As educators we know that reflection is one of the most important aspects of the inquiry process, as it allows us to consider new perspectives, make new connections and build on prior knowledge. As I reflect on the topics we have explored and developed in Phase 2, I am overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and skills I have gained over the past weeks. Between engaging in my own inquiry and learning from the research of my peers, I have developed new understandings and gained new tools for tackling important school library topics such as reading culture, information literacy, libraries in the developing world, mobile libraries, professional development, professional learning networks, collaboration and leadership and more!
Engaging in my own professional learning network with my peers through this course has been influential in helping me gain further understanding of the many topics we have explored. Through reading and reflecting on their research as they presented it through their weekly blog posts, I gained multiple perspectives, considerations, strategies and tools which I would have not had the opportunity to delve into otherwise. There have been many great takeaways for me as I read the work of my peers, one in particular was from Kathlyn's blog post entitled Teacher Librarian Support in Staff Professional Development. It encouraged me to reflect on teacher readiness to employ new strategies and tools in their practice, and how we as teacher-librarians can support our colleagues in addressing their concerns about educational innovations and how we can provide targeted supports to assist them in evolving their practice. I also found a lot of great resources through this professional learning network. From Eleana, I learned that the School Library Journal is currently providing free subscriptions, which I signed up for and have already received my first issue. Additionally I learned from Jennifer about the organization We Need Diverse Books, which has a wealth of recommendations and resources related to race, equity, anti-racism and inclusion, which I look forward to utilizing in my own classroom and in my future library learning commons.
While there have been many great takeaways from the past weeks of exploration and research and thus, many topics which have resonated with me, what stood out to me the most was the impact of the inquiry process on my learning as a whole. Since beginning Phase 2, I've found that I have spent a greater amount of time learning about these topics through the process of inquiry, as opposed to primarily learning about these topics through instructor provided resources, as has most often been the case in my other LIBE courses. While I personally found each of the inquiry topics quite interesting, which undoubtedly contributed to my seemingly endless desire to keep investigating these topics further, I also found this unique opportunity for self-directed learning to be exceptionally motivating. Rather than simply taking passively received information and applying it to my teaching practice through a prescribed assignment, I was responsible for locating, analyzing, and using information to construct my own knowledge and to apply it and share it in a way that is practical, engaging and meaningful to me. As a future teacher-librarian this is the type of learning experience I will strive to offer my students, and yet as a learner, this is one of the first times I've truly engaged in this type of learning experience myself! It has been a powerful lesson for me as an educator and aspiring teacher-librarian, as I can now personally recognize the benefits of engaging in the inquiry process. It allows us to take ownership of our learning, to differentiate according to our own needs and learning styles and ultimately it allows us to develop deeper understandings as we construct new knowledge in meaningful and relevant ways.
10 Reasons to use Inquiry-based Learning. (Duckworth & Mackenzie, 2017).
Looking back at our first explorations at the beginning of this course, I expressed my initial curiosity about exploring ways to incorporate inquiry based activities into my teaching practice in my first blog post Reading Review Part A: Exploring Keywords. Continuing to employ the inquiry process is one aspect of my learning from this phase that I plan to take with me as I continue my journey to becoming a teacher-librarian. It is an approach I plan to continue to utilize both when engaging in my own learning and when facilitating student learning in my future school library program. Ultimately, I now recognize the integral role of inquiry based learning opportunities in not only fostering students information literacy skills, but in fostering their passion, motivation, creativity, and ultimately, their love of learning. As result, one of my goals moving forward as a teacher-librarian is to integrate inquiry based learning into my pedagogical practice and to support my colleagues in integrating it into theirs as well. I look forward to supporting my students and colleagues in engaging in this meaningful process as I continue to strive to foster a school community of lifelong learners with a passion for and love of learning.
References:
Dekens, Kathlyn. (2020). Teacher Librarian Support in Staff Professional Development. Retrieved 7 November 2020, from https://kthlyndk.wordpress.com/2020/10/25/teacher-librarian-support-in-staff-professional-development/#comments
Duckworth, S., & Mackenzie, T. (2017). 10 Reasons to use Inquiry-based Learning [Image]. Retrieved 10 November 2020, from https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/10-benefits-of-inquiry-based-learning/.
Eleana. (2020). Developing your own ICT Skills and Pedagogy. Retrieved 7 November 2020, from http://amusingstacks.blogspot.com/2020/10/developing-your-own-ict-skills-and.html
K., Jennifer. (2020). Searching for Network Connections. Retrieved 7, November 2020, from https://learningtolib.blogspot.com/2020/10/searchingfor-network-connections-libe.html
You have made such excellent connections here with regard to our learning from phase 2. Your insight into our process and how you will incorporate this into your teaching is inspiring. You also make excellent connections to the work of your peers demonstrating the importance of a PLN.
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