As I was teaching a research lesson to an AP literature class the other day, a student raised her hand and asked, “Why is this list mostly dead white males?” She had been looking over the chart of author choices… Read More ›
research skills
Creating Lasting Change, Maybe
The high school to college gap is like college readiness, one of those realities that implant itself in our minds like fake news or mass incarceration. Unfortunately, these simple-sounding concepts indicate massive, almost unapproachable issues that we talk about but… Read More ›
Lessons Learned for Advanced Placement Capstone Class
I had the opportunity to attend a week-long workshop covering the Advanced Placement Capstone courses provided by the College Board. I attended with the two classroom teachers who are the course instructors at my high school. As a new course… Read More ›
Inquiry Framework: What Makes Sense?
I’m on a quest to refine my teaching to be both student-centered and relevant. This has evolved over time to mean that I talk a lot less now, and put more effort into the design of the learning experience. How… Read More ›
Authority, Credibility, and Determining Expertise: A Challenge to Ultracrepidarian
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ultracrepidarian as “Expressing opinions on matters outside the scope of one’s knowledge or expertise.” While this phenomenon is nothing new, it has become a recent concern of mine when students are determining the… Read More ›
Research Ambassadors
In my school, third graders reign supreme. The school consists of three grade levels: first, second, and third. There are approximately 225 students enrolled in each level, so it is a fairly large school. For most people, it is difficult… Read More ›
Students Taking the Lead to Problem Solve, Drive Instruction, & Promote the School Library
What happens when students indicate research experiences are frustrating because of the different ways educators guide where to locate credible and authoritative resources? School librarians strive to collaborate with all educators in every subject area. Yet, despite this lofty goal… Read More ›
Research, information literacy, and independent study
Independent study thrives in my school library, which situates us in the center of our schools’ goals. According to my schools’ strategic plan, we aim to: …foster a school environment and academic program that demands students join in the design… Read More ›
Student choice in topic selection
My topic is … Aliens, Bigfoot, or the Illuminati Many of us would agree that giving students a choice in the topic selection process is a good thing. But what happens when the choices are trending towards pseudoscience and conspiracy… Read More ›
Free Scholarly Resources Online
No budget for databases? Are you in a school that struggles to find the money for quality, college-preparatory research databases? A recent discussion on a librarian Facebook group sent me on a quest for free scholarly resources online. When one… Read More ›