Inquiry, Imagination & Insight:
Snapshots of Student Information Scientists at Work

This workshop provides snapshots of what’s realistic, relevant, and practical as educators wade through the technology, resources, and research available to today’s young information scientists across the subject areas.

Hands-On Workshop Links

• Wikipedia
• Wikimedia Commons - images, sound, video
• Wikijunior Project : Wikijunior books
• National Archives - educators
• Concepts Across the Curriculum
• Snapshots: Cases
• PowerPoint Learning Spaces
  • Fossil Learning Space
  • Quarters Learning Space
  • Postcard Learning Space
• Project-based Approaches
• Culminating Projects
• Ms. Leake's Classroom News
• Mr. Leahy's Class
• Conservation Central

Think Different

Learn about The Student Information Scientist and Instructional Specialist in the Learning Laboratory.

Create a diagram or sketch of your vision of inquiry in your school. Use the lab analogy or create your own.

Define Information Fluency

Go to Information Fluency to learn about the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with information fluency.

How are you preparing your students to be information fluent? What areas need to be enhanced? Who needs to be involved?

Explore Inquiry Processes and Models

Go to Inquiry to learn more about the inquiry process. Examine the Information and Communication Skills Model Comparison (PDF) and The 8Ws: Information Literacy (PDF) visuals to explore a variety of models. To learn more about the models, go to Approaches for Information Inquiry.

As you think about your own experiences and those with children and young adults, brainstorm elements that would go into your own model. Consider using Inspiration for your design.

Think about Your Thinking: Metacognition

Before you can help students with their projects, it’s important to think about your own inquiry process. Go to Information Inquiry to read about the interactive components of inquiry.

Examine Annette's Information Inquiry: Good Night, Good Luck.

Examine Annette's Information Inquiry: Caterpillars in Capitol Reef.

Examine Jamal's Inquiry.

Consider Jason's Inquiry. Check out ideas for comics projects at escrapbooking.

Questioning and Exploration. Think about the process of questioning and exploration.

Divergent thinking focuses on knowledge that is flexible, changing, growing, emergent, and expanding. Answers may change with questions.

Student information scientists may engage in questions of accuracy, point of view, precision, depth, consistency, purpose, logic, information, interpretation, sources, assumption, currency, and/or implication.

Jamie McKenzie suggestions many different types of questions including: clarifying, sorting & sifting, elaborating, planning, strategic, and unanswerable.

Assimilation and Inference. Assimilation is the process of applying general schema to particular instances. Thinkers fit new ideas into existing cognitive structures. Inference is the reasoning involved in drawing conclusions based on evidence and prior knowledge rather than observation.

Deductive thinking applies general theories and principles to specific instances. Let's explore an inquiry based on deductive thinking. We wondered about the rock we found on Uncle Joe's farm in Arkansas. We began with the position that it was a marine fossil. Using rules, facts, and resources from paleontology websites, we concluded that it was a fossil from the root of a prehistoric tree. After organizing our findings, we created an e-scrapbook to share with Uncle Joe. Download the Fossil Inquiry Sidekick (PPT) and ideas for ScrapQuests. Also check out the Mystery Nest Inquiry (PPT). Explore other ideas for e-scrapbooks.

Inductive thinking moves from specifics to generalizations. You use information to develop arguments that support your hypothesis. Thinkers move from many observations and information collected to a single conclusion. Or, incorporate many perspectives into a proposed solution to a problem. With an inductive inquiry, the end product isn't a right or wrong answer. Instead, the product may be consensus, compromise or the best option for the situation. Let's say that you're exploring alternative energy sources for your home town. You explore forms of energy, interview residents, collect information and analyze the information seeking patterns and weighing options. Finally, you make a decision. Your product may be a wiki sharing on energy options that may continue to expand as more information is available.

Learn more about Inferential Thinking Across the Curriculum.

Conduct your own inquiry on any topic. Think about the interactive components: Questioning & Exploration, Assimilation & Inference and Reflection. Keep a short journal, mind map, or blog tracing your experience.

Conduct an Inquiry

Interdisciplinary Approaches

Consider ways to address individual differences, make real-world connections, and motivate students by connecting standards across the curriculum.

The Philosophers' Club by Christopher Phillips has inspired many teachers and students to create their own clubs.

• Society for Philosophical Inquiry : Philosophers' Club
• Philosopher's Club Facilitator Flier (PDF document)

Go to Concepts Across the Curriculum from PBS. Select a topic from the archives. How are concepts woven across the curriculum. Why is this important? How could these topics be used to spark inquiry-based approaches to learning.

Snapshots of Instructional Specialists

The role of educators is evolving. Teacher librarians, technology coordinators, classroom teachers, and other instructional specialists must collaborate to enrich the learning environment.

Go to Instructional Specialists to learn more about their role in a successful learning environment.

