Designing Research Pathfinders

Guiding Student Research with PathfindersAPS Librarian InserviceOctober 1, 2015

Dianne DragooLibrarian-TeacherAlbuquerque High SchoolGood morning! Thank you for having me. Today were going to talk about how students do research and how we as librarian-teachers can guide them to the best available resources. Ill show you some research pathfinders I have created for my students and give you some tips on how you can create your own.1

How Teens Do Research in the Digital WorldThe amount of information available online today is overwhelming to most students. Todays digital technologies discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research.Purcell, Kristen, et al. How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Internet & American Life Project,1 Nov. 2012. http://pewinternet.org. Accessed 29 Mar. 2013. Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

Last year, the Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted a survey of AP and National Writing Project teachers about their students research habits. The survey found that 83% of teachers believe that the amount of information available online today is overwhelming to most students. 71% of teachers think that todays digital technologies discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research. And although the majority of these teachers say that digital search tools have had a mostly positive impact on their students research habits, 64% say that digital technology does more to distract students than to help them academically.

2The Pew Internet & American Life Project interviewed advanced placement and National Writing Project teachers about their students research habits.

Most high school students wont admit it, but they are not effective researchers.

O'Sullivan, Michael K., and Thomas J. Scott. "Pathfinders Go Online." School Library Journal Aug. 2000: S40. General OneFile. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

Students confuse their proficiency surfing the net with research skills.

Part of our job is to help them distinguish between research they do for their personal information needs and academic research.

Different types of research call for different tools.

I remind my students of the old adage, garbage in, garbage out.3Teachers report that students rely mainly on search engines to conduct research in lieu of other resources such as online databases, the news sites of respected news organizations, printed books, or reference librarians.

Purcell, Kristen, et al. How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Internet & American Life Project,1 Nov. 2012. http://pewinternet.org. Accessed 29 Mar. 2013.

It is probably no surprise to anyone here that, generally speaking, students do not instantly log in to Gale or JSTOR when they have an information need.

Where do they go? Search engines, such as Google, and other internet sites such as Wikipedia. 4

CC Photo Credit Will Lion http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2595497078/sizes/z/What do students find when they Google a topic?

They find a torrent of information, good, bad, and in between.5

They cant put anything on the internet that isnt true. Oh, really?State Farm. State of Disbelief. YouTube. Web. 04 F eb. 2013. And, sadly, there is a common misconception about the internet. (Play video).6

Teachers and students alike report that for todays students, research means Googling. As a result, some teachers report that doing research has shifted from a relatively slow process of intellectual curiosity and discovery to a fast-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment.For students today, research is practically synonymous with Google.

Teachers report seeing a sharp shift in how the research process is done.

It has shifted from a relatively slow process of intellectual curiosity and discovery,

to a fast-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment.7

What keeps teachers up at night?students overdependence on search enginesthe difficulty many students have judging the quality of online informationincreasing distractions pulling at studentsstudents potentially diminished critical thinking capacitythe ease with which todays students can borrow from the work of othersPurcell, Kristen, et al. How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Internet & American Life Project,1 Nov. 2012. http://pewinternet.org. Accessed 29 Mar. 2013. Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

What specific concerns do teachers have?(Read bullets)

In the Pew survey, a significant portion of teachers report spending class timeDiscussing how search engines workHow to assess information found onlineHow to improve search skills

We can partner with teachers to teach these skills.8

What can librarians do to help guide and direct students to quality information? Automotive GPS device Garmin Nuvi 880 on a road map. Photo. Encyclopdia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 30 Sep 2015.

We work in libraries that have a great variety of excellent resources at students disposal.

The question is, how can we get them to use them?

Pathfinders are one really good way!9

a launching pad for students. A pathfinder is a starting pointKuntz, Kathy. "Pathfinders: Helping Students Find Paths to Information". Multimedia and Internet Schools. May June 2003.Available online: http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/may03/kuntz.shtml

A pathfinder is a great tool that librarian-teachers can put at their students disposal.10

A pathfinder offers students and staff a plan of action, a place to starta trailhead for finding information.

Kuntz, Kathy. "Pathfinders: Helping Students Find Paths to Information". Multimedia and Internet Schools. May June 2003. Available online: http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/may03/kuntz.shtmlPhoto Credit: Public domain. Photo by A. Crane http://library.byways.org/assets/75332Pathfinders are not exhaustive lists of all possible resources on a topic, but can be a very effective way to point students in the right direction.11

Pathfinders organize annotated lists of topical resources from a variety of formats and sources in one location. They arrange information resources in a search strategy order, in order to introduce a researcher to an unfamiliar topic and to facilitate access to [high quality] information.Wilson, A. Paula. 100 Ready-to-use Pathfinders for the Web: A Guidebook and CD-ROM. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2005. Print. Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

Read:

Pathfinders organize annotated lists of topical resources from a variety of formats and sources in one location. They arrange information resources in a search strategy order, in order to introduce a researcher to an unfamiliar topic and to facilitate access to high quality information.12Before the Internet, pathfinders consisted of books and other print sources.

CC Photo Credit Kevin Harber at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevharb/5466078785/. Pathfinders are not new; in fact, they have been around for decades.

Before the World Wide Web, pathfinders consisted primarily of print resources.13

Today, information sources are more diverse.Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

Today we have the web, subscription databases, social media, on-demand video, podcasts, and so on.14

Pathfinders are now dynamic and organic.

- Buffy Hamilton,The Unquiet LibrarianPhoto Credit Microsoft Design Gallery15Benefits of pathfindersGuide students to a variety of high-quality, academic resourcesModel a search strategy for studentsReduce frustration and save timeEnable 24/7 access, anywhereTool for collaboration with teachersTeachers, parents can help guide explorationPromote library usePromote librarians role(Read bullets; pause to discuss each point)16Old StyleThe handout.

