Teacher-librarians have implemented collaborations, becoming facilitators of literacy development throughout their schools as library research moves into multimodal forms. For instance, Wolf & Jordan (2006) studied teacher-librarian collaboration with third grade students researching and writing within a unit on severe weather preparedness. The…

Much has been written recently about the importance of "evidence based practice" for teacher librarians. Principals value most collaboration by teacher librarians. Collaboration affects achievement. This article discusses how principals can play a part in teacher-librarian collaboration.

Evidence-based practice is a process used in the helping professions to systematically improve results by focusing on one child, patient, or client. Although not widely used in the school library profession, evidence-based practice could be used to provide a strong foundation for the teacher-librarian's role in student achievement. The process of…

Teacher-librarians and teachers said that testing is driving everything that they do. One elementary teacher said that her entire grade level had not been to the library all year because they did not have time because the testing is all consuming and dictating all they do in the classroom. The teacher-librarian at that school added there was…

Discussion of collaboration in K-12 education focuses on the need for collaboration between teachers and librarians. Gives examples of successful teacher-librarian collaboration; considers reasons for unsuccessful attempts or lack of opportunities; and suggests that preservice teacher educators and librarian educators need to collaborate to…

Discusses research findings that show that teacher-librarians collaborate more with teachers when they are on flexible schedules and the principal expects team planning. (LRW)

Lance and Loertscher warn that it is possible to use high-quality information resources and still create ineffective learning experience for K-12 students. To illustrate, they discuss the ?bird unit,? the type of research activity where students search for information in order to fill in worksheets that they transform into essays and…

To use the Internet effectively, students need to be taught critical evaluation skills that they can apply to each Web site they use for research. The action research report discussed in this article exemplifies the collaborative teamwork involved in creating a critical-evaluation unit for Internet sites to be used with middle school students.

Describes the integration of information literacy pedagogy into the literacy curriculum of a teacher education program in Canada. Highlights include constructing a framework of information literacy pedagogy; collaboration with teacher librarians; revising a language arts methods course to include information literacy instruction; and what students…

Explains IM-PACT (Instructional Model-Purpose, Audience, Content, Technique), a framework for systematic lesson design in an information literacy context. Includes an example of IM-PACT's application to a high school-level information skills lesson plan, collaboratively designed by the teacher-librarian and English teacher. (LRW)

Describes an assessment instrument developed by Norman (Oklahoma) Public Schools based on "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning", published by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Emphasis on partnerships encourages assessment by…

Describes the FLIP IT framework for developing collaborative resource-based activities by outlining the interrelationships of the specific skills and information that will be needed. Discusses the role of teachers and librarians in the process and provides a sample worksheet. (LRW)

Describes the four priorities of Ernest Boyer's "Basic School": the school as community; climate for learning; a curriculum with coherence; and a commitment to character. Suggests that the Basic School framework and the principles of "Information Power" are mutually supportive in developing a learning community characterized by…

Teacher-Librarians are continually seeking opportunities to collaborate with the classroom teacher. Most of them have experienced the professional satisfaction resulting from a successful project, and they have also endured those that were stressful and less productive than the anticipated. Indeed, the best schools and the best librarians…

In this age of overwhelming information, a good school library program is more important than ever. Students must be taught how to evaluate the information they find on the Internet. Collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians is the key, and studies prove that this collaboration improves student test scores. However, the principal's…