Hello, Hawaii Association of School Librarians! {updated!}

**Updated after the workshop to include your “Aha!” moments that you shared at the pin table at the bottom of the post**

***Updated again March 6 with your “Aha!” moments from the evaluations at the very very end of the post***

What a pleasure to be at Kamehameha School today to lead the Hawaii Association of School Librarians’ workshop about inquiry strategies in the Common Core era.

Some links for today:

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Participants shared these “Aha!” moments. All are direct quotes, with commentary in brackets:

(This) confirms that synthesis and personal sense making remain at the heart of learning!
Does the information you’ve found help solve the problem? [A question you can ask students if you frame their research around a scenario or problem]
It’s not about libraries; it’s about learning. [A direct quote from AASL President Gail Dickinson’s opening remarks!]
(If you replace the “I” in K-W-L with “what I think I know” instead of “what I know” – an idea from Sandy Buczynski, it leaves room for the possibility that) what I think I know … was wrong.
“Guidelines shouldn’t hold us back.” [quoting Gail Dickinson]
It is rejuvenating to mentor new teachers.
(I) need to rethink how to approach student learning. I need to do more Connecting and Wondering!! [Connect = Stripling’s prior knowledge phase; Wonder = Stripling’s questioning phase]
So much information. I need to learn a little at a time.
Frame projects for relevance.
I never thought about it, but you were absolutely right — in the beginning, children chat and talk, then it gets quiet, not because they are not engaged, it’s because they are thinking.
Research based on materials by Lexile level — yes! [Some databases let you search for items by Lexile level, which can help teachers better customize texts to readers]
See – Think – Wonder (is) a great way to get student sto use photos as an initiation for inquiry.
No wonder the end products for research projects aren’t what they should be — we didn’t prep so well at the start!
I don’t need to come up with a new project focus; I just need to reframe it.
Reuse a (tech) tool (instead of introducing a new one for each project). It saves instructional time. [Hat tip to Buffy Hamilton, who clued me into her approach of finding a few hardworking tools she could reuse instead of new ones each time]
(Experts) look at the bibliography first before reading the paper/project.
That it’s okay to not do all the steps of inquiry – we can emphasize some of them!
Start thinking about small additions to final research problems to make them relevant to students.
Inquiry is about living in the muddy soup. [Adaptation of a quote from Chris Lehmann]
Go beyond just looking for facts!
Stripling’s Inquiry (Model) rocks. It’s a new discovery for me. Thanks.
Keep building prior knowledge! Activate it; the students may have a whole different idea of something! I can’t ask good questions if I don’t know about it!
How can we make learning relevant for our students beyond just facts? I learned how to revamp questions to provide deeper thinking and research. We read to connect to our world: past, present, and future.
See-think-wonder, the pyramid of inquiry. Inquiring minds will want to know.
New K-W-L [Buczynski’s idea to convert the columns to “What I think I know” (leaves room for misconceptions), “What I wonder” (instead of what I want to know)]
I came up with a new way to frame, with a question, a project I collaborate on with a teacher.
I am a classroom teacher and I was hesitant because it was a “library” conference. BUT I got to see a different perspective about librarians and education. 🙂

AHA moments from the evaluations:

