Research-Based Instructional Strategies

School library media specialists have four primary responsibilities: teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. As instructional partners, school library media specialists collaborate in designing instruction and learning activities that "reflect the best in current research and practice." Researchers at the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) recently conducted meta-analyses that identified effective instructional strategies; classroom management strategies; and school leadership responsibilities. All were shown to have positive effects on student achievement. School library media specialists should be familiar with the findings of the first study, especially because these strategies can and should be interwoven into learning activities that the instructional partnership designs. As instructional partners, school library media specialists need to be just as familiar with these strategies as do teachers. This article discusses the nine strategies identified by the McREL researchers.