It's been a crazy few weeks, but it's been a good few weeks! I haven't had much time to blog since I've been working on getting my research project approved, and there's so much I want to say. Alas, today will be devoted to the power of the process.
Too often, educators get in their own way. We think of great ideas and instantly try to implement them in the classroom without accounting for how we will need to scaffold what we're trying to teach. I promise that scaffolding is one of those words that educators throw out all the time, but aren't really sure what it means or how to do it. The past two weeks have been victorious. I have owned scaffolding and the research process, two things which are not easy. I spent a lot of time front loading how to annotate articles, find MIPS (most important points), formulate a thesis, and why it's important to determine the credibility of a source. It has paid off this week as my students have begun their own research projects.
I introduced Scrible to my students as a way to organize their resources and to annotate the different sources they were using. Shout out to Kelli Stair for introducing me to Scrible this past summer! I love it and highly recommend it for any teacher who is trying to prepare students to conduct research. Another great website is a.nnotate.com if you want students to code PDF files or Power points.
It has been neat to watch my students struggle with the research process and formulate their own ideas and thoughts about what's going on in the world. Their projects are due next week, and I'm excited to see what they come up with :)
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