Meaningful Learning Through Inquiry:The Lights Come On

Dr Ross J ToddCenter for International Scholarship in School Libraries

Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyNew Brunswick NJ USArtodd@scils.rutgers.edu

www.cissl.scils.rutgers.edu

An age is called "dark," not because the light fails to shine but because people refuse to see it.  ~James Michener

Learning through School Libraries

Melbourne, Australia

Bogota, Colombia

Port of Spain, Trinidad

Malmo, Lund Sweden London, England

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Eupen, Belgium

Istanbul, Turkey

How do we build meaningful learning experiences through the school library?

Respond innovatively to needs of learnersCommitment to all children developing strong learning foundationsIncrease intellectual engagement and relevance Equipping students with the skills and knowledges—cognitive and cultural, social and linguistic—that have power and salience in the world - living, workingCulture of high expectations for optimal student learning outcomes, supported by teachers’ continuous professional developmentShared understanding of the theory and practice of curriculum, pedagogy and communityWork collaboratively in teams across learning areas and develop strong links with their communities

Education: Key Challenges

Possibilities Founded on Evidence-Based Education

Developing educational practice on research-based interventions

Students encouraged to value excellence, innovation, inquiry, and curiosity, by thinking critically, creatively, and reflectively

Students encouraged to value diversity, equity, community and participation, integrity, and respect

Focus on developing knowledge, attitudes, and values in ways that lead to action

Learning in the School Library

Students actively engage with diverse and often conflicting sources of information and ideas to

discover new ones, to build new understandings, and to develop personal

viewpoints and perspectives.

KNOWLEDGE OUTCOME--------------------------------------------------------------

It is underpinned by stimulating encounters with information – encounters which capture their

interest and attention, and which motivate and direct their ongoing inquiry.

INFORMATION FOUNDATION

USA Standards for the 21st Century Learner

The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to:inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge; draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge; share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society; pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

Student Centered – Teacher Directed

Carefully planned, directed, targeted intervention(s) of an instructional team of teacher librarians and teachers to guide students through curriculum based units that gradually lead towards personal deep knowledge and understanding.

Constuctivist approach to learning: staged, guided

Develops students’ competence with learning from a variety of sources; goal is deep knowledge

Students not abandoned in the research process

Focus on deep learning, competence, mastery, and self empowerment

Two Concerns

Pervasive use of simplistic models of information literacy – in an educational environment that is increasingly focusing on evidence-based education

Strong educational movement on the use of research-based instructional models and research-based instructional interventions

Project based learning through the school library, rather than authentic learning tasks that focus on the development of deep knowledge

Information Search Process

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. 2nd edition. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

1. Qualitative exploration of search process of high school seniors (1983)

2. Qualitative study of original sample after 4 years of college (1988)

3. Longitudinal study (1988)4. Qualitative and quantitative study

of high, middle and low achieving high school seniors (1989)

5. Validation Study: 385 academic, public, and school library users in 21 sites (1989)

  

Tasks       Initiation       Selection   Exploration   Formulation   Collection   Presentation----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→Feelings uncertainly optimism confusion clarity sense of satisfaction or(affective) frustration direction/ disappointment

doubt confidence

Thoughts vague-------------------------------------→focused(cognitive) -----------------------------------------------→

increased interest

Actions seeking relevant information----------------------------→seeking pertinent information(physical) exploring documenting

Information-to-Knowledge Journey

Zone of Intervention: the critical point / need for instruction

Instructional Interventions

The stages of the knowledge building process, and the affective, cognitive and behavioral needs of learners determine the instructional interventions – move away beyond the fixed scope-and-sequence approach to implementing discrete lists of information skills

Interventions are much more diverse than the standard information literacy interventions

Instructional Interventions

Initiation: Building engagement; developing curiosity and motivation; dealing with mostly negative emotions ; task organization, time, process and effort management; know when, where, and how to get help and guidance ; understanding knowledge requirements of task; establishing existing / prior knowledge

