Author Archives: kinderkath

Technology and Reading – is there a synergy?

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As I contemplate the question of how I process information and read, I am struck with the quandary which I am in regarding this.
Some of my best times of relaxation and switching off have been lying at a beach, 10 nights away, 11 books to read – accomplished with ease. Without the distraction of screens (or work) I have been able to fully focus on the words on pages and the imagination landscapes where I can escape to in my mind. This contrasts to what I do on a daily basis, with work and university studies. Most of my reading for this involves screen time. The ideal for me is feeling pages turning under my fingers, however the convenience of instant access outways this in everyday life.

Bliss! Photo by form PxHere

I see similar trends in my own teenage crew at home. While they far prefer drawing to reading as one of their pastimes, the bulk of their reading time is spent on devices. Like Taylor (2018) suggests, teenagers reading often involves a multisensory experience with headphones and multiple tabs open on a computer. While the efficiency of this style of learning is one that as a parent I often question, it does appear to be the way it is done.

The library which I teach in does not currently have immediate access to a huge amount of technology, so e-books have not been a trend from this library. During lockdown 2021, there was some use of reading platforms, such as Reading Eggs/Express and PM Readers for students to access stories from home, however, as many families don’t have reliable internet or devices at home it was not heavily promoted due to equity in access. Having access to digital forms of stories can become a financial issue for many families and is one which needs to be considered.

Sparks (2021) raises interesting questions of whether screen enhances comprehension in the readers which also needs to be taken into consideration with classroom use versus at home usage. An interesting perspective which does need further investigating.

References
Sparks, S. D. (2021, July 22). Reading on screen vs. print: New analysis thickens the plot on promoting comprehension. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/reading-on-screen-vs-print-new-analysis-thickens-the-plot-on-promoting-comprehension/2021/07

Taylor, A. (2018, September 16). ‘Technology can bring books alive’: Harry Potter inspires novel with moving images. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/technology-can-bring-books-alive-harry-potter-inspires-novel-with-moving-images-20180915-p50407.html

Stocktake

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When I think of children’s literature, my mind is immediately creating images of book shelves and book tubs with far-away places jumping from the pages – be that in images or words. From my first day of teaching my own bookshelves have been ever-increasingly weighed down with books.
This however, is not where my knowledge of children’s literature ends. While my shelves may be bursting, there is an eclectic range of texts amongst the stories which are on my shelves. There is the literature which is there to entertain; I imagine books like “The Treehouse Series” by Andy Griffiths or “Marvel Comics” which conjures up intergalatic travel, all created to capture imagination and laughter. There are also picture books which come to mind with this, some combining images and songs, such as Anh Do’s “What do they do with all the poo from all the animals at the zoo?”, others with reverse psychology as a tool to get children to continue reading, thanks to Andy Lee and “Do NOT Open This Book”. There is also literature which is used to inform and or describe; the semi-modern classic “Where is the Green Sheep?”  by Mem Fox, informs of concepts, such as near and far, colours or jobs in amongst the rhyme and pictures. Lastly, literature may be written to persuade. When I think of nursery rhymes, they come with a ‘moral of the story’ involved, which is there to provoke thought by the reader or literature consumer.

JamesDeMers https://pixabay.com/photos/comic-books-marvel-comics-collection-382534/ Pixabay

Of course, this is not the only purpose of children’s literature. Creativity is a huge reason for stories and story-telling. As a person who is naturally drawn to artistic ways of thinking, children’s literature is such a way which helps children do this.
While I personally have a reasonable knowledge of specific literature suitable for primary years, I also look to others for their opinions and suggestions. Blogs such as that by Barbara Braxton https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/ , review and offer their opinion on the latest offerings which publishers are producing. Networking with my colleagues also provides a collective knowledge of what is available.
I have no doubt that this subject is going to offer me far more ways in which to connect with and expand my knowledge of children’s literature and I eagerly look forward to doing so.

