Search

The article discusses the use of inquiry-based approach in the research process of students in the U.S. It notes that the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students have called for the use of inquiry approach and plan strategies to guide inquiry in research by applying critical-thinking skills. It explains the scope and process of inquiry-based learning that would help students develop competencies in research.

The article presents a discussion about the Big6™ teaching method. It is noted that the Big6 process can group students based on interest, readiness and learning profile. Three of the Big6 skills are task definition, information seeking strategies and use of information. Under the Big 6 process, students should be given the chance to use different learning materials such as books, audiotapes and videotapes.

The article highlights the year-long improvement initiative of a school district in Texas that focuses on its library media programs and practices. It provides an overview of the self-study initiative of the school district's coordinator on examining the effectiveness and determining the improvement of the district's school libraries for a year. It presents the objectives and participant evaluations of the said initiative. The suggestions offered to district personnel for long-term consideration centered on staffing issues, technology network concerns, and a long range commitment to learning are also cited.

An excerpt from the book "Teaching Information and Communication Technology Skills: The Bigo in Middle Schools" from Linworth Publishing is presented.

This article focuses on the role of administration in the organization of a school for teaching and learning. According to the author, when principals and assistant principals discourage the use of practices unfamiliar to them or do not support best practices, they can actually hamper student achievement and professional growth. This view looks more practical and real when it comes to the library media center, where front office decisions directly affect program budgets, the master schedule and overall role of a person as library media specialist. On the contrary when a teacher and his administrators share a philosophy of supported practice, the results can be outstanding. The article also refers to a research study, which has clearly shown that reading scores improve as quality characteristics of the library media center program increase. It is further revealed in this study that other aspects of the library media center program are best accomplished with specific involvement of the principal, both administratively and instructionally.

This article focuses on the sixth and final stage of the Big6™, the most widely used approach to information problem-solving in the world, Evaluation. It is easy to overlook the final stage of the Big6 process--Evaluation. Students complete the information search, give presentations, and turn in projects and papers, and teachers record grades. Evaluation, particularly self-evaluation, is a very important step toward self-improvement. Evaluation completes the process of information problem-solving. The actual assessment of the final product--most often in the form of the grade given by teachers--is only a small part of Evaluation. Evaluation encompasses all of the activities by which students and teachers determine the level of students' skills and knowledge, as well as identify areas for improvement in performance, particularly in Big6 information problem-solving skills. A higher-level thought process in itself, Evaluation can be accomplished even by young learners with guidance and age age-appropriate questions asked by library media specialists and classroom teachers. Students must have the opportunity to evaluate their own efforts before turning in final products or delivering presentations.

The article focuses on the ways in which students can be instructed to find information for their school projects. Getting students to process the facts and other information they find in sources with a higher level of thought will result in a final product that represents the best of what students can offer. It will stretch their intellect and engage them in the learning process. When students add personal value to the results, they take more ownership and pride in their work. Going beyond the facts means that students will have to use higher-level skills to process the information found in sources, instead of just rewriting or copying and pasting those facts into a report or other product. Students can complete group projects concurrently with the individually written paper, using many forms of creative expression resulting in a presentation, performance or production using a variety of technology applications as appropriate. Collaborating across subjects and specialty areas aids students in synthesizing information and adds a grand dimension to learning.

Provides tips on how to help students in note-taking from sources for research projects. Use of the Trash-N-Treasure method; Availability of software tools to help students; Introduction of citation habits to students.

This article offers practical uses of the Big6, the most widely used approach to information problem-solving. For young learners, one of the most difficult stages of the information search process is to locate sources and find the information within each source. Teachers might assume that upper elementary students are able to locate sources, but sometimes students need instruction about how to do this important step. There are several reasons most students cannot achieve this step without extensive assistance. Due to limited time for research and students' undeveloped skill level in locating sources, putting materials on reserve and making links available is a viable alternative to having students locate the resources independently.

The article presents information on task definition. The author states that designing a good task is the key to a successful information search and assignment. Teachers who design meaningful and developmentally appropriate tasks will motivate their students to engage in the content. Designing a good task is a multi-step process for the teacher and students. Teachers should seek to design an information problem assignment that will interest students and motivate them to engage in the content to solve the problem.

A chart is presented that shows information skills for student achievement.

This article focuses on two popular sites students use in school projects about native Americans and ancient Egypt. Students and teachers readily accept them as valid sources of information. But, they are not even close to being authoritative or accurate. It was found that one is authored by a gentleman who posts no qualifications, does not cite his sources, and asks children to send him money for his work. The other is by a woman whose site appears valid, but contains no in text citation or bibliography, and she claims to be a psychic and has been visited by aliens. Books, magazine articles, and other sources went through rigorous editing processes, after which the library media specialist carefully evaluated the source for the collection based on positive reviews, reputations of the publisher or author, and its relevance to the curriculum. Classroom teachers and library media specialists will want to introduce students to resources available through the library media center (books, audiovisual materials, and subscription databases), as well as those on the Internet.