Collaborate Domain and Competencies Interview with Nicole Ingram

    I interviewed Nicole Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024), Librarian at Camden Elementary School. I felt that she had done a great job in attempting to collaborate with her teachers in the building. From the “Think” domain she “[challenges] learners to work with others to broaden and deepen understanding, [scaffolds] enactment of learning-group roles to enable the development of new understandings within a group, and helps [organize] learner groups for decision-making and problem-solving” (National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries, 2018). From the “create” domain she, “[models] the use of a variety of communication tools and resources and [cultivates] networks that allow learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge” (National School Library Standards for Learners, school librarians, and school libraries, 2018). From the “share” domain, she “[demonstrates] how to solicit and respond to feedback from others, and [advocates] and [models] respect for diverse perspectives to guide the inquiry process” (National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and school libraries, 2018). Lastly, from the “grow” domain she “[stimulates] learners to actively contribute to group discussions, [creates] a learning environment in which learners understand that learning is a social responsibility” (National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and school libraries, 2018). 

    In implementing these competencies, Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) routinely collaborates with the technology coach, literacy coach, and math coach to implement programs and activities to support student inquiry within the context of the SCCCR learning standards. Camden Elementary School has an annual “One School, One Book” event that encourages engagement as a school community in one common book, as well as in shared activities for research, art, and entertainment. Camden Elementary students in grades third through fifth also participate in the Kershaw County district-wide Heritage Tea event, which gives an annual opportunity for students to work in small groups to research a notable African-American and create an artistic presentation on their research.

    Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) shared heavily about SC Discus. Camden Elementary School students rely on SC Discus for research efforts because it is student-friendly and rich in content. She also encourages students to use Canva, which is their favorite. Along with using SC Discus, she utilizes it during collaboration with teachers as much as she can. The Heritage Tea project is a significant collaboration with teachers. Teachers work together to meet the needs of their students throughout the process. She offers support through visits to the classroom for mini-lessons and co-teaching, as well as when classes visit the library on their assigned weekly visit. Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) also offers flexible support with media/technical services, printing services, specialized research help, and general problem-solving. Not all collaborations are annual endeavors. When Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) started as the librarian at Camden Elementary School, she learned that the MOID (students with moderate intellectual disabilities) class did not receive library services because they are self-contained. The previous librarian did not visit them. Their teacher was super receptive to partnering with Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) so that she could visit them every other week with a library lesson. Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) mentioned that these visits, in particular, were some of her favorite activities. The more she learned from the teacher about students' interests and abilities, the more creative she could create her“lessons” to be with story time, math activities, music and dancing, and crafts.

    One challenge Ingram (personal communication, April 8, 2024) shared that she faces when trying to implement these competencies is being on a fixed schedule. A fixed schedule presents a lot of limitations to the scope of what she can do. However, the more creative and innovative she challenges herself to be, the more opportunities she can find to collaborate for the benefit of the students.

    My reflection from this interview is that Nicole tries her best to implement the competencies; however, her time is limited due to her being on a fixed schedule. With staff shortages and a limited number of related arts teachers, school libraries have to be on a fixed schedule so that the entire school schedule can work for students. I got the sense from her that despite the challenges she faces, she always puts her students' needs first and gives them what they need to succeed. 

Reference

National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. (2018). ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.