Partnerships for learning

Communicative activities in educational partnerships

Scoala GimnazialaConstantin Negreanu

Prof. Palcu Letitia

Prof. Ciobanu Marioara

Partnership working is an important element in curriculum planning. The term partners

should be widely interpreted to include all those who can contribute to the delivery of the
experiences and outcomes and development of the four capacities. Local authorities and schools
need to create strong partnerships with a range of organizations to deliver a personalized learning
experience for every child and young person.
Importance of working in partnership

All staff share a responsibility for identifying the needs, including care and welfare needs,
of children and young people and working in partnership to put support in place to meet those
needs. Partnership working should be an important element when planning for learning and
assessment.

Engaging parents and families

Parents, careers and families are by far the most important influences in a child's life.
Their support can play a vital role at all stages of education. Parents who take on a supportive
role in their childrens learning make a difference in improving achievement and behaviour. The
active involvement of parents can help promote a learning community in which children and
young people can engage positively with practitioners and their peers. Practitioners can benefit
from developing positive partnerships with parents by involving them in all decisions affecting
their childrens education and learning. Engaging with parents gives them the chance to
understand the role that they play in their childrens learning and development and fosters
parental involvement. Parents are the first and on-going educators of their own children and
should receive information and support to help develop learning at home and in the community.
For school aged children, two kinds of parental behaviour were shown to have positive
associations with childrens school outcomes: home-school partnership and parental interest in
childrens academic activities. (See and Gorard 2015)

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 Here are some of the benefits of parental involvement in childrens learning.

For children and young people:

It is easier for children and young people to learn when they get encouragement at home.
They will attain and achieve more when their parents are involved.
Children and young people get access to more activities in and out of settings when there
are more adults to help.
Any concerns in the school environment can be addressed more easily when parents and
schools work together.
They are happy when their parents are enjoying events in the setting.

For parents:

Their children do better when they are involved.

They are better supported to help and encourage their children's learning and
development.
They have more information about their children's education.
Parents can support each other through peer mentoring which can have an impact on
reducing isolation and build their confidence and skills.
Parents get reassurance that their children are receiving a good education.

For settings:

Parents bring skills which can enhance childrens learning.

Parents contribute their time, so together parents and practitioners are able to do more
activities with children and young people than practitioners can do on their own.
Children and young peoples attainment and behaviour improve.
Parents have ideas about how the setting can best support their children.
Practitioners have people with whom they can talk over ideas and get help when
developing plans for the setting.
Parents can contribute to school improvement and an enhanced curriculum.

For the local authority:

The local authority can draw on the ideas and experience of parents to influence future
strategic developments.
The local authority can benefit from feedback provided by parents on how effective its
policies and education provisions are working in practice.
Local authorities can benefit from parental participation in implementing and reviewing
local policies.

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 Learning at home

Parents are the first and ongoing educators of their children and, as such, should receive
information and support to help develop their children's learning at home and in the community.
From the moment they are born, children begin to absorb information and make sense of their
world. As well as providing the basics for growth and development - food, comfort and security -
parents also provide stimulation through everyday activities, games, rhymes and language, that
help a child to learn. Many of these activities are part of everyday life preparing and eating
meals together, doing the washing, shopping, watching TV, visiting friends and family but for
young children they are opportunities for discovery and learning. 50% of the language adults
use, is in place by the time children are three years old, and 85% by the time they are five years
old. This statistic emphasizes the importance of parents and the home environment in supporting
childrens development. This usually happens naturally as part of family life. Parents want the
best for their children and do what they can to achieve this. However, once children start more
formal education its not always easy for parents to know how best to help their child. As
children grow older it is easy to forget the strong influence that the home and the community still
have on their learning and development, especially as children only spend 15% of their time in
school. It is the responsibility of staff in schools and early learning and childcare settings and
local authorities to ensure that parents are fully informed about how to support their childrens
learning at home. Early learning and childcare settings, schools, local authorities and community
learning and development organisations/groups can make links between what is being taught in
these settings and learning opportunities that exist at home and in the community.

