Research process model

                                        
After a two-year process led by our librarians, our school is getting fairly close to adopting a common research process model.

Our intent is to develop a recursive model that may guide our students through the process of becoming effective researchers. 

We've incorporated four Cs that are important to our school:  to think Critically, Communicate effectively, Collaborate purposely, and to Create meaningfully as well as the Practices of Definitive Preparation and the philosophy of the writing process.

The model will be used K-12, but younger students will use only the verbs and the guiding questions.  We're hoping to come up with a graphic design that will better illustrate the recursive nature of the process, but for now we're concentrating on getting the wording just right.

What do you think?  Is the model clear and easy to understand?  Does it accurately reflect the process of research?  Have we succeeded in the right amount of detail--not too much or too little?  Your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome!

Little Free Library book drive

Our upper school book club members hosted a book drive with the sixth grade recently with great results.  We collected almost 2,000 books to benefit Little Free Libraries.  Probably more important, our upper school book club members started the seeds of a relationship with sixth graders who absolutely worship these older readers.

We have about 17 upper school students who regularly attend our monthly book club meetings at lunch.  They've been wanting to do a service project for a while, and finding Little Free Libraries was a happy serendipity. 

Over the winter break, one of our teachers built his own Little Free Library and plans to place it near an urban community center.  About the same time, I got approval from my neighborhood's HOA to place a Little Free Library in our community center. 

Our book club had the idea to collect gently used children's books to stock these libraries. Each book club member was assigned to a sixth grade advisory and the upper school students went to sixth grade advisory meetings several times to promote the book drive and encourage participation. 

Both the upper schoolers and the sixth graders are happy with the results, and we hope to be able to sponsor our own Little Free Library next year.

Why Twitter? A collaborative project

One of our terrific government teachers is doing an excellent project with his students using Twitter. Kids set up an academic Twitter feed, follow each other and the teacher, and then recommend other credible people/organizations to follow in regard to politics.

This would be a valuable experience in itself, but the teacher has required that the kids balance perspectives in who they follow and give an "elevator speech" to classmates to justify their choices.

This requires kids to evaluate the credibility and authority of their sources and to look for bias, perspective, and point of view. I think this project will have great transfer to their research skills.

This super teacher asked me to collaborate with him on the project, and the following is a mini-lesson I did with his kids to introduce the value of Twitter and how to judge its information credibility. Feel free to use it if you like.
Image from Twitter Tips Central.com

Deconstructing research

For the first time in several years, I'm a practicing librarian again, which is great. One thing it's done is allow me to see how things are from a student's perspective.

I've realized that kids, even smart, tech-savvy high schoolers, need the research process broken down into steps. It's not enough to throw out a six-step process, show them how to access the databases, and walk around to see if they need help.

Below is a work in progress called Deconstructing the Research Process that I've used with good success for the last couple of classes who have researched in the library. I gave every student a copy with the home use database passwords on the back and very briefly walked the kids through the process, giving examples that applied to their research.

In a perfect world, kids would choose their own topics and this handout would reflect that ownership. It would also be better for the kids for this overview to be chunked into smaller sections and presented at the point of need.

Your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! Because the format doesn't hold well here, I'd be happy to email this to you in a Word doc to use with your students.

Deconstructing the Research Process
1. Understand your task—how do I get started?
a. Set deadlines for yourself. When is the project due?
b. Find out what product you will create. Is there a rubric or project sheet to consult?
c. Find out how you will cite your sources.
d. Know what your responsibility is if you are working with a partner or group.
e. Ask how much detail will be needed. What is the scope of the project?
2. Plan for your topic—what do I need/want to learn?
a. Have a clear understanding of who/what your topic is.
b. Gain an overview by reading about your topic in your textbook or on Wikipedia, for example.
c. Look up unfamiliar words while reading the overview.
d. Jot down keywords while you read.
e. Realize why your topic is important.
3. Search for information—where do I find information? (Ask your librarian for tips!)
a. Know the number and type of sources required.
i. Reference or informational books vs. encyclopedia
ii. Database vs. internet
iii. Journal vs. magazine
b. Ask if a specific organizational tool (notecards, graphic organizer, etc.) is required for note taking.
c. Plan search terms by looking at the keywords you jotted down earlier.
d. Search multiple sources of information.
4. Use the information you find—what do I do with the information?
a. Take notes as you search, finishing with one source before moving to the next one.
b. Organize your notes by subtopic, not by source.
c. Write down words and phrases only—this is key to avoiding plagiarism.
d. Collect necessary information to cite your sources.
e. Keep checking what you’ve been asked to find—are you on track?
f. Consider all possible sources of information.
g. Try other keywords and/or other sources until you find all you need.
5. Create a product using the information—how do I present the information?
a. Consult your project sheet again.
i. Who is your audience? What is your purpose?
ii. Double check the requirements for your project.
b. Organize and sequence pertinent information.
i. Discard information that is not relevant.
ii. Set aside information that may not be needed.
c. Cite sources correctly using required format.
d. Use high standards of quality to create your product.
6. Reflect on your process and product—what can I improve?
a. Revise and edit.
b. Get input as needed.
c. Proofread.
d. Finish your product and then publish, present, and share.

For next time, what would you do differently? What have you learned?

Is your library conducive for collaboration?

The collaboration we learned about in library school involves librarian-to-teacher planning.

But as our curriculums change to keep pace, collaboration is a valued skill for students.  In The Global Achievement Gap, Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard's Change Leadership Group, identifies collaboration as one of seven survival skills critical to student success.

What can we do so that our libraries encourage student-to-student collaboration?

1.  Arrange furniture so small groups of students can easily work together.
2.  Allow productive noise.
3.  Work with your tech folks to allow students to bring their own devices.
4.  Establish relationships with students so they feel free to come to the library to work on projects as time allows.
5.  Ensure that the library is open before and after school and during lunch.
6.  Provide materials students may need.  This may range from up-to-date online resources to basic supplies.
7.  If space allows, set up a production lab so students may design and edit projects.  This could be a small office or workroom converted for this purpose.
8.  Collaborate with teachers to encourage projects that are process-based, inquiry-driven, and collaborative in nature.

Because students are social, collaboration is natural to them.  As students work together in our libraries, we may be able to observe skills that will help us improve our collaboration with teachers!

What other suggestions do you have to encourage collaboration among students in your library?