{"id":5855,"date":"2022-03-29T07:29:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T11:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=5855"},"modified":"2022-03-28T18:58:26","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T22:58:26","slug":"research-skills-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2022\/03\/research-skills-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Skills in the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
<\/strong>Zora Neale Hurston<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Most known for writing and researching race, slavery, folklore, and the African-American experience, Zora Neale Hurston was a Harlem Renaissance writer and American anthropologist. While many students characterize research as daunting and many teachers find research skills challenging to teach, it\u2019s essential that students learn to engage in what Hurston Hurston calls \u201cformalized curiosity.\u201d Teachers must help students develop the necessary research skills that they\u2019ll use well beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Saturated with on-demand content, our students have more access to information than ever before. But access to technology and search engines is not enough for students to learn. Students need research skills to help them examine information to support evidence-based conclusions, leading to more profound learning experiences in the classroom. In their everyday lives, our students absorb ever-increasing amounts of information. What\u2019s the first thing many of us do if we encounter a problem? We quickly pull out a mobile device and research the answer. Media and information literacy are critical 21st Century Skills that support our students\u2019 research skills. Students must have the ability to search for information about a topic, evaluate the information, and share their findings in a meaningful and organized way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good research, initiated by a robust question, requires the students to search for answers and information, supporting more profound learning experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listed below are strategies and resources you can use to teach resource skills to your students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Skills and Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TeachersFirst has an entire collection of free research tools<\/a> vetted by teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Big 6 (reviewed here<\/a>), a six-stage model developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, helps students solve problems or make decisions by using information from research,\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crash Course Kids YouTube Channel (reviewed here<\/a>) has a fantastic video on\u00a0research skills<\/a>\u00a0for middle-level and high school students. The videos explain why students should learn strategies for evaluating information, fact-checking, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TeachersFirst also has an entire collection of free organizational tools<\/a> for students to organize their research. An excellent tool to make concept maps to organize information is bubbl.us (reviewed here<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing sources is an essential component of research. Creating works cited page or bibliography is time-consuming but necessary. EasyBib (reviewed here<\/a>), a free citation generator, assists students with creating and organizing a work cited page.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Project Ideas <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n