To conclude

After hunting for resources to incorporate into my assignment and reflecting on the process, I have come to the conclusion that there is so much more to learn. If I put myself in the shoes of my students I can see that there needs to be a range of IBL models available to them as they all work so differently to gather information. My Year 8 Cultural Studies class consisting almost entirely of students with learning difficulties are very much in need of a guided inquiry model. If they had been left without scaffolding they would have languished about in Kuhlthau's "exploration" phase feeling "confused, frustrated and in doubt". Just like my students, I too felt frustrated in this phase as I couldn't always find articles linked to IBL and cultural studies. I did, however, connect most with the ISP model as it is linear (I like logical progression) and it confirmed that most people feel the same way during the research process.

I particulary liked the range of models available as images on Google Images. This site took me to links on a range of other documents that I hadn't found on Google Scholar or in data bases such as Eric and Proquest and confirmed for me that sometimes the simple search methods are just as productive as the complex ones.

Am I a skilled researcher now? No...far from it. If anything, this task has highlighted how poorly I used to search for information. I now know so much more but I'm not sure if it is still enough! If I use Kuhthau's ISP model again I can see that I do have "increased awareness" but my "sense of accomplishment" is not as satisfying as I had hoped, particularly when I compare it to other amazing blogs that have been reviewed during tutorial sessions.

What has impacted on my learning the most and what is not explored or documented in any model is the pressure of TIME. Having started late due to family issues, I can see how rushing through the initial steps of any IBL model can have a huge impact on the final outcome. As teachers, we are aware that our students come to us with 'baggage' and many of them miss a lot of school due to unforseen circumstances. Despite their absence, they are still required to submit assignments to meet QSA guidelines, particularly in the senior school. I believe that all models fail to acknowledge the time frame required to complete a task well enough for the frequently absent student. Sure, they progress through the stages or as I've observed, but they will also skip the early phases and progress to collection or assimilation phases without a clear focus. This just emphasises the importance of having skilled educators who can identify the stages required in a research task and redirect students back to missed step in order for them to reach 'deep learning'.

During this process I kept returning to thoughts of my travels. The trip to Vietnam and Cambodia sparked the unit on Cultural Studies and the need for this group of students to learn something about other cultures. An IBL task has shown them how to research, they are capable of finding facts and can manipulate new information into an "artefact" but do they have an appreciation of the culture? Perhaps they need to travel to experience this authentically.

I know that I was overwhelmed by the history of Cambodia when I saw the 12th Century library nestled on the dusty plane of the Angkor Wat palace. Did inquiry-based learning take place within the stone walls of this building? What questions were asked of the 'librarian' who tended the palace resources? I'll never know what exactly went on in that learning space but I do know that man's quest for knowledge is infinite and asking questions is the only way to come to a deeper understanding of our world.

12th Century Library at Angkor Wat Palace, Cambodia

Reflection Sheet 3

1. Take some time to think about your topic.

Inquiry Based Learning and Information Literacy. These 2 areas are much more complex than I originally thought. My narrow view of these topics has expanded exponentially and I now realise that I will never fully understand the nature of these beasts as they are constantly evolving and changing with the times.

Now write down what you know about it.

IBL and IL are processes that require students to "construct" and understand knowledge in order to become skilled shapers of their own learning. When these processes engage the learner in reflective practice and ask them to evaluate the learning process then students move into the more comples phase of higher order thinking. Knowledge constructed in this phase is more purposeful and meaningful.

2. How interseted are you in this topic?

A great deal.

3. How much do you know about this topic?

Not nearly as much as there is to learn about this topic!! I know that in th e past i have underestimated the power of IBL in the classroom. It has always been a part of my planning as I teach SOSE and Senior Geography but syllabus requirements have meant that assessment has driven the type of learning in my classroom and my pedagogical practice has reflected this. I have catered for different learning styles and ensured that the Dimensions of Learning and Habits of Mind are addressed but my focus has not always been on IBL and IL.

4. Thinking back on your research, what did you find easy to do?

I found it easy to find general information about inquiry based learning and information literarcy. Models that clearly identified the research process were easy to find. It was also easy to reflect on my emotions during the process. I find that the house is spotless, the washing done, the cupboard is well stocked and the clothes are all folded and put away when I have marking or assignments to work on due to the ease in which I fall into my PROCRASTINATION phase!

