Serving up a smorgasbord of collaborative practice

Keys to approaching collaboration in your school and how to encourage teaching colleagues to participate in this journey with you

Abstract

Collaborative practice which acknowledges differentiated learning needs of students, diverse long term educational outcomes, and acknowledges the respective skill sets of both teacher and librarian in delivering a curriculum which embraces the future focused needs of 21st century learners – to be literate and numerate, critical and creative thinkers, active seekers, users and creators of knowledge, informed decision makers, and active participants in their future world. Looking at the journey of two school library managers and their diverse school communities, both involved in the Otago/Southland Information Literacy Project from June 2007 to November 2008. This project, commissioned by the National Library of New Zealand in collaboration with the Otago University Education Department and the New Zealand Ministry of Education, involved the participation of librarians and teachers from seven schools from the Otago and Southland regions of New Zealand looking at a collaborative approach to student learning outcomes and focused on year 8 students.