Future of Children’s Literature – My Vision

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To think about the future, I would like to reflect on the past, my past. Growing up in a house with a school librarian meant that I was always surrounded by the written word. Moreover, it was constantly being read, either by myself or my parents who ensured that I got to know classics as well as literature of my time. I poured over the Book Club catalogues which would come home from school, the series of the time piquing my interest in children and babysitting. Now time has come full circle and I see that same series of books coming in for a new generation – however, with one difference, this next generation comes with some of them as graphic novels.

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/boombox-boom-box-radio-cassette-5467421/

One of the ways in which multimodal texts was presented to me! The cars trips with this strapped in to the seat so everyone in the car could hear it. Pixabay – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/boombox-boom-box-radio-cassette-5467421/

My initial thoughts on this are that I grew up in an era where the internet was not yet invented, so spare time for me was spent reading books and listening to audio recordings of stories. As a family we used to travel interstate and there was many an audiobook listened to in that time. In contrast to my own teen stepdaughters today, they have never been without information just a click away, and while as a family we still make the interstate road trips, every person has access to moving images should they desire. Where my childhood came with my imagination alone coming up with the manifestation of characters and places, the visual world of today has very much affected the ideas of children of today.

In this there is still a place for children’s literature, however, in an expanded form from the previous decades. The explosion of graphic novels on bookstore shelves and requests within my school library shows that this style of illustration with text, like the comic books of former eras, is a current need in children’s lives, perhaps showing the visual nature of society in which we live (Australian Writers’ Centre Team, 2020). The increase in different multimodal texts reflects the world around becoming more multimodal (Victoria State Government Education and Training, 2018, August 29). I have found it interesting to note that in the midst of pandemic times that people are wishing to spend less time on devices and more with physical books, which I have seen both in articles (CopyrightAgency, 2017) and in real life.

As the Australian Writers’ Centre (2020) states, other trends in children’s literature which I too have seen occurring around me are non-fiction and real-world issues, natural disasters (including COVID19) interwoven with fictional stories, and a complexity in the topics of young adult fiction which has not been seen before. This showcases where I believe the future of children’s literature lies, as a reflection of the current state of affairs in the world, along with opportunities for escapism.

I the believe that the future of children’s literature will be in it being responsive to the generation which it services. Something which I think it is doing.

References

Australian Writers’ Centre Team. (2020, July 17). 7 trends in children’s and YA publishing. AWC: Australian Writers’ Centre. https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/7-trends-in-childrens-and-ya-publishing/

CopyrightAgency. (2017, February 28). Most teens prefer print books. copyright.com.au. https://www.copyright.com.au/2017/02/teens-prefer-print-books/

Victoria State Government Education and Training. (2018, August 29). Multimodal literacy. Department of Education and Training. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/litfocusmultimodal.aspx

Pre-subject Ponderings

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When I first began teaching quite a few years ago in a Victorian Preschool, a teacher mentor of mine encouraged me to use picture books as a springboard for learning for the 3-5 year old children. I have taken this as a major part of my teaching philosophy to children well beyond the age of 5 and continue to practice using books as a springboard to the present day. To me the opportunities which a quality text provides to the realms of imagination are endless. The mode by which the literature or text is delivered has differing appeals and these have been present both in and out of my teaching career.

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/storytelling-fantasy-imagination-4203628/

Text come to life in our minds – the power of books!

I have been asking myself, why is this important in thinking about this subject? This subject’s content descriptions are topics which I have always been interested in and I believe that my base learning and teaching styles will be built upon within this subject.

Now to see what is new for me…

Collection Conundrums

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As I reflect on my journey in ETL503 – Resourcing the Curriculum, I can vividly recall a conversation I had with an assistant principal at my school. During the Sydney lockdown of 2021 this teacher saw my personal, extensive picture book collection in the background of the many Zoom meetings which occurred. She approached me asking if I knew of any quality picture books which would be of benefit to the school. My response was one of excitement explaining to her that I was about to embark on a subject which I had not doubt would lead me to sourcing many fabulous picture story books and novels for a primary school collection. While I have certainly been able to extend my knowledge of where to source physical items, this subject has opened my eyes to so many more facets of a library collection.

Who knew that this Zoom background would be such a thought provoker?

