"By virtue of their examination of the process approach to library and information services in K-12 education, the authors are convinced that school librarians are the primary agents for school reform. Utilizing current research and guided by the philosophy of John Dewey, Guided Inquiry is based on a spiral curriculum that teaches children to think and to make informed decisions. The research team at the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers University assisted in the creation of a systematic model. Guided inquiry is based on the premise that the 21st-century school needs to offer alternative solutions to the Industrial Age model by incorporating the information search process in authentic ways. Promoting deeper learning allows students to answer the deeper questions of their own interests in the world by facing the issues of social perspectives throughout the curriculum....This book is recommended for teachers and school librarians concerned with research-based teaching. Recommended. General readers, graduate students, and professionals." - Choice
"The authors take a step-by-step approach to building a case for their methodology. The reader is guided along. The voice of this easy-to-read text is that of a nurturing teacher enticing you to read on with encouragement; helping you to discover things you didn't know you knew; and even pushing you on when you need it. Every step of the way, the format of this book includes charts and figures to support the narrative. When a concept is introduced, it is clearly outlined and then broken into its individual elements giving the reader a working understanding. . . . Although Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century is focused at schools in the 21st century, I recommend you get a copy of it, and read it. I believe it will help you think about what you do and how you do it." - Museum Education Roundtable
"The benefits, theory, and research behind this title are precisely and competently explained. Each chapter discusses a different element beginning with setting up the Guided Inquiry Team to an explanation of how to meet content area curriculum standards, assess student work, teach information literacy, and prepare students for living and working in the 21st century. Librarians looking for a sensible, workable approach to help students make sense of their information-rich world will find this book a useful and accessible means of providing the support and understanding they need to thrive. Recommended." - Library Media Connection
"Of great use to any K-12 school's professional development collection, particularly with the current emphasis on guided inquiry and student-centered learning, this work is a welcome addition not only to teachers and administrators but also to librarians." - ARBA
"An essential read in the area of collaboration with teachers, teacher-librarians, and other specialists in the school. A gem from the great Kuhlthau and colleagues." - Teacher Librarian
"Stop everything you are doing, get a copy of this book, and read it cover to cover in one sitting. Kuhlthau joins forces with a curriculum expert and a museum professional to propose a solid initiative for teachers, teacher-librarians, and administrators. What is that initiative? A constant stream of collaborative, constructivist, and information-centered learning experiences. The authors propose that a teacher-librarian and two complementary subject area teachers join forces to build a learning experience using the best curricular topics with a simple but powerful information literacy model: locate, evaluate, use....Bottom line: For one of the best reads of 2007, our assignment stands: Read this book, talk about it, and begin to understand why it is more important than teaching a few schedule-based information literacy lessons to students as they encounter teachers' assignments." - Teacher Librarian
