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The jobs and role of the teacher librarian continue to be under attack asprofessionals often are replaced by paraprofessionals or no one at all. Please think through this research progress that asks a question not at the national level or the state level, but in your own school and district.
I invite you to participate in this research project which is designed to study the benefits of co-teaching in the classroom. Are two heads better than one? Do students truly learn more effectively in a co-taught environment? Are they more motivated to participate? What can the Classroom Teacher gain from the Teacher Librarian and vice versa?
As the gatekeepers of information for current and future generations, we find ourselves in a unique position and now more than ever need to be at the forefront of technology. So...how can we make a difference? It is time for us to come together and collaborate. I need you to participate in this study so we can all, students included, reap the benefits of the co-taught learning experience.
Background Information
There is evidence that when a classroom teacher partners with a school librarian to plan, teach, and assess a learning experience that has been merged into the resources of the library learning commons, the number of students who benefit majorly increases.
A research study performed in twelve schools, ranging from elementary through secondary, teachers who taught a learning experience alone in the classroom were asked, “What percentage of your students met or exceeded your expectations for a particular learning experience?” From 2,200 teachers, the answer was that success hovered around 50%. (One recognizes the bell curve at work.) In those same schools, when the classroom teacher and the school librarian partnered to teach a learning experience together, the number of students who met or exceeded both adults expectations ranged from 70–100%. (The bell curve is skewed to the right.) Thus, when there were two adults, rich information, and technology resources at work, the impact was substantial.
The Proposed Research
In the Fall of 2017 and the Spring of 2018, I would like to find at least 100 schools to participate in a replication of the above study. School librarians who partner with classroom teachers to plan, teach, and assess a learning experience together would be asked to fill out a simple questionnaire at the conclusion of the experience together. How many students were there in your joint learning experience? How many of those students met or exceeded both adult’s expectations? Both partners would also be asked to comment about the experience.
The research would be interested in looking across these experiences to see if a pattern emerges. Locally, the researcher encourages every teacher librarian to document all such kinds of partnerships as a major measure of impact on teaching and learning at the school level.