Searching Skills and Tools
Search Engines
To ensure that you actually find the information you are looking for on the internet, it is a good idea to know how the search engine you are using works. It is important to realise that different search engines will bring back different results. You should not only rely on Google to do your internet searching for you. Next time you need to find something on the web, try a few of the search engines listed below:
Clusty - the clustering search engine (formerly Vivissimo)
Web Wombat - Australia's Original Internet Search Engine
Anzwers - Australian and NZ Web Enquiry Research System
AltaVista - Can choose to search either Australian websites or Worldwide
Yahoo!7 - Australia and NZ search engine
Searching Tools, or as they are sometimes called Research Formats, provide the intellectual scaffolding to implement Inquiry Learning, Information Literacy, ICT and Thinking Curriculum strategies. There are six formats altogether, but we have included the first four of these here:
Purpose
Pathfinders provide a quick guide which includes a range of resources on a particular topic located in the library as well as externally.
Pathfinders list information in:
- audio/visual
- websites
- internal databases
- links to external databases
- community resources
Application
Teacher-librarians work in partnership with classroom teachers to create a Pathfinder when students need:
- to use research time efficiently and with the most appropriate resources as time is limited
- support in the development of skills in locating and selecting resources
- direction to particular resources and/or resource types (eg, print)
- search advice such as subject headings to use in catalogues or Dewey numbers is required
In the context of resource management Pathfinders provide:
- an essential check of what resources are available before student research begins
- a greater pool of resources to select from for larger class sizes or multiple classes
- search strategies modelled for students, and the importance of using a variety of electronic and print resources in research provides a 'one stop shop'
- a reminder to students that the Internet is not always the main or most appropriate resource
Information Processing Skills:
Purpose
This allows for the outcomes of Information Literacy to be divided between six interrelated stages. Although mostly used sequentially, students can continually revisit each stage during their research:
- planning or defining the research task
- locating or gathering a variety of appropriate resources
- selecting and interacting with the information
- organising the information
- sharing & presenting the information
- evaluating the information
Application
Teacher-librarians work in partnership with classroom teachers to create an Information Processing Skills page when they need:
- a guide to support students in the development of skills for seeking and using information in each stage of the Information Research Process
- to focus students on process as well as content
- to assist students who need a Research Format to solve a problem, make a decision, or complete a task
In the context of resource management, Information Processing Skills pages are required during the planning stage, to enable teachers and teacher-librarians to check:
- which resources are appropriate and available to students
- that there are enough resources for large or multiple class use
Research Inquiry
Purpose
When the learning goal is to research a question to acquire specific knowledge a Research Inquiry enables students to explore topic questions using a variety of suitable print and/or electronic links.
Application
Teacher-librarians can work in partnership with classroom teachers to create a Research Inquiry when they need to:
- ensure questions are designed to cover all aspects of the topic
- provide a set of questions ranging from low to higher order thinking e.g. Bloom's Taxonomy
In the context of resource management, Research Inquiries can provide the question and the resource side-by-side which is effective in terms of both time and resources.
Real World Focus:
Purpose
A focus on Inquiry Learning in a real world context. Students are asked to work in groups and take on specific roles to complete a research investigation. This is a similar structure to a webQuest but in this case it is really a web and book quest as students use both print and electronic resources to complete their tasks. You can choose whether to deliver the activity to students via the Internet, a Word document or a PowerPoint.
Application
Teacher-librarians can work in partnership with classroom teachers to create a Real World Focus format when the students are to:
- participate in an authentic task which is directly related to a real world situation
- use higher order thinking skills to problem solve or hypothesise, to transform prior knowledge into new learning
- participate in cooperative group work, to become an 'expert' in a specific field and to benefit from the opportunity of working with a range of learning styles to collate, debate and present a range of suggestions to address the task
- have the opportunity to receive appropriate feedback and evaluation from a global perspective using a range of ICT skills
In the context of resource management, creating Real World Focus activities has the advantage of providing access to print and/or electronic resources which increases the opportunites for skill development, addresses individual learning needs and reduces the number of computers required.
Reference
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