Guided Inquiry and Information Literacy Skills 2008-2009 School Year

                                                                                                                                                                                              What is Guided Inquiry? Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century Carol C. Kuhlthau, Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari Libraries Unlimited, 2007 http://cissl.scils.rutgers.edu/guided_inquiry/introduction.html

In this guided inquiry unit, students… AP English Language and Composition Guided Inquiry: Blink Teachers: Marci Zane and Mary Woods In this guided inquiry unit, students… Asked authentic questions of text Synthesized a variety of sources to answer essential questions Evaluated resources and information Developed responsibility for their own learning Improved research competency and skills Reflected on goals and process of learning Worked in cooperative learning teams Interacted on Moodle to share materials with and provide feedback to peers

Questions Emerging from Initial Discussion How much do people believe what they read? What is a #1 National Bestseller? If Gladwell’s book is so good, why is does he include so many quotes in beginning? Is Gladwell notorious for not connecting with his audience? Who gives this guy the right to write this book—he is a reporter? What validity is there in gut instincts? What made him first realize that instinct was so valuable?

Chapter 1 Questions for Exploration Is this the only time anyone has completed a room thin-slice? How successful is this? Are these experiments valid? Where does he find this information? Is he using too many examples? Does he detract from his purpose? Is he trying to hide the fact that he has no structure/argument? Is he trying to manipulate us to think that this is our own self-discovery? Who are these people? Are these the top researchers in this field? What algorithm? Is there a lack of explanation here? With the bedroom experiment, they used a sample size of 80 people. 95% of 80 people. Is this enough? What is Gladwell’s purpose? Is he trying to make money? Is he trying to change the world?

Was the unit on Blink different from other units you have experienced in school? Yes 94.1% No 0% I don’t know 5.9% Students’ responses: “Honestly, this unit felt like the first time I was ever really, truly learning, real-life style, in school. I mean...it felt like we were actually discovering, figuring things out, and reaching opinions on our own...not just being fed information from the teacher or book.” “We were asked to simply take an active role in our learning. It was amazing to see how much creativity and progress we made with everyone exploring their own interests and then comparing what they've learned to what others have explored.”

Choose two of the characteristics of guided inquiry and explain your rating Lifelong learning: “Now that I’m more used to having to look up answers to questions I pose throughout the book, I’ll be more likely to do the same in the future.” “It didn't really prepare us for lifelong learning in general, just for English and writing synthesis papers. It did allow us to work along with the teacher in deciding what to discuss in class.” Cover subject areas other than English: “I think that it was really cool to learn about other things besides English in an English class, while still connecting back to English. We were able to talk about music, art, psychology, how we learn, how our brain functions and so much more.” Create a community of learners: “The community we created made it possible for the Blink unit to run smoothly, and for everyone to have their interests addressed and learn as much as possible.”

Choose two of the characteristics of guided inquiry and explain your rating Emphasis on Process: “This unit challenged traditional student apathy to the subject material - fully engaging us in the process. The process is what is essential to learning. Then you can react to what you have learned and gain a greater understanding of the issue.” “In the beginning, I was afraid of this process because it demanded a lot of responsibility and independence from me. Once we all got more into it, I was more comfortable with it, and got a lot out of it.” Connect the curriculum to your world: “We performed many of the experiments discussed in the book before reading the book—the bedroom test, the Coke vs. Pepsi, and the Lemon/Lime text—without being told what the purpose was. In this way, we were able to learn by example.”

To what extent did the Moodle program aid in your learning this semester? Collaboration: “I think the Moodle site was super effective. I think Moodle played a huge role in bonding us as a class and encouraging the sharing of ideas for those of us who don't feel comfortable contributing in class.” Participation: “The Moodle utilization was the backbone to our course; it was a place to get ideas out equally - where everyone's voice was heard, and vital planning took place.” “I felt that it was an unfair participation advantage to those who had a lot of free time to be at home sitting at their computers. It wasn't fair to those of us with busy schedules...participation grades should be from class time.” Resources: “Moodle helped me a lot because it made it easy to submit work and find new research or resources for my writing or homework. And it mostly helped to continue class discussions and group work out of class through forums.”

Honors Sophomore English: The Catcher in the Rye/Conformity Teacher: Cathy Stutzman Student Response: “After reading others' responses, commenting on others' ideas, and expressing my own ideas about things like depression and innocence, I really got a better understanding of Catcher and how it relates to today's world.” “Instead of having you telling the class about the major themes, symbols, etc. in the book, I was able to tangibly (and sometimes even subconsciously :) get a grasp of the true meaning of the book.” “From a student's perspective, I strongly recommend that things like the wikisite and small group discussions continue next year and maybe even be implemented in other classes.”