Blog #1—Inquire

 Hey, Readers! This is the first in a four-part series focusing on school librarians. Three years ago, the American Library Association published its shared foundations in the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries (2018). The handbook focuses on six foundations that “dynamically combine to allow school librarians and learners to personalize their growth” (American Association of School Librarians (AASL, 2018, p. 16.) The six foundations are as follows (p. 16): 

• Inquire

• Include

• Collaborate

• Curate

• Explore

• Engage

I was privileged to sit down with two librarians who each discussed two of the foundations at length. Our conversations were enlightening and inspiring to me as a pre-service librarian. I know they will help others, too, in their quest to marry theory with practice.

First up is a conversation I had with Leigh J., who is a fabulous middle school librarian in South Carolina. Leigh has extensive experience with inquiry-based learning, so she was happy to discuss this first foundation with me. Here are the highlights.

Questions were as follows, with Leigh’s thoughts and my reflections

1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

Leigh described inquiry as a process that “asks more questions than gives answers.” She said that it was difficult to prompt inquiry at first because it is always easier to just give an answer and move on. Learning to lead with questions and inquiry takes skill and practice. She said she doesn’t yet think she is a master, but I would disagree. She makes it a point to activate prior knowledge and then let the students move from that point of familiarity into curiosity. She always starts with student interests and then guides them to whatever curriculum and state standards demand. She is a skilled practitioner in the art of helping students make real-world application to their learning.

As an English teacher, I can vouch for the fact that giving answers is more expedient than the messy job of inquiry. Throughout my pre-service program I have hung my head in shame at the many “bird units” that I have given, where students basically followed a recipe rather than engaging in authentic inquiry. This is a difficult concept to wrap one’s head around, but it is powerful and engaging for students. It also teaches them how to learn, rather than what to learn, which is a wonderful transformation.

2. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

Leigh discussed many of her units, and due to distance-learning protocols, this year her resources have mainly been digital. For her lessons, Leigh uses Google Earth, the Library of Congress, picture books, and scavenger hunts. She also creates breakout boxes, and she shows students images and lets them fill in the blank about what they think is going on. She also uses Discovery Education’s SOS strategies that get students collaborating and thinking outside the box. She has an arsenal of tools in her kit to promote inquiry. For social studies, she asks students to brainstorm issues they would be curious about and then gives them the leeway and guides them to where they may find their answers. Students use SC Discus and other online searches to make meaning of the world.

The thing that struck me the most when I was talking to Leigh is that the library is a wonderful place to visit. It has wide-open spaces and tables to collaborate, books to explore, and computers to use, but it is the librarian that is really the key. An effective librarian is a teacher first. Leigh said more than once that librarians that do not teach perpetuate a missed opportunity to share their knowledge and skills with their students. That message remains in my mind even today. I used to think that the main role of the librarian was to tend to the library. It is really to tend to the students.

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples.

This is where Leigh shines brightest. More than once, she has been nominated (and won) teacher of the year for her school, and she has also been teacher of the year for her district. As a librarian, she has a wide reach to collaborate with classroom teachers. Some of the units she described to me are as follows:

• Social Studies geography lessons using Google Earth

• 8th Grade Social Issues Projects with Library of Congress resources

• Research with English teachers (finding evidence to support claims)

• 7th Grade science: Chemical Elements Projects 

•  6th Grade: Animal Classifications (They make a boxing poster. Which animal would knock out another animal and why?)

This was an inspirational day, as I truly saw a librarian who can work with any subject matter. A math teacher I spoke to about her influence said that she teaches ALL subjects as if she were an expert. She has such skill and creative ideas that people want to work with her year after year. She has learned (in a school with high turnover) where to offer her assistance based on curriculum standards. She is as generous as she is skilled. Her school is lucky to have her.

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

Ironically, one of the challenges Leigh said she faced was working with ELA teachers in her building. It is a given that research and writing skills, especially related to plagiarism or finding credible sources would be a perfect match with library skills, but they have adopted a very prescriptive program that isn’t allowing for much inquiry. Additionally, she said her biggest nemesis is time. It takes time to develop lessons and then to regularly spend time in classrooms teaching. She said occasionally teachers are reluctant to co-teach, but she has done this long enough and is candid with what makes a good partnership that she can make it work.

I can see that time is one of the biggest obstacles to creating curriculum, especially for a librarian in such demand. If everyone wanted to work with her at once, she would be stretched very thin indeed. However, it is all about scheduling and knowing where she can make the biggest impact that counts. I know that it is hard to ask for help, and developing relationships and trust take time. I can see how, in a high turnover school, where the consistency would suffer if someone like Leigh wasn’t there to show new teachers what collaborations are available or possible. 

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

 

The one comment Leigh made regarding this inquire foundation is that she has moved away from the Big 6 for research. She said that she believes that the library domains think, create, share, and grow (AASL, 2018, p. 68) are the new way to look at research. “That’s the inquiry process now,” she said. 

I think her stance makes a lot of sense, an in many ways this is an easier way to engage students. The domains use words that are simple, yet profound, and they share the heart of the research process with students. Giving students direction to think of a topic that is interesting to them, or that they are curious about, and next, creating meaning from sources where they have done research, sharing their understanding with others in whatever format makes the most sense, and finally, growing in their skills as a researcher and student. Then, starting the process over again makes a wonderful pattern to follow.

I am grateful for Leigh’s time, her wisdom, and her example of what an amazing librarian can be. Leigh discussed one more domain, which will be covered in the next installment.

References

ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association. (2018). National school

 library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries.