Library/Teacher
Collaboration:
Using Guest Speakers
SUBJECT: Library
GRADES: Elementary-High School
SUMMARY:
All school librarians are aware of what is expected of them in the running of the library or media center. Librarians' prime objective and what is required of them is the teaching of research skills. These skills are needed to develop the abilities of students so they may become independent users of the library media center, explore and discover the wealth of materials available in the center, and continue to strengthen their academic studies. It is important for media specialists to recognize the fact that they alone cannot teach research skills. Basic school curricula must be integrated with instructional techniques, and the librarian needs to develop a close relationship with the teachers. These relationships allow the chance to build library skills into classroom projects, yet make the research fun and educational for the students.
At Metcalf Laboratory School, the librarian, with the interested teachers, hunted for guest speakers. They are truly wonderful to have and they are the most inexpensive reference tool. The program "Coming to America" brought in foreign-born speakers who can interact face-to-face and share their culture through artifacts, language, music, slides, pictures, art, and costumes. The cooking samples were very popular for they enlivened that particular culture and made the lesson a memorable experience for all participants such as faculty, staff, visitors, and most of all the students.
The librarian ties in classroom themes with the research library skills. Guest speakers were selected and invited to present to the students in different grades according to the needs of their present curriculum. The news and the sports reporters of the local newspaper in town were invited to expose the students to the role of the newspaper in the field of education. Using the newspaper as a reference tool encourages the reluctant readers into reading materials that interest them such as sports, movie times, comics, etc. The weather announcer from the television station presented to the students detection of weather disasters, a unit in their social studies program. The Sheriff of the county was invited to speak on "Safety and Community Awareness", a very appropriate subject to be discussed and researched in the library. The faculty and students were very excited to hear Mr. George Ryan, the Illinois State Librarian and state secretary, discussing reading and the importance of education.
The librarian also invited a mystery author, Beverly Van Hook of the "Supergranny" mystery series, to work with grades four and five on "Clues to good writing." We could get this author with a modest honorarium. Both librarian and teachers involved agreed it was a wonderful idea to expose the children and work with a real author.
In conclusion, all educators agree that no teacher, no matter how dedicated, can be expected to know everything about ALL topics discussed in the classrooms. Teachers felt that inviting guest speakers who are experts in their fields would provide not only a multicultural perspective, but would increase the students' general knowledge and eagerness to learn. Lucky is the school that is able to utilize such talented speakers because guest speakers are truly our favorite inexpensive reference tool.
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Practice: Illinois State University Laboratory School Journal