Inquiring at Westwood High

Westwood High School Librarians, Martha Brown and Kathy Carroll, demonstrate the Inquire competency by:

• teaching learners to display curiosity and initiative when seeking information
• promoting new knowledge generation
• guiding learners to maintain focus throughout the inquiry process
• implementing and modeling inquiry-based processes for learners

In order to implement these competencies, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Carroll keep their collection (print and digital, fiction and nonfiction, and databases) up to date, work with teachers to determine curricular needs, and offer space for classes and clubs to be able to use the library resources to conduct their research.

During my visit, Mrs. Brown was facilitating a World War I Propaganda Poster Project for the visiting French classes that focused on using the primary resources in the French language. In this activity, Mrs. Brown used World War I posters in the French language to encourage learners to use the French language and symbols of World War I they have learned to determine what the posters were promoting. Mrs. Brown set up a gallery walk so students could "tour" the posters and jot down their initial questions and remarks about what they see. Then students paired up to discuss their notes together and fill in any gaps they believe they missed. After this paired sharing activity, the French teacher discussed the language and cultural attributions of the poster and the context of their use. With the assistance of the media specialist in devising, implementing, and facilitation the development of products, students were enabled to make real-world connections for lifelong learning as well as reflect on the learning process with others during this inquiry-based lesson. Mrs. Brown was also able to assist the classroom teacher in this process by constructing these tasks and leading them through this lesson.

While Westwood High School has special magnet programs devoted to inquiry-based learning, challenges faced include funding, space, student apathy, and time to fully engage with learners and teachers at the school.

There were no other additions to this interview. I was thoroughly impressed with how both librarians worked together. They were truly a team, and each played to her strengths. They were both devoted professionals who "know their stuff." As a French teacher myself, the WWI Propaganda Poster Project was a delightful way to see how the library can assist school subjects that may not seem in their regular domain.