EDUC 6816 Weekly Reading #6

Reading #1

"As teachers we can make research more relevant to students’ lives by making it an activity that is done outside, in the community, by exploring students’ environments."

I chose this quote because I think one of the main problems with traditional research is that is not relevant to our students' lives.  We give them topics that have nothing to do with where they come from, their families, or their interests.  Then, we send them to the internet to conduct generic research.  Instead, we should be giving them research that is authentic.  We can give them topics that involve their communities and issues that effect the people in their communities.  Instead of sending them to the internet for research they can acquire the information firsthand by interviewing people in the community.  They could also visit local historic sites for information.

I chose the image below because I feel it shows students' interest level in writing research papers.  It is something most find boring and unimportant; they just want to get it done and turn it in, even if that means simply copying information from the internet.  I believe authentic research would help solve this problem.  Give students topics that matter to them.  Have them conduct research in the community, such as interviews, surveys, or community research.

Image retrieved from Cartoon Stock. (2013). http://boydclassroom.com/Report_&_Abstract.html

Source

Herrmann, B. (2012, Fall). Writing as an Exploration: Rethinking the Research Paper. Wisconsin English Journal, 54(2), 49-51. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/wej/article/viewFile/538/579

Reading #2

1. What is the difference between writing a report and "doing research"?

When students are writing a report they are mostly concerned with the mechanics of the paper; how the paper is set up, margins, grammar, spelling, report length, etc.  Less emphasis is on what information is in the paper.  When students are doing research, they are actively looking for information to include in the paper.  This research can include the internet, books, interviews, articles, etc.

2. How might doing authentic research better prepare students for the 21st century work place? Give specific examples from the "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" reading.

In the reading, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", they talk about research in the workplace.  In the workplace people are conducting research about topics they actually want to know about.  This research is personally beneficial to them because it will help them do their jobs better.  Doing this type of authentic research in school will get students ready to do this type of research in their future workplace.

3.Why might Constructivist type learning better prepare students for the 21st century work place than Behavioral approaches?

The Constructivist approach is much more complex than the Behavioral approach.  Constructivists use critical thinking to problem solve.  There is no one way to do things; there can be multiple solutions.  These kinds of skills prepare students for the 21st century workplace because they will have to problem solve and come up with solutions to complex problems.
4. How does authentic research support new media literacies?

By giving students research that matters to them and their community you will motivate them to work hard and take the research seriously.  We are relating the research to the real world of the students.  Also, authentic research supports collaboration.  Students can share work with peers, just like colleagues do in the workplace.

Source

Gordon, C. (2013). "Students As Authentic Researchers: A New Prescription for the High School Research Assignment" Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume21999/vol2gordon