Now, students choose their general topic weighing their choices against the following four criteria:
Task--What am I trying to accomplish?
Time--How much time do I have?
Interest--What do I find personally interesting?
Availability--What information is available to me?
They may be a bit relieved once they pick their topic, but feelings of apprehension return when they realize that they process has just begun. (See Humbolt State University's chart for more information)
Benefits:
Building activities that allow students to reflect on the criteria above makes them aware of the many choices that they make during research. They can weigh each of their possible choices against the four criteria to make the decision that best fits them.
Pitfalls:
Students often have difficulty moving past a general topic and rush into the "safety" of the internet; this usually causes more frustration because of the immense amount of information on the internet. Other sources of information may be more appropriate at this point. Through teacher and librarian intervention, they can learn how to narrow or broaden a topic and look at different aspects of it.
Another pitfall at this stage is to pick a final topic and skip the exploration stage. Students wish to jump right into choosing a focus and collecting information instead of getting a strong base in a topic through exploration.
Important Concepts:
Reference resources: Students don't often differentiate between types of sources. This stage provides a great opportunity to introduce how and when to use reference sources. Students learn that they are not meant to be read all the way through, they learn the structure of them, and they can experience how useful they can be in the early stages of inquiry (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 86).
Skimming and scanning: Students are accustomed to jumping into research to "get it done." Teachers can model how to scan/skim print and electronic resources for ideas to pick a final topic.
Conversation: Conversation with teachers and peers at this stage can open up possibilities that the student may not have thought about on his own.
Reflection Task: Create your own survey, continue with another blog/journal post, or use a tool like SLIM - Student Learning through Inquiry Measure (Handbook / Questionnaire) created by Ross Todd, Carol Kuhlthau, and Jannica Heinstrom.
Stage 2: Selection
Description
Now, students choose their general topic weighing their choices against the following four criteria:They may be a bit relieved once they pick their topic, but feelings of apprehension return when they realize that they process has just begun. (See Humbolt State University's chart for more information)
Benefits:
Building activities that allow students to reflect on the criteria above makes them aware of the many choices that they make during research. They can weigh each of their possible choices against the four criteria to make the decision that best fits them.Pitfalls:
Students often have difficulty moving past a general topic and rush into the "safety" of the internet; this usually causes more frustration because of the immense amount of information on the internet. Other sources of information may be more appropriate at this point. Through teacher and librarian intervention, they can learn how to narrow or broaden a topic and look at different aspects of it.Another pitfall at this stage is to pick a final topic and skip the exploration stage. Students wish to jump right into choosing a focus and collecting information instead of getting a strong base in a topic through exploration.
Important Concepts:
Reference resources: Students don't often differentiate between types of sources. This stage provides a great opportunity to introduce how and when to use reference sources. Students learn that they are not meant to be read all the way through, they learn the structure of them, and they can experience how useful they can be in the early stages of inquiry (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 86).Skimming and scanning: Students are accustomed to jumping into research to "get it done." Teachers can model how to scan/skim print and electronic resources for ideas to pick a final topic.
Activities/Interventions:
Web Tools:
Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., and Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.