Slide 1: Student Research PBL Malcolm Mulligan October 7, 2010
Slide 2: Agenda
Identifying student skills needed
Mini lessons to teach needed skills
Overview of Project Based Learning
Overview of a Research PBL (ILF project)
Sharing resources
Question and Answer
Slide 3: Can students do good research?
Yes they can, however they may need to acquire or hone some skills and have some guided practice. Here are some skills you may wish to cover prior to assigning a research project.
Slide 4: Mini Lessons To Consider
¨ How to read an article, chapter, charts, etc.
¨ How to start research – survey information
¨ How to make an outline
¨ How to summarize and take effective notes
¨ How to properly cite your information
¨ How to use the library and the on-line resources
¨ How to narrow topics and refine questions
¨ How to work in groups effectively
¨ How to present your findings
¨ Why you should proof your work
Notes:
How to begin?
· How to read an article, chapter in a text, charts, etc.
· Survey general information (Atlas, Encyclopaedia, Google)
o Or an article to highlight issues to be researched and don’t forget to show the students the resources in the bibliography.
· Many of these topics can be covered in class or group led activities within a larger lesson.
· For example,
· a lesson on making an outline could start with a general reading,
· then show how to find the main ideas of the topic, sub topics.
· Then look for other sources in the bibliography,
· Like the Chapter text, how would we make an outline from this…
· Narrow Topics: Search terms, discuss with the students ways to alter search terms, refine the topic they are researching.
· This lesson can also be combined with a librarian’s visit/lecture on how to use the library resources and research.
Slide 5: How to read Text - Activity
• Many students when given a reading assignment open the book to the page and start reading from the top left to the bottom right – often ignoring key text features that would give them clues to better retain the information .
• Activity: Look at the chapter text and create a graphic outline of how you would read this text. (What order do you read…)
Notes: Graphic Outline Activity (pg 116TR)
Look at your reading. What do you notice about the page.
What is on the page that gives you clues to the information before you read?
In what order do you “read” these features on the page?
Do you think your students do these things as well?
Text features: Headings, subheadings, bullets, bold, underlined, or italicized text, Graphs, Pictures, Text boxes, …
Slide 6: How to read Text - Activity (Completed Graphic on Slide)
Notes: 1. What is the purpose: To show how the structure of a text can improve comprehension
2. Implementing the strategy:
• Provide class with a completed graphic outline based on a course reading.
• Have students complete the graphic refer to headings, graphs, subheadings, diagrams, etc.
• Ask the students to reflect on the value of the activity
• Do this activity until students can create their own graphic with a reading.
3. Assessment:
• Can the students quickly scan a text to extract the main ideas from headings and subheadings
• Predict the main ideas a text covers
• Determine quickly the organization of ideas in a text
How to read text information is from the following books:
The Teacher’s Resource:
Stepping Out, Reading and Viewing: Making Meaning of Text, Teacher's Resource. Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ca: Pearson Professional Learning, 2006. 116-7, 134. Print.
And the Course Book:
Stepping Out, Reading and Viewing: Making Meaning of Text, Course Book. Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ca: Pearson Professional Learning, 2006. 105-6, 155. Print.
Slide 7: Many lessons in one
Many of these topics can be covered in class or group led activities within a larger lesson
A lesson on making an outline could start with a general reading (graphic outline)
Then show how to find the main ideas of the topic and put the outline on the board.
Related lesson: summarizing and note taking.
Notes: Outline as follows
Title Water Pollution
I. Topic One Case Study: The Effects…
A. Sub topic 1 Biological Signals effected by small amts
B. Subtopic 2 Dire consequences: death/lack of …
C. Etc
II Topic Two
A. Subtopic 1
B. Subtopic 2
C. Etc
III Topic Three……..
Ref: http://termpaper-blog.com/term-paper-structure/research-paper-outline-2
Slide 8: Summarizing and Note taking
• Summarizing Text is related to note taking and the use of the Graphic Outline can be a useful tool to assist students with both skills.
• Ensure students have a purpose for the notes.
• Show students how to take note of text features. (headings, italics, graphics, sources)
• Show how to scan for main topic of a paragraph, decide if relevant to your search.
• Show how to take notes in point form to record supporting ideas, examples, key words…
• Show how to record source information (by hand, or with citationmachine.com).
Notes: Summarizing Text is related to note taking and the use of the Graphic Outline can be a useful tool
to assist students with both skills.
Step 1: Ensure students have a purpose for the notes.
Focus on the topic/question they are trying to answer.
Let them know it is acceptable to read an article more than once –
Read the text only to answer the question you are trying to answer.
Tell them to Read the text again for the answer to their next question.
Step 2: Show students how to take note of text features. (headings, italics, graphics, sources)
This will require some guided practice – you are the expert, pick some good examples to use – include graphs, pictures…
Step 3: Show how to scan for main topic of a paragraph, decide if relevant to your search.
Step 4: Show how to take notes in point form to record supporting ideas, examples, key words…
Step 5: Show how to record source information (by hand, or with citationmachine.com).
The above info:
The Teacher’s Resource:
Stepping Out, Reading and Viewing: Making Meaning of Text, Teacher's Resource. Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ca: Pearson Professional Learning, 2006. 122-3. Print.
Slide 9: Citing Sources & using Works Cited
“Respect the time & creative effort of those whose information you use.” Quoted at: http://citationmachine.net/
• Citing sources is an important part of research.
• Go over the school’s plagiarism policy, show proper procedures for citing different works.
