Module 4: Building the Bridge Through Collaboration
Created Prompt: How do we begin the journey of inquiry through collaboration with teachers we work with in our schools? What can you do to 'nudge' both yourself as a T-L and your colleagues to embrace Inquiry Based Learning?
For this post, I thought I would take a bit of risk and branch out from the suggested prompts, to focus on some learning I have done personally about IBL throughout the first four modules. This will help explain my own personal journey with inquiry to this point, and how important collaboration is to the inquiry process.
For starters, I feel I need to give a little of my personal background with IBL. I would say that I am at a point where I am definitely the learner. Before starting this course, I had limited knowledge of IBL, having only done a couple lessons to 'try it out' after a teaching partner encouraged me to simply "go for it!" Based on my observations of her teaching and use of IBL, I was intrigued and I could see the benefits for our students. At this point (2 years ago), I was only a few months in as the new T-L at another school, that had a very traditional approach with circulation blocks and classes that only used the library for research projects. I could see how IBL would benefit the students in our community, but I knew that I would need to start the collaboration process and get our teaching staff on-board.
We are lucky in our district, to have many T-L's with knowledge and background in the inquiry process. We also have district team that devoted time to professional development. I was excited when I had the chance to be part of a 3-part series on IBL, but the second session was re-scheduled to a day I couldn't make and the third session was cancelled. I walked away a little frustrated that I had started the journey, but ultimately I was left with a lot of questions. Our district is now in the midst of a plan to help create LLC in each of our schools, as they see the value of T-L's in the learning community and how our space in the school can provide much more authentic learning experiences.
As Colyer says about inquiry, "It is a form of deep learning that allows children to learn how to learn as opposed to making children learn what to learn in the form of isolated and fragmented content." (2016, pg. 2). This stuck with me because it accurately reflects my own learning experiences and what vision I see for our LLC going forward. I myself, know that I come from a more traditional learning experience in my own journey through the education system and university, so embracing IBL has been a challenge, but one that I see as valuable to both my own practice and my colleagues.
Throughout the first parts of this course, I am beginning to see where I need to "nudge" myself first and also the importance of collaboration. Until last year, I worked in two schools with a completely different approach to IBL. In one situation, as The T-L, I worked with teachers that view the library as resource hub and place to take out books as compared to Hamilton's thoughts of, "The possibilities of the library as a learning space disrupt the traditional concept of the library as a data warehouse and, instead, establish the library as a site of participatory culture." (2011, pg. 41).
At my other site, IBL was embraced by the entire school as whole from K-7, with time set aside for collaboration between classes each week so the students could work on individual and group inquiry projects throughout the school year. Inquiry was celebrated and even those teachers that were hesitant, engaged and learned from their colleagues. This was all done in collaboration with the T-L at the school, with time built into her schedule to visit and support all teachers.
This school embraced Fontichiaros idea that,"...engaging in just a few PD activities throughout the school year, you can help build a powerful definition of —and, hopefully, enthusiasm for—moving away from cut-and-paste and toward inquiry." (2015, pg. 49). The staff was working collectively to build a definition at the building level and create a learning environment with a focus on IBL.
This leads me to my first "Aha" moment and a moment of "aporia" that I had when I dabbled with my first lessons in inquiry. Stripling (2008) suggests that every inquiry learning experience should start with a challenging problem or question that is meaningful and worthy of deep exploration. So, how can I support my students to ensure their own questions are-open ended and allow for in-depth study? I wasn't sure of myself, as the teacher, that I was helping my students create questions that would lead to successful inquiry. But, I need to take the risk, knowing I may make mistakes, in order to move forward in the process. The image to the right is one that I keep in my office, reminding me that I too have to take risks, to encourage my students to do the same. I also think that our administration plays a key role, as Coatney states, "Administrators and those in charge of staff development need to provide workshops and materials that empower teachers in collaboration with school librarians to understand and adopt an inquiry stance to teaching and learning." (2015, pg.12).
In watching a whole school approach to IBL at my one school, I saw the power in an environment where administration provided the learning opportunities and encouraged the staff to take risks, make mistakes and use their colleagues to support their learning. With this support, many teachers that had never used IBL in their classrooms, took the risk and noticed that their students did as well! I was only at this school the equivalent of 1 day a week, but what I was able to witness in the process was amazing. Which brings me to the piece about collaboration.
During the last few months of the most recent school year, due to Covid-19, I was able to collaborate as both a T-L and classroom teacher to prep and plan for online learning. I worked closely with a group of three teachers to develop learning opportunities for our students. As the T-L I supported a lot in the area of technology and as a classroom teacher to design at home learning. The time that I had to collaborate with my colleagues was powerful and very valuable. This has made me think a lot about my role as T-L and the opportunities I would like to provide going forward.
