Research Redux

In our last few blog postings, Mrs. Hamilton and I have discussed the research projects that we've been doing with both the sixth and seventh grade classes. I've spent a lot of my class time with seventh grade students, discussing, practicing (is "Googleing" a word?), and engaging in research. While we do meet just once a week, much time and energy has been devoted to the practice of research in those classes. I've really been hoping that the concept of authenticating resources (a.k.a. checking sources) was solidifying in their minds. However, much to my dismay, one of the three sections of classes had that look of confusion on their faces when I was reviewing the requirements of their I-Search project and mentioned authenticated resources.

As a teacher, I wondered what went wrong. I used the same agendas, rubric, and models for all three sections. I utilized a constructivist approach so that each student had to create a list of characteristics of a valid research site. Doesn't this mean that by creating their understanding, they should remember it better? Was this class just more honest than the others? And lastly, how will these students survive in our world of information overload? So I did what I could -
continued to discuss authenticated resources seemingly ad nauseam in class (and probably in this blog, too) and engaged in deep breathing exercises.

I am fairly certain that I am not the only teacher who has experienced this, and we will move on to a new topic in class soon. If the true indication of students' understanding is their ability to use their knowledge flexibly, then I can know only if I succeeded from the results of future projects and from the experiences of colleagues who ask these students to research. Please let me know what happens.