How Can Students do Good Research In the Classroom ?

By: Keisha Buster

What Is Research?Research is a process of investigation. An examination of a subject from different points of view. It’s not just a trip to the library to pick up a stack of materials, or picking the first five hits from a computer search. Research is a hunt for the truth. It is getting to know a subject by reading up on it, reflecting, playing with the ideas, choosing the areas that interest you and following up on them. Research is the way you educate yourself.

Using Research In the classroom

develop research questions based on their own curiosity about teaching and learning in their classrooms;

examine their underlying assumptions about teaching and learning;

systematically collect data from and with their students; share and discuss their data and research methodology with

fellow teacher researchers; analyze and interpret their data with the support of their

colleagues; write about their research; share their findings with students, colleagues, and members of

the educational community; discuss with colleagues the relationships among practice,

theory, and research; assume responsibility for their own professional growth Source:

Student Research Resources

Student Research Resources is a Subject Trace Blog developed and created by the Virtual Private Library. It is designed to bring together the latest resources and sources on an ongoing basis from the Internet to aid the student in performing research for their independent research projects as well as undergraduate and graduate

Selecting a Topic For Research

The first thing to do when looking for a research topic: find a subject area that interests you. After all, you will be spending several hours researching and writing your paper, you don't want to be bored with your topic before you even start! Make sure to select a topic that is not too broad, but still has enough information on it to write a complete paper. With that in mind, take a look at some of the following sources for ideas:

Good Resources

Documents in the News: Current Events Research

Frontline Hot Paper Topics Hot Topics on the Internet Idea Generator Public Agenda Online. Research Question Persuasion   Speakout.com -Issues

What are Good and Bad Research Sites?

http://www.kidsclick.org/ This is a great site for students. Teachers can also monitor students use

by net tracker. This site make sure that information is accurate and safe.

ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES

Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline. Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources, check for accuracy and verify that the information is factual, up-to-date, and correct. Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your thesis. This is the most important stage in writing a research paper. Here you will analyze, synthesize, sort, and digest the information you have gathered and hopefully learn something about your topic which is the real purpose of doing a research paper in the first place. You must also be able to effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, insights, and research findings to others through written words as in a report, an essay, a research or term paper, or through spoken words as in an oral or multimedia presentation with audio-visual aids

Techniques For Gathering Data

Interviews with students, parents, teachers

Checklists of skills, behaviors, abilities, movement, procedures, interactions, resources

Portfolios of a range of work from students of different abilities around a particular topic; a representation of a total experience; a collection of documents for analysis

Individual files of students' work (e.g., tapes, samples of work, art work, memos, photos of models/projects, reports), of students' opinions; of student attitudes, of students' experiences

Diaries/journals written by teachers, students, parents,

Data Gathering Continued…

Individual files of students' work (e.g., tapes, samples of work, art work, memos, photos of models/projects, reports), of students' opinions; of student attitudes, of students' experiences

Diaries/journals written by teachers, students, parents, class groups, teachers

Field notes/observation records - informal notes written by a teacher

Case study - a comprehensive picture/study of a student or a group of students

More Continued…..

Audiotapes of meetings, discussions in class or about data gathered, games, group work, interviews, whole class groups, monologues, readings, lectures, demonstrations

Videotapes of classrooms, lessons, groups, demonstrations, a day in a school, lunch times

Still photography of groups working, classrooms, faces, particular students over time, at fixed intervals in a lesson

Time-on-task analysis of students, teachers; over a lesson, a day, a week

Case study - a comprehensive picture/study of a student or a group of students

Gathering Data Continued…

Logs of meetings, lessons, excursions, school expectations, material used

Student-teacher discussion/interaction - records of comments and thoughts generated by students

Questionnaires of attitudes, opinions, preferences, information

Audiotapes of meetings, discussions in class or about data gathered, games, group work, interviews, whole class groups, monologues, readings, lectures, demonstrations

Videotapes of classrooms, lessons, groups, demonstrations, a day in a school, lunch times

Still photography of groups working, classrooms, faces, particular students over time, at fixed intervals in a lesson

Time-on-task analysis of students, teachers; over a lesson, a day, a week

Case study - a comprehensive picture/study of a student or a group of students

Conclusion of Researching in the Classroom.

You can use these helpful tools, to help your students research better, and also work independently.