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| This graphic speaks to the important areas of collaboration between TL and teacher! |
This was where I had my major "Aha" in terms of collaboration. I was immediately drawn to Coatney's article, which made me think about being the "bridge"for the teachers (and administration) at our school. From Coatney's 9-points to help with understanding of inquiry, I connected with the following (2015, pg. 13):
- Identifying and sharing relevant research with teachers, administrators, and the wider school community: I must use the knowledge I gain and continue to engage in PD, to help support and develop IBL in our school community.
- Providing relevant, practical, and usable staff development for teachers and all staff: Take time during curriculum meetings and PD days, to offer learning that can be used by our staff. We have many teachers that prefer to "do their own thing" but letting them know the opportunity is there for collaboration and start small.
- Co-teaching and modeling inquiry instruction and best practice: Being available to engage with teachers in their classrooms and provide modeling opportunities that will get them excited about the learning done by their students using inquiry,
- Constantly advocating for and participating in collaboration,co-teaching, and building the “team” approach to teaching: As was described in the articles by Fontichiaro, "most educators have very little idea what librarians can do, because librarianship is absent in many teacher education programs." (2014, pg. 37). I feel in connecting with a previous statement, at times we are seen as the "warehouse" and the T-L has not been someone that engaged with the staff regularly. I think the idea of creating a team approach can be very powerful.
- Patiently and kindly helping teachers to move forward and leave behind static, quick answer-driven projects that encourage plagiarism and have no interest to students: This is the one that hits home the most with me. I have personally witnessed the students that have been given a project of very little interest. We actually dealt with blatant plagiarism twice this year in our Grade 7 population, and both times it was evident that it came from boredom and just wanting to get the assignment done. I will admit that once it was an assignment of mine. More and more with the use of technology, it is easy to copy and paste and call it your own with no thought. We have to move away from these projects and provide richer learning opportunities! As Dr. Helen Timperley states in the "Building a Learning Community of Pedagogical Inquiry" video:
- "Being a professional is an on-going inquiry and learning process throughout your teaching career, you don't get qualified and teach, and not keep learning"
These are areas that I believe I can encourage and start with, to begin building the bridge between myself and the staff. Perhaps the best statement by Coatney, that matches what Timperley has to say in the video is, "...the best way for school librarians to become comfortable with implementing inquiry learning is to practice becoming inquirers themselves and to encourage faculty and
staff to do likewise." (2015, pg. 13).
While I did draw upon some of the "not so great" teaching experiences I've witnessed for students, what I do have to build on are the lessons that are amazing, and already close to inquiry! Our teachers do an amazing job with learning outdoors in the local parks, with community partners, and that vast outdoor learning areas that we have in the Okanagan. I just need to "nudge" them in the direction of inquiry and help them see that what they're already doing may only need a little "tweak" in order to provide an even richer learning experience. As Coatney says,"Help teachers “nudge” their existing lessons toward inquiry by helping them scaffold and change their lessons and provide annotated lesson plan overlays of traditional plans showing how to move to an inquiry approach." (2015, pg. 12).
In closing, I think the last place I want to reflect on, is how to make the library a space the encourages a culture of inquiry. I have been working on the transition to a LLC, but I am working at it slow and steady. As of now, our space is more traditional and quiet, and I would like to work towards "A climate of participation, risk-taking, acceptance of “messy” learning, and inquiry in the school library creates conversations for fostering organic, responsive, relevant, and dynamic school library programs." (Hamilton, pg. 43).
I am at the point where I need to take the risk, jump in full force, and continue to "nudge" myself and the staff so we can collaborate and create IBL at our school. In my specific role, I can make the changes we need in our LLC, create a participatory and collaborative environment, and change the thinking about how the library space is used to foster learning for our students.
References:
Carey, J. (2018). Building a Learning Community of Pedagogical Inquiry [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugd1eRohjzM
Coatney, S. (2015). Essential Questions and Answers for Implementing Inquiry. School Library Monthly, 31(5), 11–13.
Colyer, Jill and Watt, Jennifer Gail. 2016. Getting started: Inquiry-based learning with junior learners. In THINQ 4-6: Inquiry-Based Learning in the Junior Classroom. Cambridge, ON: Wave Learning Solutions Inc.
Fontichiaro, K. (2015). Building Inquiry Understanding with Classroom Colleagues. School Library Monthly, 31(5), 49–51.
Hamilton BJ. Creating Conversations for Learning: School Libraries as Sites of Participatory Culture. School Library Monthly. 2011;27(8):41-43.
Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring Minds Want to Know. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 25(1), 50–52.
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