School Library Connection Archive

Collaborative Instruction

Course
The Physical Library & the Schedule [5:42]
The library space should be used to its best advantage every day. Each day in the library that utilizes collaboration and/or a flexible schedule could make use of a different arrangement of the physical space.
The library space should be utilized to its best advantage every day. Each day in the library that utilizes collaboration and/or a flexible schedule could utilize a different arrangement of the physical space. No matter the actual physical size of your library, imagine every bit of space as a place that could be used for some type of lesson. No space is a wasted space in the library. In this day and age of technological advances, it is almost expected that each teaching space have some type of computerized advances, and while technology is helpful in reality there are very minimal materials that you need to turn a small floor space into an actual teaching space. In reality, all space can be a teaching space. The librarian just might need to be creative about how his or her space is used. The teachers and I often divide a class into smaller groups so that we can individually meet more needs as the lessons progress. Try to think of two or three smaller spaces in your library where small groups could work. For example, the floor space in front of my biography section is the perfect place to introduce how to read a biography with half the class, while the teacher is using another space in a different part of the library to show the students how to take notes on famous people.

It is helpful to have a number of places that can be made into an impromptu small group teaching area especially if you have two or three classes in the library at the same time. My library has two permanent small group spaces and many other spaces that can be a temporary small group space like in the case of the How To Read A Biography lesson. The two permanent small group areas have three small tables each. One permanent small group space has a Promethean board and the other has three computers and an easel with chart paper. The temporary spaces have exactly what materials are needed for teaching a particular lesson, space large enough for kids to sit comfortably, and any materials necessary for the activity.

For example, my second grade students were in the midst of writing a book of poetry. I used a permanent small group area to teach how to use a thesaurus. The teacher used the floor space in the poetry section of the library to teach the class about where to find poetry in the library and what types of poetry they might find in our poetry section. After the students were finished with the two mini lessons, they moved over to the reference section of the library and explored the different thesauri available to them for their poetry writing. Later in the day the teacher rotated small groups of students to the library to use the thesauri during writer's workshop.

There are two other areas of my library that can be used as either two large group areas or two more small group areas. They have enough seating space to have an entire class comfortably sit and work. Between the two permanent small group spaces and the two large group areas each corner of my library is accounted for. If there are two classes in the library, I try to have one class use the left side of the library and the other to use the right hand side. This is not always feasible and really depends upon the needed resources. However, if two classes are working on the same project oftentimes the older grade teachers are comfortable with the students sitting anywhere in the library and all of the adults rotate through all of the different tables helping whoever needs help.

Try to have some type of technology available in each space. However, if technology is not able to be had in a particular space than a wipe-off board or chart paper can work as backup teaching tools if the librarian or teacher needs them. Floor space can be converted into any kind of space that is needed. There was a volunteer brunch in my library that took up two thirds of the available library space. So the classroom teacher used my carpet area to reteach dictionary skills for students who were having a difficult time with ABC Order. And I used the floor space in my storage room to do an enrichment activity on ABC Order. I just added an easel and voila, instant teaching space.

One of my teachers ducks into the library several days a week to use any available floor space to do a read aloud with her students for about ten minutes each time. All she needs is floor space for the kids and a chair for herself. Her classroom is the farthest room away in the building from anything else. She guards any time with her students as precious so she brings a read aloud when she picks the class up for music and brings them into the library to read aloud to them. Then they go off to lunch ten minutes later. Usually I am with another class at this time and they are so quietly tucked into a corner of the library, I would never know they were in the library if the teacher hadn't arranged with me ahead of time to bring the kids into the library for her read aloud. Any space can become an impromptu space in the library. Often all you need is space, the kids, and a few teaching materials.

Additional Resources

Annotated Biblography.

About the Author

Andria Donnelly

Andria C. Donnelly, MEd, is a division instructional facilitator for Loudoun (VA) County Public Schools and a former elementary librarian. Donnelly holds a master's in education from Shenandoah University and earned a credential as a school library media specialist from George Mason University. She is affiliated with AASL and VAASL and is a past president of LASL. In 2015, she was awarded the Potomac Regional School Librarian of the Year and Virginia School Librarian of the Year. Donnelly was a columnist for School Library Monthly focusing on library collaboration and is the author of The Library Collaboration and Flexible Scheduling Toolkit (Libraries Unlimited 2015).

MLA Citation

Donnelly, Andria C. "Collaborative Instruction. The Physical Library & the Schedule [5:42]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, September 2016, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1995734?learningModuleId=1995731&topicCenterId=2247903.

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https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1995734?learningModuleId=1995731&topicCenterId=2247903

Entry ID: 1995734