Guided Inquiry and Information
Literacy Skills
2008-2009 School Year
What is Guided Inquiry?
Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century
Carol C. Kuhlthau, Leslie K. Maniotes, and
Ann K. Caspari
Libraries Unlimited, 2007
http://cissl.scils.rutgers.edu/guided_inquiry/introduction.html
AP English Language and Composition
Guided Inquiry: Blink
Teachers: Marci Zane and Mary Woods
In this guided inquiry unit, students…
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Asked authentic
questions of text
Synthesized a variety
of sources to answer
essential questions
Evaluated resources
and information
Developed
responsibility for their
own learning
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Improved research
competency and skills
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Reflected on goals and
process of learning
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Worked in cooperative
learning teams
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Interacted on Moodle
to share materials
with and provide
feedback to peers
Questions Emerging from Initial
Discussion
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How much do people believe what they read?
What is a #1 National Bestseller?
If Gladwell’s book is so good, why is does he
include so many quotes in beginning?
Is Gladwell notorious for not connecting with his
audience?
Who gives this guy the right to write this book—
he is a reporter?
What validity is there in gut instincts?
What made him first realize that instinct was so
valuable?
Chapter 1 Questions for Exploration
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Is this the only time anyone has completed a room thin-slice? How
successful is this?
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Are these experiments valid?
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Where does he find this information?
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Is he using too many examples? Does he detract from his purpose? Is
he trying to hide the fact that he has no structure/argument? Is he
trying to manipulate us to think that this is our own self-discovery?
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Who are these people? Are these the top researchers in this field?
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What algorithm? Is there a lack of explanation here?
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With the bedroom experiment, they used a sample size of 80 people.
95% of 80 people. Is this enough?
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What is Gladwell’s purpose? Is he trying to make money? Is he trying
to change the world?
Was the unit on Blink different from other
units you have experienced in school?
 Yes
 No
I
don’t know
94.1%
0%
5.9%
Students’ responses:
“Honestly, this unit felt like the first time I was ever really, truly
learning, real-life style, in school. I mean...it felt like we were actually
discovering, figuring things out, and reaching opinions on our own...not
just being fed information from the teacher or book.”
“We were asked to simply take an active role in our learning. It was
amazing to see how much creativity and progress we made with everyone
exploring their own interests and then comparing what they've learned to
what others have explored.”
Choose two of the characteristics of
guided inquiry and explain your rating

Lifelong learning:
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“It didn't really prepare us for lifelong learning in general, just
for English and writing synthesis papers. It did allow us to
work along with the teacher in deciding what to discuss in
class.”
Cover subject areas other than English:
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“Now that I’m more used to having to look up answers to
questions I pose throughout the book, I’ll be more likely to do
the same in the future.”
“I think that it was really cool to learn about other things
besides English in an English class, while still connecting back
to English. We were able to talk about music, art, psychology,
how we learn, how our brain functions and so much more.”
Create a community of learners:
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“The community we created made it possible for the Blink unit
to run smoothly, and for everyone to have their interests
addressed and learn as much as possible.”
Choose two of the characteristics of
guided inquiry and explain your rating

Emphasis on Process:
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“This unit challenged traditional student apathy to the
subject material - fully engaging us in the process. The
process is what is essential to learning. Then you can react
to what you have learned and gain a greater understanding
of the issue.”
“In the beginning, I was afraid of this process because it
demanded a lot of responsibility and independence
from me. Once we all got more into it, I was more
comfortable with it, and got a lot out of it.”
Connect the curriculum to your world:
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“We performed many of the experiments discussed in the
book before reading the book—the bedroom test, the Coke
vs. Pepsi, and the Lemon/Lime text—without being told what
the purpose was. In this way, we were able to learn by
example.”
To what extent did the Moodle program aid in
your learning this semester?
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Collaboration:
 “I think the Moodle site was super effective. I think Moodle
played a huge role in bonding us as a class and
encouraging the sharing of ideas for those of us who don't
feel comfortable contributing in class.”
Participation:
 “The Moodle utilization was the backbone to our course; it
was a place to get ideas out equally - where everyone's
voice was heard, and vital planning took place.”
 “I felt that it was an unfair participation advantage to
those who had a lot of free time to be at home sitting at
their computers. It wasn't fair to those of us with busy
schedules...participation grades should be from class time.”
Resources:
 “Moodle helped me a lot because it made it easy to submit
work and find new research or resources for my writing
or homework. And it mostly helped to continue class
discussions and group work out of class through forums.”
Honors Sophomore English:
The Catcher in the Rye/Conformity
Teacher: Cathy Stutzman
Student Response:
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“After reading others' responses, commenting on others'
ideas, and expressing my own ideas about things like
depression and innocence, I really got a better understanding
of Catcher and how it relates to today's world.”
“Instead of having you telling the class about the major
themes, symbols, etc. in the book, I was able to tangibly (and
sometimes even subconsciously :) get a grasp of the true
meaning of the book.”
“From a student's perspective, I strongly recommend that
things like the wikisite and small group discussions continue
next year and maybe even be implemented in other
classes.”