Selection / Exploration: choosing and justifying broad topics; building background knowledge; selecting appropriate sources to build background knowledge; Encountering multiple viewpoints and perspectives; dealing with conflicting knowledge;

Focus / Formulation: Developing the focus question(s) and formulating personal knowledge outcomes; constructing the abstract / knowledge plan / statement of intention of the inquiry; planning the structure of the inquiry

Instructional Interventions

Collection: selecting pertinent, complex information matched to specific focus; Collecting and engaging with data from disciplinary specific modes of inquiry: interviews, surveys, experiments, observation, journaling; transforming other people’s ideas into personal knowledge; use of a variety of analytical methods; forming evidence-based opinions / viewpoints; developing conclusions & positions; posit actions, implications and solutions; reflect on these in terms of original knowing

Presentation: Representation of new knowledge in meaningful ways; understanding how to construct meaningful textual, visual, graphical representations, Structuring ideas into a coherent, integrated body of knowledge; using ICT tools to construct appropriate representations of new knowledge; using ICT tools, techniques and critical thinking skills to communicate new knowledge in appropriate ways – appropriate to the discipline

The Knowledge Dilemma

CRITICAL THINKING AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS: META-COGNITIVE

Chronological order/stagesPro’s/con’sMain ideas/supporting evidenceCauses/effectsSimilarities/differencesProcedures/stepsProblems/solutionsRelationships (human/spatial)Themes / PatternsPerspectivesBest-worst / Most-leastDefining characteristicsHow it works

represent/display data?

classify/categorize?

generalize?

find exceptions?

predict what is next?

imagine what if...?

determine what’s wrong?

HOW CAN I...LOOK FOR...

Project VS Authentic Learning Task

PROJECT

Choose a country from the list provided and research how a tsunami affected that country. Include physical, geographical and economic effects. Use note cards to record information and sources. Write a 2-3 page paper using at least 4 sources, including two sources from the WWW.

The Learning Dilemma

Project VS Authentic Learning Task

AUTHENTIC LEARNING TASK

You are a member of a team of relief workers to help victims of a tsunami. Your job is to help plan the govern-ment’s recovery program. Read descriptions, interviews, and personal accounts of tsunami victims on the Internet. From these accounts, determine how the tsunami affected physical, geographical, and economic conditions of people. Use current sources to find information and data on recovery efforts.Create graphic organizers (including charts, graphs) that document your findings. Write an executive brief to your government agency that explains and justifies relief measures you recommend and sets priorities for action. Use citation; create a reference list of sources used

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Hall of Fame Research “Greatness”

Where/when born, died, livedEducation/Jobs/CareerChallenges overcomeQualities that led to greatnessAwards/Commendations Political offices heldBest remembered for whatConnection to NJ

Critical thinking and Deep Knowledge?

Walt Whitman (Camden) Considered by many to be the most influential poet in U.S. history

This week I achieved unprecedented levels of

unverifiable productivity

~Dilbert

Lonely, Nervous, Brave, Determined, SassyDaughter of parents who filled their house with musicMusic must have filled her loneliness when her father diedMoved to New York for a better life.Who loved the night magic of Harlem, Who loved the celebrities and begging for autographs with her friendsWho really loved singing and scatting Who loved her Aunt that took care of her as a child.Who felt loss, when her mother died Who felt anger when she was put in an orphanageWho felt trapped in those walls but they couldn’t keep her down because she felt the pull of her song and the night magic of Harlem.Who felt nervous and fear at auditionsWho feared not being able to sing because she had no one to care for her Who feared dying from diabetes and possibly going blind, Who feared whom she would pass her singing crown down toWho wanted to see someone take over her singing crownWho would have liked to have spent more time with her late parentsWho wanted to work with the best bandsWho changed the world of jazz and swingWho was very proud of her awards and achievementsShe was “The First Lady Of Song”; she was “Sassy” and a Legend of JazzBorn in Virginia, grew up in New York, adopted by the world.Ella was greatFitzgerald

