School Librarian Interview: Inquire

The first school librarian interview I conducted focused on the Shared Foundation Inquire. The librarian interviewed is Jennifer Thrift, an elementary librarian that operates her library on a flexible schedule. This flexible schedule provides her the opportunity to truly create an environment that fosters student inquiry through collaborations with classroom teachers and larger inquiry projects that take longer than one class period to dive into.  

Some examples of ways Mrs. Thrift implements curiosity, initiative, and promotes new knowledge is through providing students with opportunities for trial and error. Some of the ways she implements this in the library is through Breakout games and through makerspaces. She explained that Breakouts and makerspaces are dependent on student initiative, curiosity, and inquiry. 

She often collaborates with classroom teachers to create Breakout games and activities that focus on grade level standards. Mrs. Thrift explained that she often works with Social Studies teachers to create inquiry activities. An example of this is a Breakout game she created on the regions of South Carolina for a third grade social studies class. 

One major challenge in inquiry right now are the school procedures for COVID-19. Students are supposed to remain socially distant, not share supplies, and have limited class time due to virtual learning. Due to class time being limited, it has been difficult to truly find the time to collaborate with classroom teachers. It has also been difficult to provide inquiry opportunities. Due to COVID-19, the school librarian is currently using BreakoutEDU, other digital Breakouts, and maker bags in order to prevent the spread of germs. 


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