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Teacher Resources
Professional
Database
 Educator's
Reference Complete from
Gale
Educator's Reference
Complete is
a selection of more
than 450 full-text
academic journals,
hundreds of
full-text reports, and many
premier reference
sources. Included
content focuses
on educational
principles,
child
development
and psychology, and
best practices
in education.
Majority of
the full-text titles
included are
also found in the ERIC
database. The
database is
updated daily and provides
24-hour access
from school
or home.
Available
for Home
Access -
see the NHS library staff for the
password
.
Learning
Expectations in the Needham Schools:
Information
Literacy
Instructional Technology
Frameworks
Massachusetts
Department of Education
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks
Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks
from Merrimack Education
Center and SmartEdu
http://www.smartedu.net/mcf/default.htm
Searchable database
of the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks;
enter a keyword, subject, strand, or grade level and find the connection
to all frameworks.
Book
Review Site
General
Links for Teachers
B.E.S.T.--links
to the best education sites available today.
http://www.education-world.com/
Kathy
Schrock's Guide for Educators http://www.discoveryschool.com/schrockguide
TENET--Texas
Education Network: Texas-sized list of locations in literature,
reading, math, science, social studies, art, etc. http://www.tenet.edu/
The
Educator's Toolkit http://www.eagle.ca/~matink/
Professional
Organizations
Assoc
for Supervision and Curriculum Development--ASCD
American
Association of School Administrators--AASA
Massachusetts
Computer Using Educators--MassCUE
Massachusetts
School Library Association --MSLA
National
Association of Secondary School
Principals--NASSP
National
Council for the Social Studies--NCSS
National
Council of Teachers of English--NCTE
National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics--NCTM
National
Science Teachers Association--NSTA
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Designing
Terrific Research Projects AND Avoiding Plagiarism
In the
Fall of 2000, Doug Johnson was a featured speaker at the
state conference for the Massachusetts School Library Association. "Designing
Research Projects that Students (and Teachers) Love" was
the title of his workshop.
His
web address is http://www.doug-johnson.com He
is the director of Media and Technology of the Mankato
MN Public Schools. All of these materials quoted
are from the workshop and available on his website.
He
maintains that good research should teach information literacy
skills AND:
- Make
learning and school meaningful and relevant for students
- Develop
students' higher level thinking
- Encourage
creativity
- Allow
teachers to enhance the delivery of the curriculum
Doug makes a
direct connection between preventing plagiarism and designing
assignments:
"
An
effective research assignment requires original reasoning
by the student. Research which is simply "about" a
topic leads to copying. But activities and tasks
which ask for conclusions, ask for answers to interesting
questions, ask for comparisons, ask for solutions,
ask for points of view all lead to original writing. These
kinds of assignments help kids narrow a topic, focus
effort, and call for higher level thinking. They
might, heaven help us, even be interesting and meaningful
to the student!"
Taken from Handouts of a workshop presentation
by Doug, " Designing Research Projects that Students (and
Teachers) Love" Massachusetts School Librarians Association,
November 2002.
Also available at http://www.doug-johnson.com/handouts/designresearch.pdf
Research Question Rubric: Not All Research Questions
are Created Equal
Level One:
- My
research is about a broad topic.
- I
can complete the assignment by using a general reference
encyclopedia, such as an encyclopedia.
- I
have no personal questions about the topic.
Ex: My research is about the economy of Minnesota.
Level Two:
- My
research answers a question that helps me narrow the
focus of my search.
- This
question may mean that I need to go to various sources
to gather enough information to get a reliable answer.
- The
conclusion of the research will ask me to give a supported
answer to the question.
Ex: What role has manufacturing played in Minnesota's
economic development?
Level Three:
- My research answers a question of
personal relevance. To answer this question,
I may need to consult not just secondary sources such
as magazines, newspapers, books or the Internet, but
use primary sources of information such as original
surveys, interviews, or source documents.
Ex: How can one best prepare for a career in manufacturing
in the Twin Cities area?
Level Four:
- My research answers a person question
about the topic, and contains information that may
be of use to decision-makers as they make policy or
distribute funds.
- The
result of my research is a well supported conclusion
that contains a call for action on the part of an organization
or government body.
- There
will be a plan to distribute this information.
Example: How might high schools change their curricula
to meet the needs of students wanting a career in manufacturing
in Minnesota?
Doug strongly believes
that:
Enjoyable learning experiences
that are both motivating and meaningful don't just
happen. They require thoughtful preparation and
the conscious use of lessons learned from previous
successful projects. All of us who work with
students on research projects need to keep asking ourselves
questions like:
1. What are the barriers to better research?
2.
How
do
we
create
meaningful
assessment
tools?
3.
How
do
I make
sure
that
every
student
is
intrinsically
motivated
to
keep
learning
throughout
his
life
by
finding,
evaluating
and
using
information?"
Doug acknowledges that few projects reach a Level Four;
Level 2 and 3 should be the realistic goal of all teachers.
Taken
from Handouts of a workshop presentation by Doug Johnson, " Designing
Research Projects that Students (and Teachers) Love" Massachusetts
School Library Media Association, November 2002. Also
available at http://www.doug-johnson.com
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