ED 262 Research, Reference & Resource Skills

Earlier in the school year I taught 6th graders a short lesson about search strategies. I never like these stand alone lessons, as I don't think much sticks with a student if they're not immediately using it for a project. For their following library visit, I wanted to see what they remembered and how they'd use it. I created a digital breakout on Sites with a Form to collect their answers. Some things I learned after doing this with about 600 students:

1. Never assume what students know. I had some students who didn't know the omnibox on Chrome was a Google search box. They'd type in www.google.com, then type their search query. 
2. Students will search before digesting the question. (This we all knew, right?) They grab strings of words and type without ever thinking of what the results would look like. This is a point I really emphasized during my presentation: if you want to know what states were in the Cotton Belt, what would that look like on a page? (A map was the usual answer.) Then we might have better results searching [Cotton Belt map] instead of just [cotton belt]. Unless, of course, we were shopping for new belts!
3. Students will type the entire question you give them into the search box. Even if the question is meaningless to Google! [Will you get there before your dad's bedtime?] doesn't give Google anything related to how long it takes to get to the Grand Canyon from San Diego!
4. Related to 3 above, students got so caught up in immediately searching for answers that they failed to recognize some questions didn't even require a search! For example, the question "Will you get there before your dad's bedtime?" could only have a two letter answer on the Breakout Form. So...no. Yet many students went to Google Maps, asked if they were leaving from their house or from school, etc. It was a light bulb moment for some when I showed them how many questions could have been quickly answered in the Knowledge Panels on the right side of the search page without clicking on a single web page.
5. The teachers who tried this didn't fare much better. Honestly, some made it too hard (converting Australian to US dollars!?!) but others were just not thinking through the questions. It was helpful when they admitted their struggles when we went over the answers. Hey, we're all learning in school!

These questions were not true research questions, yet were still difficult for students to answer. My emphasis for the rest of the year, including some things that resonated from  a great search webinar by Michelle Luhtala and Tasha Bergson-Michelson will include the following:

1. THINK FIRST! Reflect on what the answer might look like (charts, polls, maps, a video, a .pdf, etc.) Take the time to choose only the keywords. Don't clutter your search with every word from your assignment.
2. You might not find the answer on the first try. Or the fifteenth try. Keep refining, show some perseverance, ask for help. 
3. You can't break Google. Don't wait for help if you're in class--attempt some kind of search. Remember, when really stumped, that Wikipedia article just might give you some great keywords to add to your search, or some amazing primary sources or other information in the external links. Anything is better than staring into space when you have a computer in front of you.
4. Operators can save you time. Just be aware of exactly what they're leaving out. Last week 6th graders did research on diseases. Yes, site:gov was great for giving us numbers: how many people in the US had the disease, the causes, treatments, etc. But we would not find information on treatments from other countries, whether the disease was as prevalent outside the US, etc. Ask yourself if that's important for your particular project. 
5. And always think critically about those sources. I harp ad nauseam on the Martin Luther King site that a white supremacy group runs. No, being a .org doesn't make it a good source! Neither does being on the first page of Google search results. So, searching laterally, determining who published and wrote the information, when it was published, etc., are all important, all the time. 

I always tell students Google features can be like speed dates--here for a bit, then gone. Use all the features you can find to improve your search, but don't think they'll always be around. The things  I want them to remember--especially thinking critically and persevering in a search-- are probably safe for a long-term commitment! Marry the strategies; date the tools!