5. Thinking back on your research project, what did you generally find difficult to do?

I find it difficult to maintain momentum. I am easily sided-tracked by other interesting bits of information that I find and lose the focus of my original ideas. When I first began the process I was motivated, and like my students, had high expectations for my assignment. After being swamped with too much information I began to doubt that I was on the right track.

Google Scholar

Using Google Scholar led me to numerous dead ends as most articles focused on scientific inquiry methods. Nevertheless, I explored a few articles and found the table in the article below quite helpful in its explanation of inquiry as an"evolutionary" process. Located in the Electronic Journal of Science Education, this article, written by Ronald J Bonstetter explored the process of moving away from teacher directed experimentation to student directed activities. He used a table to clearly identify the movement across arange of tasks/ steps.

The full text can be found at

http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/jcannon/ejse/bonnstetter.html

Google Scholar did lead me to some other papers and articles that were interesting but lengthy. I'm finding the reading of each promising article takes up so much time - even just viewing the abstracts. I can see why it takes years to complete a doctorate! Even exploring Google has uncovered some fantastic features I didn't even know about - these features are sure to interest young learners. I combed over the features of Google Squared and Google Sketch Up. These to additions to Google move beyond a linear search for information and into the more artistic and visual search and create options.

Here's what Google squared shows you.

Each square links you to related resoures in a similar fashion to Scholar but the links are visual. Some more promising articles were uncovered using this tool.

Google Sketch Up is not an information search tool but an application that can be used by students to create artefacts. In terms of my class, the students can use Sketch Up to create villages or communities within the culture they are researching. Not sure if we will have the time but once they know about it I'm sure they'll try it out at some stage.

Reflection Sheet 2

1. Take some time to think about your topic.

Inquiry Based Learning and Information Literacy.
Now write down what you know about it.

IBL has multiple forms and models that can be modified to suit an educator. Information literacy is not automatically linked to inquiry-based learning as it needs to be modelled and taught explicitly in some cases. Inquiry-based learning becomes most powerful when students are able to build or create "artefacts" that are linked to or are a result of the construction of knowledge.

2. How interseted are you in this topic?
A great deal.

3. How much do you know about this topic?

I now have a better understanding of the models associated with inquiry-based learning. Kuhlthau's model with 7 stages that highlight the emotional involvement withthe research process has clarified the research process for me. Other interseting models include -  the Big 6, action learning, problem-based learning and much more...

4.When you do research, what do you generally find easy to do?

I now find it easier to find more relevant information as I have now learnt to use other "expert tools". Since starting this unit I have learnt more about boolean phrases, wonderwheels and timelines. I have learnt how to bookmark (still working through Delicious) and capture screen images of the information I am searching for. I have also learnt how to create a blog to track the research process. Even finding programs that are compatible with the programs I am working with is now much easier to do.

5. When you research, what do you generally find difficult to do?


I still find the most difficult element in the research process is my lack of knowledge with specific tools and techniques. I spent hours researching techniques required to simply upload an image onto the blog. Living in regional Queensland is also frustrating at times as the internet at home is often unreliable and keeps dropping out!!

Eric data base and ProQuest

Using  EBSCO host and the ERIC data base was not as productive as I had hoped. After typing in inquiry-based learning AND projects AND social studies I was able to view the abstracts of 5 articles that were relevant to my topic - 2 were more suitable than the rest.

Alisa Bates' 'Learning to Design Webquests: An Exploration in Preservice Social Studies Education' was helpful but didn't really offer any theoretical explanations. I moved on to the second article only to find that there was no electronic copy available!! Frustrated, I went back to more trusted sources such as ProQuest.

Here I found an article an American article that discussed the use of technology in the classroom and specificaly the use of wikis.

Collaborative Learning the Wiki Way

Mary E Engstrom, Dusty Jewett. TechTrends. Washington: Nov/Dec 2005. Vol. 49, Iss. 6; pg. 12, 5 pgs.

The article highlighted the nature of the 21st Century learner and their preference for using technology to complete a research task. This was helpful as I intend to use technology with my Cultural Studies class. although they won't be constructing a wiki, they will be using Word or Publisher to construct a tourist information sheet. This information sheet will then be used by the rest of the class to decide which country they would like to visit. I have learned through my readings that I should be calling the assessment piece an "artefact" - it sounds so much more exciting!!

