inquiry: the heart of the learning commons meeting the needs of 21 st century learners carol...

Inquiry: The Heart of the Learning Commons

Meeting the needs of 21st Century LearnersCarol Koechlin

SSLA October 25, 2010

Focus QuestionsFocus QuestionsHow does the 21st century school library program

support inquiry learning?How do we: meet the needs of learners today? help learners become ‘smart’ users of information and

ideas? encourage positive mindsets about learning to learn? teach for deep learning about content and process? design our programs to build success for all students?

Carol Koechlin 2010 2

Our Inquiry WikiOur Inquiry Wikihttp://sslalearningcommons.pbworks.com/


Saskatchewan CurriculumSaskatchewan Curriculum


How is the Inquiry Process like:How is the Inquiry Process like:

• a ladder• a set of keys• a butterfly• a cheese• a cake• a river• a spider web• a diary• other


Saskatchewan CurriculumSaskatchewan Curriculum• Students who are engaged in inquiry:• construct knowledge and deep understanding rather

than passively receiving it• are directly involved and engaged in the discovery of

new knowledge• encounter alternative perspectives and differing ideas

that transform prior knowledge and experience into deep understandings

• transfer new knowledge and skills to new circumstances

• (Adapted from Kuhlthau & Todd, 2008, p. 1)


Establishing a Community of LearnersEstablishing a Community of LearnersGuided Inquiry: Learning in the 21Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21stst Century Century by C.Kahlthau, by C.Kahlthau,

L. Maniotes & A. CaspariL. Maniotes & A. Caspari

“Inquiry learning is a social process in which students learn from each other in a community of learners.”

Carol Kuhlthau Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century


CollaborationCollaboration Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21stst Century Century by C.Kahlthau, by C.Kahlthau,

L. Maniotes & A. CaspariL. Maniotes & A. Caspari

Factors that Inhibit Success• Lack of time• Confusion about roles• Poorly designed assignments

Factors that Enable Success• Constructivist view of learning• Team approach to teaching• Competence in designing process

assignments• Commitment to developing

information literacy


Teaching PartnershipsTeaching PartnershipsThe Key to Successful InquiryThe Key to Successful Inquiry

The We We SolutionWhen teachers within a

school collaborate, they begin to think not just about “my classroom’ but also about “our school.”

Six Secrets of ChangeMichael Fullan (2008)

• Think about a good collaborative experience you have had with a classroom teacher.

• Now think about why it worked so well.

• Share a strategy for building collaborative capacity in a school and teaching partnerships with the library.


Shifts to WatchShifts to Watch

11Carol Koechlin 2010

21st Century Skills: Resources to Consult


It’s a Package Deal! Process Drives Understanding


Time for 180° ThinkingInfoSmarts Koechlin & Zwaan 2010

Consider what we know about learners today.

How can we better address the needs of learners during inquiry?


Teach THINK!Teach THINK!Teach Learning to Learn

Teacher-librarians cannot continue to be accomplices to mediocrity. Alison Zmuda


You Have the POWER!You Have the POWER!

The power of the library media specialist (TEACHER LIBRARIAN) to contribute to the school has never been more vital, more feasible or more exciting than it is today.

Zmuda &Harada Librarians as Learning Specialist 2008


Break TimeBreak Time


What do we mean by Info Smarts?


Info Smarts - Learning to LearnInfo Smarts - Learning to Learn


Learning is a Process EquationLearning is a Process Equation

Effort +Strategies = Successful Learning


How do we encourage efforteffort and positive positive mindsets mindsets about learning to learn?


Reinforcing EffortReinforcing Effort Marzano, Pickering and Pollock2001

Studies have demonstrated that some students are not aware of the fact that the effort they put into a task has a direct effect on their success relative to the task.

‘the effort belief’


Mindset: the new psychology of successMindset: the new psychology of success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

Fixed Mindset• Leads to a desire to look smart

and therefore a tendency to– Avoid challenges– Get defensive and give up

early– See effort as fruitless or

worse– Ignore useful negative

feedback– Feel threatened by the

success of others

As a result they may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential.