When initially researching what my state’s Department of Education (DoE) stated the role of the school library was, I came across a statement that indicated the libraries were there to provide resources to teach the curriculum and enhance individual learning and recreational reading (NSW Department of Education, 2019). This was not a surprise, however, delving deeper the DoE encouraged social and recreational development with the provision of resources in many and varying formats as well as the focusing of assisting discernment and critical thinking among students and teachers alike among many other goals(NSW Department of Education, 2015). To do this a school library collection must be one which is inviting and accessible for the users, which in 2022, cannot just focus on physical resources.

The concept of patron driven acquisition and the bundled sets which can be offered by suppliers to a school library were foreign to me (Marreiros, 2021, November 29). On further exploration since discovering these acquisition methods it has become clear to me the importance of value within a school library collection. Value for their content, value for money and what occurs when a resource is no longer valued (Debowski, 2001; Dillon, 2001) come into play in library collections. For example, the selection of digital resources whether in a subscription service or in a pay-per-use arrangement must meet the needs of the community which the library serves and should involve a complex thought process in their acquisition (Braxton, 2021). These concepts will certainly be in the forefront of my mind as I head into a new school year where I am now responsible for much of the acquisition processes for my school. As value is expected from a library collection, and procuring an infinite budget is dreamlike, wasting of precious funds like I mentioned in a forum post (Marreiros, 2022, January 16) could be alleviated with a collection development policy in place.

My understanding of the importance of a collection development policy as a strategic document has increased throughout this subject. As discussed in a forum post (Marreiros, 2022, January 16) my school has only a draft form of a collection development policy and when I reviewed it in the capacity of a parent within the community, the significance of all the sections was not apparent. While the idea of bias was one which can be seen throughout community, the concept of self-censorship by a teacher librarian in selection and deselection of a collection. As the Australian School Library Association (2018) mention library users must have materials provided from both sides of controversial issues so that critical reading and thought processes are encouraged. A collection development policy should not only have a statement of this fact in its mission statement, but within the document it clarifies with addressed areas such as selection criteria and challenged materials so that a collection is not held ransom by one person’s agenda (Braxton, 2021).

As someone who in the past has erred on the side of ‘keep rather than throw’ when it comes to resources the concept of weeding a collection has been an area of growth for me. Dare I say it, until recently I was probably that teacher who would rummage through a pile of discarded resources because there might be treasure in there! As examined in my blog post “Weed It!” (Marreiros, 2022, January 29) the importance of criteria for deselection of resources becomes a reality when there is disagreement in decision making. Keeling (2019) indicates that teacher librarians know the measures for collection development, however, unless there is a document which puts these measures into policy, there is grounds for conflict. The idiom of ‘shutting the stable door after a horse has bolted’ comes to mind if selection is disputed without a policy in place. I know I would like to have the library collection ‘stable door’ shut before this occurs.

nature, wood, barn, animal, wall, vacation, horse, usa, america, brown, mammal, equestrian, united states, wooden door, stall, outlook, log cabin, horse head, north america, pferdeportrait, horse stable, carol m highsmith, install window, barn door, ancient history, Free Images In PxHere

Image sourced: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/495855

The futureproofing of a library collection is greatly aided by a collection development policy. For example, as was raised in my blog post (Marreiros, 2022, January 27), the school community which a collection serves must be provided with a wide variety of resources. The local and contextual knowledge of the community allows for changing needs to be specifically catered for. Where I initially only looked at the relationship a teacher librarian has with their school community (Marreiros, 2022, January 19) I have come to understand that they not only have to look at maintaining their connection, but anticipating future needs. Having a collection development policy in place with statements of evaluation and assessment (Johnson, 2018) for the collection allows for a mirroring of the cyclical nature of teaching. As I reflect on what has become a second nature to me as a teacher is not necessarily known in the wider community. A policy document, which in nature should be public, allows for this cycle to be made aware to those in the wider community.

Wade (2005) aptly places a challenge for me as a teacher librarian, [who in their very nature are an integral part of a collection development policy, both in creating and implementing]: am I going to be part a phoenix or a dodo in creating the best possible collection for information access for my school community?

