This presentation may be downloaded at: mciu/~spjvweb/changing3

1. This presentation may be downloaded at:http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/changing3.ppt

2. Research Makeover:Improving and Elevating Student Research Joyce Kasman Valenza Carol Rohrbach

3. Workshop goals Strategies for: • Changing the questions—the assignment • Organizing for focused research • Creating a pathfinder • Thesis development and coaching • Synthesis • Rubric makeovers • Examining student work: the tuning protocol

4. Dig back in your memory: Describe the best (most exciting, pleasurable, useful) learning experience your students find most memorable?

5. Criteria for meaningful learning:

6. Choice (time, topic, place) Small groups Self paced Useful / Applied Personal / intrinsic motivation Uninterrupted Active Creativity Hands-on Multi-sensory Authentic Solves real problems /legitimate useful questions Audience Life-long relevance The experts tell us meaningful learning involves common characteristics:

7. What will the work force expect of our students? • to research possible causes of problems. • to isolate factors that are possible causes of problems. • to arrive at resolutions to problems by brainstorming with other people. • to search for information stored in computer files by using electronic data research skills. • to write clearly to convey complex information to other people to describe situations or events and to make recommendations. • to interpret correlations by comparing two sets of data • Disney Learning Partnership http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/month6/index_sub6.html

8. What are the issues with student research? Discussion • Obstacles • Frustrations • Professional development issues? • Beliefs • Hopes and expectations

9. What is the purpose in assigning research?

10. Theme: The Makeover

11. Making over the assignment

12. So, what’s the big deal about research? It’s just another project!

13. Research is a real - life skill Research projects are training grounds for adult problem-solving and decision-making • Which car should I buy and how much should I pay? • Which candidate will best represent my interests? • How can I convince my boss to accept my proposal? • How should we work together to rebuild Iraq? • Who do I believe?

14. No more reports! • The . . . • country • state • president • animal report has already been done (very well) by any number of encyclopedias. Why should we ask you to waste your time?

15. Analyze Judge Support or reject or critique Prioritize Evaluate Plan Debate Conclude Recommend Justify Argue Propose Invent Thoughtful research asks students to:

16. We are asking for . . . more meaningful, and more interesting research!

17. What our teachers expect (consistently!): • All research is inquiry-driven, based on good questions (even though learning may be differentiated) • Perfect bibliographic format • Defense of source choices in annotations • Quality, balanced sources. No research holes! • Variety of access tools--search engines, subject directories, databases, books • Original work, your own voice. No plagiarism!

18. Designing the assignment • Research rubric • Planning checklist

19. Inquiry: Good research begins with good questions!Death to “topical” research!!!(Topical research doesn’t get into their systems!)Death to “so what” questions!!!MAR*TEC Video

20. Rethinking reports • Learn NC offers amazing makeover ideas!

21. FAT vs. SKINNY QUESTIONS • Fat questions require thought, discussion, and exploration, and may not have definite answers. • Skinny questions require little more than a simple yes or no, a one-word answer, a fact. They require little time or thought. They inspire little growth. Their answers are memorized rather than learned. • Inquirer column on questions

22. Start with good questions • “Which one” • “How” • “What if” • “Should” • “Why” Brainstormer http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/questbrain.html History Question Brainstormer Thesis Generator

23. Phat Questions--Example

24. Ambush question makeovers • Planets • Elements • Presidents • States • Nations • Animal

25. Unlikely Pairs • The first part of the unlikely pair will be an American dramatist . . . • For the second part of the pair, you will choose an American novelist. You should choose a novel you have read for English 10 or 11, or another if you get it approved. • Develop an essential question about the pair. • Example: How do Arthur Miller and J.D. Salinger similarly and differently depict reality versus illusion? • This question will direct your research and should be honed accordingly. Focus your question as you move forward: • How do Arthur Miller and F. Scott Fitzgerald offer indictments of the American Dream through Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby, respectively?