Ella

SLAV Pilot Project Goals

To understand the dynamics of developing and implementing collaborative Guided Inquiry units, based on the Information Search Process model: learning, instructional, collaborative

To track and understand how students build on their existing knowledge of a curriculum topic and how their knowledge of a topic changes in the context of a collaborative guided inquiry unit;

To examine the transformation and integration of found information into existing knowledge, and the creation of new personal knowing

To use some school-based tools for measuring and charting knowledge development

Evidence-based Practice

Measuring Knowledgein a School Setting

Use of verbal, visual and written protocols such as essays, projects, exams, presentations and knowledge objects.

Amount and nature of knowledge of a topic is determined primarily in classroom settings by subject experts (teachers) who match the nature of ideas to some expected target or expert conception (typically curriculum content requirements), and within a prescribed boundary (eg word / page count)

Little measurement of change of knowledge in terms of initial existing knowledge

Little understanding of how library-based learning impacts on knowledge development

Gaps in our Understanding

Mapping the actual knowledge output as students progress through the stages of a library-based research task has been given limited attention.

Need to develop more accurate techniques for representing and measuring conceptual structures and how they change

Building Knowledge

The Information-to-Knowledge Problem

Schools Context & Sample

5 Victoria state schools

Experienced and expert teacher librarians

Diverse school communities

5 teacher librarians working on curriculum projects with classroom teachers

Students in range of disciplines

Guided Inquiry training: July 2007 overview and critique of units, use of data collection instruments, procedures and ethical guidelines

Measuring Students’ Change in Knowledge

Substance of Knowledge: content of relational statements

Structure of Knowledge: the way ideas are organized

Amount of Knowledge: Quantity of relational statements recorded

Extent of Knowledge: Personal assessment of extent of knowledge

Title of Knowledge: How do the students’ titles given to their topics change as they undertake guided inquiry project?

Data Collection Instruments

Key data collection instruments used to collect the data from the students:

1. Writing Task 1 (at initiation of inquiry unit)2. Writing Task 2 (at midpoint of inquiry unit) 3. Writing Task 3 (at conclusion of inquiry unit)

The instruments consisted of a combination of qualitative and quantitative questions.

Writing Tasks

Writing task 1 and 2 consisted of the following questions

1. Write the title that best describes your research project at this time.

2. Take some time to think about your research topic. Now write down what you know about this topic.

3. What interests you about this topic?4. How much do you know about this topic? Check () one box

that best matches how much you know. Nothing, Not much, Some, Quite a bit and A great deal

5. Write down what you think is EASY about researching your topic.

6. Write down what you think is DIFFICULT about researching your topic.

7. Write down how you are FEELING now about your project. Check () only the boxes that apply to you. Confident, Disappointed, Relieved, Frustrated, Confused, Optimistic, Uncertain, Satisfied, Anxious or Other.

Additional Questions at Writing Task 3

1. What did you learn in doing this research project? (This might be about your topic, or new things you can do, or learn about yourself)

2. How did the TEACHER LIBRARIAN help you?

3. How did the TEACHER help you?

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

Substance of knowledge

Classification of Statements: based on nature of relationships between concepts

Graesser & Clark (1985) Structures and procedures of implicit knowledge. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex.

Properties: statements describing characteristicsManner: statements describing processes, styles,

actionsReason: statements of explanations of how and whyOutcome: statements providing end resultCausality: statements showing some event causally

leads to anotherSet Membership: statements about class inclusionImplication: statements showing predictive relations,

inference, implied meaningValue judgment: statements presenting personal position or viewpoint

Classification of Statements

Properties: The color of Valentine’s day is redManner: People drive aggressively in USAReason: The wall was constructed to block invadersOutcome: (People eat too much) As a result, people

got very sick Causality: Too much alcohol can lead to liver failureSet Membership: Michelangelo created works such as statue of David, Sistine Chapel and the famous PietaImplication: He was suspected of poisoning himValue judgment: That’s not right

FACTS: property, manner, set membershipEXPLANATION AND RESULTS: Reason, outcome, causalitySYNTHESIS: conclusions, positions, viewpoints

Structure of Knowledge

Ideas are discrete and unrelated.

