Inquiry’s not a linear process

When I used Bruce’s seven faces of informed learning to reflect on the information learning activity that I have undertaken, it raised my awareness of the non-linear, non-cyclic nature of inquiry processes.

Bruce (2008) states that informed learning is reflective about information practices.

Certainly, throughout this unit we have been encouraged both by our lecturer and by necessity to be reflective in our information seeking practices and our teaching and learning practices.

The approximations of Bruce’s (2008) diagrams provided below demonstrate how limited inquiry models are for accurately depicting inquiry processes, particularly the reflective nature of inquiry processes.

Bruce (2008, p. 80 & 81)  used these diagrams to demonstrate how the action research framework of plan, act, record, reflect can:

1. be combined with ways of thinking and learning about the Internet to create reflective a reflective model for learning to searching the Internet.

2. be combined with the seven faces of informed learning to create a reflective model for online information use.

Bruce (2008, p.157) also incorporates the action research framework into a diagram to depict the reflective model for reviewing literature. All of these diagrams are depicted as cyclic processes. Although no starting point is advocated, Plan is placed at the central top position in the diagrams for learning to search the Internet and reviewing literature, while Reflect takes top left position in the reflective model for information use.

Reflecting, planning, acting and recording are generic processes that are present throughout the project. They are not used in any particular order.

Reflect & Plan & Record: Identify what I need to know.

Reflect & Record: Review the unit outline and identifying what I didn’t know.

Act & Record: Seek definitions of inquiry-based learning and information literacy.

Reflect & Record: Compare models for inquiry-based learning and information literacy learning.

Plan: Identify a topic and age group.

Act: Seek permission to work with the Prep class.

Reflect & Record: Complete questionnaire 1 to identify what I already knew and what I needed to know about inquiry-based learning and information literacy for Prep.

Plan & Record: Identify sources of information for the project.

Act & Reflect & Record: Research the Qld Prep curriculum; inquiry-based learning and information literacy practices in Prep.

Reflect & Record: Identify elements of inquiry-based learning and information literacy in Qld and national curriculum documents.

Plan & Record: List possible activities.

Reflect & Record: Discuss options with the Prep teacher.

Plan & Record: Revise activities.

Reflect, Plan & Record: Revise questionnaire 1 to make it age-appropriate for use with the Prep students.

Act, Reflect, Act & Record: Complete part one of questionnaire 1 with the Prep students to identify how they access information, adapting prompts to the needs and abilities of the students.

Act, Reflect, Act & Record: Complete parts two and three of questionnaire 1 with the Prep students to identify their levels of interest and what they already know.

Reflect, Plan and Record: Write a draft context statement.

Reflect, Plan and Record: Develop learning activities.

Act & Record: Conduct learning activities.
Reflect & Record: Evaluate learning activities.

Reflect, Plan & Record: Revise draft context.

Act, Reflect, Act & Record: Complete part one of questionnaire 2 with the Prep students to identify how they access information, adapting prompts to the needs and abilities of the students.

Act, Reflect, Act & Record: Complete parts two and three of questionnaire 2 with the Prep students to identify their levels of interest and what they already know.

Act & Reflect & Record: Conduct additional research the Qld Prep curriculum; inquiry-based learning and information literacy practices in Prep.

Reflect, Plan and Record: Develop additional learning activities.

Act & Record: Conduct additional learning activities.

Attempting to use the action research framework processes to categorise this is list of project-related activities raises a number of questions.

·     Is the intended purpose of the recording in the action research framework to document or to communicate?

·     At what point do we begin to internalise the reflection and planning?

·     How early can we ‘teach’ reflection and planning?

·     What forms of reflection are appropriate to early childhood education?

REFERENCES

Bruce, Christine S. (2008) Informed learning. Association of College and Research Libraries / American Library Association, Chicago.

Philosophy in the classroom

If we are considering information literacy as a liberal art, perhaps it is also possible to consider inquiry learning as a form of philosophy.

Since the move to involve children in philosophy began in the 1970s, several schools of thought have emerged (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.171).