Home-school partnerships

Effective home-school partnerships are essential to ensure that each child gets the most
out of their school and the education system. Schools, settings and practitioners should be open
to the involvement of parents in the work they do and should consider opportunities to encourage
meaningful involvement to engage with services and their childrens education.

The support of parents and families is needed to enable settings, schools and the community to
be ambitious, excellent and improve outcomes for children and young people. Establishing and
maintaining effective partnerships is key to ensuring children reach their full potential.
Partnership working and co-operation also allows any potential difficulties as well as
opportunities that may arise, to be identified at an early stage. Communities, schools and settings
must be open to the involvement of parents in the work they do. They should consider ways of
providing information that helps parents engage with their childrens education and the setting,
school or community.

Building parents confidence

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..we want our nations parents to feel confident in their ability to educate their children and
also to be reassured that help is available when they need it.

Not all parents find it easy to be involved in their childrens learning. Busy working lives,
challenging family circumstances, separation, culture, language and communication challenges
are only a few of the barriers that parents can face. Settings, schools and communities must do
their best to overcome barriers and take account of differing needs and circumstances to enable
all parents to support their childrens learning. Reaching out to parents, making them feel
welcome partners in their childrens learning, builds strong relationships and links between
educators and families.

Family learning and community links

Family learning is recognized as having significant benefits for parents and children of all
ages and can be delivered in a range of settings and by a variety of practitioners working in
partnership. Family Learning encourages family members to learn together as and within a
family, with a focus on inter-generational learning. Family learning activities can also be
specifically designed to enable parents to learn how to support their childrens learning. Family
learning is a powerful method of engagement and learning which can foster positive attitudes
towards life-long learning, promote socio-economic resilience and challenge educational
disadvantage. Family learning is recognized as having significant benefit for parents/careers and
children of all ages. It can be delivered in a range of settings including school, the outdoors, in
the local community and is delivered by practitioners from a variety of professional
backgrounds, often working in partnership. A strong partnership approach facilitates
sustainability and a more robust service for families. Trust is a key factor to families accessing
any provision. Working with partners who have already established trust and addressed barriers,
enables practitioners to work with families who have disengaged with the life of the setting.

Creating successful partnerships

It is important to work in partnership to 'get it right for every child'. All staff share a
responsibility for identifying the needs, including care and welfare needs, of children and young
people and working in partnership to put support in place to meet those needs. Partnership
working should be an important element when planning for learning and assessment. Learning
centres should make use of existing partnerships or reach out to other organizations and create
new partnerships that can contribute to the delivery of the curriculum and provide the
personalized learning needed for an individual. Establishments and partnerships have the
freedom to think imaginatively about how the experiences and outcomes might be organized and

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 planned for in creative ways which encourage deep, sustained learning and which meet the needs
of their children and young people.

Making partnerships a success

Schools and centres need to develop learning and assessment that allows access for all to
the learning described in the experiences and outcomes, allows progression for all and provides
different kinds of choice. A collaborative approach is needed to ensure progression within and
across levels, particularly at transition, and to enhance learning through regular professional
dialogue across partnerships, sharing knowledge, information, ideas and expertise. The
framework encourages more responsive and dynamic approaches, which include planning across
partnerships to improve outcomes for all children and young people

Collaborations and partnerships

'Collectively, teachers and specialists (including library staff) have been able to achieve better
results than if they had taught separately. By combining their creativity and expertise, they
have rediscovered the joy of teaching. Together, they have had more success reaching every
learner.' (Loertscher et al, 2008)

Collaboration as a continuum

There are many different types and levels of collaboration. By starting simply and
looking for collaborative opportunities, you can work towards being a regular partner in
collaborative projects. There is a continuum of collaboration. This ranges from providing
resources that supplement / complement a teachers instruction, to library staff and teachers
jointly designing, teaching and assessing units of work. It is important to include an ongoing
cycle of continuous improvement in the collaboration process. Review learning outcomes based
on sound evidence and modify the collaborative process as required.

