An Interview on Inquiry

 In this interview, I spoke with a school librarian from Georgetown Middle School in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The high school contains 682 students. It serves grades six through eight. I spoke with the librarian about the ways in which she implements the AASL’s standards, along with the strategies she finds to work the best for her. In this interview, I decided to ask questions that had an emphasis on inquiry, which is one of the six shared foundations from the AASL’s standards framework. Here are the questions that were asked, and details from the conversations that came of them:

1.     What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing inquiry in your library program?

I asked this question to gain insight on whether inquiry is a foundation that is actually being used or not within her library. The response proved that it is evident, as she excitedly  explained some of the ways she promote inquiry in her library. One way that I thought was very interesting was when she stated that she “Designs immersive, standards-aligned experiences, such as Crime Scene TDA Writing, Glowetry Gallery, and Amazing Race challenges, that require students to question, investigate, analyze evidence, and draw conclusions”. She also shared that she teaches how to use research databases, credible sources, and citation tools. Using these sources encourages inquiry-based discussions where students analyze, compare, and justify their choices. I thought all of these immersive activities were such cool and different ideas to approach teaching inquiry to students. 

2.     What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to incorporate collaboration in the library?

This question built off of the first one. The librarian went on to list tools that she uses to collaborate with teachers. Some of these tools include

-        DISCUS to research, question, and evaluate credible information,

-        Follett Destiny, TitleWave, and curated text sets that provide a wide range of print and digital sources for student exploration.

-        Collaborative learning stations equipped with screens and Chromebooks for small-group investigation and evidence gathering.

-        Makerspace materials (Legos, sewing machine, button maker) and podcasting equipment that allow students to create products that demonstrate their inquiry and understanding.

-        Interactive tools like Padlet and Google Slides Interactive Notebooks that support brainstorming, questioning, organizing evidence, and presenting findings.

-        Themed programming such as Crime Scene Writing, Glowetry Gallery, and Amazing RacE     events, which immerse students in inquiry-driven tasks using curated clues, primary sources, and text excerpts.

I thought she shared some truly amazing ways that she is implementing inquiry with students. We discussed how by doing all of these styles and activities, she is presenting the content in a variety of ways. This gives students the opportunity to learn about inquiry and practice using inquiry in a way that works best for them.

3.     When you implement instruction surrounding collaboration, do you include classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

When asked this question, the librarian expressed her belief that collaboration with classroom teachers is a key part of implementing inquiry in her library program. During out discussion, she specifically broke up content areas and shared how she collaborates with all teachers. Some ways she accomplishes this includes:

ELA Collaboration- Partners with ELA teachers for Crime Scene TDA Writing, Glowetry poetry analysis, book tastings, and research lessons that guide students in questioning, gathering evidence, and drawing conclusions.

Social Studies Collaboration: Designs Amazing Race challenges aligned with South Carolina standards, where students investigate primary sources, maps, and historical clues.

STEM Collaboration: Works with the STEM teacher on breakout games and problem-solving activities that require questioning, testing ideas, and iterative thinking.

Technology Collaboration: Supports teachers with database instruction, citation skills, multimedia projects, and inquiry-based research using Book Creator, Google tools, and curated resources.

It was so interesting to hear about the ways she collaborates with teachers from different content areas. One thing I noted from our conversation is that not all collaboration is going to look the same.

4.     What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement collaboration in the library?

The school librarian claimed that some challenges she faces when implementing inquiry-based instruction include:

-        Limited instructional time, especially with short class periods and tight teacher schedules.

-        Varied student readiness, including wide differences in reading levels, background knowledge, and confidence with research skills.

-        Technology issues, such as inconsistent Chromebook functionality, log-in problems, or slow internet on high-usage days.

-        Balancing curriculum pacing, as some teachers feel pressure to cover content quickly, leaving less room for deeper inquiry experiences.

-        Resource constraints including a limited budget for new materials to support diverse inquiry topics.

This was very eye opening during our conversation. We discussed that there are things during a day that you do not expect to happen, that are inevitably going to happen. She stated that it is important to keep a positive mindset overall! 

5.  Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the implementation of inquiry instruction?

The school librarian shared that she believes inquiry instruction is one of the most powerful ways to engage students in deeper thinking, creativity, and authentic learning. She went on to explain, “When students are given the opportunity to question, investigate, and make meaning, they take greater ownership of their learning and demonstrate stronger comprehension”. We discussed how continued collaboration with teachers, access to up-to-date resources, and adequate instructional time will further strengthen the inquiry experiences we are able to provide in the library. Overall, we both agreed that inquiry is a very important foundation to implement in the library!

Through this interview, I learned that inquiry is very important to implement in the library. It is important to administer inquiry instruction in a variety of ways. It is also important to collaborate with all content teachers to make sure inquiry is being taught in all content areas. Despite challenges, it is always important to make sure inquiry instruction is a featured part of the library program!