In October, I attended a conference focused on how inquiry-based learning is being used throughout the Capital Region. Although I was smarting over not attending AASL in Minneapolis, it was a wonderful day. Seven of the ten librarians in my district were in attendance, and even our new department supervisor was able to attend for the first half of the day. To have a supervisor that is so supportive and encouraging is incredibly uplifting.
The majority of the day consisted of various librarians and teachers sharing how they have incorporated inquiry into their schools and classes. Some schools have been involved for years, and others have only recently begun the process. What was apparent to me is that administrative support is absolutely essential: it provides the support that classroom teachers need to take the risk that experimenting with inquiry requires. Secondly, classroom teachers need to buy-in on their own, and share their successes to spread the word. I'm not sure that a librarian could do this on her own, so having a classroom teacher partner is essential.
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