It is the mantra for education in the Age of Information: students need to learn how to learn. Among the most important of the skills they will require for self-sufficient learning is the ability to wade through our society's (still exponentially growing) pool of information to seek answers to questions that matter.
Appropriately, research skills are being demanded at earlier and earlier ages. The authors did not encounter the word "research" until their university days; but of course, this was before time began. Today, it is a good idea to start early, giving your students as many opportunities as possible to become confident Hunters and Gatherers of information. If simple research projects are initiated in the junior high years, your students will find the process much less intimidating by high school, when course content demands are considerably increased.
We wish it were different, but students often find research boring. They do however enjoy finding answers to questions that interest them. Unfortunately, there is usually a wide gulf between "school" research and what really fires up your kids; these are often two distinctly different things. If research is to be important to your students, they must have a vested interest in the subject they are learning about. You can help your students to develop a positive attitude toward research by giving them as much latitude as possible in choice of topics. (Of course, these topics should have educational value. You may want to draw the line at subjects like "Jennifer Aniston's Baby" or "Wicked Car Stereos I Wanna Buy").
In the following simple model, we break down a research problem into manageable steps for you and your students. The directions that follow are written for students. The italicized comments underneath are provided to help you, the teacher.
| I. II. III. IV. |
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I. How to Begin: Preliminary Research
1. Find an area of interest.
| To help students discover an area of interest, you may ask them "What do you want to know more about?" This question (or area of interest) may be teacher-directed or student-selected, and it may or may not specifically tie into a curriculum area. |
2. Once a general area of interest is identified, brainstorm.
| Show your students how to create a map, list, or web of any and all aspects of the topic they can generate. After students have made this list, they can look at these ideas to find a more focused aspect of the topic they could pursue. If necessary, the brainstorming process can then be performed again using more specific ideas. At this stage, it may be helpful for students to read an encyclopedia article to learn more about the possibilities the topic holds. It's hard to generate ideas in a void. |
3. Once you have decided on a specific area of focus, refine it further by generating a list of questions you want to answer by researching.
| Have students review their questions to look for connections and areas they can combine or even eliminate. Using a webbing exercise may help your students link their ideas into an integrated whole. |
4. Look through the library for possible resources. Make a list of the resources you will be consulting.
To get students started, you may have them browse the library and/or Internet for possible resources. Help students to critique their resources:
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II. Getting Into the Topic: Research & Organization
1. Generate a preliminary outline.
| This preliminary outline suggests the main areas students will focus on in researching. This outline will help students decide what information to write down and what information to ignore. |
2. Create a point-form outline.
| Point-form notes should only be on the areas students have decided to include. They might decide to change the shape or direction of their research, revise their outline, and take the appropriate notes. |
3. Find several sources of information.
| Point out to students that they should be sure to use several sources of information when compiling their research. Remind them that it is important to get different perspectives on the topic. |
4. Take notes from sources.
| Instruct students to gather information from a variety of sources. When they have finished taking all the notes they think they will need, they should try to develop a more detailed outline -- one that will help them structure their information into main sections or paragraphs. |
III. Writing the Report
1. Organize your outline.
| Help students organize their information so they are working from an outline as they begin to write their research paper. Ensure that outlines are focused before writing begins: check for a clear thesis statement or topic sentence, and subtopics (or supporting arguments) that students can adequately support. Some teachers even take in outlines for marking and feedback before the actual writing takes place. |
2. Write an introduction and a conclusion.
| Writing effective introductions and conclusion are among the more challenging aspects of writing a paper! The introduction should capture the interest of the reader immediately, either with interesting information, a quote, a question, or a humorous anecdote. The conclusion should allow the reader to remember the key points and go away with something substantial to think about. At whatever point students write introductory and concluding paragraphs (before, during or after writing the body of the essay), most can benefit from some direct instruction in this area. You may want to hold a "workshop" class, allowing students to consult you and their peers for feedback as they write their paragraphs. |
IV. Polishing and presenting
1. Find an editor who reads for coherence and content.
| Students should be taught that even experienced writers need other people to read and critique their work. The editor may suggest that the writer go back to find more information for areas that need further substantiation. Students may need to reorganize paragraphs or eliminate some information. The introduction and/or conclusion may need polishing. |
2. Find an editor who reads for correctness.
| In the final stage, students need to find an editor who will read through their papers with a fine-toothed comb, looking for spelling mistakes, incorrect grammar, misplaced commas, etc. |
3. List resources
| Students should present a list of references of their sources at the end of the paper, and a title page at the front. If you have some specific style guides for how you want the paper to be presented, ensure you have reviewed them with your students, and provided examples that illustrate your requirements. |
IV. Present the research.
| Once the written research paper is completed, you and your students should choose an audience for presentation, and decide upon a method of sharing research findings. |
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17 Ways to Present Research!
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Research Note Strategy
Few activities are less fun than pouring through messy notes (or a "messy" memory), trying to piece together a bibliography with half of the required information. By encouraging your students to take good notes as they do their research, you can help them avoid this kind of last minute scrambling: