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Interview- Shana Dalton Pickens Middle School

 Interview Date: 4/15/2024

Mrs. Shana Dalton is the current librarian at Pickens Middle School. This is her last year as a school librarian. I focused our conversation on her focus on Shared Foundation I: Inquire. Mrs. Dalton said she encourages students' curiosity by asking students a unique question that they can research on their own and submit via a QR code or Google form. It is usually a question that asks them to deep dive into a topic. This can be focused on a specific question relating to an upcoming topic or a holiday. Students that submit a correct answer receives a prize. 

Additionally, Mrs. Dalton assists students who are conducting inquiry-based research for a class assignment. She often curates materials for a unit of study to guide students' research, and she leads students through the research process. She collaborates with teachers about upcoming units of study that she can offer assistance with, and this guides her curation. When I asked about her preferred research process, she indicated she prefers the Big6 model. She helps students create authentic products using Book Creator, podcast equipment, or Ted Talks. She often shares these products via the school library's scrolling video. 

She did note there a few challenges that sometimes occur. The main challenge is not having enough materials in the library to sufficiently support some units of study. This happens if the teacher has created a new unit or project and she has not had time to procure enough resources. She often makes a list of materials needed after the unit if the teacher indicates he or she will do it again. 

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