E.+Collaboration

My language arts teaching career provided me with ample opportunities for collaboration as I taught in a small k-8 school where I was constantly working with the volunteer school librarian, local public library librarian, and even the school principal (at times) to develop lessons that challenged students to conduct research and share their research findings with others. The graduate-level inquiry class that I am taking now has opened my eyes to the many possibilities for implementing inquiry (and not just research) in so many more ways than I had imagined. As a school media specialist, I feel that my mission and purpose is to enhance classroom learning activities by fostering productive partnerships with classroom teachers, school administration, community partners, parents, and most importantly, students.

The particular units of study outlined in this project provide a wealth of opportunities for collaboration. I envision collaborating on the units with language arts as well as social studies teachers. I would also make every attempt to seek out those in the local community who would be open to collaboration as well. The unit requires students to visit several Holocaust museum hosted websites which could also open collaboration up exponentially.

Read the following bullet points to learn more about my collaboration plans.

Collaboration within community:
 * Collaboration with middle school and high school subject area teachers: Ideally I would team with the language arts and social studies teachers to ensure the best coverage of literature skills mastery as well as social studies skills mastery. As the media specialist, I would be responsible for provided Big 6 and Information literacy mini-lesson. I would also be willing to team-teach with the subject area teachers and support them in achieving their academic standards. I would expect to have a planning meeting intially and then follow-up with email and other informal meeting opportunities to create the best support environment for the students.
 * Local collaboration resources: It would be critical to research experts on the Holocaust in the local community and invite individuals in to speak to students regarding their experiences.
 * Public librarian: I hope to establish a partnership with local public librarians to ask them for support with materials and as a common courtesy I would let them know about the inquiry project that students are working on by providing them with information.

Collaboration with outside community:
 * Children’s Museum and CANDLES Holocaust Museum: If funding allows, it would be beneficial to take 6th grade students to the Children's Museum to visit the Holocaust exhibit and to take high school students the CANDLES Museum in Terre Haute, IN. Sometimes it is also worth taking the time to check out local plays or visiting artists in the classroom offerings.
 * Holocaust Museum DC: There is a wealth of information on this website. I think it would be great to have a virtual field trip or meeting with a docent at the museum.