Matthew Lipman, from an educator’s point of view, based his argument for philosophy with children upon the constructivist work of John Dewey and the need to promote critical thinking. The aim of Lipman’s P4C was “not to turn children into philosophers or decision makers, but to help them become more thoughtful, more reflective, more considerate, and more reasonable individuals” (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.174). Lipman saw critical thinking as a way to hypothesise about solutions to problems by first identifying facts or issues that cause the problem (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.173).

Philosophy was not seen as a theoretical pursuit, but as a way for students to understand their interactions with their environment, and to empower them to influence change (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.175). Gareth Matthews took a philosopher’s point of view, and proposed capitalising on children’s natural curiosity to introduce them to philosophical dialogue with children (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.172). Instead of seeing the child as ignorant, he saw the child as a rationale being, capable of reasoning philosophically (Vansieleghem, 2011,172). This approach emphasised opportunities for children to explore and articulate their thoughts through discussion, rather than emphaising logical thinking skills or problem solving (Vansieleghem, 2011,176).

Another view of philosophy for children, saw it as a way to empower children to find, express and act upon their own sets of values, by shifting “power and agency in the classroom” and providing opportunties for children to reflect on and communicate their understandings (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.173). Philosophy can’t be pigeonholed to two half hour lessons per week. philosophy is seen as a “site in which students can determine what the important questions for our time are, and where they can seek their own answers through the practice of thinking for themselves and with others in communal deliberation” (Vansieleghem, 2011, p.178).

Philosophy can be linked to almost any area of learning. It has strong connections to cricital literacy in English, but philosophical discussions can also be used to explore concepts and topics in health, geography, history, mathematics, science and technology (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.9).

Inspired by John Dewey and Matthew Lipman, the ‘philosophy with kids’ approach “aims to stimulate curiosity about who we are, how the world is, what our relationship within it and with each other are, and what is fair, good and right” (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.5). The intention “is to teach children how to be effective, independent and creative thinkers” (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.5).

“Philosophical classroom discussion is conducted in a community of inquiry.”  (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.6) Envisage classrooms where children, “motivated by their own curiosity and interests” work as a “classroom community of inquiry” to “co-operatively engage in learning” to be “responsible, active, creative participants of society” (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.5). Developing a ‘community of inquiry’ is largely dependent on the teacher’s willingness and ability to a model of participation, whilst guiding and facilitating children to answer their own questions and follow their own interests. Critical to the success of philosophical discussion is the teacher’s role in asking the right questions at the right time to stimulate and focus discussion by encouraging reasoning and deeper thinking (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.8).

The model described by De Hann, et al (1995, pp.13–16) provides advice to teachers on how to facilitate what is intended to be a largely child-directed inquiry. It involves the teacher presenting a stimulus to elicit questions from children, clarifying children’s questions, helping them to make connections amongst the questions and then asking the chidren to set the discussion agenda. There are several other steps to the process, but it should finish with an evaluation (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.14). The desired outcome is for children to become self-directed and self-correcting (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.6).

A sense of community is important. Working in a circle is important to ensure that everyone, including the teacher is considered to be on the same level (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.6). With young children it is possible to work on the floor (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.5). Setting basic expectations or ‘ground rules’ is also important. Children need to understand the need to listen to each other, to take turns, and to respect each other’s contributions so that their community of inquiry is a ‘safe place’ (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.7).

Philosophy is primarily as search for meaning. (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.8) Share the view that “philosophy is talking together about their ideas, thinking, asking questions and finding reasons” (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.7). There are no ‘experts’ in a philosophy community of inquiry, and children need to understand that answers are not always right or wrong (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.8).


In the consideration of philosophy for children two questions emerge that are both inevitable but impossible to answer. ‘What is philosophy?’ and ‘What might it achieve?’ (Biesta, 2011, p.306) However, because of the very nature of philosophy, both of these questions are very difficult to answer (Biesta, 2011, p.306).

The belief that engaging young children in philosophical discussions and activities will help them to think critically, reflectively and reasonably is the main attraction (Biesta, 2011, p.306). It is also claimed that this engagement can promote the development of moral reflection, sensitivity and social skills and democratic processes (Biesta, 2011, p.306).

Philosophy with young children needs to be concrete and directly related to their experiences. Carefully selected stories provide excellent stimuli for philosophical discussions (De Haan, et al, 1995. p.4). De Haan et al (1995) recommend four main themes for the first year of formal education: Being Somebody; Making Connections; What's Fair; and Using Our Brains.

