Weekly Reading #6: Rethinking the Research Paper

Quote

“As teachers we can make research more relevant to students’ lives by making it an activity that is done outside, in the community, by exploring students’ environments” (Herrmann, 2012).

I think this is an amazing way to engage students in research and teach them about the appropriate process of analytic methods. However in mathematics, it isn’t normal to do research in school, unless you are at the end of your undergraduate program. But, this could change if students were given the opportunity to research the mathematics involved in their daily lives. We used to teach students how to write a check or balance a checkbook, and now we have to teach them topics that are on a standardized test. We forget about the life-skills necessary and the natural curiosity that children have in their surroundings. Instead of utilizing that curiosity, we diminish and discourage questioning by stating that “that is just the way it is”. We often tell our students that we are teaching them so that they can pass the test at the end of the school year. However, the students care about how they are going to use this in their lives. We have to make topics relevant.

Resource

Student Centered Learning is a video about how education must shift away from the traditional auditory learners that make up about 20% of the school population and make it relevant to all students' needs. I really like the out-of-the box thinking that this video displays. This website also gives an example of a student-centered project that includes Hip Hop. The video is part of a short film series about changing the education paradigm.

Herrmann, B. (2012, Fall). Writing as an Exploration: Rethinking the Research Paper. Wisconsin English Journal, 54(2), 49-51. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/wej/article/viewFile/538/579

Questions

What is the difference between writing a report and “doing research”?

The difference between writing a report and “doing research” is that research is a more complex method than just writing a report. A report highlights and emphasizes texts from books and magazines, while research takes concepts from resources and associates those ideas by making them relevant and/or intertwine them with new knowledge. “Doing research” is applying and digging deep into a topic of study, while writing a report is the gathering of information already given.

How might doing authentic research better prepare students for the 21^st century work place? Give specific examples from the “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” reading.

According to the article “Trapped Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” information is a valuable commodity in the fast capitalism of the twenty-first century. It is the most traded resource, and because of this authentic research will better prepare students for the work place than writing a report. Authentic research gives students the unstructured method of conducting and gathering research on topics like it is done in the workplace. Academia has created a structured, regimented process for research that it isn't beneficial for relating real-world research to its students. Authentic research eliminates this regimented and restricted process so that students become better prepared for the twenty-first century workplace’s research and information sharing. 

Why might Constructivist type learning better prepare students for the 21^st century work place than Behavioral approaches?

The Behavioral approach is what teachers/professors are doing now for creating research lessons for students. It’s a step-by-step giving of directions, while Constructivist type learning creates information that is transferable to situations in the real world. This includes authentic research, which better prepares students for the twenty-first century as I have stated in the previous question. The student is able to research outside the bounds of structured step-by-step directions in a Constructivist approach, which simulates the real-world where directions are not always given. 

How does authentic research support new media literacies? Make connections to the reading “What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About New Media Literacies Part 1 and Part 2”

According to “What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About New Media Literacies,” new media literacies is a set of cultural understanding and social skills which young people need as they confront the new media landscape of the twenty-first century. Authentic research allows students to learn and practice their skills with new media which is essential in being successful in the workplace by the sharing of information. Authentic research takes information gathered by students and teaches them to relate it to their world or needs. It is important that students know new media literacies in order to create authentic research, as well as share their findings with other peers and professionals in and out of the twenty-first century workplace.