Carol Collier Kuhlthau

This book is the third publication by the trio of well-known professionals on the topic of guided inquiry and is a must read by every teacher librarian. The purpose of the volume is to explaine the author’s guided inquiry model in enough depth so that teacher librarians can desing learning experiences collaboratively with classroom teachers, themselves, and other specialists in the school. Their model is both fuller and superior to The Big Six model by Eisenberg and Berkowitz and consists of the following steps: Open, Immerse, Explore, Identify, Gather, Create, Share, and Evaluate. The book begins with an overview of guided inquiry and then has chapters that develp each of the steps of the model complete with various planning tools. And, the book ends with a major recommendation on how the model would play out in an inquiry school and across the grade levels. This last vision is in theoretical rather than practical implementation steps and the reader is encourage to have the leadership team of the school actually design how the model will be implemented across the various content areas. Perhaps the largest contrast with the Big Six is the emphasis on learning how to learn as a means to master content learning. In other words, the model is not a set of skills to be taught in isolation from the classroom like some sort of inoculation against info lit disease. And, while group work was included along the way of a guided inquiry project, the emphasis is on preparing the individual student to approach a learning experience with the model embedded in their brain. This is, of course the result of Kuhlthau’s longitudinal study of students and their information behavior across many years. She sees the resulting advantages across college and careers of those who understand what inquiry is all about. We see a couple of factors not covered in the book and these are the development of collaborative intelligence alongside personal expertise and the need for the final evaluation of an inquiry project to be collaborative between the adult coaches and the students that were involved. Readers are also advised to pay careful attention to the subcategories of the model steps because they are broader than the model step title suggests at first glance. This is one of the most important professional books of the year and ought to be discussed very broadly, particularly by those who are seeking ways to move to the center of Common Core. It is a major step up from the information literacy models of the past. It is much more sophisticated and is essential in a time when information and technology are growing exponentially with no hint of stopping. We think there is an additional very practical book needed alongside this one and that is the operational instillation of this across the grade levels; not necessarily a curriculum guide, but a sophisticational guide based not on age or grade, but upon a learning how to learn continuum. Such a guide would help measure sophistication level across a school year and across both individual and groups of learners. The theory is here; now to the models in practice in various types of urban and rural settings and across differing access to both information and technology. Bravo to these great thinkers.… (más)

From my blog: http://marklindner.info/blog/2010/11/30/kuhlthau-seeking-meaning/

This is my 4th book review for the 12 Books, 12 Months Challenge.

I mostly enjoyed this book, which I read from 10 October to 26 November. It is written fairly straightforwardly, is reasonably well edited, and has a better than average physical layout.

The last couple of chapters do seem fairly repetitive. The last chapter seems particularly so. Well that it should, as it is the wrap-up and conclusion; but somehow it doesn’t seem like it is seriously serving that purpose, only that it is repetitive. All in all, this is a small gripe.

The ideas in this book, centering around the Information Search Process (ISP), are important ones. Keep in mind, the ISP is for more complex tasks, such as researching and writing a term paper or preparing a case for trial, for example, and not for simple fact-finding questions.

* Ch. 1 The Constructive Process in Library and Information Science Theory
* Ch. 2 Learning as a Process
* Ch. 3 The Information Search Process
* Ch. 4 Verification of the Model of the Information Search Process
* Ch. 5 Longitudinal Confirmation of the Information Search Process
* Ch. 6 Uncertainty Principle
* Ch. 7 Roles of Mediators in the Process of Information Seeking
* Ch. 8 Zones of Intervention in the Process of Information Seeking
* Ch. 9 Implementing the Process Approach
* Ch. 10 Information Search Process in the Workplace
* Ch. 11 Process-Oriented Library and Information Services

The “book is about library and information services for intellectual access to information and ideas, and the process of seeking meaning” (xv).

It proposes a process approach, the ISP, based on: Constructivist theory of learning – John Dewey (provides historical & philosophical perspective); Personal construct theory – George Kelly (provides psychological perspective); and an Integrated perspective – Jerome Bruner (xvi).

It critiques the bibliographical paradigm and systems approach that remain predominant within library and information science (LIS); at least within the literature. This does seem to be slowly changing, though.

Much of what Kuhlthau writes seems highly integrational to me.

