by Leslie K. Maniotes, March 2023

Educators in every discipline are talking about inquiry as a way to innovate learning in schools. Turns out, inquiry learning is and always will be a library victory. The AASL standards set inquiry as a basic library standard and state, "An effective school library plays an important role in preparing learners for life in an information rich society"(2018, 54). From its conception in 2006 until today, the Guided Inquiry Design® Framework has been applied to bring about high quality learning experiences that raise the profile of the library and prepare learners for life. This article presents five major victories of Guided Inquiry from the past decade.

Effective Libraries Prepare Learners for Life

• Within a fully developed program of inquiry, students learn to use information literacy skills to access, locate, and evaluate information for their own use. Students are guided through their process and are more able to learn the necessary skills for living in an information-rich society. Students employ essential critical thinking skills to use information for their research. For example, they must make decisions that require critical thinking about: resources to use or not use and why,
• information to use within those chosen resources,
• information to leave out, and
• how to use the information.

One middle school student captured this in his reflection at the end of the research process when he said, "The most challenging part was probably writing the speech. I learned so much information that I had to pick and choose what I wanted so I didn't have four pages of stuff!"

Inquiry Is Personalized Learning

With Guided Inquiry, librarians and teachers have been successfully collaborating to design and implement units of inquiry that are locally relevant and globally important. Over the past decade of successful Guided Inquiry Design® (GID) implementation, the student learning outcomes are remarkable. When we facilitate their movement through the phases of the GID process, students formulate a focus for their research that is topically important and personally relevant.

A personally relevant focus lays the foundation for high engagement and motivation. Students with a clear focus want to read and find out everything about their topic. As a result, plagiarism drops off and engagement skyrockets! For example, in a high school psychology class, one student learned about post-traumatic stress disorder to better relate to a family member with the diagnosis. In middle school, a group of students learned about how neighborhood flooding can be problematic in their big city. They continued to investigate and uncovered a plan of action for how they can advocate for mitigation at the city council. In an upper elementary class learning about the history of technology, one student took on the lens of boat making and learned all about how boats evolved from ancient to modern times. And in the primary grades unit on animal adaptations, one student examined how different mammals use their whiskers, uncovering that there were a variety of uses depending upon the animal. These are singular yet powerful examples, highlighting how through Guided Inquiry, each student finds their own interests within the topics taught, a hallmark of the success of the process on individual learning.

Librarians Effectively Guide Inquiry

With GID, the library becomes a safe space to learn and a dependable place to get valuable information and find support and guidance for the challenges of the research process. In the past two years, GID has gained recognition with the achievement of multiple awards at the local, state, and national levels for exemplary design for units of inquiry (https://guidedinquirydesign.com/awards). This success comes with the use of the framework because our inquiry process is based on research from information science. The Kuhlthau Information Search Process (ISP) is one of the most enduring models in the information science field and based on Carol Kuhlthau's seminal body of research (2004) providing evidence for a common process for research and indicating a strong need for guidance out of which Guided Inquiry was developed.

A Comprehensive Framework Aids in Successful Implementation

GID, created with Dr. Carol Kuhlthau, uses the whole body of ISP research to provide a comprehensive framework equipping educators seeking to facilitate deeper inquiry with all students. As a result, it provides librarians with a clear pathway for inquiry learning. It is comprehensive in that:

1. At the core is the Information Search Process which is the common process for all people learning from information and through research. All the strategies in GID for guiding inquiry are an application of thirty years of research findings on the ISP.


2. An inquiry process that mirrors the students' experience. The Guided Inquiry process effectively shifts the way research is introduced and carried out with students in school. It provides a clear roadmap to inquiry enabling timely and more strategic guidance resulting in better outcomes for student learning. It is named the Guided Inquiry Design Process because the research indicated (a) new phases of inquiry before the students formulated a focus and (b) that the process needs guidance.


3. Student inquiry is a very personal process, but guidance is essential. Students should not be set to do this alone. Guidance comes in many forms. The GID Framework provides strategies for guiding inquiry including (a) habits of mind, (b) inquiry tools for student engagement and assessment of learning and (c) opportunities for mini-lessons that can be presented at point of need to match the teachable moments presented to us in each phase. Conferring with students all along the process is an essential approach to guiding inquiry. In her book Seeking Meaning (2004), Kuhlthau talked about the librarian as "counselor." It is in that role that the guidance through the process is most useful.


4. The Guided Inquiry Framework uses the organizational structure of an inquiry workshop to provide students with the time they need to engage in productive work at each phase. The workshop may include a short mini-lesson, but the majority of time is designated as student work time. Within the inquiry workshop phase appropriate mindsets can be encouraged, productive tasks introduced, and time and space provided for students to engage fully in each phase of inquiry. This ensures that the process is not overwhelming to students at any point. In addition, reflection at the end of each inquiry workshop session helps students to learn about themselves as learners. Reflection all along the process enables an awareness of learning and encourages the application of the process to future pursuits.


5. The last part of the complete framework is the instructional design. The ISP research indicated a flaw in the traditional research assignment. A new way to design for inquiry learning was indicated. Through GID professional development and coaching, teachers are learning alongside librarians about the research process. Using their knowledge to design effective units of inquiry so students begin with curiosity, build some knowledge, and explore ideas in order to formulate a clear focus for inquiry that drives them to more meaningful learning.

Success with GID Takes Training, Time, and a Team with which to Practice

Inquiry learning is an innovative practice that takes time to master. Learning about GID and implementing the practice in itself is useful professional development. Through the GID trainings, librarians and teachers are learning to design and implement together, raising the bar on collaboration. They are expanding their understanding of the framework through practice and by reflecting on what they did. For a fully-fledged program to take hold and be sustained over time, continual growth and professional development are essential.

Recently, virtual coaching has been used in addition to the initial training on GID. Coaching has proven to be a major support factor for implementation and extending the practice into daily lessons. Shifting from direct instruction to having an inquiry stance takes time, and each year having new students changes the dynamic of inquiry.

Coaching keeps educators centered on the key elements that make a difference in student learning. Librarians and teachers learn and think together about having an inquiry stance. Coaching conversations enable educators to become more flexible according to the needs of the students in front of them. Plans are continually revised and tailored to meet the standards and stay true to the phases of the research process.

In the future, the librarian's role may shift from leader of the collaborating team to inquiry coach within the building. As they build their expertise through professional development and practice with the framework, a meaningful leadership role in teaching and learning at the school level arises. Librarian as inquiry coach, provides the school with yet another value-added skillset and role. School-based examples are now showing success with that structure.

Works Cited

American Association of School Librarians. National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA Editions, 2018.

Kuhlthau, Carol. Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services. 2nd ed. Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Press, 2004.

Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. Guided Inquiry Design®: A Framework for Inquiry in Your School. Libraries Unlimited, 2012.

GID Awards. Guided Inquiry Design®. https://guidedinquirydesign.com/awards/