The Evidence: A Decade of WebQuests

It “feels” right, but where’s the evidence? Focus on standards-based, info & technology-rich, authentic & meaningful, collaborative, project-based learning environments. What theories apply?

Let's use WebQuests as an example and explore a decade of WebQuests. The WebQuest phenomenon began with Bernie Dodge and Tom March in 1995. Learn more about WebQuests at WebQuest.org. The following dozen connections are based on an article by Annette Lamb in Educational Media and Technology Yearbook (Vol. 30), 2005.

1 - Constructivist Philosophy
Learning that is Active, Authentic, Meaningful, Intentional, Constructive, Cooperative
Bruner (1960), Jonassen (1999)

Mr. Cottle's Classroom - Students participate in active, authentic outdoor activities using GPS, probes, and laptops.

Students must find meaning to create insight. Answers to essential questions can’t be found, they must be invented by synthesizing examples & perspective to build personal understandings
McKenzie (2001)

2 - Understanding: Thinking & Transformation
Understanding is multifaceted
Wiggins & McTighe (2000)
Explanation, Interpretation, Application, Perspective, Empathy, Self-knowledge

Brunswick High School Junior Project - Juniors complete local history projects incorporating oral histories.

Students found the “thinking” required in a WebQuest assignment more difficult than filling in worksheets. Students felt they understood the content better.
Kelly (2000)

3 - Authenticity
Authenticity is key: Primary Resources; Real-world Problems
Perkins & McKnight (2003); Watson (1999);  Vidoni & Maddux (2002)

Indiana students use PowerPoint incorporating speakernotes for explanations to create Depression Era diaries incorporating primary resources, connecting to local and national events and consider what if this happened today?

In another example related to the early 1900s, read Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. Explore lesson ideas at Mass Moments, Teaching Tolerance. Open the PowerPoint starter called Bread and Roses, Too. Create your own scrapbook.

Try using Scrapblog.

4 - Situated Learning
Context is important                       
Seeing relationships
Social interaction                       
Community of Practice
Cognitive Apprenticeship
Dewey (1933); Brown, Collins, Duguid (1989); Lave (1990); McLellan (1995)

Wikijunior Project : Wikijunior books - Students learn how wikis can be used for collaborative writing and participate in a global project. They also gain insights into the information found on the web.

5 - Interdisciplinary Approaches
Cross-disciplinary approaches engage students
Dutt-Doner (2000); Vidoni & Maddux (2002)

Ms. Leake's Classroom News - Students use a blog to trace the development of a mealworm incorporating reading, writing, and math with science.

6 - Scaffolding
Limited choices; Good directions; Demonstrations
Methods to reduce frustration & increase success
Chatel (2003); Wood, Bruner & Ross (1976); Wood & Middleton (1975)

Website Evaluation (PPT), Evaluation Activity (PPT), and Student Sample (PPT), PowerPoint Desktop Learning Spaces

Mr. Leahy's Class - Students use Appleworks to help them create graphs. The teacher provides a fun way of exploring American Revolution using the "Fortunately" and "Unfortunately" structure.

7 - Differentiation
Address individual learning needs Tomlinson (1999)

Google Video NARA - Use video to meet diverse needs.

WQ: Effective in addressing special needs in regular classroom; Successful in differentiation
(Kelly, 2000); Milson (2002)
WQ: Girls and boys work differently in groups
Tech-based activities are effective with inclusion students
Monroe (2003); Kelly (1999)

8 - Cooperative Learning
Purposeful interaction to support self and others
Johnson & Johnson (1996)

9 - Motivation
ARCS – Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction
Malone (1981); Keller (1983); Ames (1989)

AIM Your Project with Flash - Seek out engaging materials. Look for animation, interaction, and multimedia.
Conservation Central - Through animation, interaction, and multimedia, students are challenged to create a new giant panda habitat.

WQ: Motivation is essential for young adults who question importance of school assignments.
Lipscomb, (2003)

10 - Challenge & Engagement
Best way to challenge is through                        
Engaging in active questioning
Exploring new information                                   
Examining contradictions
Researching ideas that challenge current views (Brooks & Brooks ,1999)
Student Engagement: Concentration, Interest, Enjoyment (Shernoff, 2002)

Opposing Viewpoints Database - Use this subscription database to focus attention on quality resources, but still provide choice.

WQ: Choice in web resource exploration increased student interest (Tancock, 2002)

11 - Multiple Assessments
Checklists, rubrics, rating scales, conferences, logs, journaling, graphic organizers
Harada & Yoshina (2005)

12 - Inquiry-based Learning

Glorious Gardens and the BioBlog - Inquiry, Imagination, Insight

John Denver - Take Me Home Country Roads - What song or story could you write about a family reunion or other travel experience? What about visuals?

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