I specialize in an odd subject—research. I teach students to select a subject area, pick a topic, craft a question, design a prospectus, follow through on the plans, adapt to obstacles and “interesting” findings, organize results, and create an appropriate outcome that matches the content and methodology of the project. Many teachers call me crazy for loving this process; teaching skills regardless of content seems difficult and abstract or too chaotic and uncontrollable. I think it’s fun.
In two previous posts, I shared advice I give to colleagues who want students to research in the classroom and need a refresher about the process and effective ways of teaching it. At the start of the school year, I encouraged teachers to avoid the time trap of letting students loose on Google. I bit later I explained the benefits of printing materials to help students learn to annotate, organize and cite.