Thing 15. Collaboration

Collaboration is teachers and library media specialists working together to create learning experiences that take advantage of the knowledge and skills of each person involved. Each partner brings special expertise to the information literacy process, helping to make more effective use of resources and teaching time. Collaboration increases content, improves process, and impacts student achievement. Collaboration helps students acquire knowledge about a subject and the problem solving and research skills they need as they do research now and in the future.

And it takes time. One of the reasons Metronet provides interns in the media centers is to help the media specialists find the time to collaborate with teachers. This is a stopgap—collaboration time needs to be built into the library media program. As does adequate staffing of the media program—one media specialist cannot effectively collaborate with a hundred teachers and provide the research and reference assistance students demand.

As part of a MILI learning community, you have the opportunity to develop new collaborative relationships or report on those already in place.

Core

1. Read these perspectives on teacher-media specialist collaboration.

• What and Why of Collaboration
• A Media Specialist viewpoint
• Academic Theory on Collaboration
• A Rubric for Collaboration

2. Describe your experience with collaboration.
3. Describe a successful collaboration you have been part of . What made it work?

More
Develop a new collaborative lesson with another MILI participant and describe the process, product, and results.

Blog Prompts

• What do you see as barriers to collaboration?
• How can the barriers be overcome?
• Is collaboration worth it?