6 Essential Research Skills: Set your students up for success!
If you have ever done a research project with a class of students, you will know that it’s not just as easy as giving students a topic (or having them choose their own) and sending them off to find information!
When I was in my early years of teaching, I planned for my Grade 4 class to do a research project on a topic of their choice - a type of ‘passion project’. I had wonderful visions in my mind of students being extremely engaged (simply because I had allowed them to choose a topic), and producing amazing final products to share with the class.
Unsurprisingly, the research project fell apart pretty quickly because I discovered that my students didn’t actually know how to research. I’d been so focused on the outcome, I’d failed to realize that preparing students for the process is the most important part! And unfortunately, I hadn’t set my students up for success at all.
There are such a wide range of skills that students need to apply when engaging in a research project from start to finish. It’s important that, as teachers, we know exactly what those skills are so we can explicitly teach these skills and scaffold the research process in a way that ultimately sets our students up for success! This early experience with my Grade 4 class lead me to design and create a set of research materials to help teachers prepare students for the research process.
So, what skills might we explicitly teach to prepare our students for research? Here I will share with you 6 skills that are worthy of consideration when planning your next research project unit.
Choosing a Topic
Choosing a topic is the most important step within the research process! If students are responsible for choosing their own topic, they will need to understand the significance of choosing one that is relevant, engaging and research-worthy. This may take some time and require thoughtful deliberation, so we need to make sure we are giving students the time, space and support this step requires.
Our teaching might focus on helping students to explore broad topics that are personally significant and how to narrow those down to an area of research that aligns with the timeframe and requirements of the overall project. We may also encourage students to consider the potential impact of their research: What important issues are they addressing? Why does their topic matter?
I would strongly recommend meeting with students 1:1 during this phase, before moving on to the next stage of the research process. This will ensure students are on the ‘right track’ and any potential challenges that may arise with a certain topic are identified as early as possible. Taking the time to help students choose quality topics will definitely pay off as the research project progresses!
Developing Research Questions
Strong research questions will pave the way for students when it comes time to begin locating information. A strong set of research questions will focus students’ research and help them to organize information in a meaningful way! What might we explicitly teach students within this phase of the research process?
The difference between open and closed questions
How to develop a question that focuses on a smaller, specific part of a broader topic
How to develop a question that is neither too broad or narrow, and isn’t based on an individual’s point of view
I have a whole resource dedicated to developing strong research questions, which is included in the bundle linked above. You can check out the individual resource here!
Accessing Sources
Although the Internet is an obvious and favored source when researching, there are a wide range of source options that we want students to consider prior to researching. We may need to support students in developing a plan for where and how to access a variety of sources, such as books, newspaper articles, maps, videos/ documentaries and interviews. We may also need to explicitly teach students…
The difference between primary and secondary sources.
How to determine if a source is trustworthy.
How to identify bias within a source.
It can be beneficial for students to gather a ‘stack’ of relevant texts prior to beginning reading and note taking. Students may choose to place these texts in an order that makes sense to them (such as starting with easier texts first to build background knowledge). Once students have completed reading these texts and note taking, a process of reviewing these notes, identifying gaps in information, and asking new questions can prompt the gathering of a new set of texts.
Using Google Search
If students are using a search engine, such as Google, it is crucial that we explicitly teach search engine navigation skills. Precious time is so often wasted simply because students don’t have the skills necessary to successfully locate the information they need.
If you’re looking for a scaffolded resource to support instruction, please check out my ‘How to Use Google Search’ resource, which is also included in the research bundle linked above!
Some topics we may consider teaching students when focusing on search engine navigation skills include:
Important terminology (e.g. What’s the difference between a search engine and a web browser? What’s a URL?)
How to navigate the Google homepage
How a search engine finds results based on what we type in the search box
How to use keywords to maximize the search results
Understanding the results page
How to identify relevant, trustworthy websites
It can be beneficial to explicitly teach and develop these skills prior to the start of the research project so students have plenty of time to practice!
Note Taking and Paraphrasing
Learning how to take notes effectively is a lifelong skill, and is arguably one of most challenging components of a research project. The mental processes required of learners when taking notes are complex. Not only do students need to be able to confidently read a range of texts (often at varying levels of complexity), but they also need to identify relevant information, filter out unimportant details, process what they are reading by actively engaging with the material (asking questions, noticing inconsistencies, making connections etc.) and then record key details in a way that is personally meaningful (i.e. not copying directly from the text). Phew! It’s no wonder many of our students struggle with this phase of the research process.
So, the question is, how can we help our students? What might we teach to increase students’ confidence and skills in this area?
There are many methods for note taking, and a quick Google search will provide a range of options, each with their own benefits. In my personal experience, the best way we can prepare students is to show them a few methods (perhaps 2 - 3), provide plenty of opportunities to practice using each method, and allow students to choose one (or a blend) that works best for them. Whichever method you choose to focus on, consider explicitly teaching students the following skills to support the note taking process:
How to read with a purpose in mind (i.e. reading to find information related to a specific research question)
How to determine if information is relevant and important
Avoiding plagiarism
How to actively engage with a text by asking questions, recording ideas, making connections and making conclusions
Reviewing notes to identify gaps and areas that require further research
If you’re looking for more resources, my ‘Note Taking and Paraphrasing’ resource includes a wide range of carefully scaffolded materials to support students in developing these crucial skills.
Organizing Notes
While this skill may seem fairly simple, it often surprises me how much support some students need when it comes to basic organizational tasks. Unless students are shown specific, concrete examples of note taking organization systems, they may not be able to manage this task independently.
Some students may prefer to use a notebook, while others may feel more comfortable using a folder that they can move notepaper in and out of more flexibly. Some students may like to use sticky notes, whereas others may prefer using notecards. Whatever system students use, it’s important that it works for them.
If you’re looking for a simple note taking organizational tool, I have a free portfolio that can you download here! This portfolio would probably work best for students who are in the beginning stages of learning how to research, and note take, effectively.