Mindset: the new psychology of Mindset: the new psychology of successsuccess

by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.Growth Mindset• Leads to a desire to learn

and therefore a tendency to– Embrace challenges– Persist in the face of

setbacks– Use effort as a path to

mastery– Learn from criticism– Find lessons and

inspiration in the success of others

• As a result they reach ever higher levels of achievement.


Building Info Smarts

• Ways of Learning• Exploring to Learn• Reading to Research• Information to Learning• Learning together• Learning for Life• STRATEGIESSTRATEGIES• STRATEGIESSTRATEGIES• STRATEGIESSTRATEGIES


Reading on the InternetReading on the Internet

No other tool will help the Internet reader as much as the right question, asked at the right time and in the right way. Intelligent readers of the Internet begin by asking questions even before they log on, and they continue to ask questions during their search. By asking questions repeatedly and deliberately, students become thoughtful readers, developing "habits of mind" that they can then generalize to other situations or tasks – (Costa & Kallick, 2000).– http://www.i-learnt.com/Thinking_Habits_Mind.html


Creating Questions for InquirySaskatchewan Curriculum

• Inquiry focuses on the development of questions to initiate and guide the learning process. These questions are formulated by teachers and students to motivate inquiries into topics, problems, and issues related to curriculum content and outcomes.



How to empower students to ask How to empower students to ask questions and care about answersquestions and care about answers

To prepare students to fully participate and thrive in this new ‘knowledge age’, we must equip them with questioning know-how.

Intuitive questioning techniques are becoming essential learning tools.

Building a Culture of Inquiry in the School Library

May 14, 2008

Carol Koechlin 2010

How can I better organize my school and personal space resources?

30

How does your personal learning How does your personal learning network work?network work?

• Think about how you are informed:– Who do you read,

watch, listen to, consult ?

– Where, when and how do you gather information and for what purpose?

• Think about your information tools

• Consider how you process information and who you share with.

• Now create a visual to represent your personal learning network.


David Warlick’s Personal Learning Network


Sonja’s Learning Network


Organize your virtual PLNOrganize your virtual PLN


Getting Assignments to Students 24/7/365Getting Assignments to Students 24/7/365

Link assignments from your School Library Homepage

Set up a blog - calendar, RSS feed

Create a wiki -collaborative work space

Use Google Docs and Spreadsheets and Office Live Workspace

Cloud Computing

Advantages Often free Projects stored on a

remote server Usually more reliable than

local networks Available from any

computer 24/7/365 Meet with students in their

worldIn Command! by R. Williams and D.

Loertscher


Knowledge Building Center

Google Site / Google Apps for Education; Kohive; Moodle; etc.


Bullying ExampleBullying Example


Info Smart Learners:Info Smart Learners: Ask effective questions Think critically and

creatively Process and manage

information Use technologies

effectively Work co-operatively and

collaboratively Empathize with others Solve problems Make informed decisions

Apply knowledge to new situations

Take initiative Create and innovate Self assess and set goals and lots more……

They are ready to Learn for Life


An Important Canadian StudyWhat did you do in school today?


Principles of effective teaching practice Principles of effective teaching practice by Sharon Friesen

• Effective teaching practice begins with the thoughtful and intentional design of learning that engages students intellectually and academically.

• The work that students are asked to undertake is worthy of their time and attention, is personally relevant, and deeply connected to the world in which they live.


Helpful Strategies in the Literature

• Understanding by Design• Differentiation• Learning Styles• Multiple Intelligences• 21st Century Skills


Traditional Assignment ProcessTraditional Assignment Process• Choose a topic or a

topic is assigned• Do research• Create a product• Share• Get a grade• The end!The end!


