Guided Inquiry Design

The Guided Inquiry Design (GID) is a prominent information literacy model based on extensive research by Carol Kuhlthau and her earlier model the Information Search Process (Kulthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2012). There are eight phases to the GID model: “Open, Immerse, Explore, Identify, Gather, Create, Share, and Evaluate.” (Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014). Below are some advantages and challenges:

Advantages:

• Students inquire into an area that piques their interest
• Clear scaffold of steps to follow (to support the inquiry process)
• Involves in the teacher librarian in embedding information literacy
• The model itself is based on extensive research, conducted by Kuhlthau
• Inquiry Learning is a priority in the Australian Curriculum
• Can be used across different subjects

Challenges:

• Not all schools have a teacher librarian on staff to collaborate with teachers
• Students with specific learning needs may need additional support structures
• It requires careful planning and prior organisation
• Can be difficult to use the framework while meeting curriculum demands
• It can be challenging to keep students on task and motivated as parts of the process are self-directed
• Needs to be a whole-school approach

References

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2012). Guided inquiry design: A framework for inquiry in your school. Libraries Unlimited. 

Maniotes, L. K., Kuhlthau, C. C. (2014) Making the shift. Knowledge Quest. 43(2) 8-17.

Image Credit: Photo by Agustin Fernandez on Unsplash