MIL Skills Instruction: Is Wikipedia Trash or Treasure?

 Are you still wary of Wikipedia as a credible reference or source? Well, it is online and very much accessible so, we might as well understand it a little bit more. 

Here is how I read, teach and instruct my student in using Wikipedia as a reference and source for a research topic.

1. Introduce the idea of knowlege sharing in in-person learning and online learning. Experts, scholars and academicians, as well as the regular person have knowledge to share and communicate. Forums, Online Groups, Tweeter Moots and Spaces are examples. Long before these online communities came about, there was Wikipedia, a space in the digital world where anyone can share his/her knowledge about a topic. It is open and open source. It is an example of a digital learning commons.

A hyperlink to an article in The New York Times

2. Wikipedia is a hyperdocument. The links function as leads or, in itself references to more sources of information. It offers opportunities to check the topic or content as valuable or limited depending on the reader or user's purpose. Do take note that the links can lead the reader or the researcher astray. It can be a distraction. So, before using Wikipedia or any online and electronic reosurce that has hyperlinks, the goal and objectives of a research task is one's anchor or beacon of light.

This article from The New York Times is preserved in a digital archive.

3. It is advisable to read laterally on Wikipedia. This means, the reading of websites and online sources from Wikipedia is important to assess the credibility and richness of its contents. Lateral Reading is another topic and skill worthy of learning. More on lateral reading in future posts. 

4. Take note of the footnotes and bibliography. It will lead you to the basic and original references used by the authors and contributors of the topic or subject. From here, you can build your own reference and source list.

Even the definitions of important words are "clickable".

There are many ways to read online articles, sources and documents. Wikipedia is only one of many. There are, however, threads common to these online texts - images and graphics, included, that has to be evaluated and understood before taking a deep dive into the content that it offers.

Direct Instruction and Explicit Teaching

One of the things I have been busy with since recovering from COVID-19 was co-facilitating a DepEd Teacher Training organized by Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. The past four session leaned heavily on theories on language and literacy teaching, especially the psychology and nature of reading. Tonight, we had a session on Direct and Explicit Instruction. I have a group of teachers I monitor, supervise and learn from. Most of them are very new to the ideas we are discussing in the training. Speaking for myself, I am also learning new things and re-learning strategies to teach literacy for students in the K-12 levels.

Here are my five takeaways from the session tonight.

1. Teachers are instructional designers. The framework known as Gradual Release of Responsibility is useful in designing instruction geared towards student agency. In this framework, the teacher is leader, model, guide and companion in the student's learning journey.

2.  Language forms a key role in discourse. Discourse has two kinds namely, Primary and Secondary. The former is discourse that happens at home and in the immediate environment of the child while the later is discourse that occurs in school and in formal instruction. Already, the difference in language acquisition exist between the two. Teachers need to recognize these two kinds of discourse to be able to design instruction that is appropriate and helpful to the child and his/her family.

3. Predicting. Questioning. Clarifying. Summarizing. These are the Fab 4 in strategic learning. These strategies can be taught in isolation or through integration. 

4. There are five principles of Direct Instruction namely, Conspicuous Strategies; Mediated Scaffolding; Strategic Integration; Primed Background Knowledge; and Judicious Review. Of the five, I am most challenged to apply Judicious Review in my teaching practice. I think I need to do more research and to try this our in my tutorial sessions.

5. Learning and re-learning takes a while. The first step is to try. The second step is to continuously do. The third step is to document. The fourth step is to reflect. Last is to take action.

Next session, we will be looking at lesson plans and how these principles can be applied.