ERIC Number: EJ902269
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Nov
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2166-160X
EISSN: N/A
Nudging toward Inquiry: Developing Questions and a Sense of Wonder
Fontichiaro, Kristin, Comp.
School Library Monthly, v27 n2 p13-15 Nov 2010
Inquiry does not replace information literacy; it encompasses it. It encourages librarians to consider instructional design beyond information search, retrieval, citation, and use. Inquiry-based learning invites school librarians to step into all aspects of instructional planning, from activating prior knowledge straight through to reflection. Librarians pursuing inquiry-based instruction are building on the bedrock of information literacy, not starting from scratch. School librarians can prepare students to be ready to ask better questions by working with teachers to awaken and/or build robust prior knowledge before developing questions. Master teachers know that it is almost impossible to examine questioning in a vacuum--questions build on what one already knows. And if students do not know much, they fail and grasp for entry-level information and end up with entry-level questions. Put in simple terms, good inquiry develops when one knows a little bit about something but wants to know more. This article presents approaches by three librarians that help guide students to more open or "green light" questions--questions that invite learners to keep exploring beyond recall-level facts. It shows how librarians have pushed the concept of wonder and questioning as a mindset, not merely a skill or checklist item. This article also lists some articles from "School Library Monthly's" archives that can extend one's thinking.
Descriptors: Instructional Development, Instructional Design, Inquiry, Prior Learning, Active Learning, School Libraries, Information Literacy, Librarians, Search Strategies, Reflection, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Media Staff
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A