Candidates in school librarian preparation programs collaborate with the learning community to strategically plan, deliver, and assess instruction. Candidates design culturally responsive learning experiences using a variety of instructional strategies and assessments that measure ALA/AASL/CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards (2019) - 9 the impact on student learning. Candidates guide learners to reflect on their learning growth and their ethical use of information. Candidates use data and information to reflect on and revise the effectiveness of their instruction.

2.1 Planning for Instruction: Candidates collaborate with members of the learning community to design developmentally and culturally responsive resource-based learning experiences that integrate inquiry, innovation, and exploration and provide equitable, efficient, and ethical information access.

2.2 Instructional Strategies: Candidates use a variety of instructional strategies and technologies to ensure that learners have multiple opportunities to inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage in their learning.

2.3 Ethical Use of Information: Candidates teach learners to evaluate information for accuracy, bias, validity, relevance, and cultural context. Learners demonstrate ethical use of information and technology in the creation of new knowledge.

2.4 Assessment: Candidates use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth. Candidates, in collaboration with instructional partners, revise their instruction to address areas in which learners need to develop understanding.

How It Aligns With the Standard:

One of the most important roles of a school librarian is to serve as a collaborative partner in instruction. School librarians bring strengths in research skills, resource selection, and instructional design that help teachers provide students with multiple ways to access information and demonstrate understanding. Through collaboration, librarians contribute fresh perspectives, support inquiry-based learning, and help ensure students engage with credible sources, diverse viewpoints, and meaningful learning experiences. Throughout my coursework, I have intentionally designed collaborative lessons that integrate inquiry, ethical information use, and meaningful assessment.

In LIS 654, I co-planned a social studies lesson with a fifth-grade teacher. I designed instruction to support student learning through research, discussion, and digital creation. The unit integrated inquiry, exploration, and ethical information access (2.1). I planned opportunities for students to apply their research through digital creation using Book Creator (2.2). I emphasized ethical evaluation and use of information by guiding students to use an accurate, credible, age-appropriate database rather than general web searching (2.3). I also incorporated formative and summative assessments to identify misconceptions, clarify understanding, and support student learning (2.4).

I applied a similar approach when working on the Guided Inquiry Design Project (LIS 670) with my UNCG classmates. Together, we developed a six-lesson unit focused on inventions and inventors. We applied the inquiry model to structure learning experiences (2.1), incorporated varied instructional strategies and technologies (2.2), and used multiple assessment methods to monitor student understanding and guide instructional decisions (2.4).

As part of LIS 693, I engaged in a Collaborative Teaching experience. The inquiry-based lesson was collaboratively planned with a second-grade teacher as part of a science unit on matter. Together, we reviewed unit goals and student needs to design a developmentally appropriate learning experience (2.1). Students connected lesson concepts to their own experiences, supporting active participation and providing multiple opportunities to explore and explain their thinking (2.2). I assessed student understanding through discussion, prediction questions, and completion of graphic organizers. This information guided my reflection on the lesson and informed how instruction could be revised to strengthen student understanding (2.4).

In LIS 692, I taught a collaborative research lesson for sixth-grade students focused on effective research strategies. Students selected an ancient civilization and practiced locating credible information using NCEdCloud rather than relying on general web searches (2.1). I modeled database searching techniques, including Boolean operators and phrase searching, and guided students as they worked collaboratively to complete a graphic organizer (2.2). I explicitly taught ethical information use by emphasizing credibility, accuracy, and relevance of sources and by modeling APA citations using database citation tools (2.3). I monitored student understanding throughout the lesson and assessed learning through observation and review of completed graphic organizers (2.4).

To help students build confidence using research databases, I created a research database infographic (LIS 635). The infographic visually guides students through research skills, including using Boolean operators, phrase searching, applying filters to narrow results, and generating APA citations within the database. It was designed to provide clear, step-by-step support for students with varying research experience (2.1, 2.2). It also reinforces ethical information practices by modeling how to locate credible sources and cite information responsibly (2.3).

What I Learned:

Each of these projects taught me the importance of designing instruction that is intentional, collaborative, and responsive to student needs. Working with teachers showed me the importance of aligning lessons to learning goals while also making them meaningful and accessible for students. Guided Inquiry emphasizes that learning is a process of constructing understanding through questioning, exploring, and creating, rather than simply locating facts (Cooper, 2014). Inquiry-based learning and real-world connections helped students stay engaged and take a more active role in their learning. Using frameworks such as Guided Inquiry Design and Stripling’s model helped me see how structuring lessons around stages of curiosity, investigation, and reflection supports deeper understanding and helps students make connections between new information and their own experiences (Cooper, 2014). I also saw how using a variety of strategies supports different learners and makes complex skills easier to understand. Creating guides like the database infographic reinforced the need to break skills down and provide clear guidance so students can gradually build confidence and independence as researchers.

Teaching ethical information use was another valuable lesson. I became more intentional about helping students evaluate sources, use credible information, and cite their work correctly. Guided Inquiry identifies information literacy as an essential part of learning, helping students develop the skills to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively (Cooper, 2014). I also learned how important it is to use both formal and informal assessment to check for understanding and adjust instruction throughout the learning process, not just at the end.

Impact on Student Learning and Connection to Best Practice:

These assignments support student learning by making instruction more engaging, accessible, and meaningful. Research in school librarianship highlights the importance of collaboration and thoughtfully designed instruction in supporting student learning and engagement (Woolls, 2013). Guided Inquiry emphasizes that students learn more deeply when they actively construct understanding rather than passively receive information (Cooper, 2014). When lessons are intentionally designed and connected to real content, students are more likely to stay engaged and understand the purpose behind what they are learning. Inquiry-based approaches and collaboration with teachers help create learning experiences where students can actively explore, ask questions, and build on their understanding while developing both content knowledge and research skills.

Using a variety of instructional strategies provides multiple entry points for learners and reflects best practices supported by inquiry-based pedagogy. Breaking down complex skills like research into clear, manageable steps allows students to build confidence and develop independence over time. Guided Inquiry identifies multiple dimensions of learning, including information literacy, collaboration, and learning how to learn, all of which help students transfer skills across subject areas (Cooper, 2014). Focusing on ethical information use helps students develop critical thinking skills as they learn how to evaluate sources, use credible information, and cite their work properly. 

Ongoing assessment also plays an important role in student learning. Both Guided Inquiry (Cooper, 2014) and Stripling (2020) emphasize reflection as part of the learning process. Using both formal and informal methods to check for understanding allows instruction to be adjusted to meet student needs better and helps students become more aware of their own thinking and learning strategies.

These experiences will shape my future work by helping me design instruction that is intentional, inquiry-based, and closely aligned with classroom learning. I will continue collaborating with teachers to create lessons that are meaningful, accessible, and grounded in real content, which will help students stay engaged and take a more active role in their learning.

References: 

Cooper, J. (2014, January). Guided inquiry by design: The story of student learning. School Library Monthly, 30(4). https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/1966972 

Stripling model of inquiry. Emerging America. (2020). https://emergingamerica.org/teaching-resources/stripling-model-inquiry

Woolls, Blanche, et al. The School Library Manager: Leading Through Change, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2023.