Philosphy with children, like inquiry-based learning, begins with a question and views children as capable learners. However inquiry-based learning can also begin with a problem to be solved or hypothesis to be tested. I think that using philosophical discussion with young children could be a useful tool to explore and reflect critically on questions that are important to them, particularly in the areas of critical literacy, SOSE and HPE. However is it relevant to all forms of inquiry, e.g. scientific research that begin with a hypothesis to be tested or finding proofs for mathematical equations?

Biesta (2011) raises a number of philosophical questions of her own about the assumptions underlying the philosophy for children approach, including:

What level of teacher and student expertise is required for students to engage fruitfully in philosophy?

REFERENCES

Biesta, Gert (01/05/2011). "Philosophy, Exposure, and Children: How to Resist the Instrumentalisation of Philosophy in Education". Journal of philosophy of education , 45 (2), p. 305. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from Wiley Online Library.

De Haan, C., MacColl, S. and Mcutcheon, L. (1995). Philosophy with Kids Book 1, Melourne, Longman Australia.

LONG  F. (2005). Thomas Reid and Philosophy with Children

Journal of Philosophy of Education, Vol. 39, No. 4. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from EBSCO Host.

Vansieleghem, N. (2011). "What Is Philosophy "for" Children, What Is Philosophy "with" Children--After Matthew Lipman?". Journal of philosophy of education (0309-8249), 45 (2), p. 171. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from Wiley Online Library.

Useful Links

Greek Philosophy for Kids, Kidipede

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/

Philosophy for Children, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/children/

Philosophy for Kids

http://philosophyforkids.com/

Philosophy in Schools

http://www.philosophyinschoolsnsw.com.au/

Philosophy with Children, Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Association

http://fapsa.org.au/philosophy-with-kids/

Sapere Communities of Enquiry

http://sapere.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=162

Teaching Children Philosophy

http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/Main_Page

Think About It: Philosophy for Kids

http://www.kidsthinkaboutit.com/

Information Literacy as a Liberal Art

Is information literacy “more akin to a ‘liberal art’” (Shapiro & Hughes, 1998)?

Is it “knowledge that is part of what it means to be a free person in the present historical context of the dawn of the information age” (Shapiro & Hughes, 1998)? 

Should it equip people “not only to use information and information technology effectively and adapt to their constant changes but also to think critically about the entire information enterprise and information society” (Shapiro & Hughes, 1998)?

An information literacy curriculum should comprise ‘tool literacy’, ‘resource literacy’, ‘social-structural literacy’, ‘research literacy’, ‘publishing literacy’, ‘emerging technology literacy’, and ‘critical literacy’ (Shapiro & Hughes, 1998). This curricular should equip people with both technical skills, and the ability to adopt a “broad, integrated and critical perspective on the contemporary world of knowledge and information, including its origins and developmental trends, its redefinitions of experience and social life, its philosophical justification, biases and limits, its potential for human emancipation and human domination, and for growth and destruction” (Shapiro & Hughes, 1998).

Shapiro & Hughes’ (1998) assertion that perhaps information literacy is an all-encompassing new liberal art made me curious about two things. Firstly, what was Shapiro’s standing amongst academics, and secondly, what are world wide trends in the area of information literacy.

I located the pdf document, “Information Literacy as a Liberal Art: Enlightenment proposals for a new curriculum”, using a Google Scholar Search for “information literacy”. The Google Scholar statistics indicated that the document had been ‘cited’ in 225 works in a number of languages, with publication dates ranging from 1999 to 2010. The document closes with the statements about the authors:

Jeremy J. Shapiro is a senior consultant with Academic Information Projects at the Fielding Institute, as well as on the faculty of its Human and Organization Development Program.

Shelley K. Hughes is an information specialist in the Fielding Institute's Learning Resources Department. jshapiro@fielding.edu and skhughes@fielding.edu.

Shapiro’s biography is available in Wikipedia and confirms that he is an academic professor at the Fielding Graduate University. The staff directory on the university website confirms that Shapiro and Hughes do in fact hold the positions stated. So I assumed that Shapiro and Hughes’ assertions at least warranted consideration.

But how was information literacy viewed in other countries?

