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Featured Article, Teaching with Primary Sources (Library of Congress)

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/quarterly/0907/a...

Research Models

  • The understandings that students develop through inquiry are deeper and longer lasting than any pre-packaged knowledge delivered by teachers to students.
  • Stripling Model of Inquiry
  • First, they transform the learning process by provoking critical thinking: questioning; making inferences; interpreting different points of view; using critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate; drawing conclusions; and pulling together disparate pieces of evidence to think conceptually.
  • primary sources engage students in inquiry
  • engage students both emotionally and personally because the sources represent authentic voices and images. Students connect to the people who produced or were subjects of the primary sources as they rarely, if ever, connect to textbooks and other secondary sources.
  • Second
  • Finally
  • helps students see the complexity of issues and recognize the importance of context for credible interpretation.
  • Primary sources effectively support learning throughout the inquiry process when teachers and librarians select appropriate sources, teach students essential thinking skills, and carefully structure learning experiences
    • Connect Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find primary sources that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Connect to major theme or concept
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      • Represent alternative perspectives
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      • Present conflicting evidence
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      • Identify prior knowledge and misconceptions
        •  
      • Identify point of view and its effect on information presented
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      • Use concept mapping to develop framework of overall themes, major concepts
        •  
      • Make valid inferences
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      • Develop context through acquiring background knowledge
        •  
          
         
      • Lack of context and background knowledge makes interpretation of primary sources difficult
        •  
      • Students without a clear conceptual focus may see primary sources as disconnected bits of information
        •  
      • Students may develop misinterpretations based on their limited prior exposure
  • Wonder: Students should develop focus questions to guide their inquiry investigations.
    • Wonder Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find primary sources that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Contain provocative or conflicting images and texts
        •  
      • Represent major facets of overall topic or theme
        •  
      • Provide enough detail to invite interpretation, provoke questions
        •  
          
         
      • Develop focus questions at different levels of thought that lead to manageable investigations
        •  
      • Connect focus questions to larger theme or essential question
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      • Students tend to use primary sources as illustrations only, without probing deeper into their meaning
        •  
      • Students tend to be enticed by graphic images and might ignore relevant text-based sources
  • Investigate: Students will use a combination of primary and secondary sources to pursue their questions in depth.
    • Investigate Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find primary sources that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Represent a variety of formats
        •  
      • Offer different perspectives
        •  
      • Provide in-depth information on relevant topics and questions
        •  
      • Are appropriate for students’ reading levels
        •  
      • Allow students to corroborate evidence
        •  
          
         
      • Determine the authority, purpose, point of view, and accuracy of sources
        •  
      • Corroborate evidence by using multiple sources
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      • Take notes on main ideas and supporting evidence
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      • Make inferences
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      • Interpret evidence
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      • Students’ lack of content knowledge makes valid interpretation of primary sources difficult; teachers must carefully scaffold this thinking process
  • Construct
  • teaching students to organize and draw conclusions from the information they have found, to confront conflicting ideas and form their own evidence-based opinions, and to be ready to take a stand and defend it
    • Construct Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find primary sources that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Connect to essential question and theme
        •  
      • Represent a point of view with supporting evidence
        •  
      • Show explicit development of a line of thinking
        •  
      • Represent a variety of formats
        •  
          
         
      • Organize information into main ideas and supporting evidence
        •  
      • Compare evidence for alternative viewpoints
        •  
      • Draw conclusions and forming opinions based on evidence
        •  
           
         
      • Students may have limited experience with drawing valid conclusions or forming evidence-based opinions; they will need support and modeling of the thinking processes involved
  • students develop a product to demonstrate their new understandings and share with others, they solidify their own learning.
  • Express
  • Students will be more motivated and engaged throughout the inquiry experience if they are assigned relevant and creative products
    • Express Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find primary sources that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Represent a variety of formats, if appropriate
        •  
      • Include authentic examples of the format that students are expected to produce
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      • Connect to the types of communication that students recognize and relate to
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      • Think creatively to generate an original approach to develop a final product
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      • Employ writing, speaking, and visualizing skills appropriate for developing an inquiry-based product
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      • Use technology to create a final product
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      • Research has shown that students must be taught the skills needed for creating products (especially those involving technology) or they will ignore content learning and focus on production only
  • Reflection is embedded throughout the inquiry process,
  • tudents to think about what they have learned about the topic or idea and about inquiry itself
    • Reflect Phase of Inquiry  Guidelines for Selecting Primary Sources Skills and Strategies to Teach Cautions to Consider  Find models that: Show students how to: Be aware that:   
         
      • Exemplify high-quality, student-created products or real-world examples
        •  
          
         
      • Use reflective questioning
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      • Use metacognitive thinking strategies
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      • Solicit peer consultation and feedback
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      • Reflection should not be confused with evaluation and the assignment of a grade. Even students who have received a high grade should reflect on their process and product and set goals for future inquiry
    • Focus the inquiry experience on big ideas and themes;
      •  
    • Frame the learning experience with an inquiry process;
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    • Explicitly teach and scaffold the critical thinking and information skills of inquiry;
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    • Confront students with both conflicting and corroborating evidence; and
      •  
    • Engage students in locating and interpreting primary sources on their own
  • Barbara Stripling is the former president of the American Association of School Librarians

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Elyse Whitt

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on Mar 20, 11