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.