christineperry

Plan of Action The information literacy gap identified through my needs assessment is a simple, yet crucial gap to fill. I assessed the needs of fifth grade teachers at a middle school in Davidson County. The gap that I identified is two-fold. The first part of the problem lies with scheduling. The majority of the fifth grade teachers are choosing to send students to the library individually or in small groups to check out books or work on the computers whenever it is convenient or students finish their work. Since all of the teachers are doing this, the library is always crowded and the computers are always full. This creates somewhat of a hectic environment in the library that leaves little time for quality class instruction. Teachers are not taking advantage of full class instruction and collaborating with the librarian on lessons because there is not a specific time for them to sign up for lessons and view the library’s availability. The second part of the gap relates to awareness. Based on the information collected in the survey, teachers are not collaborating with the library media specialist to teach lessons that relate to the curriculum and help students to find the best available resources. The majority of the teachers expressed the desire to collaborate on lessons and bring their entire class to the library, but there does not seem to be an easy means to collaborate and coordinate with the librarian. Both parts of this information literacy gap are currently hindering the students and teachers from the benefits of the library. The first step to bridging the gap is to set up a more structured schedule that allows teachers to sign up for library lessons up to two weeks in advance. The new schedule will also allot certain times during the day for open check out and individual computer use if teachers want to send their students. The library is open from 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM. Under the new schedule, open check out and computer use will be from 8:30 to 9:30, from 12:00-1:00, and from 3:30 to 4:15. The remainder of the day will be divided into 30 minute time slots that are available for teachers to sign up for library lessons. The librarian will keep a chart that covers the time slots for two weeks at a time on her desk at all times. Teachers will have to swing by the library in order to sign up, which will allow the librarian to find out if the teacher wants her to pull resources or help plan or teach a particular lesson. Beneath the teacher’s name, he or she will write a one-sentence description of the type of lesson they wish to collaborate on. If they do not wish to collaborate, they may simply write down that they wish to use the computers as a class or borrow the clickers, ect. By keeping a written schedule instead of simply communicating via email, teachers can also see what lessons other teachers have signed up for. For example, if one fifth grade teacher writes that she wants a lesson on Tennessee history, another fifth grade teacher could see it and decide that his or her class would also benefit from a similar lesson. Since all of the teachers are required to cover the same curriculum, this informal schedule could also be a way to generate and share ideas among teachers. The schedule will be very informal and should not feel like a hassle to teachers. If teachers choose not to sign up a few days in advance, they may still check to see if the library is available on the day of, but those that are willing to sign up in advance will be guaranteed that the library resources are reserved for them. The second part of the plan requires promoting awareness. Teachers will need to be made aware of the new schedule and scheduling process, and teachers also need to be more aware that the librarian is willing and able to teach lessons based on curriculum and set up guides to valuable resources. To start of on the right foot, the librarian will introduce the new schedule and talk about the benefits of signing up and collaborating during a teacher in service day before the new school year. The librarian will also express her willingness to be involved in the curriculum and her desire to help teachers by teaching actual lessons or creating pathfinders that can show students which resources are most beneficial for a certain topic. The librarian will emphasize the importance of being involved in the curriculum and explain that she can create more in depth lessons or guides if teachers choose to sign up and collaborate in advance. Beginning this fall, the librarian will attend at least one team meeting for each subject area once a month. By attending team meetings, the librarian can suggest topics that could be enhanced by resources in the library and also simply show that she is willing to make the effort to help teachers if they are willing to meet her half way. Checking out books and working individually on the computers are two very important services that the library provides. However, as students get into the upper grade levels, it is essential that they be properly introduced to all of the resources the library can offer on particular topics. Fifth grade teachers are experts on the subjects that they teach. Likewise, librarians are experts on the resources that pertain to certain subjects. While each area of expertise is beneficial on its own, if the two are combined there is no limited to the information students can access. By providing a more structured schedule and promoting teacher collaboration, the librarian and teachers at this middle school can bridge the information literacy gap.