Search 7: Searching the Curriculum

Curriculum Continuum Reflection:

Because I did not find much information regarding Information Literacy AND Year 2, or Inquiry and Year 2 or Guided Inquiry and Year 2 I decided that  I would now search the curriculum to see what I could find to help me solve my dilemma. I went to GOOGLE and searched Continuum as this came up in an email from OZTL and spoke about how ACARA is trying to rename Information Literacy and not mention it at all. I decided to go to the website to see what I could find out.  This is where I found the General Capabilities in Australian Curriculum. I searched the document for Inquiry learning which turned up nothing so I tried Literacy as they are closely related. This again however turned up nothing. The final place I was going to try to find Inquiry was in "Critical and Creative thinking". There it was. Inquiry was mentioned 5 times. After reading the information on this page I put it aside to see if I would use it later in my Context.

Shape of Australian Curriculum: Science

I came across this document in an unreliable source and found it very interesting so I went to discover it and read about it.   The purpose of The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Science will guide the writing of the Australian science curriculum K–12 (ACARA, 2009).  One of the areas that drew my attention was under the heading of "The structure of the Science  Curriculum" where it talked about 5.21 Curriculum focus: awareness of self and the local world. Underneath the table it gave 5 areas that unify the students ideas at Year 2.  I notices some similarities between them and the Information Search process by Kuthlhau. 

Carol Kuhlthau’ Information Search Process:	Unifying ideas for students in this age range are:
Initiation: At this point, the task is merely to recognize a need for information.
Selection: task is to identify and select the general topic to be investigated and the approach to be pursued
Exploration:  investigate information on the general topic in order to extend personal understanding.	Exploration: Investigation of objects and things around them as a precursor to more directed inquiry in later years.
Formulation:  The task is to form a focus from the information encountered	Order: Observing similarities and differences and comparing, sorting and classifying to create an order that is more meaningful.
Collection: At this point, the task is to gather information related to the focused topic	Observation: Using the senses to observe and gather information about the environment, looking for what is the same and what is different
Presentation: The task is to complete the search and to prepare to present or otherwise use the findings	Questioning and speculating: Questions and ideas about the world become increasingly purposeful; explanatory ideas are developed and tested through further exploration.
Assessment

I have attempted to put the "unifying ideas" into which area of the "Information Search Process" I believe they relate to. The bold and highlighted words in column one correspond to those in column 2 I believe have the same meaning in both columns as each other.  For example I believe what the students are being asked to do is the same or similar meaning in the other column eg. Investigation information (column 1) similar to: investigation of objects and things around them (column 2). Therefore, we can see the similarities of the "Information Search Process" and the "unifying ideas from Shape of Australian Curriculum: Science".

There I noticed that the General capabilities were the same as those in the Curriculum continuum and in particular the Critical and Creative thinking General Capability.  I scrolled down the document to the standard that I was mostly interested in “Science Inquiry Skills”.  The skills that the students will be learning in Year 2 are: Questioning and predicting, planning and conduction, processes in and analysing data and information, evaluation and communication.  These are also similar with the Information search process.  I believe they have adapted them from the document “The Shape of Australian curriculum”: Science that had Exploration, Order, Observation and then Questioning.

Australian National Curriculum: Science

From this I payed more attention to the table  hoping that maybe the National Curriculum will also have these standards for Science Inquiry Skills. This is when I went in search of the curriculum.  As I had never been to the website of the National curriculum I was eagerly waiting for what lay in store for me.

In the Australian National Curriculum: Science I noticed the General capabilities were the same as those in the Curriculum continuum in particular Critical and Creative thinking.  I scrolled down the document to the standard that I was mostly interested in “Science Inquiry Skills”.  The skills that the students will be learning in Year 2 are: Questioning and predicting, planning and conduction, processes in and analysing data and information, evaluation and communication.  These are also similar with the Information Search Process stages stated by Kuhlthau (2007).  I believe they have adapted them from the document “The Shape of Australian curriculum”: Science that had Exploration, Order, Observation and then Questioning . Below is a table summary of how I believe the “Science Inquiry Skills” relate to the “Information Search Process”.

Carol Kuhlthau’ Information Search Process:	Science Inquiry Skills:
Initiation: At this point, the task is merely to recognize a need for information.	Questioning and Predicting:
Selection: task is to identify and select the general topic to be investigated and the approach to be pursued
Exploration:  investigate information on the general topic in order to extend personal understanding.	Planning and Conducting: Participate in different types to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas and accessing information sources (ACISIS038)
Formulation:  The task is to form a focus from the information encountered	Processing and Analysing data and information: Using a range of methods to sort information including drawings and provided tables (ACSIS214)
Collection: At this point, the task is to gather information related to the focused topic	Planning and Conducting: Use informal measurements in the collection and recording of observations, with the assistances of digital technologies as appropriate (ACISIS039)
Presentation: The task is to complete the search and to prepare to present or otherwise use the findings	Communicating: Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways such as oral and written language, drawing and role play (ACSIS042)
Assessment:	Evaluating: Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS214)

From this I payed more attention to the table  hoping that maybe the National Curriculum will also have these standards for Science Inquiry Skills. This is when I went in search of the curriculum.  As I had never been to the website of the National curriculum I was eagerly waiting for what lay in store for me.

Again I have attempted to put the “Science Inquiry Skills” into which area of the “Information Search Process” I believe they fit with. The bold and highlighted words in column one correspond to those in column 2 I believe have the same meaning in both columns as each other.  I believe the “Science Inquiry Skills” are more closely related to that of the “Information Search Process” developed by Carol Kuhlthau because they seem to depict exactly what the IFS is trying to convey in each stage.

I also noted that Questioning is mentioned a number of times such as in the “Science Inquiry skills” where students are given opportunities to “Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events” I recalled that this is extremely important and one of the elements of Inquiry based leaning as “Asking questions is at the heart of inquiry-based learning” (Education Development Center Inc., 2001).  Therefore it is imperative that it be included in the “Science Inquiry skills” as it Inquiry is driven by the asking of questions from students” Development Center Inc., 2001).  When students ask questions they are building on he blocks of previous knowledge which allows them to explore the answers to their questions. This enables them to have active participation in their own learning.

ACARA. (2011). Curriculum Continum Reflection. Authority Curriculum, Assessment and reporting Authority, Australia.  http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fGeneralCapabilities%2fCritical-and+-+creative-thinking%2fConceptualStatement -

ACARA. (2011). Shape of Australian Curriculum: Science.Authority Curriculum, Assessment and reporting Authority, Australia. http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Australian_Curriculum_-_Science.pdf 

Education Development Center Inc.  (2001).  A guide to Inquiry Based Learning. Youth Learn Initiative. Agora Journal; v.44 n.1 p. 4-11

ACARA. (2011). National Australian Curriculum: Science .Authority Curriculum, Assessment and reporting Authority, Australia. http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10?page=3&layout=3 

 Kuhlthau, Carol. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. Libraries Unlimited. United States of America.