In the same Google Scholar search, I had located a literature review by Sirje Virkus of Manchester Metropolitan University, titled, “Information literacy in Europe: a literature review” that was published in the online academic journal, Information Research. According to Virkus, European countries are moving towards an American view of information literacy, and the most cited definition of information literacy in Europe is that provided by the American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy:

'To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information' (ALA, cited in Virkus, 2003).

The prevalent use of this definition locates information literacy squarely in the territory of librarians. What began as bibliographic instruction has evolved into what is known as ‘information literacy’. Since the very first libraries, people have been trained to organise, search and retrieve information. Providing access to library collections of increasing magnitude and complexity, necessitated the widening of formalised training in information retrieval.

With computer technology to facilitate information storage, searching and retrieval, the emphasis in formalised information-related training is changing again. The search engines of public and private electronic collections now include online help in the form of smart text, boolean and fuzzy logic searches, search instructions search saving and tracking, and advice to authors and publishers. Universities provide online tutorials. Users are increasingly accustomed to accessing online help for software applications. So, while some might benefit from formalised instruction about information seeking practices, it is questionable whether it is necessary.

In order to determine new directions for information-related education, let’s examine the nature of information. If information is taken to be “anything we experience as informing” (Bruce, 2008, p.5), then it appears as though society is moving towards an ICT-driven model of information organisation, construction and dissemination. Many forms of mass media (television programs, radio stations and newspapers) now also publish on the Web. There are free and subscription online dictionaries, encyclopaedias, academic journals and electronic books. But more importantly, we now operate in an information environment where, using freely available email, wikis, blogs, video and image libraries, and social networking sites through mobile technology, anyone can publish, anywhere and at any time.

This availability of unedited, uncensored, and in many ways unsolicited, ‘information’ broadcast in text, images and sound, requires a shift in emphasis in information literacy from mere information seeking practices to information evaluation, synthesis and construction practices. These practices need to be applied to multimodal texts and transactional texts like email, blogs, wikis and social networking sites.

Virkus (2003) avoids the term ‘information literacy’ and prefers instead to use ‘information-related competencies' which comprise several sets of competencies. These competencies have close ties to constructivist learning theory (Virkus, 2003) and include complex information processing, problem-solving, decision-making and transfering knowledge and skills to new contexts (Virkus, 2003). As constructive learning involves seeking and using information, critical analysis and metacognition, it follows that information-related competencies need to be seated in a context and grounded in context-specific content (Virkus, 2003). Consequently, information-related competencies can be seen as “context- and content-dependent competencies” rather than a body of knowledge in its own right. (Virkus, 2003).

Library-based educators have used this argument to justify their roles in school libraries, and promote collaboration with teachers in delivering information literacy education that is embedded in the curriculum. However the same point of view supports the embedding of information-related competencies’ within all areas of the curriculum, rather than seeing them as a separate area of study.

This approach has been enacted in Queensland where numeracy, literacy and ICTs are described as  cross-curricular priorities; and the Australian national curriculum, where information-related competencies are described as general capabilities of literacy, numeracy, information technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding.

    “General capabilities … encompass skills, behaviours and dispositions that students develop and apply to content knowledge and that support them in becoming successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens. Throughout their schooling students develop and use these capabilities in their learning across the curriculum, in co-curricular programs and in their lives outside school.” (ACARA. n.d.)

Keeping in mind that Virkus, Shapiro and Hughes’ views related largely to information literacy in the higher education section:

How well does the Australian curriculum description of general capabilities fit with Shapiro and Hughes’ vision for information literacy as a liberal art and Virkus’ description of context- and content-dependent, information-related competencies?

REFERENCES

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d.).General Capabilities, The Autralian Curriculum. Retrieved August 9, 2011, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities

Bruce, C.S. (2008). Informed Learning. Association of College and Research Libraries / American Library Association, Chicago.

Shapiro, J.J. and Hughes, S.K. (1996). Information Literacy as a Liberal Art: Enlightenment proposals for a new curriculum. EdCom Review. Sequence: Volume 31, Number 2, March/April 1996. Retrieved August 9, 2011, from http://net.educause.edu/apps/er/review/reviewarticles/31231.html.

