The Fosil Group

IFLA School Libraries Section | Midyear Meeting
2022-04-21 08:45 - 2022-04-22 13:30 (Europe/London) | Blanchelande College
Programme

Thursday 21 April 2022 | 08:45 – 10:30 (UTC+00:00 London) | Welcome and Introductions

Welcome by Rob O’Brien (see details below)
Conceptual Design of Heroic Inquiry by Hugh Rose (see details below)

Thursday 21 April 2022 | 11:00 – 12:00 (UTC+00:00 London) | Business Meeting 1
Thursday 21 April 2022 | 13:00 – 15:00 (UTC+00:00 London) | Professional Development 1

Implementing the IFLA School Library Guidelines at Blanchelande College by Darryl Toerien (see details below)
Our Evolving Understanding of Inquiry: 1988-Present by Barbara Stripling (see details below)

Friday 22 April 2022 | 09:00 – 10:00 (UTC+00:00 London) | Business Meeting 2
Friday 22 April 2022 | 10:30 – 12:45 (UTC+00:00 London) | Professional Development 2

Curricular Inquiry: Learning Between the Library and the Classroom by Joe Sanders and Jenny Toerien (see details below)
Extracurricular Inquiry: Learning Beyond the Classroom – Lessons from the IB Diploma Programme Extended Essay and the Extended Project Qualification by Jenny Toerien (see details below)
Mapping Inquiry-Based Learning in a Dynamic Curriculum by Kevin Heppell (see details below)

Update:

All Professional Development sessions were recorded and are now available in the Forum here.

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On 21-22 April, Blanchelande College will be hosting the midyear meeting of the School Libraries Section of IFLA ahead of the 2022 World Library and Information Congress in Dublin, Ireland, from 26-29 July.
Please see below for the programme, which may also be downloaded as a PDF from here.
The programme is open and free, and we are intending to stream and record the sessions for colleagues who are not able to travel to Guernsey (details to follow).
Please contact Darryl Toerien <toeriend@blanchelande.sch.gg> with any questions.
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The School Libraries Section 2022 Midyear Meeting reflects the strategic importance and value of the following two key IFLA publications, both of which will be launched at the 2022 World Library and Information Congress in Dublin, Ireland:

The revised IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto (2022), which revitalises the principles upholding the IFLA School Library Guidelines (2015)
The latest book in the Global Action on School Libraries series, Models of Inquiry (2022), which reaffirms the centrality of inquiry to achieving our educational and moral purpose

Thursday 21 April

08.45 – 09.00 | Welcome and Introductions by Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry-Based Learning
09.00 – 10.30 | Welcome and tour of Blanchelande College by Rob O’Brien, Principal

Includes talk by Hugh Rose, Design Director at Blanchelande College, on conceptual design work on heroic inquiry and the Senior Library’s knowledge map (see the College Prospectus for an example of Hugh’s work on the Hero’s Journey)

10.30 – 11.00 | Refreshments (free)
11.00 – 12.00 | Business Meeting (open to observers)
12.00 – 13.00 | Lunch (free)
13.00 – 15.00 | Professional Development (open and free)

Implementing the IFLA School Library Guidelines at Blanchelande College (Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry-Based Learning at Blanchelande College, Originator of the FOSIL Inquiry Cycle, Elected Member of the Standing Committee of the School Libraries Section of IFLA, and Co-opted Board Member of the UK School Library Association)
Keynote – Our Evolving Understanding of Inquiry: 1988-Present (Barbara Stripling, Professor Emerita at Syracuse University, Originator of Stripling’s Model of Inquiry / the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum, and current President of the Freedom to Read Foundation)

15.00 – 15.30 | Refreshments (free)

Friday 22 April

08.45 – 09.00 | Refreshments (free)
09.00 – 10.00 | Business Meeting (open to observers)
10.00 – 10.30 | Refreshments (free)
10.30 – 12.45 | Professional Development (open and free)

Curricular Inquiry: Learning Between the Library and the Classroom (Joe Sanders, Senior Lead Practitioner and Teacher of Politics at Oakham School, and Jenny Toerien, Curriculum Librarian and Extended Project Qualification Coordinator at Blanchelande College)
Extracurricular Inquiry: Learning Beyond the Classroom – Lessons from the IB Diploma Programme Extended Essay and the Extended Project Qualification (Jenny Toerien, Curriculum Librarian and Extended Project Qualification Coordinator at Blanchelande College)
Mapping Inquiry-Based Learning in a Dynamic Curriculum (Kevin Heppell, Dynamic Curriculum Adviser at Sequential and co-creator of the Mondrian Wall)

