Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Research Papers!!!
I have been working with an English I teacher who teaches the year-long English. She has a lot of struggling students and they have just begun the dreaded research papers. Today in the library, students were to research information about their topics. They were all lost as to what to do. The poor teacher and I were running around trying to help each student as their questions began to mount. These students didn't really understand what they were looking for or why, even though the teacher had gone into great detail about what to do. My question to everyone is... Does anyone know of a simple way to explain the purpose of research and the steps to completing research so that students who struggle with reading and writing can understand what to do?
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7 comments:
Ask a librarian for help!!!!! I didn't know the students were having problems. When I ask teachers how I can help, I am often told "they know how to do this!"
I agree that many students don't have a clue how to research. I would LOVE to help ANYTIME!!!!
Janet
Thanks, Janet! I didn't mean to write that we were in the library. I meant to say the computer lab. Have you been able to come up with a very simple research example that would explain the process and the end product so that students could then apply the example to a more complicated project?
Give them specific websites to use (maybe on DISCUS). Don't let them "free-range" it because they won't know where to look. I don't know where to look half the time. Or, let them "free-range" it for awhile. There's nothing wrong with searching on your own. It might feel like time wasted, but that's life. How often do we know exactly where to look for information? I always have to search lots of different places. Schedule a few days in the lab and let them search around for awhile.
Failing that, I always ask our librarian. She's helped me come up with good search criteria for students. All too often, it's the wording of the phrase that makes the search difficult. You narrow it down and phrase it correctly, you'll get great stuff. Ask a librarian for help.
Janet, Remember when we used the "Big 6" system a few years ago? (I believe that was the name of the system.) That was a very simple program to use for research. Are we still using that system and would it be beneficial for Deborah's students?
Introducing research with an "I"-search paper. There is a ton of research on the I-search if interested. I feel that it is a good method to communicate WHY people want to do research. From there, you can introduce the importance of format/structure. Also, it gives students choice in topic...then when they must research an assigned topic there is less stress.
I definitely agree with the post about giving students specific sites to go to...at first! It also teaches students the importance of using VALID websites.
I have not yet begun the dreaded research paper this semester but I remember last semester all too well. I put hours into prep work in order to prepare the students and after power points, practice notecards, question and answer periods, and modeling they still looked at me with wide eyes, open mouths, and drooped shoulders. While the entire research experience had the potential of going much worse, it still didn't quite meet my expectations. I will choose to think it had the potential to go much better.
After our research "chat" this morning I am feeling much more optimistic about the research that is to come (in only about two weeks...ahhh). The suggestions I heard from Janet and other English teachers were quite helpful like having specific questions for the students to answer, grouping the students by topic, and having the students pretend that I have no clue about the topics and that they have to teach me. There were many other suggestions and i intend to process and use them all.
Wow! An easy way to teach research?? I am the teacher working with Debra and I have sort of accepted the fact that my level of students do not understand academic research, and it will take a few years of practice before they understand that it is the similar process each time. I had always thought that the middle school did not teach the research process to the lower level of students. Our media specialist says that the middle school students are taught research, and that in fact, research is part of the standards from the elementary level and beyond. I do have to wonder though, if that standard is really always taught, and if it is, is it really taught to ALL levels of students. My kids really say that they have NEVER done a bibliography or a research paper. I really do agree with our librarian that the research process is super important because if done properly, it can enable our students to be life-long learners who help themselves to learn. I don’t know that they really need to know how to bibliographies, and how to cite within papers if they are not going to go to college. However, it’s a standard, so it gets addressed, and it is important for them to learn how to think and question as they are finding their information.
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