Ban those Bird UnitsBan those Bird Units

• What are bird units?• ‘all about’ projects• fill-in-the-blanks worksheets• term ‘report’• textbook ‘research’• cut, paste and plagiarism• assessing product only• only bells and whistles• “no thinking required”


Carol Koechlin 2010

Design Frames for High Think Inquiry Design Frames for High Think Inquiry and Knowledge Buildingand Knowledge Building

44

LUNCHLUNCH


Curriculum 21:Essential education for Curriculum 21:Essential education for a changing worlda changing world

• “Rather than being victimized by our program structures, we should be creating new types of learning environments for a new time and for various types of teaching and learning. Not to do so is a declaration not to learn.”, Page 79


A Vision for the 21A Vision for the 21stst Century Century


SSLA InquirySSLA Inquiry

• Why do we need change?

• What is a Learning Commons?

• How can the Learning Commons approach enable successful inquiry learning?


Carol Koechlin 2010

Background to Question ModelBackground to Question Model

49

Page 3

What are the major elements of a What are the major elements of a Learning Commons?Learning Commons?

• View the Calgary school video.• Examine the chart from Building

a Learning Commons • Brainstorm key elements of a

learning commons at your table• NOW - What questions do you

have about a Learning Commons?

• http://media.stream.cbe.ab.ca/media/LearningCommons/ElemLC.wmv


Question Builder ChartQuestion Builder Chart Koechlin and Zwaan Q Tasks Pembroke 2006

is did can would will might

Who

What

When

Where

How

Why

Which


Carol Koechlin 2010

Technology & LearningTechnology & Learning

52

Problem: What is the role of technology in the Learning Commons

Carol Koechlin 2010

Read, View, Listen ModelRead, View, Listen Model

Page 37

53

Making Connections to the ArticleMaking Connections to the Article• Decide quickly at your

table who is reading each section

• Record ideas from the article and your ideas on sticky notes

• Share and compare sticky notes and look for BIG IDEAS about technology in the Learning Commons

– Post your Big Ideas on our wall.


Problems/Possibilities JigSaw Puzzle Problems/Possibilities JigSaw Puzzle ModelModel


“

“It simply isn’t the 20th Century any more is it? So why would we teach as

though it was?” Steven Heppell 2009 www.heppell.net


What should replace these images?

• Think and Share at your tables.


Portable Computer Lab


What will it Cost?


http://campotflibrary.pbworks.com/


http://schoollearningcommons.pbworks.com/

Learning to LearnLearning to Learn

“Learning is the work……whatever is taught must be steeped in learning through reflective action.”

(Fullan, 2008)


Big Think about Content and Process:Big Think about Content and Process:What We Know; How We Learn It


BIG THINK about unit contentBIG THINK about unit content So What?

What are the important ideas we explored?

What does this tell us about the topic?

What does this mean? What new

understandings emerge?

What Next? What new questions do

I/we have? What else do we want to

explore? How can we use what we

know to do better next time?

What action can I/we take? How can I/we make use of

this new knowledge in the real world?


BIG THINK about unit processBIG THINK about unit process

What strategies did we use to learn?

How did these strategies work for us?

Which worked well or didn’t work well and for whom?

• So What? Could we have learned more in the time we had? Are we all getting better as learners?

• What Next? How can we use our findings to improve as learners?


Triple Your InvestmentTriple Your Investment

• Students – Consider content– Reflect on process

• Teaching Partners– Reflect on learning– Improve teaching

• School Improvement


Wrap up Inquiry with a BIG THINKWrap up Inquiry with a BIG THINK9 metacognative strategies that make the end just the beginning of learning

– Active discussion– Construct Visuals– Thoughtful Writing– Higher Order Thinking– Create New questions– Interact with an

Expert– Re-Create– New Problem or

Challenge– Sandbox


SSLA SSLA BIG THINK –BIG THINK –Google formGoogle formSo what?• Discuss your learning paths

during today’s session.• Consider the many ways

we gained information and ideas and built understanding.

• Which of these strategies would work well in your school and what wouldn’t at this time.

• Now identify and list the major ideas about Inquiry Learning we have experienced today.


What next?What next?

• Develop a short term goal for advancing Inquiry Learning through school library programs and suggest implementation actions and strategies.

• Develop a long term goal for sustaining Inquiry Learning at the centre of school library program and suggest implementation actions and strategies.


The end is just the beginning of learning!

Carol


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