Leslie K. Maniotes

Using her Guided Inquiry Design model (GID), Maniotes presents here a wonderful collection of units across the disciplines and multidisciplinary, that have been used in secondary schools. There are full descriptions of the units, its steps, and the role that both the classroom teacher and the librarian play in these learning experiences. Thus, it is a fine addition to those implementing this model to use for ideas on creating their own units in their own schools. GID is a model directly related to preparing students for college and careers via a process that encourages the development of deep learning. In a simplified form, questions are developed, information explored thoroughly, a product is created and shared, and there is a final reflection. The emphasis is on what each student knows, deeply understands, and can do. For all the emphasis throughout the profession on inquiry, student success is measured individual by individual. However, there is another frontier that has yet to appear on the theoretical scene. In today’s job market, there are a growing number of jobs that require not only individual expertise, but also cooperative group work and beyond that into the world of collaborative intelligence. Much of the creativity and invention that needs to happen for problems that are extremely complex require the combination of what I know as an individual with what others know to be able to solve a major problem or create a new product. Examples of this are the driverless car, the solving of climate change, and the development of artificial intelligence just to name a few. The best minds of the field need to get together and create new inquiry methods that target cooperative group work and collaborative intelligence even beyond instructional designs already created by this reviewer. We can no longer take a one track view of inquiry. In the meantime, GIT offers a pathway to excellence for each student who can get involved in a cotaught learning experience taught by teacher and librarian. Highly recommended.… (altro)

Those familiar with the Maniotes Inquiry model realize that it is a much more thorough stepped strategy than other models that has been designed to push kids into much deeper learning than they are normally accustomed to doing. This volume concentrates on the earlier age and form most kids, the first real in-depth learning challenge. The trio of authors first introduce and review the steps of the model and then the rest of the book contains full directions for conducting a sample inquiry including handouts and other helps. The advantage here is that if you are unfamiliar with the extensive model, you have enough guidance to use one with real middle schoolers and then after some practice embark on your own. While inquiry is encouraged in Common Core, we have noticed that many teachers want “short” projects so they can get on with their “coverage” so they can say that they have done that. If a teacher will team with you as an information professional on one or more of these indepth experiences, they will begin to realize the major difference between inquiry they would do alone in the classroom and an experience cotaught alongside you. The difference in learning is likely to be huge. Thus, the volume is highly recommended to those who are tackling the major investigation with students. It is a great experience that will help them become much more sophisticated when they reach high school.… (altro)