research skills for myp students

Magnolialibrarian - From My Library

Tuesday 7 june 2022, myp and research skills.

I have been working somewhat haphazardly over the last few years on teaching research skills to my MYP students and in developing a scope and sequence and learner outcomes for some of these skills. I say haphazardly because, despite being a fairly effective researcher, it has taken me some time to come to an understanding of what skills beginners require, how to teach them and how to go about scaffolding those skills over a number of years so that students eventually develop into confident, effective researchers.

The covid pandemic lockdowns gave me an opportunity to step back from the hurly-burly of school life and take a good look at my practice and the needs of my students. First, I came to the conclusion that I needed to upskill. I needed to be better than my students and I also needed to be able to confidently meet them where they’re at.

I know that we would all like our students to use our databases as the first ‘go to place’ in their research but that usually doesn’t happen. Truthfully, it is rare that I start there either. They are google and Wikipedia users first, a fact I had to learn to work with. I was an adequate user of google but that wasn’t good enough so I looked first on their site for any courses or tips they might offer and from there was led to the edX courses on Power Searching and Advanced Power Searching of Google. This was a turning point for me. Not only did I increase my skill level but I learned how to better strategise my searches. I learned the value of google scholar and google books in searching for sources for my diploma students and now encourage them to start there before diving into JSTOR and other databases we have access to. I discovered the value of having an account in Researchgate so that I could request free PDFs of articles from their authors. I learned how to dig around for PDFs of articles which I was unable to access through our resources, by hunting through the various versions of an article in google scholar. The fact is I learn more with every search I do.

And what about Wikipedia? More about that in a later blog .

Now how to go about teaching some of this to students! After a number of false starts and less than successful tries with grade 9s (see earlier blog posts for reflection on my failure) I came to the obvious conclusion, though not obvious to me initially, that I had to start at the beginning. In this case that was at the beginning of MYP, and that was grade 6 and not grade 9. That isn’t to say that I wasn’t going to work on certain research skills with other grades but that I was going to start to create a scope and sequence for research with grade 6 and refine it throughout the year by continuing to work on those skills in various subject areas. Then I would move with them into grade 7, further developing what they needed to know there.

But what did they need to know and what would be classified as research skills? This is where my collaboration with the IT Integrationist became so invaluable. He was new to our school and as we started chatting I realised that he was having one of the same problems I had encountered when I started - not being able to get invited into the classes. I invited him to come into a science class with me when I was working with them on research in forensics. And to paraphrase Bogart, this was the beginning of a beautiful ‘collaboration’!

In one of our post-mortem sessions, we asked the question: what do students need to know to be successful in this project. We recognised that there may be other skills in other projects, but this was our starting point. Over the course of a number of discussions we decided on the following:

Organisation (and Planning)

Questions and Questioning

Source literacy

Searching/Researching

Source evaluation

Note taking

Referencing and academic integrity

In the meanwhile, I had started on a list of learner outcomes for search engine skills which should be achieved by the end of grade 10; and a scope and sequence for academic integrity and referencing, and how that would be integrated into the units through grades 6 to 10. Both are as yet unfinished but we hope to complete them at an upcoming curriculum writing session. That will just leave us with the other areas of research skills for next year.

For all of this to work, we recognised that one or two people trying to integrate these skills and reinforce them throughout the curriculum just wasn’t going to work! We had to get the teachers involved to the point where they could and would take ownership of part of it. Since this would require that many of them upskill in some areas, we decided to survey them to assess where the training was needed. Now that we have the results, we can plan how to go ahead with our training sessions during pre-planning and throughout the upcoming school year.

So here we are. We have a plan for implementation; we have a better understanding of what teachers and students require; we are continuing to write learner outcomes and a scope and sequence for research and referencing; and until the units of study are changed, we know in what units we will teach various skills in grade 6 to 8.

Could you share your slides please, I am interested in supporting the MYP as a librarian in my school. Here is my email: [email protected]

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Mastering the MYP Personal Project: A Guide for Students

Introduction

The MYP Personal Project is a cornerstone of the Middle Years Programme, encouraging students to explore their passions, develop research skills, and showcase their creativity. But navigating this independent project can feel daunting. Worry not! This blog post from IB Scholars, your one-stop shop for all things IB, offers a comprehensive guide to help you master your MYP Personal Project.

Understanding the Project Requirements:

Choosing Your Topic: Select a theme you’re genuinely interested in, allowing you to delve deeper and create a more impactful project.
Defining Your Goals: Set clear and achievable goals for your project, outlining what you aim to learn and achieve.
Developing a Research Plan: Create a research plan to gather information from credible sources, ensuring your project is well-supported by evidence.
Creating a Product: This could be a written report, a physical creation, or a digital presentation – choose the format that best suits your project.
The Exhibition and Reflection: Prepare for the final exhibition to showcase your project to the audience and reflect on your learning journey.

Top Tips for MYP Personal Project Success:

Start Early! Don’t wait until the last minute. Early planning allows for a more thorough and well-developed project.
Seek Guidance: Reach out to teachers, mentors, or even our experts at IB Scholars (call us at 050 237 1313) for guidance and support throughout the process.
Develop Time Management Skills: Organize your time effectively to balance your project work with other academic commitments.
Embrace Exploration: Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore different avenues as you develop your project.
Document Your Journey: Maintain a logbook to track your research process, ideas, and reflections on your learning experience.

Conclusion:

The MYP Personal Project is a chance to showcase your individuality and develop valuable skills for your academic journey and beyond. By following these tips and seeking support from IB Scholars, you can transform your project into a rewarding experience that demonstrates your intellectual curiosity and creativity. Good Luck!

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