…I know which one I wish to be…

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2018). Policy statement – school library bill of rights.  https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/Bill%20of%20Rights_2018.pdf

Braxton, B. (2021, 1 October). Sample collection policy. 500 hats the teacher librarian in the 21st century. https://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/sample-collection-policy/

Debowski, S. (2001). Collection management policies. In K. Dillon, J. Henri, & J. H. McGregor (Eds.), Providing more with less : collection management for school libraries (2nd ed., pp. 126-136). Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Dillon, K. (2001). Maintaining collection viability. In K. Dillon, J. Henri, & J. H. McGregor (Eds.), Providing more with less : collection management for school libraries (2nd ed., pp. 241-254). Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of collection development and management (4th ed.). ALA Editions.

Keeling, M. (2019). What’s new in collection development? Knowledge Quest, 48(2), 4-5.

NSW Department of Education. (2015). Handbook for school libraries. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2019, October 2). Policy library. https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/pd-2005-0221

Wade, C. (2005). The school library: phoenix or dodo bird? Educational Horizons, 8(5), 12-14.

 

 

Weed it!

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Besides a parody of a famous song by Michael Jackson starting to form in my mind, the topic of weeding a library collection has been a contemplation of mine as I step into the TL shoes at my school library for 2022.

First day back and I am checking with staff if there are specific resources or topics which they would like me to source for their programming. The school is looking at history as a key learning area for the first semester and the Colonial Australia and First Contact are part of the Years 3-6 curriculum. Upon the non-fiction shelves I came across a limited selection of texts which did not inspire me as a teacher… imagine what the students think of them! A number were published in the early 1990s and while the information is mostly factual for that time it does not reflect the increase in historical knowledge and the perspective of indigenous Australians in the information. I know that teachers will not just present the physical books as sources of information, however, with what I pulled of the shelves am I sending a message that history is just old and musty with faded images?

Reading literature about deselection it has become apparent that I need to view a collection with critical eyes as ‘out of date materials can be dangerous… out of date materials are often text feature poor… readers DO judge a book by its cover… books reflect the times in which they were written’ (LaGarde, 2013). As a TL, I need to ask, can it be accessed in another more attractive way? (McKenzie, 2013). I do want to keep the collection fresh – which is where the acronym of F.R.E.S.H comes into play. When in the selection or deselection process I need to remember to have this is in mind.

 

LicenseAttributionNoncommercialShare Alike Some rights reserved by LibraryGirlCC

Some rights reserved by LibraryGirlCC

Back in my school library, to me it is obvious what the best course of action for the current collection is, to remove some of the books from the shelves, unfortunately my library does not have a policy around the deselection of resources. As Braxton (2021) reports, deselection is a contentious issue and without a policy in place it allows both my decisions as a teacher librarian to come into question, as there is no clear authority and standard placed in writing.

I wonder what one of the policies I will be organising for the library will be this year…

 

References

Braxton, B. (2021, 1 October). Sample collection policy. 500 hats the teacher librarian in the 21st century. https://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/sample-collection-policy/

LaGarde, J. (2013, October 1). Keeping your library collection smelling F.R.E.S.H! [blog post]. The adventures of Library Girl. https://www.librarygirl.net/post/keeping-your-library-collection-smelling-f-r-e-s-h

McKenzie, D. (2013, November 2). Weeding inspired creativity. Library grits. http://librarygrits.blogspot.com/2013/11/weeding-inspired-creativity.html

Challenging perceptions in schools and their libraries

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After watching the following YouTube clip in Module One of this subject I have been challenging my own perceptions and preferences.

The overarching theme of ‘Don’t Believe Everything You Think’ is one which I need reminding of.

If people can have perceptions that there is a preference or predisposition for a particular style of learning, will they get caught up in just believing, or challenge the status quo? Preferences don’t enhance your learning, though do they help you start the learning in the first place. In order to retain information we have to organise it in a way that is meaningful. Most of what we learn is related to connections or to prior knowledge/meaning (Tedx Talks, 2015, April 3). The content of what is being taught often showcases the best way to teach it. However, this does not limit information being only presented in one way.

With this understanding, it now means that I need to organise my connections and relate it to a school library collection. So I posed a question – with the traditional bibliocentric library model gone, how can a school library provide a collection that allows students and teachers to acheive success in their learning? Many factors are involved in this which I am sure to continue unpack for my career.

