did my practicum and was exposed to libraries and see how librarians were very enthusiastic and passionate about their job. It was only when I became a librarian that I realized that I didn’t choose to pursue LIS. It is LIS who pursued me. ☺ Now, I know I have the best job in the world! 

My family is very proud that I never gave up being a librarian.

b. What is exciting about your job as a school librarian?

The exciting part of my job as a school librarian is everything! I get to interact with students everyday. I get to read great stories to them and teach them library skills. They are so funny and excited about books. How I wish the whole world loved books as much as they do. They have opened my mind to a world of possibilities in learning, in technology, in life. There are so many wonderful children’s stories out there and I love introducing children to these stories. I love to see their faces glow and get so excited about something we’ve just read and most especially when they found a just right book for them. I enjoy helping students and teachers find answers to questions they have and I love connecting them to good books.

Storytelling and reading aloud are activities that kids look forward to!

c. What challenges do you face as an LIS professional?

The STEREOTYPE! “Oh, do you teach lessons in the library?” There’s the other challenging part: people think we do nothing but sit around, sshhing the kids and read books all day! There are still many people who do not have an understanding of what we do and what we can do. 

I currently have a very supportive administration, but this has not always been the case. We should be advocating for what we do, sharing our abilities and skills with the students, teachers and to the community. Going above and beyond what people expect.

Since becoming a librarian, I have discovered that I need to step up and be visible on who I really am and what I am doing to shine a positive light on my profession. I am very proud of the fact that I am a school librarian serving the school alongside with teachers. I want everyone to know that I am a teacher librarian. I teach kids every day and I engage them to love reading.

Advocating books, reading and literature is a job Teri enjoys doing.

d. Recommend 5 Must-Reads for K-3 readers, teachers and parents.

It is very hard to trim down the recommended must-read books for K-3 readers because I have a long list. But anyway, these 5 books that I chose to take a special place in my heart and were among my top 5 read-aloud favorites.

1. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein – It’s hard to imagine a story more poignant than the tale of a tree that gives its life for a boy turned self-centered young man. It’s been interpreted along environmentalist and religious lines, but all can agree on the beauty of its underlying theme of generosity.

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – A cheery caterpillar nibble his way through an assortment of colorful foods and transforms into a butterfly.

3. Love You Forever written by Robert Munsch; illustrated by Sheila McGraw – A mother cradles her sleeping and sings him a lullaby and keeps up the habit for years and years.

4. A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell – Louie becomes angry when the story in which he appears is ruined by messes from jelly, peanut butter, and other things that do not belong in books.

5. The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak – In this book with no pictures, the reader has to say every silly word, no matter what.

Book reviews from:

http://time.com/100-best-childrens-books/

Live Blogging: Seminar Workshop on Organizing the Library at the Makati Library Hub

Presenting right now is Ms. Leonila Galvez, consultant for Library Hub, DepEd Central Office on best practices, reading activities and programs for the school library. We are here in Makati Elementary School where the Library Hub workshop on Organizing a Library is being held. We are speakers to sixty teacher librarians.

This morning, I did a perspective taking on library concepts and emphasized the important role that librarians do in learning communities. I gave them basic principles in organizing a library and provided steps in setting up a book collection. I showed samples of online directories and e-book collections. Wikis. Pathfinders. LibGuides. Librarian made online directories via google sites.

The participants enjoyed my read aloud of Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk using an ebook. I couldn't find my print copy so I bought on Amazon. I got the same response from the teachers. They were engaged and entertained. Because the ebook was projected using a LCD, everyone can see the colorful visuals of the illustrated story books.

After Madme. Leony Galvez, I will be working with the teachers for a book making project.

Teachers' Library Packet

At the start of the academic year, I was given a short session by my Head of School to present to teachers the basic and fundamental services the library can offer them. I whipped up a Teacher's Packet that sets the basic information on information access, available database, ways to work collaboratively with the librarian and recommended reads.

At the start of the second term, I'm scheduled to join in the departmental meetings of teachers with their academic coordinators to revisit use of library resources, and in a way, audit existing instructional materials and information that can be used for teaching and instruction.

This goes to show that the development of library programs and the evaluation of library services is a communal effort. The librarian needs to reach out and touch base with library users to improve its collection and systems of operation. Below is the library packet I've prepared for teachers.

The Beacon Academy Library
Teachers’ Packet
AY 2012-13

And so it is written, in the MYP Subject Guides --
Librarians have an overall view of the curriculum and, in particular, of students’ IL needs and LL skills (philosophy/belief system) development. It is important to involve librarians in:

* unit planning
* resourcing units
* planning for, and mapping, ATL skills
* promoting academic honesty (including such skills as referencing)

The Beacon Academy library staff aims to work with you, collaboratively, this academic year in the teaching and learning process. The library’s physical, virtual and intellectual doors, and windows, are open wide for your access to a variety of learning resources and ideas.

Access to the library collection

Library hours: 7:50 AM to 4PM
BA Library Web OPAC : http://www.mastersknowledge.com/beacon/default.asp

Online Subscriptions:
The Day - http://www.theday.co.uk/
Username: *****
Pword: *****

Project Muse - http://muse.jhu.edu/
*Access provided via Beacon Academy ISP

World Book Online http://worldbookonline.com/wb/products?ed=all&gr=Welcome+Beacon+Academy%21
Username:*****
Pword:****

What’s new this year?  4 KINDLES! We’re starting an ebook collection :-)
Kindle 1 - Fiction
Kindle 2 - Philo, Religion, Social Sciences, Languages
Kindle 3 - Math, Sciences, Tech
Kindle 4 - Literature and History

DVD/CD/VCD  Collection - Open shelf / Instructional and Institutional

Teacher and Teacher Librarian Collaboration
* Request for resources (print, digital, resource person, interlibrary loan, access to other libraries)
* Building of a reading list for your unit or subject content (bibliographic info arranged in MLA style)
* One-on-one consultation with the TL re: resources on units of study (student and teacher)
* Small group research @the library (guided and/or independent)
* Class orientation and ATL integrated sessions / Library link lessons

Recommended Reads for PD (Professional Development)

1. Enhancing professional practice / by Danielson, Charlotte.   Alexandria, Va. : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, c2007 TR 371.102 DAN

2. Revisiting professional learning communities at work / by DuFour, Richard,   Bloomington : Solution Tree, c2008 TR 371.207 DUF

3. Stirring the Head, Heart and Soul / by Erickson, H. Lynn   California : Corwin Press, 2008 TR 375.000979 ERI

4. Positive discipline   New York : Three Rivers Press, c2001 TR 371.50973 POS

5. The Excellent 11 / by Clark, Ron,   New York : Hyperion, c2004 TR 371.102 CLA

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A learning community reads. A reading community learns

The Beacon Academy Library seeks to involve the learning community in its bi-monthly Recommended Reads service.

Aug and Sept - Hello! Goodbye! Hello! is about beginnings, change and adaptation. 

Oct and Nov - The Book of My Life challenges us to look at the books/reading materials
that made an impact at how we see ourselves, others and the world.

Dec and Jan - Family, Fiesta and Festivities prompts us to think of books that speak of family
        cultures, celebrations and holidays. You may want to consider books and reading
        materials that discuss Family Literacy.

Feb and Mar - Anything goes. Really. Feel free to recommend any book or reading material :-)
April and May - Taking it easy. It’s summer time, and yes, the reading is easy.

THE LIBRARY IS A SHARED SPACE
https://sites.google.com/a/beaconacademy.ph/library/

                                                   

Librarians Are Ready! Are You?