Well, Sheila, I really don't want to burst your bubble but my section has made 362 posts already. Whew, it sure is a challenge to keep up on all of them. What I tend to do is read them, or as many as I can, and then post replies to the ones that really speak to me. That's my strategy and it allows me to know what's going on in the minds of others in my section.
I must say that, initially, I didn't think my feelings about what research was had changed after reading the chapter but I quickly had a change of opinion after reading the posts of my peers. I had thought of research as the seeking out of information, on a topic, to gain more knowledge. This new knowledge would then be synthesized with ones own personal knowledge and feelings in order to compile a report or to solve a problem. This is all true but it has been extremely interesting and surprising to discover that research actually comes in many forms, one being the simple act of observation. I now understand that any time one seeks the information about what is, what should be and how to get there, is actually researching. Also, I certainly had never considered intuition as being a form of research. Had you?
I really loved the way some people in my section described research. The word "inquiry" caught my attention and it seems much less formal than "research". I wonder if the word inquiry might be somewhat less intimidating, to some people, than research. This word makes sense as when one is researching they are inquiring about something. "Journey" was also used and this makes me feel like I must keep going until I reach an end of something. While researching, one can be led in any number of directions and it is ongoing until finally a destination is reached which, I guess, would be when enough information has been gathered and, if needed, synthesized to answer the initial question or solve the initial problem.
Sheila, my students do seem to enjoy gathering information when we are involved in the Data Management. Some of them can be seen doing their own research long after we have completed the unit. It is really exciting to know they have taken an interest and independently choose to extend their knowledge.
As stated in my first post, I can talk. I have decided this post is already too long so I am going to end it now!
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI never really considered intuition as research but I often find myself in situations where I rely on it. I think as my roles change over time, a teacher, a wife, a mother, a pet owner I begin to rely more and more on my female intuition. I do find that there are some things I think about based on my "gut feeling" for lack of a better term.
I agree that children younger and younger are developing their research skills. We have a coyote problem here in Oromocto. When the signs were initially posted with the warning I thought my 8 year old daughter Emily was going to go crazy when I went to take Bella out for a walk. Emily spent the 20 minutes I was gone researching coyotes on the laptop. I returned home to find out that "coyotes were night predators and could be easily distracted by loud noises or garden hoses if in close proximity." While there was much more information Emily gleaned I was amazed at how she took it upon herself to research into something that she was intrigued by. She wanted to conduct her own research similarly to your students in Grade 2. We are creating a new generation of learners that have access 24/7.