Selection: We have a topic!!

This week, the Year 6/7 teacher and myself set about collaborating on a topic for Inquiry for our Information Learning Activity.Through this process, we found ourselves deep in Dewey's phases of Reflective Thinking, which provides the foundation for Inquiry Learning.(Dewey 1933, in Kuhlthau et al, 2007)
 In the first phase, called suggestion, we bandied about ideas and suggestions, confusing ourselves and creating a sense of doubt in the process, as a valid activity for inquiry based learning.  We then moved onto the second phase, called intellectualization, which involved posing a question as a possible overarching 'essential' question and then looking at possible solutions and pathways to inquiry within it.  Although this took most of our planning time, it was a helpful and productive process as it led us to the third phase. In this phase, we were able to form a Guiding Idea which was in the form of an essential question. With this set, we will be able to  move onto the fourth and fifth phases, in which this guiding idea will become more precise as the students familiarise themselves with a wider range of information (Kuhlthau et al, 2007) in the inquiry process.
Harada and Yoshina (2004) discuss what the Inquiry Based school looks like. As part of our planning session, the teacher and I investigated the list below as regards what skills we would see as imperative in our ILA, for Inquiry to be undertaken. We would  hence expect to see the students:

• refining their research questions
• using primary sources
• retrieving information that saisfies their needs
• generating more questions
• seeking additional resources
• determining the usefulness and accuracy of the information
• putting information together in a meaningful and effective way (Harada & Yoshina, 2004)

In demonstrating these skills, the characteristics of an inquiry based learning environment begin to emerge. We discussed these in regards to a set of criteria that we  want to keep revisiting to make sure that inquiry is indeed taking place. These are taken from Harada and Yoshina's book,  
Inquiry learning through librarian-teacher partnerships and include:

• Questioning being at the centre of the learning experience
• Students helping to negotiate the learning
• Learning is social and interactive
• Solving problems is an integral part of the process
• Students learn by doing
• Products and performances reflect application and transfer of learning
• Learning is authentic
• Assessment is continuous        (Harada & Yoshina, 2004)

This process took a long time in our planning session...the best part of a day!  I came away from the session with a sense of optimism, that we had finalised a topic. In line with Kuhlthau's Selection stage of the Information Search Process, I am however feeling anxious at the amount of work ahead both in the ILA and with the search ahead for me within my topic. (Kuhlthau et al, 2007)
We now have a topic for the information learning activity, and I can begin the Exploration stage of Kuhlthau's Information Search Process. I feel very apprehensive, and not all confident..not having dealt with databases and search engines other than Google and Google Scholar. But I guess that is a starting point in itself???

Harada, Violet and Yoshina, Joan. (2004). Chapter 1 : Identifying the inquiry-based school in Harada, Violet and Yoshina, Joan, Inquiry learning through librarian-teacher partnerships, Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, pp.1-10.

Kuhlthau, Carol C. ; Maniotes, Leslie K. & Caspari, Ann K. (2007). Chapter 2: The Theory and Research Basis for Guided Inquiry in Kuhlthau, Carol C. ; Maniotes, Leslie K. & Caspari, Ann K, Guided inquiry : learning in the 21st century, Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, pp.13-28.