The Research Toolbelt

The actual Research Toolbelt being worn by an Expert

School: Berhampore

Year Level: 5-8

Teacher: Richard Goodyear (with help from Carly St. Laurent)

Focus areas:

Authentic Learning:
Student ability to prepare learning intentions for a programme of work

Managing Self:
Student understanding of what it means to be part of a learning community.
Student awareness of and ability to use key learning tools for their achievement level (e.g. organisational tools, process tools, thinking tools, learning habits, technology, presentation tools, etc)

Research Questions:

Question 1. Implementation: How can students be supported to develop their ability to seek and present new information?

Question 2. Engagement: What impact can we have on student engagement using the symbol of a "Research Toolbelt"

Question 3. Competency: What impact does using the symbol of a "Research Toolbelt" have on student ability to seek and present information?

Success Criteria for Competency

Expert:

Can use all parts of the Research Toolbelt in their own research
Can work with others, including adults, to help them develop their toolbelt abilities
Be actively upskilling beyond the toolbelt in order to seek and present information in new ways e.g. learn interview skills
Is open to new ways of using the research tools

Practitioner:

Can use all parts of the Research Toolbelt in their own research
Confidently applies the tools
Demonstrate that they place importance on getting further guidance in the use of the Research Toolbelt

Apprentice:

Can describe what is in the Research Toolbelt
Knows where to go and who to go to, to increase their competency
Is confident in around half the research tools and is using them to seek and present information

Novice:

Is busy applying themselves to one or two of the research tools in order to seek/present information
Sees their next learning steps and is comfortable seeking guidance
Is using their current research tools to seek and present information

Learning Story

First some background...

This project is about children deciding what they learn, as they work on self-chosen, interest-based projects.

Why?

1) Amongst many valuable statements, Berhampore School's vision statement and Inquiry Learning model speaks of "children engaged in, and contributing to the learning process", and "children immersed in an environment of rich information".

2) SWELL has developed some priorities for the children of South Wellington. Two of the three areas of greatest developmental need are focused on children helping decide what they learn.

3) I work in a Montessori classroom. The Montessori approach is based on some key principles about children's learning. Some of those principles involve viewing the primary aged child (particularly ages 6-12) as in a stage of great intellectual growth. It is a time for logic and imagination and for using these tendencies to explore their world through its geology, history, biology etc.

There are around 70 children being educated through the Montessori method at Berhampore School and there are certain conditions we provide.

Independent Work (individual and small group)

Timelines e.g. the timeline of art, the timeline of humans using maths, the timeline of life on Earth

Kids working on their own interests (within limits!)

Specialized equipment

Freedom of movement

Anyway...

As a teacher embarking on some Action Research I looked at my class and reflected on what they needed as they go about these "self-chosen, interest-based research projects".

I realized that although the children in my class have many and varied interests, and they know they can follow them, sometimes there are hitches. In a nutshell, sometimes these interests get followed for a brief exciting moment and then fall flat.

I settled upon an approach:

1) Guiding children to set a shared purpose and learning intentions for a phase of work.

2) Facilitating lessons including peer teaching.

3) Creating an environment where practice is allowed at the child's own pace.

So we came together as a class and had three key class meetings over a week. I posed them a couple of questions at each meeting and the meetings ran as a Think-Pair-Share.

Here are the questions and a summary of the responses:

Session One:

What is research? What is it for?

Responses: Its useful, helps you get a job, know stuff, find new information, its about discovery and exploration.

Ok so far so good...

Session Two:

Can research be fun? When? How?

Resposes: Yes it can be fun. It can be fun when:

We use it to arrange fun things eg camp; share with people funny and interesting stuff and they like it (either casually or in a presentation); use it to explore amazing places and ideas; it is jaw-dropping and eye-popping; we find we have an urge or instinct for discovery; when we can say we have it is a job well done; it inspires us.

At this point I breathed a sigh of relief as the Action Research clearly had an authentic purpose.

I talked to them about the "wow" moment and they agreed it is both possible and worth aiming for.

Session Three:

Are there barriers in our classroom to the "wow" moment? What are they? What do we need to do as a class to lower these barriers?

They listed some problems they have in this kind of work. We prioritised a handful and turned them around into learning opportunities. They agreed they would need some new lessons and plenty of practice!

Here are the priorities our class identified:

Using the internet, using Microsoft Word, making it so our stuff doesn't get stuck on one computer, typing skills, getting information off a page without just copying it and general reading skills.

