- I have become more confident in using search terms and Boolean operators. I have been more likely to deviate away from the step by step instructions of the demonstration videos to see if another way works or what it may bring up. In the process I have probably been taken off onto many tangents, spent way too much time there for only a few possible results and collected information that is not entirely useful. This can be over whelming at times.
- Some common themes and ideas have started to occur more frequently in some of the information that I have found. For example, the idea of historical inquiry as a disciplined inquiry; the use of artifacts and object-based inquiry when undertaking historical inquiry; and the use of narratives and personal stories as a natural way into historical inquiry for elementary students. This has helped me to distinguish between articles in terms of their usefulness if there were common themes coming through in the key points or the titles.
- I have started to form a focus for the context essay or a direction that I think it will take. I have moved on from the mere collection of information that I hope will be useful to a more purposeful collection with a vision to how it might shape my essay. This was not a straight forward process. I seemed to go backwards and forwards over the information drawing together the common themes and then returning to the outline for the essay and the elements that I thought it should contain contain. There were times when I thought it was starting to come together in my mind and then I'd come across other information that would throw my focus off course. This seemed to happen over and over again! All of this is a step forward as I try to make sense of the information and try to assimilate it with my existing knowledge and the demands of the task.
Reflections..
Upon reflection I can see that at this point in the process, my search is mirroring the third and fourth phases of Kuhlthau's Model of the Information Search Process (2007). These stages are "exploration" and "formulation."I expected that once I started searching the databases that I would find the information and then everything would start to fall into place. However instead of it being easy, I found that the information challenged my previous thinking and presented me with new theories and ideas that I struggled to make sense of, in terms of my ILA with my Year 3 group. I was confused and overwhelmed with the amount of information and how it would fit neatly into an inquiry learning model for me to follow or adapt. It wasn't going to be that easy! My struggle was with the way that I was going to utilise the various sources of information in a new cohesive way to inform my learning activity. Kuhlthau asserts that this is the stage where the real learning begins because these uncertainties drive you to find meaning. I was really struggling as a result of my uncertainty as to how I was going to connect all my new found information.
Once I identified that my focus would be to answer the question, "What are the theories, models and curriculum documents that have informed my Information Learning Activity?" I began to search more purposefully and I started to feel like I had regained some control over where I was heading.
I have also been able to identify with the early stages of Callison's model, "The Five Elements of Information Inquiry (2006). My information searching lead me to new information which in turn triggered questions and further exploration. As the trends in the information surfaced (as mentioned above) I was able to gather information that confirmed my initial ideas. This was starting to feel like the way forward and it felt safe. However when I came upon new information that identified the importance of narratives and stories as a way into historical inquiry I needed to construct new understandings for my ILA (Colby, 2008). Callison calls this element, "assimilation" where new knowledge is merged with previous understandings to form a new view or perspective. This involves reflective questioning and analysis each time new information is encountered and is thus a cyclical process encountered many times in the information search process. I feel that at this stage Callison's approach is a more accurate match for my experiences than the Kuhlthau ISP because I identify more strongly with that continuous cycle of questioning, exploring, assimilating, inferring and reflecting each time new information is encountered.
Upon reflection I can see that at this point in the process, my search is mirroring the third and fourth phases of Kuhlthau's Model of the Information Search Process (2007). These stages are "exploration" and "formulation."I expected that once I started searching the databases that I would find the information and then everything would start to fall into place. However instead of it being easy, I found that the information challenged my previous thinking and presented me with new theories and ideas that I struggled to make sense of, in terms of my ILA with my Year 3 group. I was confused and overwhelmed with the amount of information and how it would fit neatly into an inquiry learning model for me to follow or adapt. It wasn't going to be that easy! My struggle was with the way that I was going to utilise the various sources of information in a new cohesive way to inform my learning activity. Kuhlthau asserts that this is the stage where the real learning begins because these uncertainties drive you to find meaning. I was really struggling as a result of my uncertainty as to how I was going to connect all my new found information.
Once I identified that my focus would be to answer the question, "What are the theories, models and curriculum documents that have informed my Information Learning Activity?" I began to search more purposefully and I started to feel like I had regained some control over where I was heading.
I have also been able to identify with the early stages of Callison's model, "The Five Elements of Information Inquiry (2006). My information searching lead me to new information which in turn triggered questions and further exploration. As the trends in the information surfaced (as mentioned above) I was able to gather information that confirmed my initial ideas. This was starting to feel like the way forward and it felt safe. However when I came upon new information that identified the importance of narratives and stories as a way into historical inquiry I needed to construct new understandings for my ILA (Colby, 2008). Callison calls this element, "assimilation" where new knowledge is merged with previous understandings to form a new view or perspective. This involves reflective questioning and analysis each time new information is encountered and is thus a cyclical process encountered many times in the information search process. I feel that at this stage Callison's approach is a more accurate match for my experiences than the Kuhlthau ISP because I identify more strongly with that continuous cycle of questioning, exploring, assimilating, inferring and reflecting each time new information is encountered.
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