Virkus, S. (2003)  "Information literacy in Europe: a literature review." Information Research, 8(4), paper no. 159. Retreived August 9, 2011, from http://informationr.net/ir/8-4/paper159.html

Searching for “Philosophy with Children”

Questioning and reflective discourse seem to be recurring themes in discussions of inquiry-based learning and information literacy. The emphasis on reflection and asking questions in Bruce's (2008) description of informed learning remind me strongly of philosophy as a discipline and of Shapiro & Hughes' (1996) suggestion that information literacy should be considered an emerging liberal art.

So I decided to investigate how philosophy might be included within early childhood education. Earlier attempts revealed that searching for philosophy as a subject can be problematic. The search terms "teaching philosophy" and "learning philosophy" can be interpretted in different ways.

My initial basic search for “philosophy with preschool children” found no results.

When I removed the quotation marks and ran the basic search again it returned 16246 results and a messsage that although my initial search had returned no results, SmartText searching had found results based on my keywords.

After scanning the results I realised that the combined returns for “philosophy” and “preschool” were responsible for such a large number of items. Many of the items related to "teaching philosophy"  and "philosophy of teaching" rather than the teaching of philosophy. So I used the Advanced Search facility to search the abstracts for "philosophy with children", and restricted the search by adding ‘NOT “teaching philosophy” to the search parameters. This returned a manageable 23 results.

There were two items that interested me, for which the full text version was not available through Eric.

     Vansieleghem, Nancy (01/05/2011). "What Is Philosophy "for" Children, What Is
     Philosophy "with" Children - After Matthew Lipman?". Journal of philosophy of education
     (0309-8249), 45 (2), p. 171.

      Biesta, Gert (01/05/2011). "Philosophy, Exposure, and Children: How to Resist the
      Instrumentalisation of Philosophy in Education". Journal of philosophy of education
      (0309-8249), 45 (2), p. 305.

So I used the QUT Full Text Finder to locate an alternate source of the items - Wiley-Blackwell Full Collection (CAUL) Wiley Online Library.

I found the first article using a basic search of all content. Using the author’s name sufficed to retrieve this article.

For the second article, a basic search of all content using the author’s name retrieved a long list of titles.


So I used an advanced search that restricted the date to the past 12 months and included the author’s name, publication title and the first part of the article title. I learned that this database does not like additional punctuation like the colon included in search terms such as the title names.

I then restricted the search results to publications between 1995 and 2011 for which full text was available.

I scanned the titles, descriptions and subject lists to select items for downloading.

I avoided items that were program-specific like Reggio Emilia, and parents as first teachers as being less relevant to my area of interest. I chose items that had related terms like ‘inquiry’, ‘critical thinking’ and ‘reflection’ in the subject lists.

The scanning process also helped me to identify additional terms for further refining Boolean searches, e.g. AND “teaching philosophical thought”; AND “P4C”.

REFERENCES

Bruce, C.S. (2008). Informed learning. Association of College and Research Libraries / American Library Association, Chicago.

Shapiro, J.J. and Hughes, S.K. (1996). Information Literacy as a Liberal Art: Enlightenment proposals for a new curriculum. EdCom Review. 31 (2), March/April 1996. Retrieved August 9, 2011, from http://net.educause.edu/apps/er/review/reviewarticles/31231.html.

Thoughts on Advanced Searching

What I know about advanced searching

Advanced searching is time consuming, iterative process, that is often unfruitful. 

Advanced searching uses boolean equations to make a search more specific and to narrow or expand a search.

Search engines use the different conventions conventions (use of quotation marks and operators) and different search fields (title, author, abstract, full text, years of publication, publication type, source title, etc).

The results of academic database searches often contain items that have been subjected to peer review, results of university-based research, or the contents of respected professional or academic publications.

The results of academic database searches are often older.


Search engines of academic databases are pedantic and not intuitive. For example, you need to use exact terms, spelling mistakes often don’t yield results or the results you need.


Although, databases with smart text capability will make suggestions as illustrated above.

QUT’s quick search facility will also suggest specialised collections for you topic.



The contents of Google and Google Scholar searches often contain items that have not undergone an academic review process, serve the interests of an individual, group or sponsoring organisation. There are even blogs and websites devoted to raising awareness about  reports that make unsubstatiated claims.

