My Personal Experience with Kuhlthau's Information Literacy Process

Gaining a clear understanding of the term 'guided inquiry' is difficult as it is used by experts in numerous ways.  Guided Inquiry is the specific term used by Kuhlthau to describe information literacy skills that are used to assist students to locate, evaluate and use information.  It originates form  the constructivist approach to learning (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2007).  Guided Inquiry helps to develop the three areas of the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) information literacy standards- information literacy, independent learning and social responsibility (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2007).  Students independently look for, choose and interact with information in ways that better prepare them for real-life situations due to the high degree of independence involved.

Libraries are seen as valuable environments for the instruction of information literacy skills.  Information literacy is viewed as fundamental in shaping the way people learn in the 21st century (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2007).  I feel that this instruction needs to take place both in classrooms and in the libraries to be most beneficial.  I found my Teacher Librarian had some valuable insights into the different ways in which information is organised on the web compared to the collections for teachers in the library.  An emphasis needs to be placed on cooperative teaching between teachers and teacher librarians for students to benefit most.

Part of Guided Inquiry involves the development of an understanding that different searches are required throughout the inquiry process to achieve various goals.  The four search types involved are preliminary, exploratory, comprehensive and summary searches (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2007).  I found that I used these different types of searches during the development of my context.  Initially, I used a preliminary search to explore different possibilities for my topic of research.  I was able to build up a general knowledge of the types of  information that were available in order to narrow my topic.  I then delved further into my narrowed topic during my exploratory phase to gain a clearer focus.  The comprehensive search helped me gather more detailed and specific sources of information to use.  My summary search assisted in the clarification of information and the retrieval of any missing information needed to complete my context. 

When determining the reliability and usefulness of the information I gathered, I found my strategies closely related to Kuhlthau's 'Five Characteristics for Evaluating Sources'(Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2007).  The five criteria include: expertise, accuracy, currency, perspective and quality.  I often look for scholarly articles and cited works to ensure the author's expertise on the topic and to ensure accuracy  and quality of information.  I often use the advanced search options on databases to limit my searches to information published in the last five to ten years if my topic is a current one or an ongoing issue where recent information is necessary.  I try to be alert to any bias or personal perspectives that may be present in the information I find.  I quickly scan information to determine if it is factual or opinion based and determine if the information is suitable to use.

I agree with the development of information literacy through Guided Inquiry but feel that this can be best achieved by close coordination between the teacher librarian and the teacher.  Teaching and learning episodes need to take place both in the library and in the classroom. 

References:

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., Caspari, A. (2007), Guided Inquiry, Learning in the 21st Century, Libraries Unlimited, Connecticut, USA.