Learning through Books, Media and Technology

ARTICLES THIS ISSUE:

Information literate? These Students have information power!

"We're learning, but we don't mind!"

Lots of little kids --- lots of things going on!

Building a collaborative network --- from university to local community

Shared vision, shared teaching

Budget crunch? Teamwork makes resources do double duty

Collaboration, participation, and technology

Partners for change

Redefining the library media center

Happy collaborations based on research as a process

Success through independence, integration, and interruptions

A Good Ideas encore!

Good Ideas! Home Page

Good Ideas! is published by CSLA

1499 Old Bayshore Hwy.

Burlingame

California

94010

(415) 692-2350

Partners for change

Sierra Elementary School

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierras, at an altitude of 3,000 feet, Sierra Elementary (100 years old) has become a community in itself. The class-room-sized library media center is literally bursting with activity and materials; this fall it added a new electronic catalog and management system.

Virginia Haire was assigned to the library media center as a teacher eight years ago, "dancing side by side" with other classroom teachers to coordinate with the curriculum in every way she could think of. Now, as a fully credentialled library media teacher, she and the Sierra staff are "dancing as partners" --- a result of her leadership in bringing them along with her during her training for the credential.

Ginny Haire with teachers Dorothy Hardy and Donna Wright. Students are Casey, Brice, Kevin, Justin, and Darcy.

What Virginia has learned is how to collaborate fully by bringing her specialized expertise to the planning and teaching process. Her background in teaching, when added to her newly acquired knowledge of effective resource management and of varied teaching/learning tools for diverse student populations, has made her an indispensable member of the staff. Cooperative planning and teaching, says Ginny, "is not everyone doing the same thing with the same resources at the same time but planning and doing what is best for each student at whatever level of learning.

Teachers are enthusiastic, saying that Ginny has facilitated communication and has included kids who may at one time have been isolated by being pulled out of normal educational experiences. In addition, she circulates a school collection of some 500 videocassettes, facilitates film and video circulation with the County Office of Education, and has even had kindergarten children involved in research!

With an administration that facilitates this collaborative style, new ideas for library media expansion are being discussed. An adjacent computer laboratory is planned as part of the expansion. No matter what space is provided, however, collaborative teaching relationships are now an established pattern, and Sierra students will continue to receive the rich educational program that is the result of this model.

• Sierra elementary school (Grades K-8, enrollment 700)
  27444 E. tollhouse Road, Tollhouse 93667; (209) 841-8831
  Joyce Harper, Principal
  Virginia Haire, Library media Teacher
  Sierra Unified School District