Recommendations

There are two significant recommendations that will align the assessment task with that in best practice in inquiry learning pedagogy. From the analysis it is recommended that the following changes be made for future improvement:

• Whole department approach and more collaboration with the Teacher-Librarian
• Incorporation of the inquiry circle approach to inquiry

Whole department approach and more collaboration with the Teacher-Librarian

As a team the History Department need to communicate with one another on the implementation of the task, particularly during the ISP. Open communication will ensure that the history team are not only supporting each other, but more importantly each student in the cohort will receive the same learning experiences and guidance during the critical stages of the inquiry. In say this, it must be recognised that not all of the history teachers have the same skill set in implementing guided inquiry into their classrooms. Thus, the history staff should participate in professional development sessions related to guided inquiry to ensure their teaching skills align with best practice. A wonderful place to start would be professional readings from Kath Murdoch and Carol Kuhlthau.

In addition to the history department approaching the assessment task as a team, collaboration with the Teacher-Librarian is also required. Aside from the brief information seeking session held with the students at the beginning of the task, the Teacher-Librarian had no other involvement in the teaching or implementation of the task. Guided inquiry recommends a core team that plans and supervises the inquiry (Kuhlthau, 2010, p. 6). That is, collaboration between the history department and the Teacher-Librarian. As the Teacher-Librarian is an expert in the school regarding inquiry learning and information literacy, collaboration is essential to “provide a synergy of ideas for developing inquiry learning”… and “provides the additional professional guidance and ongoing support student inquiry requires” (Kuhlthau. 2010, p. 6). The implementation of these recommendations are absolutely essential to provide future Year 10 students who will undertake the task with more consistent and positive inquiry learning experiences. As a result, learning outcomes will also be increased and students would have gained transferable skills which they can employ in Years 11, 12 and beyond their high school education.

Incorporation of the inquiry circle approach to inquiry

Remodeling the assessment task to align with the inquiry circle approach would combat four limitations of the original task and accordingly improve the critical literacy skills of the students. These significant limitations were:

1. A limited process questioning framework
2. No action research cycle
3. No student evaluation of the learning process after the information seeking process
4. Moving from the situated window of information literacy to the transformative

The inquiry circle embraces all three elements of inquiry learning as seen below.

Image/Prezi created by site author: Click on image Sources for this compilation created by the International School of Tianjin (2008): — Branch, Jennifer, and Dianne Oberg. “Focus on Inquiry.” IASL. 2005. 6 May 2007 <http://education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf&gt;. — Murdoch, Kath. Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Armadale, Vic: Eleanor Curtain Pub, 1998. — Stripling, Barbara K. “Inquiry-Based Learning.” In Curriculum Connections through the Library, ed. Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell, 3-39. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.

Moreover, as a model for inquiry the inquiry circle:

• Fits perfectly within Kulthau’s Guided Inquiry model, allowing for teacher scaffolding throughout the ISP (as seen in the prezi below).
• Encompasses process questioning frameworks throughout each stage
• Provides critical and generic questioning frameworks, thus in turn, develops critical literacy and information literacy skills
• Encourages students to evaluative historical sources
• Applies all levels of Blooms revised taxonomy
• Promotes deep, student-centred learning where students have ownership and independence of their learning experience
• Is an authentic inquiry learning approach where questions are posed after background research has been conducted
• Allows students to identify the learning process, thus, they can readily apply these skills in their everyday lives.
• Aligns with best practice of inquiry learning pedagogy.

Best Practice Inquiry Learning: The Inquiry Circle and Kuhlthau’s Guided Inquiry Process. Click Image to access Prezi Sources for this compilation created by the International School of Tianjin (2008): — Branch, Jennifer, and Dianne Oberg. “Focus on Inquiry.” IASL. 2005. 6 May 2007 <http://education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf&gt;. — Murdoch, Kath. Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Armadale, Vic: Eleanor Curtain Pub, 1998. — Stripling, Barbara K. “Inquiry-Based Learning.” In Curriculum Connections through the Library, ed. Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell, 3-39. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.

Clearly, the inquiry circle includes process questions at each stage, promotes student evaluation of learning, and encourages an action research cycle. Rewriting the task to include these additions in accordance with the inquiry circle will significantly improve the task. It is important to note that in order to make inquiry learning consistent within the College the History Department should adapt all assessment tasks to align with the inquiry circle. To take another step towards best practice a whole school approach should be adopted, in that each Department should use the inquiry circle approach to their inquiry assessment tasks. This will ensure that students are undertaking the same inquiry process in each subject, strengthening their understanding of the learning process.

However, the assessment task needs specific recommendations that will take the task in the direction of the transformative window of information literacy and critical literacy. In order to move into the transformative window to “empower” the students to “transform themselves or society” by “challenging the status quo and to effect social change” (Lupton and Bruce, 2010, p. 5) students should be asking the following questions of their sources:

• Who is silent?
• Who is excluded?
• Whose perspective is being presented and why?
• What is omitted and why? (Lupton, 2015)

Asking questions such as these will prompt students to consider what minority groups have been overlooked and allows them to examine why this is the case. These questions will encourage students to delve into their conscious to critically question and challenge the information that society presents them. Accordingly, students would then be able to view all information that they receive in the media and from the government with a critical eye allowing them to take action and promote change on issues that they are passionate about, challenging the status quo. Therefore, students would be empowered to “promote democracy by working towards a more just and equitable society and lead to transform action” to take control of their future (Powell, Cantrell and Adams, 2001, p. 773). Beyond asking the above conscious raising questions, steps towards taking social action in relation to the long term effects of their WW2 event is not needed in this task but rather challenging students to critically questions their sources is more than effective.

Transformative Window: Lupton, M. (2015). LCN616 Inquiry Learning: Week 2 mini lecture [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved 8th August 2015 from https://inquirymodules.wordpress.com/module3/

Transformative Window: GeSTE Window images from: Lupton, M. (2015). LCN616 Inquiry Learning: Week 2 mini lecture [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved 8th August 2015 from https://inquirymodules.wordpress.com/module3/

Implementing the above recommendations to the assessment task would significantly enhance the learning experiences of future Year 10 students who would undertake this task. It is essential to acknowledge that all recommendations have been made in alignment with best practice in inquiry learning and as the landscape of education changes so to will the assessment need to be regularly evaluated.

References:

Kuhlthau, C. (2010). Guided inquiry: School libraries in the 21st century. School Libraries Worldwide, 16(1), 1-12.

Lupton, M. (2015). Google Communities Discussion. Retrieved 16th August 2015 from https://plus.google.com/communities/103873549154026518606.

Lupton, M. & Bruce, C. (2010). Chapter 1 : Windows on Information Literacy Worlds : Generic, Situated and Transformative Perspectives in Lloyd, Annemaree and Talja, Sanna, Practising information literacy : bringing theories of learning, practice and information literacy together, Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies, pp.3-27.

Powell, R; Cantrell, S and Adams, S. (2001). Saving Black Mountain : the promise of critical literacy in a multicultural democracy The Reading Teacher, 54 (8), 772-781.