A model of sense-making information seeking should incorporate three realms of activity: physical, affective, cognitive. These form a complex interplay.

“The criteria for making these choices are influenced as much by environmental constraints, such as prior experience, knowledge, interest, information available, requirements of the problem, and time allotted for resolution, as they are by the relevance of the content of the information retrieved” (6).

The ISP is a 6 stage model which associates the feelings (affective), thoughts (cognitive), and actions (physical) that accompany each task and the process of moving along the information search process.

Initiation, when a person becomes aware of a lack of knowledge or understanding so that uncertainty and apprehension are common

Selection, when a general area or topic is identified and initial uncertainty often gives way to a brief sense of optimism and a readiness to begin the search

Exploration, when inconsistent, incompatible information is encountered and uncertainty, confusion, and doubt frequently increase

Formulation, when a focused perspective on the problem is formed and uncertainty diminishes as confidence begins to increase

Collection, when information pertinent to the focused problem is gathered and uncertainty subsides as interest and involvement in the project deepens

Presentation, when the search is completed, with a new understanding of the problem enabling the user to explain his or her learning to others (165-166)

I think these ideas are extremely valuable and that they ought be taught to children in school as early as they begin doing projects of this kind of scope. Kuhlthau reports on some studies where this was done in the book.

All in all, I think the ideas in this book need to be given far more prominence in our schools and our libraries. Students should be educated in this process from a fairly early age.

LIS services and systems should take this model into account when they are designed and implemented. Reference and instruction can certainly benefit from the model; but our systems ought also be designed to assist with the process. The old bibliographic paradigm and systems view that provides one or more “relevant” sources for the user is a failed paradigm. This claim of failure is mine (and others) based on many things external to this book. I believe Kuhlthau would agree that it is a failed paradigm but I do not think she showed that as well as she might have, nor do I believe she used the word “failed.” Although, to be fair, the book is not about the bibliographic paradigm, nor the systems view, so she probably dedicated a reasonable amount of space to her critique.

My concern is the same as with all similar sorts of reform of our services and systems. Where will the time come from? This is not something that can happen in a one off instruction session. Also, it needs to happen at a much earlier age than when students get to college. But so much needs to change in our educational system, and society, before I can see a strong emphasis on teaching something like the ISP, that I have little hope that much progress can be made.

But. If for whatever reason you are still doing information seeking for complex tasks, such as writing long papers (thesis, perhaps) maybe learning a bit about the ISP might help you understand the kinds of feeling and thoughts that go along with the process as well as understanding the proper attitude to take towards your information seeking at each stage.

Recommended for reference librarians, instruction librarians, those who routinely undertake reasonably complex information seeking tasks, and anyone interested.

The following is a link to something I wrote a bit over 6 years ago in one of my early required masters courses regarding an article by Kuhlthau: Kuhlthau’s ISP Model

Looks like I finally got around to reading Seeking Meaning, and I stand by what I wrote way back when.… (más)

Stop everything you are doing, get a copy of this book, an read it cover to covwer in one sitting. Kuhlthau joins forces with a curriculum expert an a museum professional to propose a solid initiative for teachers, teacher librarians, and administrators. What is that initiative? It is a constant stream of collaborative, constructivist, and information-centered learning experiences. They propose that a teacher librarian and two complementary subject area teachers join forces to build a learning experience using the best of curricular topics with a simple but powerful information literacy model: Locate; Evaluate; Use. This is to be one in a rich learning environment ranging from the traditional library resources and beyond to the community of museums and other public information spaces. The trio proposes assessments along the way that look at student motivation, responsibility, and learning all along the way. They see student sharing and collaborative learning as the building blocks to lifelong learning and forming the bedrock of what 21st century learning is all about. We wish every new teacher librarian would not only be able to consume, study, and think about this approach, but have an opportunity to practice this method before taking the helm of a library. There are a couple of drawbacks as the book’s authors did not have the new AASL learning standards, and Web 2.0 opportunities are not explored in depth, but this book will hold up under a variety of environmental changes. Of course, the book sits squarely in the center of constructivism, but we belive that many of its recommendations could be valuable in a school where direct teaching is the center of attention. So, for one of the best reads of 2007, our assignments stands: read this book, talk about it, and begin to understand why it is more important that teaching a few information literacy lessons on a schedule to students as they encounter teacher’s assignments.… (más)