In his blog. Computing: the Science of Nearly Everything. (http://drtomcrick.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/sense-about-science-report-dodgy-science/) Dr Tom Crick (BSc (Hons) PhD FHEA MBCS Senior Lecturer in Computer Science Department, Information Systems and International Studies) talks about the “Sense About Science” website (http://www.senseaboutscience.org/), the aim of which is to equip people to make sense of science and evidence.

The results of Google and Google Scholar searches are sometimes recently released documents or emerging ideas that have yet to gain mainstream acceptance. In the field of education, Connectivism (http://www.connectivism.ca/about.html) proposes “a learning theory for today’s learner”. The role of MOOCs as a conduit for online enactment of connectivist learning theory is described  at  http://www.connectivism.ca/.

The results of Google and Google Scholar searches contain items of different media, such as audio files, videos and slideshows.

 Only a fraction of the results of Google and Google Scholar searches are freely available on the Internet. Many items are linked to databases where you have to pay to download the item.

Features like smart text and full text searching and fuzzy logic, make using Google and Google Scholar seem more intuitive than searching academic databases. These searches cast a broad net. However, many of the results are not suitable for my purposes. Advanced searches in Google and Google Scholar can be used to filter out some types of unsuitable material.

Google Scholar is useful for identifying a range of related search terms or search limiting terms, and finding sources that can then be accessed through the relevant academic database.

The reference lists of documents found using Google can also be used as a starting point for further research.

Example
An Advanced Google Scholar search: children + "philosophy curriculum" -"philosophy, education" (2000-2011) returned about 481 results. 

From the first six titles, I selected Knight's (2010), Enlivening the curriculum: The power of philosophical inquiry, as being the most relevant item for my inquiry.

When I looked at the reference list for Knight's article I noticed that one item contained a hyperlink:
“Institute for the Advancement of philosophy for Children, Montclair , New Jersey; R Research report. Available from Internet: http://cehs.montclair.edu/academic/iapc/research.shtml”

The hyperlink led to a website that had a list of further research articles.

Faces, Frames and Feelings

Learning is a process fraught with emotions. For Dewey (1933, in Kuhlthau, et al., 2007), the construction of meaning begins with a suggestion — though I am not sure that ‘suggestion’ is a strong enough term to describe the state of doubt where the learner is perplexed and confused by their incomplete understanding. Through intellectualisation — anticipating possible solutions, the learner begins build enthusiasm for the topic as they define the problem or question and envisage possible solutions. Formulation of a guiding idea provides a focus and driving passion for data gathering to clarify the problem. Excitement builds as learners then use reasoning to make the guiding idea more precise in light of their newly constructed knowledge base. In the final stage, learners resolve their initial doubt and use their new understandings to adopt a point of view and take action. (Dewey, 1933 in Kuhlthau, et al., 2007)

My learning journey certainly began with overwhelming doubt. Throughout the intellectualisation phase, my doubt and confusion grew as I realised how much more there was to know and how little time there was in which to assimilate diverse opinions into a workable project. During the guiding idea phase, my enthusiasm grew as the ideas gleaned from both research and questionnaire data contributed to the activities that I tried with the Prep children. Some of the information that I found affirmed or clarified earlier beliefs. Some gave me new directions to explore, such as metacognition, metalanguage and philosophy for children. Others, like finding out more about ‘information fluency’ proved to be dead ends for this particular project as it is very unlikely that Prep students would achieve Callison’s definition of information fluency.

I found that this project fitted well with Christine Bruce’s description of informed learning as it provided opportunities for students to experience information in different ways and to learn by using information skills and practices in real-life or life-like contexts. (Bruce, 2008)

Informed learning is essentially a wholistic and reflective model where students use information creatively and ethically as they reflect, plan, act and record. (Bruce, 2008) Bruce describes informed learning in terms of six ‘frames’ or views of information information literacy, curriculum focus content, learning and teaching, and assessment; and ‘seven’ faces that embody the different ways people experience information as we learn. The frames and faces of informed learning can be used by educators to design learning.

This diagram illustrates the inclusive nature of the faces of informed learning. Each of the first 4 faces is an underlay for the next. I see the 2^nd and 3^rd faces as being interdependent. The 5^th, 6^th and 7^th faces are different levels of use of the information from the knowledge base. The purpose of the seven faces is to depict the various ways in which we experience information as we learn.  

