Information Literary versus Inquiry

[Ingrid Skirrow]

Hello International School IB librarians around the world,

I was sent this query ( abbreviated) and  thought it would be a good... ( apologies to all who have received it already in a different form) 

Discussion Item Starting point:-

I am trying to develop a IL programme at my school.  I have read many of the helpful documents you have written over the past few years, as well as Carol Kahlthau's work.

I've looked at a number of examples of ILs used at other schools, including Canada, Australia, the US, and ones developed by TL colleagues in Shanghai and Singapore.

 Our Secondary school has decided to adopt the Big 6 model, but I don't feel it, or the Super 3, are really the answer for our PYP school.

I am trying to find a balance between the prescribed programme the school's administration seems to be looking for, and my desire to encourage inquiry and recognize the individual needs of the students and teachers.

Can you suggest any next steps for me?  Can you recommend existing programmes that might help me to find some grounding?

 

My answer:

A popular approach being used in many PYP schools - in the classroom , and therefore should be supported likewise in the primary library is Kath Murdoch's model for the inquiry cycle starting with 'Tuning In".

If you do a search on Google for 'kath murdoch inquiry cycle', you will find many references to this.  I believe any 'Inquiry Cycle' model is useful to guide IL.  Surely Inquiry is what IL is all about in other words?

  

What I suggest you do is to take the vocabulary of IL and impose it and use it in conjunction with Inquiry words.  That way PYP class teachers will hear and see the strategies they have been professionally developed in ( through PYP workshops) and make the connection with IL - which may not be so obvious.  It is also about teacher ( and administrator) training and PD too. - You will have therefore a double job! Students and adults.

If you go onto http://www.inquiryschools.net/page10/files/Kath%20Inquiry.pdf

you will be able to download a shared document.  this site is also useful as a PD resource to watch teachers and student at work in PYP classrooms.

Alternatively Murdoch's site:http://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/index.php?id=3

Kathy Short's Inquiry cycle is also very often used in PYP schools: http://uacoe.arizona.edu/short/ and this Kathy has worked very closely with IB PYP developers and given many PYP workshops - focal theme Language development

Can you add to this answer? What are your thoughts?

Ingrid

 

[Beth Queeney Dressler]

Hi,

I was in a similar position when I started as TL at a PYP school last year.  The role was changed-no longer would the children be dropped off for "library" lessons and picked up 30 minutes later-and it was up to me to create the position.  I work with all teachers from Prep to Year 6 and target 3 units per year that are "info lit".  We use the PYP transdisciplinary skills as the basis for our info lit programme.  The PYP transdisciplinary skills really "do it all"-they complement nicely with the ISTE nets-s as well.  In my experience, the PYP planner provides the structure you need for inquiry to happen across the curriculum and the transdisciplinary skills provide all you need as a basis for your info lit curriculum. 

Beth Queeney-Dressler

[Ingrid Skirrow]

Hi Beth,

Thanks for your contribution to the discussion.  I quite agree about the usefulness of the Transdisciplinary Skills to guide both Inquiry and Information Literacy. 

For general information: At librarian workshops in the past there has been much focus on the TD skills and what they look like in the library.  For end of workshop contributions shared between librarians - please check the IB site on the OCC  ( Online Curriculum Centre) under Librarians.  Lots of shared materials there. Likewise join the iblibrarianscontinuum wikispaces for more information and shared documents)

Ingrid

[Eileen Hurley]

Hi Ingrid,

I continue to work on this plan off and on, but I have set myself a deadline of the end of Sept to have an outline of the IL plan for my admin.  I am working with the NYC fluency continuum I mentioned (http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/27A1E84E-65EB-4A54-80DF-51E28D3...).  I can see that many things will overlap with the LP in the IB, so much of that can be taken right from the IBO documents.  The NYC continuum is helping me to put it all into some kind of order.

How does this work ethically, do you think?  I don't want to plagiarize, but I also do want to have to start from scratch.

 

Regards,

Eileen

[Eileen Hurley]

Hi Beth,

Sounds like we share many similar experiences!  I have not had the same luck with integrating using the PYP planner, though.  I agree what you say makes perfect sense, but, for some reason, I have not been able to make it work that way at my current school.

 

Eileen

Beth Queeney Dressler said:

Hi,

I was in a similar position when I started as TL at a PYP school last year.  The role was changed-no longer would the children be dropped off for "library" lessons and picked up 30 minutes later-and it was up to me to create the position.  I work with all teachers from Prep to Year 6 and target 3 units per year that are "info lit".  We use the PYP transdisciplinary skills as the basis for our info lit programme.  The PYP transdisciplinary skills really "do it all"-they complement nicely with the ISTE nets-s as well.  In my experience, the PYP planner provides the structure you need for inquiry to happen across the curriculum and the transdisciplinary skills provide all you need as a basis for your info lit curriculum. 

Beth Queeney-Dressler

[Beth Queeney Dressler]

Hi Eileen,

It took us a year to get our heads around what we were doing, so give it time.  We are on a good track with Years 3-6-really strong digital literacy focus and digital citizenship focus, but we do struggle with "what it looks like" for Prep (first of school in Oz) to Year 2.  I'd love to hear how you're going with the younger years.

Beth

[Eileen Hurley]

Hi Beth,

My focus has been mostly on questioning and inquiry skills.  I've had success with individal classes due to the interest of homeroom teachers, but those have been in Grades 4 & 5 mostly.  As of last year, our school has a teacher dedicated to integrating ICT, but most of his time has been taken up with getting the tech up to speed.

Embarrassed to say I've been working on this for 4 years.  Not going to happen in my time here, but there has been lots of progress.  I'm determined to finish an IL continuum before I leave at the end of the year!

Eileen