Collaborations and Learning Commons

A school library that is a Learning Commons - a physical and virtual environment where
students, library staff and teachers work and learn together - is a great environment for
collaboration. A Learning Commons is designed to encourage cross-curricular participation,
promote curiosity and support inquiry teaching and learning. As the schools central information
hub, the Library / Learning Commons provides services, resources, and technology for its
learning community so that learning takes place anywhere, any time. Technology gives us greater

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flexibility in our collaborative work. Instructional activities developed collaboratively do not
need to take place in the same physical space or at the same time. A shared vocabulary is
important and helps collaborating staff to reinforce student learning more effectively by using
terminology that is understood by all.

Opportunities and scope for collaboration

Collaborations include:

working together on specific learning outcomes for students

working towards a common goal with a shared vision and shared objectives
jointly planning, teaching, reflecting and reviewing
gathering, analyzing and reporting combined evidence of student learning outcomes
collectively assessing student work

Library staff and teachers collaborate to:

boost student achievement by sharing knowledge, expertise and resources

add an extra dimension to student learning by co-creating opportunities to build deeper
knowledge and understanding
model the development of personal learning networks
experience the benefits of teamwork, shared responsibilities, exchange of ideas and be
able to model these to students
actively participate in a professional learning community

Positive outcomes of successful collaborations

Students are set up for success when:

authentic learning becomes more vibrant, relevant and meaningful through the
combined strengths and skills of collaborating partners
students with different learning styles benefit from having concepts presented in a variety
of ways by educators with different personalities and approaches to teaching
library staff help with individual needs and allow for greater interaction
their engagement and motivation for learning is increased through exposure to
information in a range of formats and diverse points of view when technology is integrated
into the research process
library services and programmes are aligned with classroom programmes
they practice skills and make connections between different content areas in an authentic
and relevant learning context.

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Teachers tap into a valuable resource when:

they are able to gain vital support from library staff with skills, resources, tools and
strategies to help share responsibilities and reinforce messages to students
synergy, innovation, inspiration and creativity increase through the sharing and exchange
of ideas from different perspectives with planning and teaching
they have targeted access to a time-saving link through the library to the most appropriate
print and online resources, strategies and new technologies
library staff assist them by connecting curriculum and content across all levels
library staff offer broad perspectives about students interests and their approach to
learning.

Library staff expertise and services are used fully when:

library staff grow a deeper professional understanding of the curriculum, what is

important to teachers and how best to support learning
the services of the library as a learning hub are promoted extensively with each
collaboration and are extended in depth and quality
library staff demonstrate leadership in the use of technology, information skills and
problem solving
opportunities arise for library staff to develop, extend and implement new skills in, for
example, instructional design, team teaching and assessment

the role and perception of the library staff as essential partners in the teaching team and
knowledgeable ally is strengthened. (Frazier)

Collaboration provides evidence of student achievement and staff collegiality when results show
that:

measurable outcomes of student achievement show an increase in levels of achievement,

helping to meet the schools goals and objectives
a culture of collaboration and collegiality develops among new and experienced staff
there is increased awareness of what the library and library staff can do to boost student
achievement and strengthen instructional programmes
library staff demonstrate their ability to take on leadership roles
professional learning and development becomes embedded in practice
library staff and teachers implement and model skills such as critical thinking and
problem solving
the student - teacher ratio is improved for instruction

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 student learning is maximised.

Ingredients for successful collaboration

Successful collaborations need:

library staff involvement in syndicate, departmental and full-staff meetings, especially

when curriculum, resources and units of study are planned.
scheduled planning time
evidence-based practice to inform decision-making and continuous improvement
library staff and teachers who are:
o enthusiastic about the benefits of collaboration
o adaptive - integrating appropriate technology to improve teaching and learning
o positive about change and sharing new ideas
o proactive
o effective communicators
o respectful and trusting of other styles of working, learning and teaching
supportive school leadership committed to collaborative teaching; building an inclusive
and collegial school culture
job descriptions
performance appraisals recognising the role of all library staff as collaborating partners
ongoing staff professional learning and development.