• Share resources for them to use (easy bib, citation machine.com)
• Also show them how to use the works cited to provide more research material
Notes: “Respect the time & creative effort of those whose information you use.”
Quoted at: http://citationmachine.net/ (Oct. 1, 2010).
Citing sources is an important part of research. Students should be made aware of the proper methods and practices and consequences of not doing so.
Go over the school’s plagiarism policy, show proper procedures for citing different works.
If you have time you can have them do an academic integrity tutorial, or visit some websites and show them the highlights.
Share resources for them to use (easy bib, citation machine.com)
Also show them how to use the works cited to provide more research material
Slide 10: Research: On-line or Provided
• You can provide your students with all the articles you wish them to research.
• Alternatively, you can give them a list of the articles you want them to find – on-line.
• They will still have to do the reading, summarizing, citing, writing, and presenting.
• They will be spared the major search part of research.
Notes: Research: On-line or Provided
• You can choose to set up a wiki site (or drive space) and provide your students with all the articles you wish them to research.
• Alternatively, you can give them a list of the articles you want them to find and read – on-line.
• This is a good way to start the research process, particularly in the earlier grade levels.
• Give them a selection of articles in different categories to assist them in their learning.
• They will still have to do the reading, summarizing, citing, writing, and presenting.
• They just will not be doing the research part.
• If time permits, this would be a good introduction to the process.
Slide 11: On-line Research
• Make your students aware of the Provincial resources available for them to do research on-line.
• Do not forget about the NB Public Library and their resources!
• How to narrow your topic and refine your search
• Evaluating credibility of sources
• How to cite sources correctly (MLA, APA..)
Notes: On-line Research: If you decide to have the students do On-Line research, there are a few
lessons to prepare them:
I generally start with a general reading to familiarize the students with the main ideas.
Use this reading as a springboard for their research. Show them how to create a driving question (or thesis topic)
How to use the works cited information from the article to start their research.
• Make your students aware of the Provincial resources available for them to do research on-line.
• Do not forget about the NB Public Library and their resources!
• How to narrow your topic and refine your search (do this with them on day 1).
• Evaluating credibility of sources (I have a resource for this on my wiki I will share with you).
• How to cite sources correctly (MLA, APA..) (Use on-line resources, but check them 1st to ensure it is the format you prefer)
This is a lesson that you can lead with a data projector, or you can bring in a guest speaker.
The District has Literacy learning specialists that will come in to your classroom,
The NB Public Library service will come in and do a seminar on how to use on-line search engines. They will cover refining topics, narrowing your search results, and any other specific topic you would like.
If you forward a copy of the assignment they will be able to make their presentation examples specific to your project.
See the 5 parts of research handout in the teacher section of the “Gateway Project”
Also see the Provincial education resources for students.
Slide 12: On-line Research (copy of handout – Graphic on Slide)
Slide 13: Effective Group Work
• Effective groups have a focus and a deadline.
• Heterogeneous groups are more effective for individual learning, and if formed based on interest of the research.
• Effective groups need a leader to keep meetings on time and on task.
• Effective groups take responsibility for their tasks and deadlines.
• If you can find a real-life problem and have the research provide some real-life solution then there will be more interest and better results.
• Checklists can be effective in assisting group members to stay on task.
Notes: See project on Wiki for more details.
For Groups see Dennis Litky:
And : Classroom Instruction That Works: Research Based Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, P84-92. Print.
Slide 14: Effective Group Work
This is a copy of the Group work Checklist I used to assist the students in staying on topic and time targets. This is also available on my wiki page
Slide 15: Project Based Learning: an Outline
Step 1: Define the project
Begin with the end in mind – a theme
Know what you want the students to
accomplish. What is the Driving Question they are going to answer
Step 2: Identify curriculum standards
Slide 16: Project Based Learning: an Outline
Step 3: Identify key skills the students will learn, but only identify those you will be assessing.
Step 4: Plan the assessment:
• Define the products to be assessed throughout the project. What is expected of the students at what point. (Break it down into steps or
Phases - Early, during, end).
• State the criteria for assessment. (rubrics, exemplars)
Slide 17: Project Based Learning: an Outline
Step 5: Map the project:
• Formative assessment tools to assess and manage learning. (Checklists, student conferences..
Step 6: Manage the process:
(Differentiated Instruction, Groups, etc.)
The information on PBLs is available on the Portal or from the following book:
Project Based Learning Handbook: A Guide to Standards-Focused Project Based Learning for Middle and High School Teachers. Second edition. Novato, Ca: Buck Institute for Education, 2003. 180-7. Print.
Slide 18: Research Project: Gateway Module
Go to my wiki to see the project and resources
Open the final project PDF and read the Purpose, Problem and Method.
Wiki page:
Notes: What I did…
Define the project: Students are asked to find a way to reduce the high school dropout rate at
Leo Hayes
Curriculum Targets: Students will increase their level of comfort and ability in presenting their own academic work. Students will be asked to present work to the class prior to the start of this project. They will present their own work and be evaluated using the same rubric that will be used in the Gateway project.
How: Students will research how the dropout rate has been lowered in other places. This is research-based approaches.
Rubrics: Students are handed out a Module packet containing all materials needed to keep track of their progress and marks. They are shown how the sheets are to be used.
( Activity Sheet, Presentation Rubric, Principles of good design, Group work Checklist, Group work Journal, and Research Journal).
Start the students with a general article reading on the topic to highlight the main ideas the students will be researching. Point out the text features, bibliography, main ideas, …
Students also did a survey of their homerooms to gather general information.
This showed them what topics to cover in their research as well as how to conduct surveys.