This is an example of a pathfinder I created a few years ago. It gives students step-by-step instructions on how to access resources print and electronic in the library.

Trouble is, students cant click on a piece of paper. So, most students put the paper aside and Googled instead.17New Style

OnlineA few years ago, I started creating online pathfinders. The first pathfinders I created were on our old web site, where there wasnt a lot of room to grow.

So I created a web site using Wordpress.com, a free blog hosting site.

(Open link)

This is an example of one of the pathfinders on our site today.(demo)18

Platforms: Website, LiveBinders.com, LibGuides, blog, wiki As I mentioned, our library site is on WordPress. Its free and its worked really well for us.

There are many other types of platforms, however. You could use a wiki,

a site like LiveBinders, which is a free online tool for collecting and organizing a variety of resources,

or LibGuides, a subscription service which is worth exploring. I like to look at other libraries LibGuides for ideas and links for my pathfinders.19Collaboration with teachersAsk for copy of lesson planSchedule mini-lesson/demoCreate rubric that is flexible but requires a certain number of resources from the pathfinder

The first step in creating a pathfinder is meeting with the teacher to discuss the lesson.

Talk about the goals of the lesson, what subjects the students will need to research, what they will produce, etc.

Create a rubric that requires students to use at least some resources from the pathfinder.

Schedule a day (or days) for classes to come in for instruction and research.

I spend the first part of the period giving the students a mini-lesson on resources and using the pathfinder. (discuss)

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Assemble IngredientsTitlePhoto (with citation)IntroductionEssential questionAssignment resourcesBooksDatabasesVetted web sites Academic search enginesTechnology connectionCitation helpStudent feedback

Photo Credit Microsoft Design Gallery

After meeting with the teacher, I start creating the pathfinder.

I begin by collecting print and online resources and organizing them for student use.

This slide shows the basic format I follow when creating a pathfinder.21Title, Essential Question, Photo

The title goes first, of course. Next, I insert a photo. This serves 2 purposes creating some visual appeal, and modeling how to properly cite a photo.

In this example, the essential question guiding the research comes next.22Title, Photo, Intro

Instead of an essential question, this pathfinder gives a short introduction to the research assignment.

23Assignment Resources

Links to a video, PowerPoint presentation, and Word documentThe title goes first, of course. Next, I insert a photo. This serves 2 purposes creating some visual appeal, and modeling how to properly cite a photo.

In this example, the essential question guiding the research comes next.24Search Terms, Books

I supplied some suggested search terms for this particular pathfinder.

Notice the link to the AHS Library Research Log.25

I include this log as an optional tool for students to use to keep track of the resources they find.26Books with Call Numbers

Sometimes its helpful to list call numbers. This is from a pathfinder on civil rights biographies.27Databases

Next I include a section on databases. I try to choose the best for the particular topic and limit the number of databases I include to no more than 4 or 5. I want to give them a variety without overwhelming them with too many choices.

During my demo, Ill go into each of the database resources and show them how to conduct a search, point out special features such as citations, etc.28

Web SitesI use WebPath Express and other academic search engines to find good web sites.29Kwout Embed Screenshots

Kwout is an applet that you can download from the internet. It allows you to take screenshots and link to a site.30Search Engines

I explain to students that there are various academic search engines they can use instead of Google to find web sites that have been vetted. I dont include search engines in every pathfinder because there are links to them on the web site.31Connect to technology

This research project included the creation of a PowerPoint or Prezi. 32Finding and using images

You can guide students on how to find and ethically use images.33Citation Help

I always include a link to the Owl at Purdue Online Writing Lab and links to some citation generators.34

Feedback - Engage LearnersI use a couple of different methods to get student feedback. One way is to include a poll like this one at the end of the pathfinder.35Student Survey

A survey such as this one gives me a lot more information. I ask students to fill one out on their last day in the library.36

37Other possible resourceseBooksAppsVideosAudioTutorialsSocial mediaDont overwhelm studentsLess can be more

There are many other possible types of resources that could be added to a pathfinder.

Remember that a pathfinder is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible resources, and also remember that one of the reasons for providing a pathfinder is to avoid overwhelming students with too many resources. 3824/7 remote access

One of the nicest benefits of having pathfinders online is the ability it gives students to access them anywhere, anytime.

I give students a card with the list of passwords, in both English and Spanish, and encourage them to keep it at home by their computer for quick access.39Other uses for pathfindersCurrent events/news sourcesSubject-specific, e.g. biography resourcesClubs, e.g. Model UNPresidential electionCollege infoJob huntingTeacher resources, e.g. PLC reading list

40How do we know?Web site statisticsTeacher commentsStudent surveys/assessmentsGale and other database reports45% increase through March 31, 201341Questions?42Thank you!43ResourcesKuntz, Kathy. "Pathfinders: Helping Students Find Paths to Information". Multimedia and Internet Schools. May June 2003. http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/may03/kuntz.shtml

O'Sullivan, Michael K., and Thomas J. Scott. "Pathfinders Go Online." School Library Journal Aug. 2000: S40. General OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Pathfinders: Pathfinders Creation and Collections." Electronic Materials for Children and Young Adults. http://eduscapes.com/earth/informational/path4.html

Purcell, Kristen, et al. How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Internet & American Life Project,1 Nov. 2012. http://pewinternet.org. Accessed 29 Mar. 2013.

Wilson, A. Paula. 100 Ready-to-Use Pathfinders for the Web: A Guidebook and CD-ROM. Neal-Schuman. 2004.

44Contact informationDianne DragooLibrarian-TeacherAlbuquerque High School800 Odelia Rd NEAlbuquerque, NM 87102dragoo@aps.eduwww.bulldogsbookblog.wordpress.com

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