That it is okay to use the same tech tools instead of trying new ones, because it saves on instructional time. [I learned this from Buffy Hamilton!]
Reuse a tool–it saves instructional time. [Thanks, Buffy!]
Love using primary sources, audio/visual, 3D objects ,etc., to tap prior thinking and begin inquiry. [Me, too!]
Librarians play a big role in our students’ learning and success in CCSS ELA.
Pre-searching is important for generating interest. Important to direct/frame searching.
How librarians should support research and not limit the process for students who may go off on tangents when finding information. Ways to make these projects for meaningful for students, “flip history” projects, telling stories.
Inquiry learning is a muddy soup (Chris Lehmann quote!). Students need adequate time for inquiry learning.
I don’t need to redo my projects, just rethink how to approach my targets. Students now think differently, so I should, too.
My library lessons should/could be TOTAL immersion in inquiry. [Keep in mind, though, that you can still teach the “understructure” of research … they still need those basic skills … they’re just stepping stones, not the destination!]
Inquiry can be confusing for our students, so using the Stripling Inquiry (Model) helps me devise my lessons to better guide the inquiry so it doesn’t become a muddy mess.
Gotta keep working on getting teachers to make projects more student-centered. (Think) big picture.
Reframe Problem Based Projects. Stripling Inquiry Model. More CONSTRUCT, less Express. Make “aha” buttons for next workshop. Give students time to share while researching.
I need to have students do inquiry-based lessons because they are more exciting/interesting for the students.
“CWICER” [my mnemonic to remember the Stripling Inquiry iterative ‘stages’] (is a) good reminder. (I had) lost focus about the initial prep work (that leads to) better endings.
My “Aha’s” from today included the Inquiry:
- Inquiry as a base. This reaffirms what is happening in the classroom and confirms the basis of my teaching.
- Stripling’s Inquiry Model s a great guide for me to remember the steps of inquiry
Loved learning how to make inquiry and research more meaningful for my students. The 3 examples were helpful.
Stripling Inquiry Model
Wonderful look at inquiry research–I loved the practical examples and hands on sessions.
It’s not hard to connect the library to the classroom to the CCSS.
Go back to the basics! Primary Resources!
It’s ok to ask low level questions [KF adds: at the start!] to get the students with limited language to be participants
Kristin clarified for me the direction I’ve been trying to head towards for our children in trying to listen & help them have their voice through her organized and clear presentation based on Stripling’s Inquiry Model, the many thought-provoking quotes, bringing us back to question what sparks us and how do we do the research. Many connections reinforcing inquiry in more valuable, meaningful ways trying to comprehend, investigate, eval. & analyze, integrate, synthesize … focused on the process and reflection, presenting backseat to the learning up to the final. Her exercise providing hands-on experience raised questions, provided sparks, highs & lows, all part of the process. Will take her messages: ‘evolution not revolution’, ‘nudging towards inquiry’ (our facilitating the students to learn/question), ‘living in the soup’ (being uncomfortable w/o all the answers, go for it)…’Inquiry isn’t linear. It’s iterative.’ Frame focus – project-based, problem-based, real-world situations.
Think (about) the way to inspire the student to do their best on their research paper
I really liked learning about the Stripling Inquiry Model and how Kristin shared some ideas on how I can incorporate it in my first grade classroom. I also like the “New” KWL.
Research can be FUN! [YESSSSSSS!!!!]
Some aha’s were how to better approach inquiry with students, and I plan on sharing the information I received with my teachers. (YAY! Keep me posted!)
I don’t have to have an end product for every research unit and that parents should see the tools and processes their child used, not just the cleaned-up final products.
I need to do a better job in getting students excited about research by connecting it to their own lives or community.
Research projects can be inspirational and motivational when using a problem based construct approach that keeps interest high in order to solve the questions arising during discussions.
I appreciated the entire information shared but my Aha would be the mind shift: the basic research could be tweaked (framing strategies) to engage students in pursuing knowledge that would fascinate them.
How important and difficult forming questions can be, and that the time to search and discover is needed.
Guide students to be responsible for their own learning.
small changes can be made to existing research assignments to nudge students toward authentic inquiry
allowing students time to explore and wonder before doing the actual research is vital for activating interest and giving students background info to create good questions
That it is okay to use the same tech tools instead of trying new ones, because it saves on instructional time. [Thanks, Buffy! Look how much your idea resonated!]
Frame the project for real life relevance.
Inquiry means that we live in that uncomfortable place where we don’t know the answer. [Another appearance of the power of the Lehmann quote!] CWICER.
Instead of trying to create completely new projects, I need to work with teachers to re-frame existing projects.
In order to reduce the time needed to do inquiry, some of the “steps” can be skipped – example the express component. Starting with a good foundation of prior knowledge can lead to higher level/deeper questions. I do research similar to what I see students doing — starting with Google, getting easily sidetracked
Exciting learning is noisy, full of people wanting to share what they just learned and walking around looking at what other have found. We got to remember when we try to “sh…..h our students in our libraries.

Wow, folks. It makes me shiver to hear this kind of learning going on. Keep me posted with what you try! Next up, I’ll start tackling your questions from the evaluations.

Hello, Hawaii Association of School Librarians! {updated!}

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