26. Some Springfield examples • What I Did During the War • Recipe for a Global Issue • Senior Art Unit

27. Organizing for inquiry:Role of scaffolds and organizers • Gathering • Note-taking • Synthesizing • As in-process assessments It doesn’t come easily! Current events organizer Debate organizer Middle East / Middle East WebQuest Questions for lit crit Scaffold sites Reception Scaffolds

28. Making over the thesis • Thesis development http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/thesis.html • Thesis Role Play http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/thesisroleplay.html • Inspiring Higher Level Thought in Student Research http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/blooms.html • Thesis Generator • History Brainstormer

29. Process for developing the thoughtful thesis topic questions tentative thesis thesis

30. How do I know if I have a solid tentative thesis?

31. What does a thesis look like? 2 Simple equations: Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis (or 3 Ts: Topic + ‘Tude = Thesis) What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Your thesis

32. Be flexible! The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you didn't think you'd reach. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!

33. How will you find a thesis? As you read look for: • Interesting contrasts or comparisons or patterns emerging in the information • Something about the topic that surprises you • Ideas that make you wonder why? • Priorities you can weigh • Something an "expert" says make you respond, "no way! That can be right!" or "Yes, absolutely. I agree!"

34. Why, a thesis? • A thesis statement declares what you intend to prove. • A thesis gives your work focus. • A good thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts. • It makes the work worth doing!

35. Try these five tests on your own tentative thesis: 1. Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask “how?” or “why?” 2. Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with "Duh!" or "So what?" or "Gee, no kidding!" or "Who cares?" 3. Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as "all" or "none" or "every"? 4. Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)? 5. Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or project? If you cannot answer "YES" to these questions, what changes must you make in order for your thesis to pass these tests?

36. Thesis Makeover Activity

37. Thesis coaching

38. Are these are good thesis statements? (Use the five tests to decide.) • Terrorism should not happen. • The causes of the Civil War were economic, social, and political. • The Simpsons represents the greatest animated show in the history of television. • Often dismissed because it is animated, The Simpsons treats the issue of ethnicity more powerfully than didthe critically praised All In The Family.

39. Students on the thesis

40. In other schools

41. Making over Synthesis • Weaving Quotes into your Writing • Plagiarism vs. documentation • Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting • Red Wheelbarrow • X-Men

42. Synthesis activities • Mixed Nuts • Revenge of the Sith

43. New types of products focus on evaluation Student-developed pathfinders http://www.springfield.k12.pa.us/shs/quest/pathfinders.htm Reflection as part of the product http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/reflecting.html

44. Making over the landscape:21st Century Librarian’s Responsibilities • Pathfinders • Style sheets • Websites • Guides to research • Meeting students where they live! • Importance of our Websites // What the kids think

45. Pathfinders as 21st Century learning landscapes • Around for since the 70s to help library users navigate resources • Establishes a plan of action--clears a path through the forest • Now Web-based and even more necessary! • Sharable 24/7 --for the good of all Web-users and information seekers! • Scalable—makes teachers’ and librarians’ advice vastly available • Models selection, evaluation, strategies, and balance!

46. And that’s where they belong! Pathfinders go online!

47. Why should teacher-librariansand teachers create Pathfinders? • Model selection • Scaffold good research strategy • Customized for groups • Promote teacher-librarians as information professionals • Inspire new collaborations • Alleviate confusion for the end-user • Powerfully represent the school/ district

48. Why? continued They are a cheap and immediate fix for several research problems

49. Why create them for students? • So they won’t miss the really good stuff! --Promote a wide and balanced range of relevant resources • Multiple formats / range of information choices • Self-efficacy may discourage exploration • Can students discern quality? • Move students from reliance on free Web or their favorite search engine • Implicitly metacognitive— • Reflect on the process • Reflect on searching strategies

50. More on why . • Helps eliminate frustration • Ensures (encourages?) quality products • Can be incorporated into rubric • Focuses research and maximizes student use of time to higher-level tasks • Fits students’ need for independence