At first glance, research projects
don’t seem like a big deal. When I am assigned a research project, I know how
to get started and find the resources I need to complete the project. So when I
worked with my mentor teacher to plan a research unit for my first few weeks, I
was hopeful that it would be a breeze. However, with 6th graders,
this task is not so simple. Off the top of my head I know that students will
need to learn how to or at least be refresh on how to find sources and
information, take notes, cite sources, organize their research, and format
their writing. If I am getting overwhelmed just thinking about planning and teaching
these concepts, how are my students going to feel when I hand over the project
and turn them loose?
The answer,
at least the answer I’m going with, is scaffolding. With so many different
concepts to teach, it will be absolutely critical that I plan the teaching and
practice of these concepts so that students have the tools and experience
needed to be successful in their research and writing. In an Edutopia article titled “6 Scaffolding
Strategies to Use With Your Students”, Rebecca Alber makes several suggestions
for scaffolding complicated tasks for students. One strategy that I will be
using in different ways throughout this unit are graphic organizers. Instead of
thinking about graphic organizers are another worksheet to fill out, Alber
encourage us to see these organizers “. . . as training wheels; they are temporary
and meant to be removed” (Alber). During the research project I plan to use
graphic organizers to help student collect information and organize it to
correctly format their texts. I definitely think the students will feel less
overwhelmed if they already have an organized layout of how their writing
should look before they start on the informative essay.
Another way
to scaffold complex tasks is a form of show and tell and involves the teacher
modelling the process for students. When students see the teacher thinking
aloud about the process he/she is completing, they see a way to think
critically about the information they are learning and researching (Alber). Harmon
and Marzano also provide this strategy as a way to introduce complex tasks in Practicing Skills, Strategies, and
Processes. Worked examples, as they call them, are “step-by-step demonstrations
or models of how to execute a skill strategy or process” (35). These worked
examples also help prevent students from feeling discouraged by a complicated
process (35). Two ways to use this strategy are student scripts and
self-reflections. When using student scripts, they are “written by the teacher
and then read aloud by students”. Self-reflections, on the other hand, are
written by students after they have reflected on their own actions and steps (Harmon,
Marzano 36-37). Each strategy would be beneficial in helping students see the
process they are working through while researching and writing. My mentor
teacher and I plan to model research strategies as a way to utilize worked
examples during the research project unit.
Hopefully,
in a few weeks we will have quality research projects as well as students who
now have a better idea of the research and writing process.
Alber,
Rebecca. “6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use With Your Students.” Edutopia 24 May 2011.
Harmon,
Kelly and Marzano, Robert J. Practicing
Skills, Strategies, and Processes: Classroom Techniques to Help Students
Develop Proficiency. West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International,
2015. 35-38. Print.
