Research Skills
As a teacher-librarian I am particularly interested in developing research skills to middle school students. I believe we have a responsibility to prepare middle school students for the new research project in the new SACE. We need to scaffold and develop these research skills from year 8 so they have the research skills necessary to successfully complete the Research Project in the new SACE.
I believe however, we have to go back to basics and start right from the beginning with middle school students. We need to work with students to interpret questions, to identify key words, frame enquiring questions, take notes, write in paragraphs, teach students to look up the OPAC (online public access catalogue), explain to students what plagiarism is and why students should not do it. Students need to be taught how to reference correctly using Harvard referencing. We need to look at meaningful, deep research for students and Guided Inquiry is ideal to prepare these skills.
Information and digital literacy are skills that need to be explicitly taught to students in order to prepare them for life long, effective, informed and empowered, life long learners in the 21st century.
I believe however, we have to go back to basics and start right from the beginning with middle school students. We need to work with students to interpret questions, to identify key words, frame enquiring questions, take notes, write in paragraphs, teach students to look up the OPAC (online public access catalogue), explain to students what plagiarism is and why students should not do it. Students need to be taught how to reference correctly using Harvard referencing. We need to look at meaningful, deep research for students and Guided Inquiry is ideal to prepare these skills.
Information and digital literacy are skills that need to be explicitly taught to students in order to prepare them for life long, effective, informed and empowered, life long learners in the 21st century.