Next came some teacher reflection and some things to be organized e.g. loading Mavis Beacon on to all the computers (not as easy as it sounds!)

I thought about the discussions, and it seemed that what the kids needed was a toolkit. A research toolkit. No wait, a Research Toolbelt. This toolbelt could be symbolic but could contain all the basic research tools. It could run alongside things like graphic organizers and rich questioning techniques. It could be a symbol in our class. It could provide the kids with an easy and ongoing self-check of their current abilities in research and their next learning steps.

So what's in the Research Toolbelt?

1) Networked computers

2) A memory stick

3) Microsoft Word

4) Touch typing

5) Notetaking skills

6) Favourites folders on Safari (our internet browser)

7) Keywords to unlock information

8) Google skills

9) General reading skills

At this point we took the student pre-survey. The kids rated themselves on each of the tools in the toolbelt on a scale from 1-8. This was to fit into the SWELL poutama model.

I introduced the Research Toolbelt itself to the kids, they responded well and so we set to work upskilling everybody in its use.

That meant lots of timetabled lessons, some mandatory, some voluntary. It was also a time for plenty of practice.

Towards the end of the project we talked to the children about the idea of a directory of skills. We looked through the Yellow Pages and agreed that a small version could work in our classroom. Kids could advertise themselves in the directory. For instance they may be skilled in Microsoft Word and offer to help people in this area.

At the end of the term we took a post student survey and as teachers we evaluated as many children as we could in their competency at using the toolbelt.

Results:
Outcome: Competency:

On a scale of 1-8 how am I progressing in the use of the Research Toolbelt?

(16 respondents)...

Number of students who were ...

8. Proficient experts - at start [0]; at end [1]
7. Beginning experts - at start [2]; at end [3]
6. Proficient practitioners - at start [3]; at end [7]
5. Beginning practitioners - at start [5]; at end [3]
4. Proficient apprentices - at start [4]; at end [1]
3. Beginning apprentices - at start [1]; at end [0]
2. Proficient novices - at start [0]; at end [1]
1. Beginning novices - at start [1]; at end [0]

Competency effect size = 0.33
Standard error = 0.61

As judged by the two teachers involved in the project (28 kids evaluated) how are the children progressing in the use of the Research Toolbelt?

8. Proficient experts - at start [0]; at end [0]
7. Beginning experts - at start [0]; at end [3]
6. Proficient practitioners - at start [3]; at end [6]
5. Beginning practitioners - at start [5]; at end [4]
4. Proficient apprentices - at start [3]; at end [2]
3. Beginning apprentices - at start [4]; at end [4]
2. Proficient novices - at start [6]; at end [4]
1. Beginning novices - at start [7]; at end [5]

Competency effect size = 0.43
Standard error = 0.06

Conclusions:

The effect sizes in this Action Research are small as would be expected in such a short timeframe. However they are in the right direction and it was clear to the teachers involved that trends are emerging.

The children had developed a clear awareness of both the toolbelt itself, and how it could help them, as they attempt to access and share information that is personally fascinating to them. They were generally keen on new lessons on the toolbelt and we will be carrying them on over the next term.

• The kids have taken very well to the touch typing computer program and most are now regular users.
• Many children now wander round with memory sticks hanging from their neck
• Despite the teachers being unable to network the computers thus far, two children worked out how to do it and are currently teaching the other children

Question 1. Implementation: How can students be supported to develop their ability to seek and present new information?

By having a reason to do the work they do, by learning new skills and having the chance for mastery.

Question 2. Engagement: What impact can we have on student engagement using the symbol of a "Research Toolbelt"

The impact appears to be significant. The symbol itself was one the children could identify with. It was simple and humorous. The research tools themselves were generated by the children themselves, thus they wanted to learn how to use them.

Question 3. Competency: What impact does using the of a "Research Toolbelt" have on student ability to seek and present information?

The impact appears to be significant here also. The children can see clear pathways for their learning and the research tools themselves are directly useful to the children.

Ongoing elements:

In all the business of the project, we didn't sit down as a class and reflect: are the barriers to fun research lowering? We will though.

We will continue to build the symbol of the research toolbelt and the student directory of skills. The aim now is to weave them into the fabric of the class such that kids see that there are certain skills that will help them find those "wow" moments, and that they can find many places to seek help to attain them. It seems that this is happening already, for instance in how many children now wander around with their own memory stick. The aim is to have a "research savvy" group of learners. We have also developed a fortnightly presentation slot for their projects where previously they were presented on more of an ad hoc basis.