In NSW, the Department of Education has a policy regarding Library (NSW Department of Education, 2019) where it states that a teacher librarian has responsibilities like being involved in the provision of information related resources or managing and evaluating systems and procedures in the library (budgeting, selection and culling, ordering and acquisitions, cataloguing and classifying using SCIS, processing materials, circulation and stock control). NSW DoE also provides additional information about the concepts in a handbook for libraries where it unpacks concepts of teaching and learning, provision and management of resources, social and recreational development, and environment and atmosphere (NSW Department of Education, 2015, pp. 2-3). With this policy foremost in my thoughts, a library must provide a wide variety of resources to the school community. It must also be a collaborative process, with clear guidelines in place for responsibilities. Which brings up the important discussion, where do you find these guidelines within individual schools?

For many schools, a collection management policy would help address this, but my current school does not have one… it looks like this will be a project for me for the coming year!

 

References

NSW Department of Education. (2015). Handbook for school libraries. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2019, October 2). Policy library. https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/pd-2005-0221

TEDx Talks. (2015, April 3). Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection – Tesia Marshik – TEDxUWLaCrosse [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs

 

 

Who is responsible?

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As a new session of learning begins I am ending my year of classroom teaching in 2021. I am reminded that in 2022 there will be new roles and responsibilities for all staff. Along with the questions in Module 2 I have been pondering the role which I will be taking on in 2022 as opposed to that of 2021. While my role of a job-share classroom teacher, teaching in the midst of an extensive lockdown has been very different to any other year of my career, I too believe that I can see similarities with the new role of teacher librarian (TL) which I will be taking on in 2022.
In both roles I have a responsibility to source materials which assist me in teaching the curriculum. However, as a classroom teacher, that responsibility can be for my own class, or in the collaborative nature of the school, shared with others who may wish to take these resources up. My focus for finding and resourcing the materials was for a specific small group of children for a stage of their education.
A TL is also required to source materials to assist in teaching the curriculum. In contrast, however, they have a broader view of the school, as they are looking out for the needs of all students within the school. So while the eyes of a Year 2/3 teacher is focused on those year levels a K-6 Teacher Librarian is looking for resources beyond these years. The TL will also have knowledge of the resources in the library catalogue and with the training expertise and networks which come with being a TL, perhaps access a new variety of resources.
Another aspect of a TLs role is to work collaboratively with the staff in the school to ensure that the everyday needs of the classes are able to be resourced. This requires a proactive TL, who builds relationship with the community in which they work. In the midst of pandemic times it could be seen to be easier to work closely with the students and staff in the school, however, it is also the wider community which the TL needs to take into account. I guess this is where a TL needs to think differently to a classroom teacher as the TL does not necessarily have the immediate relationship with the parents/carers of students which a classroom teacher has. As the library serves the entire school community I know this is a challenge which I am pondering for a 2022 school environment.

So I had this dream…

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After being told in the latest Zoom meeting for this subject not to overthink things, I have been trying to take this to heart – however, my brain has had other plans in store.

I am not a big dreamer when I sleep, but last night there was a doozy to remember.

Picture this – in the midst of Sydney lockdown 2021, dreaming of things to come.

A sumptuous Christmas spread has been lovingly prepared, decorations out, food at the perfect temperature, everything ready to go… almost

gailf548 from New York State, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

gailf548 from New York State, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The only problem is I have one more job to do: every item on the table needs a label… with a Dewey Decimal Number!

While I think this dream may lead me to change the last thing I read before falling asleep in the evening, it has also raised some other ponderings.

When I think of my life as a student beyond finishing year 12, I have had the privilege of being been a Uni student twice before commencing my Masters this year; firstly with my initial Bachelors degree directly after school finished and then a Graduate Diploma over ten years later. In those periods of study there was pressure on me, both external and internal. Pressure to pass the courses, pressure to learn the necessary skills to become the best teacher I could be, pressure to get the best grades I could, pressure to secure a job using my teaching degrees, pressure not to let my family down (perceived thoughts of a teen who had recently lost her father, not actual pressure from the family). The pressure now is different, how do I raise a family, teach and study to the best of my ability?

