INFO

From the About section of the

Research Project Calculator: 

"The Research Project Calculator offers students a simple and comprehensive five-step model for navigating the research process. The skills involved in this process will prepare students not only to conduct academic research, but to make life decisions—whether defending a thesis related to the causes of civil war or selecting a new car.  The goal of the teacher guide is to:

1. Assist teachers with creating research projects that require learners to analyze information in order to draw conclusions or make recommendations.
2. Provide teachers with direction in guiding students through the five-step process. 

In a research project teachers:

1. Set goals.
2. Ensure that students have the necessary information and technical skills to be successful.
3. Ensure (along with the library media specialists) that the necessary resources are available.
4. Manage the timeline.
5. Evaluate the product.

Information literacy coach

The most important teacher role in the research process is the role of information literacy coach. Following in the tradition of Socrates, the teacher asks the right questions at the right time in order to guide students and keep them on track. These methods are timeless, but today, we also have high-tech resources and tools infused at each step in the process. Your students may have the technical skills for searching for information and producing media, but they still need you to ask the necessary questions to ensure engagement, understanding and reflection."

 

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”

~ Zora Neale Hurston

"Research requires a question for which no ready answer is available."

~ University of Washington, Research 101

“The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.”

~ Samuel Johnson

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.”

~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

DO

The "teacher part" of the RPC is daunting -- there is a lot of information and text to sift through.  We encourage you to continue to read through all of the great information (such as the Information Literacy Script, the Condensed Version, the Support Materials, and Steps 1, 2, 3, 4a 4b 4c, & 5), but here are some outakes so that you can discover new info and tools a little more quickly:

• Driven to Discover from the University of Minnesota

• Fact Monster from Infoplease

• Internet Public Library
  

• Librarians' Internet Index
  

• Google for Educators
  

• CIA World FactBook
  

• Citation Machine
  

• Landmarks for Schools
  

• Rubistar

Of course, there are other tools which support the research process in a way similar to the RPC.  Take a look at these tools and note similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvantages compared to the RPC.  

• Assignment Calculator
  

• Big 6
  

• The Seven Steps of the Research Process
  

• Student Inquiry in the Research Process
  

• IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing
  

• KYVL for Kids Research Portal
  

• Research 101

• CRLS Research Guide
  

As you can see, there is a wealth of information out there, and a multitude of resources and tools to help you teach the research process.  But you probably already knew about some -- so share them with your colleagues!  If you have a lesson/worksheet/tool that you already use to teach as aspect of research, please blog about it.  Include a link to the resource.  (If you only have a paper copy, contact Metronet to see if there is an option for getting making an electronic version.) 

Metronet will add your already proven resources to the Dribbling Lessons Wiki, so blog about those "dribbling lessons" you use.

BLOG  

• What is easy for you about teaching research?

• What are the challenges?

• How might the RPC Teacher Guide help you plan and manage research projects?

• How can you keep the planning, teaching and managing of research projects sane for you as a teacher?

• What additional support or resources do you need to be successful in this area of information literacy?