The role of school leaders

School leaders play a vital role in establishing and supporting collaborations and partnerships
when they:

provide vision and commitment, encourage and support collaboration in their learning
community
create an inclusive school culture with staff modeling collaboration to students
provide financial and administrative support of the school library and its staff
expect an evidence-based practice approach in library and other collaborations
include collaboration in library job descriptions
recognize the role of the library team as a collaborating partner in the school teaching and
learning environment
promote teacher - librarian collaboration
expect teaching staff to use library resources and library staff expertise
expect library staff to work collaboratively with teachers
ensure library staff receive relevant professional development
highlight / celebrate successful collaborations with the wider school community
include collaborative teaching in performance evaluations

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 advocate for the library.

Tips for building collaborative relationships

Initiate collaboration by offering help and ideas both informally and formally. Move from:
What can I do for you? to What can I do with you? Look for partners who are able to initiate
change, have skills, strengths and influence that are complementary to your own and and are
active users of the library. Other tips include:

Attend briefing / planning / curriculum meetings to listen, learn and share ideas.
Take small steps - a successful collaboration with one teacher can lead to others. Start
with a small collaboration and build up to major projects involving developed relationships
and commitments. See Senga Whites Collaborative Strategies, which include:
o conversational starters
o regular, day-to-day strategies
o big picture or political strategies.
Participate in teams / committees and become involved in decision making and school
planning.
Find opportune times to approach teachers, for example, when they take their class into
the library, make a library booking, over coffee or during lunch breaks. Or create
opportunities by developing short, fun library-based activities involving both students and
teachers.
Take advantage of any opportunity to share ideas face-to-face (staff briefings and
meetings) or online (email, blogs, wikis, intranet, learning management systems).
Make use of online collaborative tools such as wikis, Google Docs and Live binders to
share ideas and for planning in addition to meeting face-to-face.
Keep senior management apprised of plans, developments, successes and issues.
Invite staff to the library and share tools, resources and ideas for supporting learning and
multiple literacies. Follow up with offers to promote or demonstrate them to students.
Provide teachers with targeted information on the curriculum and their areas of interest
through a current awareness / selective dissemination service.
Suggest ways in which you can collaborate with key colleagues.
Seek opportunities to talk to staff during syndicate, departmental, whole staff and other
meetings: show new resources, technologies and programmes and offer the librarys spaces
and services.
Build involvement by asking teachers to discuss lesson plans, purpose of their library
visit and their resource needs when they book the library.
Find out what teachers and students need - ask them, conduct surveys, look at data from
tests, assessments, library management systems, observations - and use data to plan a
collaborative unit to meet their needs.

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Planning for, and sharing, success

For successful collaborations, planning is essential, for example:

work with teachers to define the learning outcomes for units or projects
carefully consider the ways that you / the library can support the intended outcomes
brainstorm ideas for activities, effective use of resources, building creative, critical
thinking skills
include assessment mechanisms for the library-led parts of the unit
evaluate the effectiveness of the learning outcomes
identify areas for improvement for the next jointly planned unit.

Share your success

Publicise effective collaborations and where relevant, display work arising from the
collaboration.
Collect evidence of your success and use this to promote and continuously improve your
practice.
Keep samples of planning and student work to show others.
Collaborative teaching models

Supportive instruction - one educator teaches the material while the other provides follow-up
activities / support.

Parallel instruction - a class is divided into two groups and each educator teaches a group. The
groups might swap over or regroup as a class to share ideas and reflect on their learning.

Differentiated split class - a class is divided into two groups, with each educator providing
instruction appropriate to the needs of their group.

Station / centre teaching - a class is divided multiple 'learning stations / centres' with each
educator working with a different group at any one time while some groups are working
independently.

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Team teaching - both educators are actively involved at all times in the same room but may
assume different roles during instruction.

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