This new Twitter spaces chat was started last term with Ruth Maloney and myself. Here is a blog post, Twitter Spaces for School Librarians, written by Ruth to explain a little more.

Starting over on the FOSIL forum in October, #LibraryStaffLoveLearning will be joining forces with The FOSIL Group. I will be leading a monthly discussion focusing specifically on inquiry. We will be joined by Darryl Toerien, founder of FOSIL, in order to gain more insight into teaching through inquiry. You will find these discussions on the Effecting change and the roles of the subject teachers and teacher-Librarians/librarians in inquiry forum. All these discussions will start with #LSLLF First Discussion now posted - What liberal education looks like. Free Pdf so no cost involved apart from your time... Here is the link https://fosil.org.uk/forums/topic/lsllf-october-what-liberal-education-looks-like/

Please read the following article and join in the discussion below. Skim reading is the new normal by Maryanne Wolf

Dismantling the Evaluation Framework by Alaina C. Bull, Margy MacMillan and Alison Head is an interesting peer-reviewed article from In the Library with the Lead Pipe. It discusses the usefulness of CRAAP and SIFT in information literacy instruction. Here is the link to read the article:- https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2021/dismantling-evaluation/ Please join in the discussion below... (Atharva Tulsi, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/RVpCAtjhyuA)

We are nearly at the summer holidays so I thought I would finish the year with something easy to watch and hopefully remind you why we all need to encourage our students to read throughout the summer. This TEDx presentation by Rita Carter called Why Reading Matters explains beautifully what happens in the brain when we read. Let's talk about what reading does for us. Tell me what you will be reading over the summer holidays and why.

Concrete Action Today That Will Advance Education Tomorrow: Implications for School Libraries by Caroline Freibauer Join in our discussion in June after reading this publication https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/unescos-nine-ideas-for-education/ Question posted in the comments below. To join in please sign up to my website or for more information check out FAQ's

I enjoy listening to Martine Ellis' Teaching Space Podcast. It allows me insight into the world of teachers which is invaluable as a librarian who works with schools and teachers. I have been interviewed by Martine a couple of times now, the first time was back in 2018 Why it's time to get to know your school librarian. The second was recently when I spent some time talking to her about the importance of understanding your own journey with Professional Development (PD). Leading your Own Professional Development Our topic for discussion this month will be how you find your PD path. What do you want or need from your own PD? How do you decide what you need to focus on? Do you have a plan? Where do you look for appropriate PD? What are your go-to resources? Do you need more? What can't you find?

This discussion took place on The FOSIL Group website. Please click this link to find out how to join in the conversation. In collaboration with The FOSIL Group, we have obtained special permission to freely download Empowering Students to Inquire in a Digital Environment by Barbara Stripling from the book School Librarianship: Past, Present and Future. This discussion is now open on The FOSIL Group forum during March. Please sign up for their forum on The FOSIL Group website to join in the discussion. This discussing will accumulate in a free webinar Q&A session with Barbara Stripling, one of the pioneers of learning through inquiry.

As “research it yourself” becomes a rallying cry for promoters of outlandish conspiracy theories with real-world consequences, educators need to think hard about what’s missing from their information literacy efforts. Please read this article in time for our April (moved from March) discussion. It can be found here. This discussion is now open. See comments below. If you want to know more about how to join in please check out my FAQ page or please just ask.

Following on from the successful 3-month session at the end of last year which you can find here. We are taking it a little easy in February by giving you a 5 minute Youtube clip to watch about Inquiry-based Learning. How to join in? Follow this post (you can unfollow at any time!) and then watch this video and keep an eye out for the questions which will be posted at the beginning of February. Sign up to my website to join in the conversation and comment. For more information about this forum check out FAQ here

Our December discussion is the third stage of a 4-month journey where we will be reading and discussing Focus on Inquiry - A teachers guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. This month we will focus on chapters 12 and 13 only. Further considerations. Questions are below in the comments To catch up on Part 1 check it out here. To catch up on Part 2 check it out here The recording of the webinar on the 13th January with the authors can be found at the bottom of this discussion.

