The Lighthouse Diary #71: Research Skills: Source Evaluation and OPVL (1 of 3)

In November 2024, our Grade 8 students had a library and research skills session on the OPVL. The OPVL is a strategy for evaluating sources—specifically, historical sources. Nonetheless, it can also be used to analyze the validity and reliability of information and sources we encounter everyday. Focusing on Origin and Purpose, I asked my students to evaluate information from both online and print sources. I prepared a variety— books, magazines and journals, posters and calendars, labels of kits, games and the like. And of course, social media posts. Working in pairs, they were able to come up with a review of their assigned source. They took away valuable insights on the importance of source analysis, along with the skills necessary to understand historical documents, their context, and their reason for being.

I often tell students that documents are alive. And that history is something we make every day.

A week before the Holy Week break, I met them again to discuss Value and Limitation in the OPVL framework. To identify these aspects in historical sources, it was important that we reviewed primary and secondary sources. This is actually prerequisite knowledge for source analysis and information evaluation. In a time when fake news has become inevitable for consumption, knowing the kind of source, its origin, and its intent is crucial. Applying Value and Limitation is very much connected to Origin and Purpose.

The most interesting part of our session was deep diving into the context of historical documents. They were tasked to determine the Value and Limitation of excerpts from Anne Frank’s Diary and Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech. Their written output revealed a thoughtful approach to understanding the era in which these documents were written, and how the authors’ biases influenced their perspectives. Needless to say, the relevance of a source—as well as the truth it carries—is consequential to the reader.

Teacher and School Librarian Working Together: General and Specific References and Search Tools

Our teacher and librarian collaboration effort continue this Academic Year. I met with our grade 8 students last Tuesday and gave them a session on basic references, using tools like the table of contents and the index, and skimming and scanning. Next week, we will continue to report and share "findings", "insights" and "conclusions".

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Research Season is On!

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Research Task #1: Using Encyclopedias

 

Research Skills Instruction: Citations, In-text Citations and Referencing

 

BALibrary: RSI - citations-intext_2 by ZarahG

Inquiry and Research Services: General and Special Encyclopedias (1 of 2)

 A co-teacher referred to me a student he is supervising. This is for a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) task as the student is preparing for the TOK essay. My co-teacher has given me the background of the student. A few hours later, the student sent me an email explaining the specific task to be accomplished and the questions the student must answer. Having all this information helped me prepare for my meeting with the student.

First, I analyzed the task which is to define and explain knowledge from multiple disciplines namely, Socio-anthropology, Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy. I then focused on the questions the student must unpack which are the following:

Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?

Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.

What is knowledge?

To answer these questions, the student needs to know three concepts namely, knowledge, culture and mathematics as an area of knowledge. For this purpose, I planned on showing the student two kinds of encyclopedias namely, the general encyclopedia and the special encyclopedia. The former provides basic information on topics and different kinds of knowledge while the later, as the name suggest, has a specialized treatment in content as concentrates on the subject or disicpline.

We have a subscription to World Book Online so this will be used as a general reference.  For the special encyclopedia, I opted for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology.

Before diving into the design and contents of the online encyclopedia, I will provide an orientation on the different ways of using each kind to address an information need or answer questions for a task.

 

Teaching and Learning Research Skills: Philo Book Bingo Activity

One of the library services I am always excited to work on every academic year is the preparation and the design of Pathfinders and/or a virtual classroom library for specific subject areas. Even before the lockdown, library work for me consisted of working closely with subject teachers to support them with resources essential in extending learning and deepening the appreciation of curiosity, opening opportunities for skills building along the way.

Having met our Philosophy teacher at the onset of the school year, I designed a reading bingo card for her class. I was overwhelmed by the coverage of the content. My co-teacher's openness to show me her unit plan and learning goals set me on the path to focus and funnel the skills and topics into a bingo card that can be played during asynchronous sessions. 

I thought about combining the concept of a Pathfinder and incorporating basic research skills into the Philo Book Bingo card. 

As you can see, the bingo card has a link to World Book Online and the library's OPAC. I also included access to the EBSCO ebook high school collection and the Philosophy Resource Center of World Book Online. 

I selected links to podcasts, picked a video on Crash Course, included reading into writing activities and incorporated doodling and drawings as ways to study and remember concepts learned in online class. I had fun making this!

As of writing, I have yet to hear from my co-teacher of the plans and instructions she set up for class. Definitely, I wish to hear feedback from her soon!

Back to School! Back to CANVA!

 

Teacher and Librarian Collaboration: Access to References and a Webquest

Today's happy news is all about the library selecting and acquiring an online encyclopedia by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and getting a subscription to the Philippine Studies. By providing access to the source to faculty so that they can share the resource to their students, the Visual Arts teacher created a mini-webquest for his students.

