What is great research?
Hello Everyone!
Okay, so I have been checking in with students about their animal project research and their independent projects, and we had a discussion today about what makes great research.
Great researchers don’t just take one set of questions, answer them with brief bullet points, and then say, “I am done!”
They also don’t ask, “How many lines of research do I need?” This shows greater focus on getting something done instead of just finding out information!
Great researchers don’t go into a research project without a good question. Not having a question means you fall into the abyss of the never-ending Internet without a compass for direction and focus!
Great researchers don’t have messy notes without sources, because what if you need to remember something later, or prove that something you are saying about your topic is true?
So, what do great researchers do? They….
- choose a topic of great interest to them! You have been given choice, but with choice comes responsibility. Choose something you are passionate about!
- are curious! If you are not curious about your topic and ask lots of questions, then your research won’t have any detail or depth.
- ask one question at a time, seek the answer, and document! That is why I suggested making your notes with a question, followed by information and a response, and then the resources you used to find the answer. Otherwise, you may be less focused and go all over the place with your research.
- ask more questions than the teacher has given! Don’t just stop after you answer the key criteria. What questions do you have now? And then take some more notes on your new questions!
- are never really “done”! They keep going and show perseverance to become an expert on their topic. That means asking better and deeper questions. Use our wonderings wall prompts as a way to shape more complex questions, too.
Obviously, in school, we have the constraints of time and schedules, which may keep us from becoming the ultimate expert. But, we can try! It is hard to give a specific number of lines of notes to give your research notes a quantity, but a project ideally has 4-5 pages of notes, not just one with brief bullet points, if it shows evidence of extending your thinking.
Great job listening today about how we can improve our research. See my next post about deadlines for the next little bit!
Ms. D