“On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.” (Dr. Suess 1957/1990)
The wise words of Dr. Suess have guided me on this inquiry journey of a life-time. A journey that has taken me to great places but has also personally challenged me on many levels. Firstly, the process of undertaking and completing a cycle of Guided Inquiry was a steep learning curve that at times, indeed felt like the Hakken-Kraks were howling! Secondly, the journey has not only changed the way I view inquiry learning, but also challenged my view of current educational practices and the future of education. Finally, more questions have been raised about how I can be an advocate for change and have my voice as a teacher heard.
Personally undertaking a guided inquiry into a question of my choice, and then critiquing an inquiry unit has made me acutely aware of how my students must feel when completing an inquiry task of their own. Not only did I experience a deep understanding of my chosen topic area, I also experienced first hand the thoughts, feelings and actions of Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) which underpins the Guided Inquiry Design model. I believe this experience will make me a better teacher as I will be able to relate to the needs of my students and have an understanding of when intervention is necessary.
My understandings of inquiry and information literacy have also been transformed. As discussed previously, I initially viewed inquiry learning as a very unstructured, free approach to learning. After completing my initial inquiry, I discovered how important teacher guidance, the learning environment and a repertoire of practices are to the success of inquiry learning. I also wondered how a teacher-librarian could influence the implementation of inquiry learning in a school. My belief in the efficacy of inquiry learning has been further strengthened after my unit critique, where I further developed my knowledge of the Guided Inquiry Design model, questioning frameworks and information literacy.
The critical evaluation of information in Lupton’s information literacy framework of the GeSTE windows, in particular the transformative window, had a profound impact on me. The critical literacy aspect of the transformative window, made me comprehend the importance of teaching our students to question and challenge the status quo. In today’s world of fake news and social media, it is more important than ever that students are able to identify bias and critically evaluate information sources.
As educators, I believe we must also embrace the transformative window and advocate for change. Currently in today’s education debates, the voice of teachers have been silenced. Teachers must reclaim their voices and advocate for pedagogical change and a move away from standardised testing. This leads me to my final questions in this journey: How can teachers advocate for educational change? How can teachers’ voices be heard?
Reference: Dr.Seuss (1990). Oh, the places you’ll go! New York, NY: Random House. (Original work published 1957
The Inquiring Mind 