A webquest is an activity that teachers and librarians can use to instruct and facilitate the learning of research skills, specifically the use of online sources, unpacking a question to its basic idea/s and identifying keywords to use when searching for sources online. It is also a kind of assessment to gauge the students' understanding of concepts. This activity can be done asynchronously. The teacher can further use students' discoveries from the webquest as an entry pass to the next online session or a point of discussion connecting it to a new concept. The entire exercise becomes an experience of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

Teachers and librarians can work together to design a webquest. This way, the learning objectives are deliberately met and the assessment of skills are identified right after. Feedback is essential which can be done asynchronously as well. If you are subscribed to World Book Online, you will find out that there are ready made webquests in the Educators' Page. More on this in future posts!

In Support of Academic Writing: Revising and Editing

We continue to support our junior high students in their research journey. Recently, I posted in the Google Classroom supplementary materials on revising and editing sentences. This is in part of the Masterclass sessions they get on Academic Writing. I am sharing the materials I sent to students.

What made an impression on you from the Masterclass on Academic Register? Speaking for myself, I am still thinking about the way I write sentences and the hard work that comes with revising them afterwards. As a blogger, author of children's books and researcher, I am continuously challenged to make my writing cohesive and clear. Keeping in mind that I have to communicate my ideas as organized as possible. This is a lot of work.

When I revise and edit my work, I still refer to references and resources (yes, being a librarian has its advantages). I ask a friend to read my work and welcome feedback. This helps a lot! When I go back to my work to make improvements, I am once again reminded that the responsibility of communicating ideas clearly in writing falls on my shoulders.

Riding on the belief that you have companions in the EE/SP journey, I am sharing with you this handout on Improving Sentence Fluency (ThoughtfulLearning, 2021).

The handout is only three pages long. It has a brief but substantial explanation on sentence lengths. It shows examples on how short, medium and long sentences come together in one paragraph. Take note of the choppy vs. smooth sentence samples. Ah, the big difference a well written sentence can make! I encourage you to do the drills and activities. I was able to use editing skills from this part of the handout. Lastly, the tips and reminders in writing smooth and fluent sentences are skills you can apply when writing across subjects.

So give this handout a try! Don't you think it supports and enriches ideas, concepts and strategies we are all learning from the Masterclass?

Your reading and research companion,

Ms. Zarah :-)

The Lighthouse Diary Entry #28: The Research Skill Tree

This week at the Academy, we learned about the Skill Tree. A Skill Tree is a series of skills that programmers use to create games. Needless to say, we are learning how to incorporate gamification in teaching and instruction. Here is what I made for the library's instructional program for research skills.

There are two sets of Skill Trees. The first one is for the student who wants to learn about research and acquire skills in general. The second tree is made for the Grade 11 who is about to begin the Extended Essay. I used Joseph Campbell's Heroic Journey as basis for the two Skill Trees.

Skill Tree 1 begins with knowing the results of research skills assessment that students take at the beginning of the academic year. Through The Pioneer, I help them identify their goal and objectives using the assessment results. From there, students are offered to choose any of the three Cornerstones of Research Skills. Each cornerstone contains activities on research skills building. Since I am adapting principles in gamification, I plan to include tokens and badges, earning talismans and knowing different characters that will help them achieve a heart. Blue for Strength. Green for Courage. Gray for Hope.

Skill Tree 2 begins with a conversation at The Pioneer, where students will read about research. They will schedule a meeting with me. We will talk about topics that the student are interested in exploring. Using the KWL chart or the Inquiry Chart, students begin their research. In this phase of the research, students find out what gaps exist in their topics or subjects of inquiry recording and documenting their findings along the way. Teachers and the Teacher Librarian come in to lend clarity or direction to their inquiry through scheduled meetings. At the end, the Inquiry Chart has been accomplished and the student can make a decision or discover of the subject/topic of research is worth pursuing.

In essence, the Skill Tree helps me in improving the library's instructional program particularly on research skills. My next task is to put together the materials and content. Then, I will revise The Pioneer since it is the platform for the Skill Trees. 

Research and Information Literacy eModules

During the Foundation Days in the Academy, I was tasked to provide and give a session to introduce the library to new students and to touch base with returning students. In the past, an assessment is always in the roster of activities. Either I make use of a question and answer survey type of tool or facilitate a skills session on Information Literacy, it is my goal to know and understand the skills level of students. 

This year, I adopted TRAILS as assessment tool. Here is a glimpse of the introduction to the report I am writing for submission to the Academic Team. 

Research plays an important role in the completion of the DP Core namely, the Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay and the Creativity Action and Service (CAS). It is in Year 1 of the DP where Internal Assessments (IA) in the subject areas are introduced to students and culminates in Year 2 into a full well written piece of investigation or paper of inquiry. This means, a great amount of creative and critical thinking is expected of the DP student. The Beacon Academy (BA) Library, being an academic department that supports research and the development of creative and critical thinking skills of Griffins, conducted an assessment to gauge DP students’ research skills.  

Using TRAILS, Tools for Real Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills by the Kent State University(KSU), the BA Library adapted and adopted TRAILS into its context to identify and determine strong areas and areas for improvement of DP students’ research and information literacy skills. TRAILS have six areas or skills for assessment which are: (1) narrowing and broadening topics of research,  (2) selecting and locating appropriate sources of information, (3) evaluating sources, (4) identifying and following research steps, methods and processes, and (5) documentation, referencing and citing of sources.   

