What is it?
In one of our "back to school" meetings we had recently, we were discussing the Common Core Standards. Informational text is going to be a major focus, as well as creating independent thinkers. Teachers, in general, tend to give too much information, and not require the kids to do as much thinking. One of my collegues mentioned some of the steps to good research, which reminded me of this infographic I found recently. It was created by the Kentucky Virtual Library. It takes you (or better yet, the students) through the steps to doing research. The part I like the most about this infographic is that it is completely interactive. You can click on any of the steps and find more information about that stage of research.
How could I use it?
I envision directing my students to the site & having them explore it on there own. Following the exploration, we would have a discussion around the different stages of research and their importance. Depending on the age of the students, they might need a little more guidence. I could see creating a note taking form for some kids...but is that just me wanting to guide them too much?
I strongly agree that "teachers, in general, tend to give too much information, and [do] not require the kids to do as much thinking." In a college setting, I prevent that from occurring by increasing the dialogue with the class and minimizing the monologue. The most basic way to achieve this: don't use powerpoint! I never administer tests. I always assign essays. This method results in an application of the material as opposed to memorization. Although it creates substantially more work for me (reading 700 pages versus an automatically graded test), I convey that fact to the students and they respect the process.
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