It is in moments like last night that I can see the pressure I am under now and reflect upon what pressure the students that I teach are also under. Particularly in these COVID times: the pressure to complete work without a teacher there to guide you in the moment, the pressure to maintain friendships when you don’t know when you will see friends again except on a screen, the pressure to do their best in one of the most stressful times of their lives. This pressure is on all, from Preschool to Year 12 and I was reminded today what a toll this can take.

Pressure is not released by a phrase such as ‘don’t overthink it’, but in many different support methods. My personal goal is now, how can I as a teacher and future teacher-librarian relieve the pressure that is upon the youth of today? How can I make this difference in the lives of our precious future?

This is not something which I can answer tonight, but it must forever more be at the forefront of my professional career.

(Now to find some reading material for different dreams tonight!)

Deeper and Deeper

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The process of reflection is one that has immediately conjured up images of tall mountains above deep bodies of water. To me, the mountains in all their beauty are what I have seen at the beginning of this study process, beautiful of themselves, but yet unexplored by me. The body of water and subsequent reflection remind me of the depth of knowledge which has come from the study undertaken in ETL401.

When commencing this subject, I had naively thought that having worked closely with a number of Teacher Librarians (TL) I had an understanding of what the role completely entailed. In my initial blogpost (Marreiros, 2021, March 12) I stated that the role of TL could be seen alongside a previously held role of Preschool teacher in looking through an Inquiry lens. Since then, I have come to believe that, while there are definite similarities, my understanding of Inquiry learning models which cater for up to year 12 and beyond has increased exponentially. My understanding of the role of TL as a potential driver of Inquiry learning has been stretched.

My appreciation of the role of a TL in Inquiry Learning has gone from one where I thought that they were hopefully part of the process to one where I believe it is essential that a trained TL is part of the process. As I discussed in Module 4.1b (Marreiros, 2021, May 1), the expectations of the school culture, Principal and teachers’ mindset all come into play with engaging a school in authentic Inquiry learning and I strongly believe that an enthusiastic, knowledgeable TL can, and should be a driving force in encouraging the school to collaboratively plan for Inquiry Learning. While there can be many challenges along the way, the opportunities which can be had for a TL in looking at Inquiry learning within the Australian Curriculum are great (Lupton, 2012). A TL has an opportunity to focus on the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, looking at life skills essential for the learners of today. For example, while a History teacher has certain content which has to be covered within their teaching, a TL can enhance this learning by being able to specifically focus on the ICT search skills or plagiarism lessons and how to avoid not referencing a source (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d.).

Of course, in looking at Inquiry Learning, it is now impossible to not think of Information Literacy as a key component of why Inquiry learning is so effective. From Module 2 where the TLs role was beginning to be looked at through the lens of Information Specialist (Marreiros, 2021, March 19) my understanding of Information Literacy is still being developed. Even back in March I was reflecting on how the misinformation and information overload could be explicitly taught to children (Marreiros, 2021, March 18), but since then I realise that to be able to having Information Literacy means that you are able to put a filter in your own learning and find the relevant information, while sifting out that which is not needed (Marreiros, 2021, May 13a). While not expressing myself as eloquently as I would have liked, my growing understanding of exactly what Information Literacy is, has led me to begin conversations with my own school’s Principal which will hopefully be the start of my current school looking at how to enhance Information Literacy Skills.

One key way which enhancing Information Literacy is through the use of Inquiry, and I believe to effectively do this using an Inquiry Learning Model is key to doing this successfully. In Module 5, while exploring the use of Inquiry Learning Models it became clearer to me that while there are challenges in starting a new process for guiding inquiry in schools, using a model can make the task less daunting for teaching staff. As I expressed in a previous blog post (Marreiros, 2021, May 13b), while it can take time to set up, Inquiry Learning models allow for the process of the skills and dispositions, not just knowledge acquisition, to form. This is, of course, what is needed to have a life-long learning outlook.

As a life-long learner here, my next question is, where to next with this newfound understanding?

References:

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/

Lupton, M. (2012) Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum V6. Access, 28(4), 8-29.