Our November discussion is the second stage of a 4-month journey where we will be reading and discussing Focus on Inquiry - A teachers guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. This month we will focus on chapters 5-11 only. How do I teach all of the stages? To catch up on part 1 click here and to join in part 3 click here PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE JOINING IN THE DISCUSSION BELOW... The IFLA School Library Guidelines (2015) identify inquiry as a core instructional activity of the school librarian within the school library's pedagogical program. The Guidelines state the following about instructional models of the inquiry process: Many countries, local authorities, and school libraries have worked out very successful models for designing instruction that develops media and information literacy skills within the context of inquiry projects. Creating models for inquiry-based learning involves years of research, development, and practical experimentation. Schools without a model recommended by their education authority should select a model that aligns most closely with the goals and learning outcomes of their curricula, rather than attempting to develop their own models. | p. 41. Where there is no locally or nationally developed model for inquiry-based teaching and learning, a school librarian should work with the classroom teachers and school leaders to select a model. As the teachers and students apply the model they may wish to adapt the model to serve school goals and local needs. However, caution should be exercised in adapting any model. Without a deep understanding of the theoretical foundations of the model, adaptations may eliminate the power of the model. | p. 43. Consider, for example, the development of the Alberta Model of Inquiry, which is taken from Promoting Information Literacies: A Focus on Inquiry, a paper presented by Dianne Oberg at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in 2004: Focus on Inquiry (2004) was predated by Focus on Research (1990), which was developed to support teachers and teacher-librarians in teaching students a model of the research process and in guiding students through inquiry-based learning activities. At the request of the Alberta ministry of education, work on Focus on Inquiry, a revision of Focus on Research led by Dr Dianne Oberg (Professor Emerita in theDepartment of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta) and Dr Jennifer Branch-Mueller (Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta), began in 2003. Focus on Inquiry was also influenced by involvement in the final editing of Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada (2003), the joint project of the Canadian School Library Association and the Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. The revised 1990 Alberta model of the research process was informed by other process-based models of library instruction, particularly the work of Ann Irving, Michael Marland and James Herring in Great Britain and the work of Carol Kuhlthau (Distinguished Professor Emerita in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University) and Barbara Stripling (Professor Emerita in the iSchool at Syracuse University) in the United States, with the personal involvement of Carol Kuhlthau. FOSIL (2012), by comparison, is based on the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (2019) , which was originally developed in 2009 by the New York City School Library System (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) while under the direction of Dr Barbara Stripling. The New York City Information Fluency Continuum, as it was called, was endorsed by the School Library Systems Association of New York State (SLSA) in 2012 and renamed the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (ESIFC). The ESIFC was re-imagined in 2019, again under the direction of Barbara Stripling, to adapt to the changing information, education, and technology environments, as well as the increasing diversity in student populations – the SLSA serves more than 3.2 million children in 4,236 schools in New York State (as of 30 October 2020). The ESIFC is endorsed by the New York State Library, the New York Library Association, the New York State Education Department, and as of April 2020, the FOSIL Group. FOSIL is also informed by the work of Carol Kuhlthau, particularly her work on the Information Search Process (ISP). For more on the history of FOSIL, see here. No single model of the inquiry process can perfectly describe the inquiry process, which means that all models of the inquiry process will have comparative strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the value of closely examining the Alberta Inquiry Model lies in the extent to which it deepens our understanding of the inquiry process and enables us to use our chosen model of the inquiry process more effectively.

Our October discussion is the start of a 4-month journey where we will be reading and discussing Focus on Inquiry - A teachers guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. It is FREE to download here This month we will focus on chapters 1- 4 only. If you want to know more about this forum check out my blog here Once you have finished here head over to part 2 here and part 3 here Reflection on the foreword and something to think about before we start. Inquiry within Alberta has been evolving since 1985 and had gone through 2 updates since then, the last one being in 2004. This journey does not stop here and we are now part of the next cycle. Adding our understanding and thoughts to this process. Page X for the foreword poses 9 questions. Please read these carefully and make some notes on your answers and keep them safe. This needs to be your focus as we move through this publication. We intend to re-visit these at the end of our journey to see if anything has changed. Please click reply to answer each question. Once you have clicked reply scroll down to the bottom of the other replies to find space waiting for your reply withing that section. If you want to tag a person you are specifically replying to use @ and their name should come up when you start typing. If you have any questions please just ask here

Please buy and read a copy of Closing the Reading Gap by Alex Quigley. Copies may be borrowed from the SLA CPD library if you are a member. Take a look at this webinar too which was recorded in May for ResearchEd Home 2020 Please see the questions below.

Between October 2020 and January 2021, we will be reading Focus on Inquiry: A teachers guide to implementing inquiry-based learning by Dr Jennifer Branch-Mueller and Dr Dianne Oberg It is FREE to download here If you would like to be reminded about this discussion please sign up to the #LibraryStaffLoveLearning group here... October 2020 - FREE Focus on Inquiry - Chapter 1- 4 Building a clear picture of Inquiry and understanding why models are important. Part 1 discussion can be found here... November 2020 - FREE Focus on Inquiry - Chapter 5 - 11 How do I teach each all of the stages? Part 2 discussion can be found here December 2020 - FREE Focus on Inquiry - Chapter 12 - 13 Further considerations January 2021 - FREE Looking back/ahead - Webinar with Dianne Oberg and Jennifer Branch-Mueller - invitation only! (For those who have taken part in all three discussions). Wednesday 13th January 3.30 pm GMT - Don't miss out!

ResearchEd Presentation - Daniel Willingham - Helping Students to think critically about internet sources. Watch the presentation and I will post questions at the beginning of July

Please buy a copy of this book from the SLA before June in order to take part in the discussion. It costs £15 for none members and £11 for members. A discount of 5% will be given to anyone joining in the discussion on their next purchase... For more information about this book check out this short YouTube clip Questions will be posted at the beginning of June.

We are reading and discussing chapter 3 of Copyright and e-learning: A guide for practitioners which looks at Using Digital Media, Videos, Images, Sound and Software Chapter 3 can be accessed here blog post here After reading this chapter I became aware of how little I actually know about copyright. We must remember that COVID-19 has changed things so these questions are based on things being ‘normal’ rather than at the moment.

Please listen to the following 20 min recording by clicking on the picture below. This talk is about hate speech and misinformation across social media and the importance of digital literacy. The questions are below in the comments. Please join in when you can.

Watch this TEDx talk and I will post questions in February... Think about how school librarians can support this process...