12.45 – 13.30 | Lunch (free)

IASL / IFLA School Libraries | Global Action for School Libraries on Models of Inquiry in the Digital Age
2022-07-23 09:00 - 16:30 | CCT College Dublin, 30-34 Westmoreland St, Dublin, Ireland
IFLA School Libraries is offering a full-day workshop on July 23, 2022, in conjunction with IFLA’s World Library and Information Congress in Dublin, Ireland. The registration for this event, which is being held at CCT College, Dublin, is a very reasonable 30 euros, which includes coffee/tea, pastries and a hot lunch at the five-star Westin Hotel.
The Satellite Meeting, Global Action for School Libraries on Models of Inquiry in the Digital Age, focuses on the instructional role of the school librarian, especially related to inquiry-based learning. It will feature presentations and roundtable sessions with international authors involved in a forthcoming book, co-sponsored by IASL and IFLA School Libraries.
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9:00 | Registration Opens | Tea, coffee, and pastries on arrival
9.30 | Welcome | Valerie Glass (France) and Melissa Johnston (USA)

Introduction of Section Committee members present

10:00 | Overview of the day’s agenda | Barbara Schultz-Jones (USA) and Dianne Oberg (Canada)

Overview of the models of inquiry book project — introduction of contributors.
Overview of research underpinning the models of inquiry — the big ideas
Why models of inquiry are important in teaching and learning

11: 00 | Coffee/tea break
11:30 | Three Models of Inquiry | FOSIL | Darryl Toerien (UK) | Guided Inquiry Design | Buffy Edwards (USA) | Focus on Inquiry | Dianne Oberg (Canada)

Why was this instructional model chosen (or what were its roots)?
What are the strengths / special features of the model?
How has it been disseminated / shared with others?

12:00 | Questions and Answers about the models of inquiry
13:00 | Lunch break
14:15 | Roundtables (20-minutes sessions – three choices for each participant)

Deep Collaboration by Teacher and Librarian to Develop an Inquiry Mindset | Darryl Toerien (UK)
Inquiry Learning Initiatives in Japan | Yumiko Kasai, Yoko Noborimoto, and Shiori Ito (Japan)
Using the Document de Collecte Collection Document with French Secondary Students / Valerie Glass (France)
Curiosity, Conversation, and Connection Through Guided Inquiry Design | Jenna Nemec-Loise (USA)
Public School Libraries in Inquiry-Based Learning in Japan | Rei Iwasaki and Mutsumi Ohira (Japan)

15:15 – 16:00 | Sharing of highlights, questions to presenters | Barbara Schultz-Jones (USA)
16:00 – 16:30 | Farewell, invitations to the rest of the conference, special events | Valerie Glass (France) and Melissa Johnston (USA)

IASL 2023 | 51st Annual IASL Conference and 26th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship
2023-07-17 - 2023-07-21
Darryl Toerien and Jenny Toerien will be running an extended workshop – Recovering the Educational Promise of Inquiry – at IASL 2023.
Program Description
Neil Postman (1969, 1979, 1996) claimed that of all the survival strategies that education has to offer, none is more potent than the inquiry environment, and identified tendencies that sap inquiry of its educational potency. These tendencies are: (1) to divorce inquiry as a dynamic process and skills from learning important content; (2) to reduce inquiry to a mechanical process by divorcing it from a spirit of wonder and puzzlement; (3) to divorce inquiry from both a spirit of wonder and puzzlement and a dynamic process, and so reduce it to a thoughtless fact-finding activity; (4) to “engineer learning” through ever-more technical teaching methods based on ‘hard evidence’ from the field of cognitive science.
Schools must resist the four tendencies identified above, and integral to this resistance should be the school librarian.(*) We will explore this practically through a UK Year 6 (US Grade 5) interdisciplinary Signature Work inquiry that integrates curricular work in Science with curricular work in Art & Design, English, ICT, Library and Maths. Because inquiry is a process of building knowledge and understanding of the world from information, the majority of which exists in recorded form, inquiry is heavily dependent on reading in its broadest possible sense. Reading for learning, which includes non-fiction and fiction, is, therefore, timetabled in English lessons. Furthermore, reflective writing is an essential feature of a Signature Work inquiry, so students are required to submit a written report of their practical investigation in Science and their work in other subjects, which is also timetabled in English lessons. Thoughtful reading and writing are, therefore, a distinguishing feature of the Signature Work, which makes it authentically a STREAM inquiry (Science + Technology + Reading and wRiting + Engineering + Arts + Maths).
(*) Foundational building blocks of our resistance to these tendencies include the IFLA School Library Guidelines (2015) and the work of Barbara Stripling, specifically, Empowering Students to Inquire in a Digital Environment (2017).
For a fuller description of the workshop, see IASL 2023 | Recovering the Educational Promise of Inquiry.