The results of this assessment can provide the Teacher Librarian valuable information in crafting Reference and Research services that meet the needs of the DP students and create Information Literacy modules as well as a research skills instruction program that builds and enhances skills for development. It may validate observations and insights on the teaching and learning processes of research in the Academy which may lead to revisions and changes in the way this is delivered in formal and non-formal means of instruction. It is recommended that teachers and the Teacher Librarian work together in the implementation of the programs as guided by criteria and standards set by the IB and the Department of Education.

What follows next are specific results of the assessment. In actual practice, two students have reserved library consultations with me this week to walk them through the results of their TRAILS. I am excited to work with them because students always bring new insights and learning experiences. I learn from them and they make my practice of school librarianship authentic.

MIL Lesson: OPVL (1 of 2)

OPVL is a techniques used for the evaluation of sources in the humanities. It is an acronym that stands for Origin, Purpose, Value and Limitations. The IB has published guides on its use and many teachers and librarians have created handouts and worksheets.

Last year, our Personal Project Coordinator requested for a session on the use of resources and its evaluation. Since our grade 10s already know the use of OPVL, I thought of using Visible Thinking to assist them in reflecting through their selected sources. Below is the presentation slides I used in my session with them.

Parts of A Book: the Appendix

What is an Appendix?

The appendix is a part of the book that provides the reader additional and supplementary information about topics discussed in its contents. Most often, it is the non-fiction books that have an appendix.Graphs, tables, charts, maps, survey questions, diagrams and photos are information found in the appendix.This information helps the reader make connections and develop a deeper understanding of the topics in the book.

In a research paper or academic report, the appendix also functions as a referencing system. The reader of the paper can turn to the appendix to validate claims and discussions presented by the writer. Data and information found in the appendix reflects the careful research and investigation that the writer went through. It is evidence of the writer’s commitment, courtesy and integrity towards scholarly writing.

The format of the appendix and the entries of data and information may vary depending on the citation style that the writer, publisher or academic institution is using. Nonetheless, below is an example of a diagram in the appendix and as mentioned in the text . Most appendices follow this convention.

From the body of the text:

3.1 Models of Blended Learning

There are many models of Blended Learning. Practitioners of this learning approach have experimented on varied technology and face to face interaction using different teaching techniques and strategies over the years. The full diagram on the models of Blended Learning is in Appendix C. This chapter will focus on three models of Blended Learning namely, Project Base, Virtual Learning Platforms and Peer to Peer Instruction.

From the Appendix:

Appendix C: Models of Blended Learning

When to include an appendix in your book or research paper?

• When the information identified inspire exploration and further reading; 
• When the information backs up the claim or thesis statement;
• When the information supplements the reader’s understanding of concepts and topics;
• When the information’s bibliographic data does not fit the format of a footnote.

Recommended sources for citing, making and writing an Appendix

The Appendix and How to Cite it

Research Guide: The Why and How of an Appendix

When is an appendix necessary?

Definition of Appendix in a Book or Written Report

How to write and appendix

Prepared by:

Zarah Gagatiga,

Teacher Librarian 

The Beacon Academy

PASLI Seminar on Research Skills Competencies

The seminar-workshop aims to: 

1) understand the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR) in research; 

2) enhance the competencies of librarians in doing scholarly research that are responsive to the 4th IR library users; 

3) help improve services, resources and demonstrate library impact on student success through evidence based practice and research productivity; 

4) produce research outputs that can be shared in the next DLSP Libraries Research Conference.

Scavenger Hunt 2019 (1 of 2)

The Beacon Academy Library Treasure Hunt 2019

 

Grade 9 - Group # ______

Members:______________________________

 

Answer the questions as quickly as you can. Your answers need to be accurate and correct.

 

Task #1.  Use PageMaster V5, the BA Library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and conduct a search using Philippines and Folktales as keywords.  Choose a book from the search results. Locate the book on the shelf. Write the bibliographic data of the book.

 

Author:

Title:

Publisher:

Place of Publication:

Publication year or Copyright:

 

Task #2.  Go to the OPAC.  Find a book written by Dianne de Las Casas. Write a short description of the book (3-5 sentences long).

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Task #3.  What is the Dewey Decimal number of the book The Legends:Philippine Folk Literature?

 

DDC #: 

 

Task #4.  Answer the question: How can basic Boolean Searchstrategy help you in locating information and sources online?

 

Tasks  #5. Log in EBSCOHost. Go to EXPLORA. Search for mythology. Skim the article. From what encyclopedia was the article sourced out? 

 

Task # 6.  Log in World Book Online and go to World Book Student. Search for legends. Answer this question: What makes a legend different from a myth? Cite your source.

 

*You may write your answer at the back of this paper.

 

Tasks #7. Using the BA Library OPAC, search for the bibliographic data of The Power of Myth. Write a citation in APA and MLA formats. Use the back of the paper to write your citations.