Some limited structure evident –meaning more than one instantiation- some ideas are joined or linked (grouped) while others are discrete or unrelated.

Contiguous ideas are associated; set of ideas may be somewhat continuous.

Overall, ideas are interrelated and continuous.

Ideas are integrated and unified; there is structural centrality, and overall unification.

PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE: Initiation

Lists of unrelated statements, and generalities, language associations

Statements were primarily property (is a), manner (describe how something happens)

Low number of statements

Random representation: unstructured, no clear sequence or organization; guess work “I think that…”, or at best chronological / historical

Some indication of inaccuracy / misrepresentation

Acknowledge that students knew very little

Motivated to learn: personal experiences/ connections, intriguing facts about topic, curiosity, recommendation

PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF KNOWLEDGEMidpoint – Focus Formulation

Dramatic increase in number of propositional statements

Focus on Properties: describes characteristics; Manner: describe processes, styles, actions; Reason: explanations of how and why

Some evidence of organizational structure of ideas; some attempt to develop conceptual groupings

Cognitive intents: From initiation to formulation : getting a bigger picture (building background) getting a changed picture (correcting misinformation); getting a clearer picture

PATTERNS IN CHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE: Conclusion

Clear and precise listing of properties, manner and increasing use of set membership

Final representations also stronger on reasons, outcomes, causality, implications, predictive, reflective (increased complexity)

Dramatic increase in number of statements

Some students showing decrease in number of statements: reflect higher levels of synthesis

Higher levels of structural centrality and conceptual coherence -ie. overall integrated and interlinked structure, yet subgroups of ideas

Reflective, comparative, positional: personal ownership

INTELLECTUAL QUALITY

Higher order thinking: Movement from description to explanation and reflection Evident in increased specificity of topic focus Deep understanding: Evident in extent of recall and in the types of causal and predictive relationships portrayed Substantive conversation: Valuing of dialogue between teacher, teacher librarian and students; fluency in written statementsKnowledge as problematic: In some cases, students identified dealing with dealing with factual conflict or conflicting viewpoints and formulating their own (choice of topic); also evident in constructing arguments that show a basis for the claims they were makingMeta-language: Use of language specific to the topic domain: not just provision of terms, but clarity of understanding these termsIncreasing complexity of the language used to describe their knowledge, and the ordering of this knowledge into conceptually coherent units

The Emotional Rollercoaster

Very distinctive ebb and flow of emotions following the demands of the research process

Initial feelings: varied from a state confidence to slight hesitation/uncertainty

Increase in optimism and confidence as they identify a general topic and begin to investigate sources for relevant information

As in-depth investigations begin, students report a decline in confidence, and an increase in feelings of frustration and uncertainty

Some frustration with sources and deadlines and achieving focus

Increase in negative emotions—often reported here as stress, anxiety, and pressure—just as the deadlines approach

End of task / Submission: relief, confidence (because of level of research done); acknowledge that it was “hard work” but worthwhile

Enablers of Learning

Instructional intervention: providing the intellectual scaffolds for connecting with, interacting with and utilizing information

3 kinds of scaffolds valued by students: Reception Scaffolds: assist learners in garnering information from the diverse sources; direct the learner's attention to what is important, and to help them organize and record what they perceive. (Perceive structure in information)

Transformation Scaffolds: assist learners in transforming the information they've received into some other form. This involves imposing structure on information

Production Scaffolds: assist learners in actually producing something observable that conveys the complexity and richness of what they have learned.

Guided inquiry: not abandonmentModeling the process and Feedback

Core Values

Community

Creativity

Collaboration

Communication

A LIGHT TO THIS WORLD