Reply To: Inquiry: An Educational and Moral Imperative

[Elizabeth Hutchinson Participant]

Thank you for sharing this presentation, Darryl and Barbara.

I often feel that I am chasing something almost impossible to catch. Something that I have a real grasp on, but then it jumps from my hands and I am again grappling to catch it again.

As librarians, we are not only expected to understand all of this ourselves but to share our learning and understanding with our teachers and students, and this is not easy. I remember saying to Darryl, early in my journey with FOSIL, that I would never be able to explain how FOSIL worked like he did, and he smiled and said that it just took practice, the more we talk about it the clearer it will become and I agree. I have not always got it right, but I have at least tried and then learnt from my mistakes. I am obviously doing something right, as a librarian said the same thing to me the other day, and it was me smiling this time.

Your explanation of what FOSIL and inquiry learning brings to school librarians has once again helped me take another step forward. Giving me a fresh understanding of why I believe FOSIL and inquiry-based learning is so important not only for school librarians but our teachers and students too. I loved the explanation of being able to support the whole child. Being able to support and encourage a child’s journey in wonder and learning is a huge privilege and one that I am continually excited to be part of.

My focus now is to help primary schools understand that this journey starts with them. I feel that as many primary schools don’t have school librarians that there is a real need to find a way to engage teachers at this level to support their students in independent learning and inquiry. That is another slippery fish to catch, though 😊.