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ERIC Number: EJ869036
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1094-9046
EISSN: N/A
Ask--Think--Create: The Process of Inquiry
Diggs, Valerie
Knowledge Quest, v37 n5 p30-33 May-Jun 2009
Today's students find it difficult to develop an understanding of what it is they need to know, and more importantly, why they need to know it. Framing this "need to know" has been called by various names, such as "inquiry," "inquiry process," "essential questions," "knowledge construction." Inquiry, however, goes much deeper than casual questioning. However, it is not only the development of the question, but the "why" of the questioning that is critical. How can school library media specialists facilitate the development of inquiry-based units? The answer to this question is nothing new, and certainly nothing any library school student or current practitioner hasn't heard time and again: "collaboration." Collaboration is "not" simply pulling books, or bookmarking websites, or even creating pathfinders. It "is" sitting down with teachers and saying, "How can we improve on this lesson or project or unit so our students can learn not only more, but better?" It is the "we" in this equation that is important. Collaboration improves units by transforming them into inquiry-based units. It is the "school library media specialist's" job, alongside the classroom teacher, to offer students today the opportunity to think critically and develop personally meaningful questions through inquiry-based units. It is through such experiences that students construct questions to answer that they really want to answer, questions that will lead them to turning information into knowledge and, subsequently, that knowledge into wisdom for a lifetime. Encourage teachers to make learning meaningful by requiring students to think, ask, and then create. Learning will become meaningful and lasting, and students will be provided with a wonderful gift: the ability to think for themselves.
American Association of School Librarians. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 1-800-545-2433; Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/knowledgequest.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A