Collaboration and Inquiry



​“Collaborative partnerships between the teacher-librarian and teacher(s) are of value in designing instruction, co-teaching lessons, and assessing student learning"


(Connections : Policy and Guidelines for School Libraries in Saskatchewan, 2008. p. 21)
Teaching in the inquiry context lends itself to collaborative planning and teaching. Classroom teachers may partner with others such as teacher-librarians, literacy coaches, student support teachers, and digital learning teachers to help meet the needs of the learners. Each member of the collaborative partnership brings expertise to the planning:

The classroom teachers bring knowledge of students, classroom routines, and curriculum pacing.
A teacher-librarian or other partner can share resources, information literacy skills instruction, technology expertise, and differentiated learning strategies.

The combined instructional strengths of the collaborating partners provide a richer, broader learning experience for students. This is described in Connections: Policy and Guidelines for School Libraries in Saskatchewan. (p. 21)

Student collaboration is an important aspect of learning as students acquire skills in social learning.  “We cannot provide robust, engaged, and differentiated learning unless kids can break into a variety of groups and work together. Learning is far too weak if we limit students’ actions, conversations, and thinking to what the one adult in the room can monitor.”  Harvey and Daniels, (2009, p. 37). 
Collaboration with The Teacher-Librarian​

Bojanna Krienke and Jaime Schroeder discuss their collaborative inquiry entitled Grade 1-2 Healthy Foods for Healthy Bodies.
Mystery Skype - Teacher and Teacher-Librarian Collaboration
Mystery Skype
Mystery Skype Package​

This grade 5 inquiry explores the significance of Canada’s landforms in the lives of the inhabitants. The class participated in a “mystery” skype with another class in Canada to discover each location.
Co-Planning With The Teacher-Librarian​

Tamzen Kulyk discusses the role of teacher-librarians in co-planning inquiries. In this clip, she discusses the co-planning of a grade six inquiry of changes in global communities.
Reflecting on the Collaboration​

Dawn Morgan and Heidi Kreis discuss the benefits of a collaborative inquiry process as teacher-librarian and teacher.
Assessing the Learning​

Dawn Morgan, a teacher-librarian, and teacher Heidi Kreis reflect on student assessment of inquiry learning.