Does the very idea of letting twenty-five students choose their own topics make you feel faint? Do you have visions of scurrying around, frantically trying to find authoritative resources (“two print and two online”) on Korean pop, space elevators, manga TV shows, the history of pants, or the TV heartthrob who has only been written about in People magazine and by Perez Hilton?

DEEPER CONCERNS

The diversity of topics may be invigorating, but you worry that after all of the student-created questions, prior knowledge discussions, and research, you may still get the same kind of fact reports you got when students just filled in a worksheet.

Or maybe teachers are gently declining your offers to collaborate, saying they cannot do student-selected topics because they’ve been told to stay within their curriculum area.

If any of these visions strike home, then perhaps it’s time to think about scenarios as an inquiry frame. In a scenario, as in problem-based learning, the teacher and librarian pose a problem in need of a solution. Depending on the age of the student, the scenario can also pose various obstacles or factors that must be considered in developing a solution.

DEFINING GOOD SCENARIOS

What makes a good scenario? Consider these core tenets:

• Students glean enough facts and keywords from the scenario to help them grasp the basic issues. An elementary scenario may be just a few sentences in length. A secondary scenario might take several paragraphs to outline and can take the form of a memorandum.
• While the posed problem is clearly identifiable by students, it does not have an immediate or obvious answer. Students must investigate in order to have the information necessary to address the problem.
• The problem can be addressed in a variety of ways, leaving room for individual or group interpretation.
• The problem is solvable by students. A research scenario in which students are asked to cure cancer or make human life eternal cannot be achieved by experts, much less students! Additionally, the problem is “just right” for the developmental and intellectual development of the students.
• The problem can be addressed with the resources of the library or community. Local experts can be added to your students’ toolkit of research resources!
• The problem may be grounded in reality or in fantasy. A fantasy scenario might ask young students to solve a problem set in a fairy tale, picture book, or other fictional work. A realistic scenario may involve the student’s local community, school, or state, or be grounded in a scientific phenomena or historical event.

When possible, scenarios should meet these criteria as well:

• The problem is evident in the local or extended community. This gives students a real-world stake in its resolution, which raises motivation and increases the likelihood that the research project will be supported by local officials or community members. Support could be financial (e.g., donations to fix the problem) or personal (e.g., giving time for expert interviews).
• The instructors are enthusiastic and genuinely interested in exploring this topic alongside the students, raising everyone’s motivation and commitment.

Scenarios may look like teacher-directed prompts at first. Indeed, the initial question may be posed by the instructors. The distinction is that in a good scenario, the students must construct in-process follow-up questions, asking themselves, “So if I need to find a good exotic pet for my house, then I know I’ll need to know some basic information, but then I’ll need to ask myself, ‘How does that fact help our house?’” This provides a good balance between instructors’ desire for some focus and giving students options.

A scenario can be sized to fit the amount of time available. Scenarios can be brief—just right for a single, fixed schedule research session, perhaps with resources provided by the librarian—or extended, requiring days of research. If time is limited, consider oral sharing in lieu of creation of a formal product.

STRATEGIES FOR PLANNING

In planning a scenario, these four strategies may help: Situate the topic in the student’s home, work, school, or social life. Consider prompts such as these:

• How would _____ impact your family? Your mom says you can have a new pet! You want to wow her by suggesting a pet nobody else has. Research exotic animals, choose one with amazing attributes, and write a letter to your mom convincing her that your weird animal’s unique personality, diet, and other habits can be tweaked into amazing problems getting solved at your house.
• What if this were in your backyard? The maker group just made a bunch of birdfeeders to hang outside the library, and the PTA has promised some funding for new plants that attract birds. What kinds of plants would best attract your favorite bird? Support your argument with evidence.
• How should the principal react to ____? After the court decision to ban the Washington Redskins from using the derogatory word “redskin” in its team name, the community is asking that Everyday Middle School change its mascot from the Chiefs to something else. In order to determine a mascot with a more positive vibe, first research your school to discover what about the school makes people most proud. Is it athletics? Academics? Kindness? Community? Do school community members want to be recognized for athletic abilities? Academic achievement? Kindness? Community? Based on that research, research animals and write a memo to the principal giving him three recommendations for a new mascot, supporting each recommendation with evidence.
• Current events: A group in Seattle is advocating for the minimum wage be increased to $15/hour. Opponents say this will reduce the number of jobs and actually harm hourly workers. What does history say about the relationship between a raise in the minimum wage and unemployment? Down the street, Fred’s Pizza Parlor hires twelve high school students at minimum wage. What aspects of the minimum wage should Fred consider before he goes to the Town Hall meeting to be part of a debate about this issue? Write Fred a memo in which you outline the history of this issue, break down the potential costs and benefits for him, and advise him on the stance he could take at the meeting.

Tell a story. Ask students to do research to finish it.

• The three pigs want to build another house. The hardware store is out of straw, wood, and brick. What would be another good insulator? Why?

Flip history.

• How might the U.S. be different today if the war ended at Gettysburg instead? In this situation, students must know the state of the war (and personalities involved) at Gettysburg, the post-war landscape, and then rethink post-war history based on seeing history through a new lens.
• How might Napoleon’s fate have been different if his army had not faced such an unexpectedly bitter winter on its route to Moscow? Similarly here, students must still research the facts of the march to Moscow and afterwards, but they must also consider that a less violent winter would likely have prevented many casualties. They then have to process history as if a more powerful militia had been at Napoleon’s disposal.

Advise an expert.

• President Obama is planning a trip to Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been angry at his administration for NSA surveillance of her communications, and he will need to reassure her that his government is trustworthy and a good partner. Based on the issues that are meaningful to Ms. Merkel, what would you recommend President Obama do to show that the United States is committed to Germany as an economic and political partner? In this case, students will need to research the NSA surveillance mistake to gain context, then study German and U.S. foreign policy to find potential overlaps.

Using scenarios in your library can bring more confidence and control to instructors while still empowering and motivating students. See if the use of scenarios can be a win-win in your school, too!