As the reach of online learning continues to extend, there is one area that I believe has been unexplored by many practitioners, to the detriment of the students that they teach. One advantage of the brick-and-mortar setting is that the teacher has access to many resources to help ensure student success in their classrooms, for instance, collaborating with other individuals to deepen students' experience. Collaborating with the school library is one way good classroom teachers become great classroom teachers. Online teachers also have this access, but because it would be a non-traditional way of working, the resource is often overlooked. If more online teachers/programs integrated the services of school and public libraries, teachers could create learning experiences through online inquiry that would produce creative, resourceful and information literate students.
How?
Librarians are uniquely prepared to understand information and share how to inspire students to connect, wonder, investigate, construct, express and reflect on the world around them, per the Stripling Model of Inquiry . The business world looks for employees who are agile learners, able to change course when needed and map out a new way when the old way is no longer sufficient. Through traditional curriculum, we create students who learn information and regurgitate what they've learned. What they need to be doing is to connect with that they are being taught, question the relevance of what the have learned, investigate the answers to their questions, construct understanding from what they've found, share the fruits of their labor and reflection upon the process for true understanding. Libraries help teachers create this experience for their students. Online teachers can also do this classes, but often miss the opportunity (or do not realize the opportunity) to work with librarians. This connection can help online teachers take the next step in their classes, building lifelong skills with their students and creating an online class environment ripe for constructivist learning.
Curious?
Visit us at iNACOL's Virtual School Symposium 1:30 on Tuesday or contact me with questions @bekcikelly
Bekci, interesting that you mention the role of the librarian. I had a Master's student a few years back that was interested in exploring this role. Oddly enough, the only study to focus on this to date has been a single study or two conducted by Terrence Cavanaugh.
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