With respect to this project, I began the information awareness by thinking about what I already knew and scanning information for definitions to clarify or affirm my understandings. I then sought various sources of research and professional practice. Through this process I enhanced my knowledge of information sources be exploring a range of academic databases. By doing so I acquired new skills in advanced searches. As I recorded my findings, my knowledge base for the project grew. The knowledge base informed and was informed by my professional practice in working with the group of Prep students. The 5^th, 6^th and 7^th faces will be enacted as I finalise my data collection, analyse the data and make recommendations for professional practice. Undertaking this project has demonstrated inquiry processes are not linear. Throughout the project I have needed to reflect, plan, act and record, and not necessarily in that order.

REFERENCES

Bruce, Christine S. (2008) Informed learning. Association of College and Research Libraries / American Library Association, Chicago.

Kuhlthau, C.C., Maniotes, L.K. & Caspari, A.K. (2007). Chapter 2: The Theory and Research Basis for Guided Inquiry in Kuhlthau, C.C., Maniotes, L.K. & Caspari, A.K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21^st Century, Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, pp.13-28.

Reflecting on My Learning Process

After using the questionnaire to reflect on my thoughts and feelings about the nature of inquiry-based learning and information literacy in the preparatory year, I felt that not a lot had changed. Perhaps I needed to reflect on my learning processes.

So far I have struggled to find a balance between my preferred learning style (open inquiry) and the model used for this unit (guided inquiry).

Dynamic tensions

(I first used this term in an assignment a couple of years ago. It seems to sound right for what I am trying to describe, but where did it come from and what does it really mean? A Google search revealed that ‘dynamic tension’ is a term used in the fields of music, theatre and in fact educational and business research to describe competing priorities. Wikipedia says that “Dynamic Tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits muscle against muscle.”  Perhaps this definition implies that opposing forces can still be productive. OK, back to work!)

The dynamic tensions that I have experienced this semester include:

·       the need to answer my own questions and the need to keep to a unit timeframe and prepare for tutorials

·       the requirement to have a public blog and the belief that a private learning journal would be more useful

·       time required to immerse myself in the topic and the time constraints of fitting in with school timeframes

·       competing priorities, e.g. tutorial readings and activities Vs independent research; project implementation Vs blogging.

Perhaps these dynamic tensions can best be summed up as the need to ‘explore’ Vs the need to ‘produce’ or  ‘achieve’; or even as the requirement to ‘publish’ before consolidating or affirming my ideas.

I began my learning process by brainstorming a set of questions. There were two sets. What I needed to know to meet the learning outcomes of the unit and what I wanted to know about my chosen topic.

This seemed an overwhelming list. It seems interesting that my initial brainstorming didn’t include any information-seeking skills related to producing the blog. Adding the organisational complexity of the project and the blog requirements to the list made it seem even more overwhelming. It was difficult to pinpoint a starting point. So I made preparation for weekly tutorials and working with the Prep class my top priorities. This meant that I sacrificed the opportuntity to immerse myself in the topic before beginning work with the children.

My intention to be systematic in meeting my learning needs was abandonned in my haste to keep up with the prescribed readings, tutorial exercises, questionnaires, blog requirements and preparing lessons and resources for my project (and still have a life outside unit studies). I regret not recording the definitions that I found along the way, because I can’t for the life of me remember what they were or where I found them. Sadly, I’m still left with the vague impressions of each learning theory that don’t translate readily to age-appropriate teaching and learning practices for the preparatory year.

So, to consolidate my understandings, I decided to revisit the definitions.

Useful Defintions/Explanations

·   information

-    in a narrow sense, information is facts

-    in a specific senses: “Data that (1) has been verified to be accurate and timely, (2) is specific and organized for a purpose, (3) is presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and (4) that can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty.
The value of information lies solely in its ability to affect a behavior, decision, or outcome. A piece of information is considered valueless if, after receiving it, things remain unchanged. For a technical definition of information see information” (Luthra, 2007–2011) (theory.http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information.html

-    in a broad sense, information is “anything we experience as informing” (Bruce, 2008, p.5)

-    in an experiential sense, information can be experienced as process, knowledge or thing (Buckland, 1991, p. 351)

·   information literacy

-    is “experiencing different ways of using information to learn” (Bruce, 2008, p.5);  

-    involves knowing when information is needed and being able to identify, locate and effectively use information for learning and problem solving (Kinder, 2004).

