Environments filled with trust and collaboration

With the commencement of a second session of librarianship study I can’t help but think back to the areas of the library that have encouraged me to pursue this area of learning. I’ve thought about the idea that reading literary texts can encourage students or staff members to become more involved in accessing the library (either for personal enjoyment or to pursue new areas of learning); as well as delving into new learning environments, including new school environments, can be a daunting if you’re not familiar with how particular colleagues teach certain subject areas.

I have had the opportunity to work in different schools as part of my casual teaching experience (including working in some school libraries) and I always notice that staff that are able to collaborate and work together to create a more enjoyable work environment in comparison to teachers that just want to be an individual teacher. Having this trust and motivation to be open with one another (especially when someone has done something wrong) can create more opportunities for classes and teachers to participate in open ended learning activities. I really enjoyed watching the video by Bastow Institute (2015) this week as it highlighted some areas that I’ve already seen first hand, both in the school library and also in classrooms. The video encouraged staff to discover, admit, appreciate, evolve and align personal views to encourage everyone working in this learning environment to build trust and collaborate across different areas of the school community. I especially liked the idea of not only the Classroom Teacher (CT) but also the Teacher Librarian (TL) taking on more opportunities to work with colleagues and evolve how they work together in different areas of the school library and community.

I can’t wait to discover what other areas the TL can be involved in across the school environment and community when taking on leadership roles that encourage collaboration between one another.

Reference:

Bastow Institute. (2015, July 27). Building Trust and Collaboration – Tracey Ezard [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/kUkseAdKyek