IFLA 2023 | Information Literacy Section Satellite Meeting
2023-08-18 09:00 - 17:00 | Technische Universiteit Delft
Darryl Toerien will be presenting his chapter – Digital Literacy: Necessary but Not Sufficient for Life-Wide and Life-Long Learning – at the IFLA Information Literacy Section’s launch of their upcoming book:
Libraries Empowering Society through Digital Literacy Education

The Information Literacy Section (ILS) is thrilled to have the opportunity to organize the satellite meeting at the Delft University of Technology Library in Delft, Netherlands. We deeply appreciate their hospitality and generosity in providing their state-of-the-art facilities and extraordinary staff support as well as making this event with free registration.
By attending the satellite meeting, you will not only hear from a group of invited authors of the upcoming IFLA book on digital and media literacy but also actively participate in roundtable discussions with the speakers.

NB: registration is required and it will be closed when the number of registrants reaches 40 or by July 31, whichever comes first.
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IFLA 2023 World Library and Information Congress
2023-08-21 - 2023-08-25

AASL 2023 National Conference
2023-10-19 - 2023-10-21
Barbara Stripling, Jenny Toerien and Darryl Toerien will be running a workshop – Leading an Inquiry-Based School: Discovering the Promise – at AASL 2023 (more details to follow).
Program Description
Lead your school to discover the promise of inquiry – that all learners develop an inquiry stance on the world and learn to think independently both within school and beyond! In this session, you will explore the essential ingredients of a successful inquiry-based school: an inquiry stance, inquiry skills taught within an inquiry process, and integration of skills with important curricular content through collaborative planning and teaching.

SJSU School of Information 2024 Conference
2024-02-29 18:00 - 21:00
Barbara Stripling, Jenny Toerien and Darryl Toerien will be presenting Engaging and Empowering Learners for Life through Inquiry / Developing Inquiry-Based Schools & School Libraries at the San Jose State University School of Information | Leap into the Future of School Libraries Conference.
Program Description
When learners develop an inquiry stance, they learn to follow their own sense of wonder into new discoveries and insights about themselves, others, and the way the world works. Through inquiry, learners develop the skills and attitudes of independent learning, a strong self-identity, cultural responsiveness, social and emotional health, voice and agency, and a growth mindset. In this session, we will explore teaching these whole-child skills and attitudes to learners throughout their years of schooling through collaboratively planned, inquiry-based curricular units and direct instruction. By teaching these life skills, school librarians can empower all students to flourish both in school and beyond.

The Day CPD Webinar
2024-12-09 16:00 - 17:00
Darryl Toerien and Nicole Campbell, Senior Subject Lead of PSHE at Lilian Baylis Technology School in South London, will be presenting Unlocking critical minds: A CPD webinar on inquiry-led learning for The Day.
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In today’s fast-paced, information-saturated world, fostering critical thinking skills in students has never been more important.
Join The Day and special guests for a dynamic CPD webinar designed to equip teachers with practical, inquiry-led strategies to enhance critical thinking in their classroom.
We’ll explore:
✅ The challenges facing students in developing critical thinking
✅ Inquiry-led learning approaches and how they can be applied in the classroom
✅ Practical tips to structure engaging lessons, inspire discussion and guide students