-    “Visual literacy is the ability to find meaning in imagery.” (Yenawine, 1997)

·   information fluency

-    “is the ability to analyze information needs and to move confidently among media, information and computer literacy skills resulting in the effective application of a strategy or strategies that will best meet those needs.” (Callison, 2003)

-    “is also the ability to move among several models for the information search and use processes.” (Callison, 2003)

·   informed learning

-    Informed learning is the process of using information to learn. It is based on the premise that information use and leanring are closely linked and that curriculum content and effective use of information need to be learned together. (Bruce, 2008)

·   information skills are the building blocks of information literacy (Bruce, 2008)

·   inquiry-based learning

-    Inquiry-based learning involves children in formulating questions about topics that interest them, and answering them by participating in language and literacy activities (Owens, Hester & Teale, 2002).

-    Inquiry learning is the process used by students to locate and use sources of information to develop their understanding of an issue, solve a problem or learn about a topic. It requires, for example, observation, experimentation, exploration, investigation, research and study. Inquiry learning should interest, engage, challenges students to connect their world with the curriculum. Inquiry learning can be enhanced by students learning from each other through social interaction. (Kuhltau et al, 2007, p.2)

-    Guided Inquiry is a collaborative process used by teachers to guide students through an inquiry process, that equips them with the tools and resources for lifelong learning. Guided Inquiry is carefully planned, yet adaptable, so that curriculum content can be connected to the student’s world. Transferable information literacy concepts, such as the location, evaluation and use of information, are embedded into the inquiry process. Assessment is tailored ot the learning and situation and integrated into the learning process. (Kuhltau et al, 2007)

·   evidence-based practice

-    Critical dimensions of evidence-based practice are “the ability to collect, read, interpret, and integrate valid and applicable user-observed and research-derived evidence; the combining of this evidence with professional expertise, insight, experience, and leadership; and the application of this evidence and wisdom to ensure significant and optimal outcomes” (Coe, 1999; Todd, 2007 in Harada, 2007). Action research is a systematic method of inquiry that can be used by a group of practitioner-researchers to reflect and act on real-lfe practice based problems. It is a tool for developing evidence-based practice . (Harada, 2007)

References

Bruce, Christine S. (2008). Informed Learning. Association of College and Research Libraries / American Library Association, Chicago.

Buckland, M. (1991). Information as Thing. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42 (5), 351–360. Retrieved September 20, 2011 from ProQuest.

Callison, D. (2003). Key Words In Instruction: Information Fluency. School Library Monthly; Dec 2003; 20, 4; ProQuest pg. 38 Retrieved September 26, 2011 from ProQuest.

Harada, Violet H. (2007). Facing the Reform Challenge: Teacher-librarians as Change Agents. Teacher Librarian (Vancouver) (1481-1782), 35 (2), p. 8. Retrieved September 23, 2011 from EBSCO Host.

Kinder, D. (2004). Information Literacy: A Key to Success in the 21st Century. The Greet Exchange, Spring 2004. Ryerson University. Retrieved September 3, 2011 from http://www.ryerson.ca/lt/publications/GREETSpr04V03Apr5.pdf

Kuhlthau, C.C., Maniotes, L.K. & Caspari, A.K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21^st century, Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Luthra, V. (2007-2011). Information Definition. BusinessDictionary.com. WebFinance Inc. Retrieved September 26, 2011, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information.html

Owens, R.F., Hester, J.L. & Teale, W.H. (2002). Where Do You Want to Go Today? Inquiry-Based Learning and Technology Integration. The Reading Teacher. 55(7), Owning Technology (April, 2002), 616-625. Retrieved September 10, 2011, from http://www.jstor.org/pss/20205108

Yenawine, P. (1997).  Thoughts on visual literacy. Flood, J., Heath. S.B. & Diane Lapp, D. (Ed.) (1997). Handbook of Research on Teaching Literacy through the Communicative and Visual Arts . Macmillan Library Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2011, from http://vtshome.org/system/resources/0000/0005/Thoughts_Visual_Literacy.pdf