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Discussion #1

1. How is this inquiry-based learning course relevant to you?  
2. Based on the Module topics, what three topics are of the most interest to you and why?

 A teacher librarian wears many hats and needs to master many tools and skills to build a program that meets the needs of students and staff in 21st-century learning. One of my favourite descriptions of our important role comes from SD#5 (Southeast Kootenay)

     "Teacher Librarians are experts in information technologies, curators of library resources, teachers of information literacy skills, and promoters of life-long learning in students. They are also experts in integrating information technology into curriculum areas as mandated by the province, district and school.        (SD#5)"

citation

 I feel confident in many of the areas mentioned above. I have successfully created library programming around literature, research, stem, makerspace, and certain aspects of technology. Inquiry, however, is one area that I have not yet developed confidence around, and have not yet deeply explored. In order to understand and implement standards for 21st-century learning, Barbara Stripling discusses why teacher-librarians "need to have a clear conception of inquiry and its implications for teaching and learning through the library.” (2008) Inquiry-based learning is, therefore, relevant to me because it is the one area that I have not yet personally developed in my role as a teacher-librarian.

The most challenging part of inquiry for me (as I understand it presently on a minimal level) is deciding where to begin and how to help students delve deeper by developing and asking good questions. I once attended an inquiry Pro-d workshop and was super inspired by the session and eager to begin, but did not leave equipped well enough to begin on my own. I have tried what I will call, superficial inquiry lessons, with little success, mainly because they were not true inquiry lessons. I am now ready to dive into properly learning about inquiry. The four major hallmarks of inquiry, (2015) as explained by Kristin Fontichiaro, seem like an excellent place for me to start.

Based on the module topics, the three topics that interest me most at this point are:

1) Planning inquiry collaboratively (module 5). Many of my colleagues have not yet jumped into inquiry either. Some have looked to me as the person who can ‘do inquiry with their class.’ I need to develop a strong sense of what I can do to create meaningful inquiry learning opportunities, and I need to work hard to help classroom teachers see the value of working collaboratively with me in this area.

2) The discussion question in module 9 stood out to me immediately: Give an example of how you might use a provocation, scenario, or model (e.g. The Points of Inquiry...) as a frame for inquiry in your current or imagined K-12 context. I am currently working with two primary classroom teachers to collaboratively create story workshop units, and I am wondering if and how I can merge this with story workshop? “Book Bentos” is another theme that I will hopefully soon be working on, and inquiry may also be able to be weaved into these lessons. I have lots of questions and ideas around this, and I am eager to read and learn about this in the upcoming weeks.  

3) “What makes a good inquiry question?” is another area of focus for me. This is mentioned as a primary focus in module 10. I feel that after I read more about this I will be better able to wrap my head around the ‘where to start with inquiry’ questions that I have. This is also an important aspect for me as it is where I see my students initially stumbling and needing the most instruction and practice. 

 References

Fontichiaro, K. (2015). “What’s Inquiry? Well, I Know It When I See It.” School Library Monthly, 31(4), 49–51. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=101766385&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring Minds Want to Know. School Library Monthly, 25(1), 50–52.https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=502953623&site=ehost-live&scope=siteLinks to an external site.

SD#5 https://www.sd5.bc.ca/careeropportunities/teachers/Documents/Teacher%20Librarian.pdf