2nd Article

Pattee, A (2008, Spring2008). What do You Know?. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Science to Children, 6(1), 30-39. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from Academic search Premier database.

What do You Know?

This article is about applying the K-W-L method, developed by Donna Ogle, to reference transactions with children. When children need to come to the library to find information on a topic, the topic is or the assignment is usually given by a teacher or adult. Finding information may be a little easier for adults, but for children, it can much more difficult. When children come into the library with their topic of research and with their cognitive level of thinking they have a harder time recognizing their own information needs and communicating their needs to an adult. The K-W-L Method is a guide that helps students articulate information and select the best materials to meet their needs. The K-W-L Method stands for : "What Do I Know", "What Do I Want to Know", and "What I Learned". If a children's reference librarian will keep these steps in mind when dealing with young people, it will allow the child to take more ownership to finding their information and will allow them to think on their own. The article compares Ogle's K-W-L Method to Kuhlthau's model of information-seeking process (ISP) and with Ross, Nilsen, and Dewdney reference transaction. The first step, "What Do I Know", the children's reference librarian will ask the child what he or she knows about the topic. This allows the librarian and the child focus and narrow down the topic. A librarian should not assume the child does not know anything about their topic just because they have come to the librarian for questions. The next step, "What Do I Want to Know", allows the student to tell the librarian what he or she wants as an end result. The librarian can ask open-ended questions that allows the child to point the way. During this time categories on the topic begin to emerge from these questions. The last step, "What I Learned", is an opportunity for librarian and the child to find materials and search for answers on the topic. The reference interview should not end once a child has the correct materials for the topic. Adults would probably not need the librarian at this point, but children need the librarian to help them navigate through the materials that are found. This is a time when the librarian should refer back to the original questions that the child had in the "What Do I Want to Know", stage. The reference librarian should be that bridge between helping them to understand their topic and locating the materials for their topic.

I think this is a great article about how to do reference with young children. Sometimes we forget that we need to take the reference interview a little further than just handing a child the correct book or material they need for their project. Librarians need to continually propose higher order thinking questions towards students. This allows them to take ownership of the interview and a sense of pride of finding, selecting, and evaluating the materials. This also allows them to grow in their cognitive thinking. The more that this happens to students, the better they will become at finding more information on their own. I like this method much better than the other two methods that were mentioned. This method is very short and sweet and to the point. The other methods had to many points and steps to remember. The acrnonym makes it easier to remember as well. I think referencing with children would be fun to do, because I think they would get much more excitement from finding and locating information. It's always exciting to see the little "light bulb" go off when they begin to understand something.