Digital Inquiry

Subtheme

Long gone are research projects begun with a heavy tome of the encyclopedia at hand. Students have an enormous array of resources to choose from when they're investigating a question, and our teaching has adapted to this mold, forming new best practices so that we can, as Barbara Stripling puts it, "teach the essential analysis and evaluation skills and guide the student beyond mindless copying of information to asking intriguing questions and confronting interesting issues in their research."

The resources on this page offer guidance on bringing digital inquiry strategies to your students in the classroom and library that will evolve to meet your students' growing digital competencies (and our rapidly evolving digital world).

You have no doubt noticed (perhaps even as you read this) that absorbing information from digital texts differs from print sources. In "Making Sense of Content in a Digital World: Teaching with Digital Text," Michelle Eaton dissects the process of reading digital texts and offers strategies for overcoming some of its pitfalls (like not reading deeply enough).

In "Inquiry in the Digital Age," Barbara Stripling looks at how the Common Core and Inquiry intersect in digital research, with pointers for how to teach skills at each stage of the inquiry process—and how to assess student learning.

One of the huge advantages when conducting social studies research in a digital environment is the wide access to primary sources for students. Annette Lam provides resources and ideas for using them in "Photos, Maps, and More: Graphic Inquiry and Primary Sources in the School Library." Barbara Stripling adds to this thinking n the video, "Discussing the Value of Primary Sources," where she joins three other powerhouse primary source experts to discuss why and how to approach primary sources with students.

Digital research also means that students have access to more voices and more choices in how to share their own. The 10 Questions for Young Changemakers Framework, developed by Harvard's Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP), empowers students to build their civic agency in this digital age. Learn more about its steps and benefits in Laura Gardner and Chaebong Nam's webinar, 'Fostering Student Agency: The 10 Questions Framework in Your Library.'

From finding and reading valuable sources to sharing their research findings, building confidence and a discerning critical eye towards the digital world has the potential to transform students from mere consumers of information to engaged and contributing global citizens.