I am finding that my research is rather messy now - jumps all over the place depending on which link I click on. I think this model below reflects the messy nature of research. I prefer the neat and orderly. This one which I found in Google, follows the cyclic model displayed in Callison's Blue book on information age inquiry, instruction and literacy. The spiral in this diagram effectively highlights the important process of questioning and how new questions lead to new theories and the need for more research. Much like this model and Callison's, I'm finding that the questions are important for the refining process.If I find a dead then I ask myself what other combinations of search terms can I use to find relevant articles?

Using Boolify.org

My ever helpful TL and fellow Nexus Learners suggested boolify.org, so I had a go at this search tool.

I really enjoyed playing with this search tool and imagine that the junior secondary grades would find it helpful. The interactive nature of the program and the use of bright colours are attractive features. I will endeavour to use this with my Year 8 Cultural Studies class and the information-learning activity!

www.boolify.org 

This will be another show and tell for the next staff meeting!!

Using better search processes

Searching with Boolean operators and using Wonderwheel narrowed the search to just under 3 million items but also uncovered more relevant articles linked to the topic of inquiry-based learning in a social studies/science context. I typed in a combination of search phrases - 

• inquiry-based learning AND models. 
• Inquiry-based learning AND cultural studies NOT science, 
• guided inquiry AND social science, 
• I swaped   the 'i' for an 'e' to see if that made much difference (it didn't)
• i clicked on the wonderwheel button and surfed through many more articles that popped out on the mind map

On the whole, I spent several hours clicking through articles, saving some to my computer to read in full later or summarising key ideas on paper.      

A site called Project Based Learning Space by Haughton Mifflin presented a number of ideas about engaging students with the process and claims that "Projects can thus serve as bridges between phenomena in the classroom and real-life experiences. Questions and answers that arise in daily enterprise are given value and are proven open to systematic inquiry.

• Project-based education requires active engagement of students' effort over an extended period of time.
• Project-based learning also promotes links among subject matter disciplines and presents an expanded, rather than narrow, view of subject matter.
• Projects are adaptable to different types of learners and learning situations (Blumenfeld et al., 1991)."
 

The site also emphasized for me the importance of students being able to generate "artefacts " in their development of knowledge."Students' freedom to generate artifacts is critical, because it is through this process of generation that students construct their own knowledge. Because artifacts are concrete and explicit (e.g., a model, report, consequential task, videotape, or film) they can be shared and critiqued. This allows others to provide feedback, makes the activity authentic, and permits learners to reflect on and extend their knowledge and revise their artifacts."

  http://college.cengage.com/education/pbl/background.html#Students

Further searching uncovered another useful site that summarised a number inquiry models. This site looked promising!!

http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/models.htm

Gathering information for the both the project and the report became overwhelming at this stage. I was clearly moving through Kuhltau's stages at a rapid pace and found myself bogged down in the "selection" phase even though I was still "exploring".  I needed to move away from the computer and into the library where I could touch real things!!

I spoke to our dedicated TL who referred me to some wonderful resources. She, of course, a most valuable resource herself! I also came back to the CMD list and read through each article.

 

Liz the librarian!!

After a lengthy break I returned to the internet and began searching again. Using Google Images to hunt for models turned up some wonderful resources. One such gem was the model below.

I liked the personal reflective steps identified by the model. The list of reflective questions at each stage are useful for clarify the search process and were just what I needed to keep me on task. As I hadn't found specific information on cultural studies I shifted my focus back to inquiry-based learning in general as I felt the content and the context were not as important as the process the students would be working through.

Sources for this compilation

Branch, Jennifer, and Dianne Oberg. "Focus on Inquiry." IASL. 2005. 6 May 2007 <http://education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf>.
Murdoch, Kath. Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Armadale, Vic: Eleanor Curtain Pub, 1998.
Stripling, Barbara K. "Inquiry-Based Learning." In Curriculum Connections through the Library, ed. Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell,
3-39. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.

A link on this page took me to the Kentucky Library which contained another excellent poster for the inquiry process:-

http://www.kyvl.org/kids/homebase.html

This poster is colourful and eye-catching and lower secondary (as well as the visual upper school learners) will find it useful for tracking the stages of the research process. This is one of many American products that I have found in my search for Inquiry Based Learning information and highlights for me that progress that American libraries and schools have made in this field of education. I saved it to my computer and used it in class. The students loved the colour and the interactive nature of the website. They could click on each phase and identify with the questions being posed. I think this really helped them think about their task.