Interview With a Librarian - AASL Collaborate Competency

     The AASL National School Library Standards competency for Collaboration was the topic during an interview with Nikki Mock, the librarian at Merriwether Elementary School in North Augusta, SC.  Mock provided insight and examples of how she collaborates with teachers (N. Mock, personal communication, October 11, 2020).

Mock shared some examples of ways she implements the Collaboration competency in her library program.  She creates lessons for K-2nd grade students based on collaborative discussions she has with classroom teachers.  Since she was a classroom teacher for many years, she works hard to implement competencies that will benefit students and teachers.  She helps reinforce skills that students are learning in their classrooms.  Below are pictures of some of the activities that she has recently completed with students related to books that she read about Fall.

(Student work hanging on a wall.)

(An easel with notes from a 2nd grade class lesson.)

(An easel with notes for a Kindergarten lesson.)

In order to implement Collaboration competencies, Mock works with classroom teachers to create lessons that encourage students to create deeper understanding of material.  One example of collaboration she shared was a unit on figurative language.  She worked with teachers to pull books and online resources and developed an idea for a culminating project.  

Mock went on to say that this year, due to the COVID pandemic, collaboration has been very challenging.  She stated that finding ways to connect with teachers and providing them with opportunities to create those deeper connections for students is one of her biggest challenges under normal circumstances.  Teachers are so busy within their classrooms, so it is vital that we, as librarians, seek out connections and advocate on behalf of the library.

Advocating is key to collaborating with teachers.

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. American Library Association.