Research Colloquium Series 1 On Research Questions, Thesis Statements and Selection of Sources

 The BA Library: Research Colloquium Series 1                           October 25, 2021 Monday 2PM

Where Mrs. Gagatiga speaks about the current research that she is working on, how she’s struggling with finding sources and connecting information relevant to answer the research question.

Objectives and Presentation Plan

1.      As a researcher, my aim is to share my research process particularly in selecting sources that will help me answer my RQ and analyze my thesis statement.

2.     My RQ: How did the roles and responsibilities of school librarians changed, affected and effected their professional practice during the pandemic?

3.     My Thesis Statement: The pandemic brought changes in the roles and responsibilities expected of school librarians thus, as valued partners in the teaching and learning experience, collaborative strategies and methods need to be in place for the learning during COVID to continue.

4.     Given the RQ and TS, Mrs. Gagatiga will present the key terms and concepts that will necessitate explanation, analysis and investigation.

5.     From these concepts and terminologies, she will identify resources and sources of information to develop the paper.

6.     She will then proceed to the timeline of her paper and presentation

What is a colloquium?

A colloquy is a conversation, and especially an important, high-level discussion. Colloquy and colloquium once meant the same thing, though today colloquium always refers to a conference. Because of its old "conversation" meaning, however, a colloquium is a type of conference with important question-and-answer periods.

What do we know about research in the context of the EE?

Perspective A: EE Guide by the IB

Perspective B: Subject specific requirements

Perspective C: Research in Action: what is happening out there? 😊

Mrs. Gagatiga’s paper: School Librarians Responding to Changes During the Pandemic

1.      Brief history of the paper/research

2.     Present the methodology done from the April webinar 2021

3.     Present the existing status of the paper

a.      RQ, Thesis Statement

b.     Key concepts and terms – present a concept map when possible

c.      Show resources and sources of information – working bibliography with annotations

d.     Present the timetable

Prepared by: Zarah G 😊

The Lighthouse Diary Entry #26: Cornerstones of Research

I am part of the team assigned for the supervision and mentoring of juniors who will begin the Extended Essay and Senior Project (EE/SP) this year. Much thought was spent on the planning of the kick-off and presentation to students since we are all experiencing the difficulties and challenges of learning during the pandemic. As a school who believes in Conceptual Learning and Constructivism, we take into consideration the contexts, experiences, interests and attitude of our learners. As teachers and educators, we are learners too. That is why, when we set out the launching of this years EE/SP journey, there is a spark of hope and a clearer vision on what we need to accomplish by February 2022. It is important that students complete the EE or the SP with joy and a sense of self worth. 

To prepare for this goal, my part is to lay the foundations for inquiry based on the Research Cycle (RC) as guide in the journey. The RC is also a technique to chunk a big writing project such as the EE/SP into its relevant parts. There are three important things happening during the inquiry phase which are, selecting a topic of interest - one that the student is really passionate about; activating prior knowledge which would entail brainstorming leading to the formulation of questions; and doing initial research or primary readings. In the end, a student shall be poised to craft a research questions as well as a plan to undergo his or her investigation.

Within this phase of inquiry, the library can lend valuable support and teaching sessions for individual students, small groups or big group sizes. Having set up a Research Skills Center on Google Site last year, I now have a platform for asynchronous activities and a space where students can choose a research skill to learn, to review or to strengthen. This was introduced to students like a menu they can choose from. 

Another strategy we used for thinking through the inquiry phase is the KWL Chart. This is more of a warm up session. The real thinking begins when the Inquiry Chart is introduced midway of the inquiry phase. The Inquiry Chart is an expanded KWL Chart where initial research and primary readings are recorded alongside the building of a working bibliography. It is a lot to take for a junior facing his or her first academic paper. It is for this reason that a team of mentors, guides and teachers are part of their journey.

The 2015 IASL Conference: The School Library Rocks

The International Association of School Libraries 2015 Conference is on June 28, 2015 - July 2, 2015 in Maastritch, The Netherlands. There's a pre-conference that focus on instructional design of Information Literacy programs in the school library level. This is a session I wish I could attend, at least, if not the entire conference. I learned of a virtual participation to the conference from IASL people. So, there's an option for the likes of me who wish to attend but can't for some reason.

I will definitely post that info here in the blog and on my social media sites too.

Checking the conference program on the website, I found a lot of amazing and interesting research papers on school librarianship, program implementation, management and leadership issues. There are also plenty of professional papers on library instruction and information literacy.

And what delights me is the knowledge of a lone Filipino Librarian in the roster of presenters! Visit the IASL 2015 Conference website.