FOSIL Symposium 2025
2025-02-08 08:45 - 16:30
Brief contextual details of the presenters may be found here.
Free and online – register here or see below.
The Symposium is an opportunity for colleagues who are developing engaged and empowered inquirers to share with and learn from each other. While our focus is FOSIL-based inquiry, it is not exclusively so, and the Symposium is open to and free for all who share our conviction that inquiry, properly understood and supported, is the most potent educational survival strategy that we can equip our students with, which also enables them to thrive. The reason for this is that inquiry is a fundamental human response to reality, and dealing successfully with reality is the only true measure of human success. The revolution will not be televised, although in this case it will be recorded.
08:45 – 09:00 | Welcome | Elizabeth Hutchinson, School Library Specialist
09:00 – 09:15 | Revolutionary musing | Dianne Oberg, Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta, and Jennifer Branch-Mueller, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and President of the International Association of School Librarianship, co-authors of Focus on inquiry: a teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning, which includes the Alberta Inquiry Model
09:15 – 10:00 | The revolution will not be televised | Lee FitzGerald, Editor of ACCESS, Journal of the Australian School Library Association, and Adjunct Lecturer on the Master of Education: Teacher Librarianship course at Charles Sturt University, and Joanne Bleby, History Coordinator at Loreto Kirribilli
10:00 – 10:15 | Break
10:15 – 11:45 | FOSIL Developments | Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry-Based Learning at Blanchelande College, and originator of FOSIL and the FOSIL Group
Institute for the Advancement of Inquiry (IAI)

Founding the Institute | Darryl Toerien
Symbolising the Institute | Lara Stanford, Year 13 student at Blanchelande College
Integrating the Institute | Jane Grange, Director of Studies at Blanchelande College
Hosting the Institute | Alexa Yeoman, Principal of Blanchelande College
Valuing the Institute | Mark Le Page, Managing Director of Orthoginian Limited and former Deputy Director of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Heroic Inquiry

Conceptualising Heroic Inquiry | Darryl Toerien
Reconceptualising Heroic Inquiry | Hugh Rose, Illustrator of Traditional Stories

11:45 – 12:00 | Revolutionary musing | Mary-Rose Grieve, Librarian at Hartland International School, Co-Chair of Great School Libraries and National Committee member of CILIP’s School Libraries Group
12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch
12:45 – 13:30 | The revolution will not be televised | Ruth Maloney, Librarian at Tonbridge Grammar School
13:30 – 14:15 | The revolution will not be televised | Jannath Khanom, Learning Resource Centre Manager at Connaught School for Girls
14:15 – 14:30 | Break
14:30 – 15:15 | The revolution will not be televised | David Harrow, Headmaster at AKS Lytham, Faye Marland, Assistant Head (Staff and Student Development), and Nick O’Loughlin, Head of Student Inquiry
15:15 – 16:15 | Concluding revolutionary musing | Barbara Stripling, Professor Emerita at Syracuse University, and originator of Stripling’s Model of Inquiry and the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum
16:15 – 16:30 | Farewell | Elizabeth Hutchinson, School Library Specialist
Notes on the sessions:
The practical sessions – called The revolution will not be televised to, somewhat ironically, underscore the fact that the real educational revolution, the one that is actually needed, is hard won and for no earthly gain – essentially address three questions: Why inquiry? What are your obstacles to inquiry? Nevertheless, how are you engaging and empowering inquirers?
By contrast, Revolutionary musing is an opportunity to speak to the moment we find ourselves in.
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FOSIL – and the work of the FOSIL Group through the FOSIL Group website – is supported by the UK School Library Association.

Preconference to AASL 2025 | Leap into the Futute of School Libraries No. 2
2025-10-15
Note that this event is being held at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri.
Purpose
In the spirit of the former Treasure Mountain Research Retreats, this new series, Leap into the Future of School Libraries, seeks to build a shared research agenda and promote initiatives, best practices, action proposals, and resilience among professionals who are determined to move our field forward.

Agenda
Throughout the day, we will alternate between keynote addresses and table talks. Everyone will be encouraged to contribute major ideas, which will be gathered during the event and beyond as part of a collection of innovative strategies for research, action, implementation, and demonstration—efforts aimed at placing the school library at the center of teaching and learning. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet, share, and co-create ideas with a variety of individuals throughout the day. We’ll also enjoy boxed lunches, coffee available throughout the event, dinner together, and a final “idea extravaganza” to close out the day.

Keynotes

Barbara K. Stripling and Darryl Toerien introduce their forthcoming major work, Teaching Inquiry as Conversation: Bringing Wonder to Life, to be published by Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited.

Susan D. Ballard, Pamela C. Harland, and Rachel V. Small present findings from a Delphi study conducted with experts in the field to develop a contemporary, scaffolded model of collaboration. The research identifies key levels of collaboration, from independent access to fully integrated instructional partnerships, and illustrates the dispositions and environmental conditions necessary to support each stage. Attendees will explore the finalized model, discuss implications for their own practice, and consider how the findings can inform professional learning and advocacy.

Keith Curry Lance reviews the state of data and research across the federal government and thinks with us the future of school library research.
