Attack of the Edunazis!
An Appeal for Search Stategy Sanity
Reading Ann Low's Research Rules To Live By: Eight Strategies To Ensure That Students Use An On-line Database Effectively (School Libraries in Canada, 2003, Vol. 22 Issue 4, p30) was uncannily like this nightmare I keep having about Sister Mary Esther, my eighth grade teacher. There I stand being berated for doing something differently than the way I was instructed. Nevermind, you know, I discovered the secret of life or some such, but since I deviated from the prescribed path, I was stupid, deserving of a lifetime of degrading manual labor and pretty much doomed to hell.
And I quote from the aforementioned article; "I make no apologies for saying that in my case, our students are encouraged (forced!) to follow a research process, using the identified services that have been paid for by the Board and I do this by showing students that Grolier Online can provide the best results when trying to answer the big research questions that they have been given."
Wouldn't a better approach be to let the youngsters have their heads for a while, and then, then, show these eager minds how a strategy change can bring them better results. If you've ever been a child, then you know the wee ones don't like to be forced to do anything...and many of us never outgrow this mindset. But pseudo-enlightened educators continue to force these methods upon impressionable psyches with mottos like "It's for your own good, you know!" Aaargh!
Reading Ann Low's Research Rules To Live By: Eight Strategies To Ensure That Students Use An On-line Database Effectively (School Libraries in Canada, 2003, Vol. 22 Issue 4, p30) was uncannily like this nightmare I keep having about Sister Mary Esther, my eighth grade teacher. There I stand being berated for doing something differently than the way I was instructed. Nevermind, you know, I discovered the secret of life or some such, but since I deviated from the prescribed path, I was stupid, deserving of a lifetime of degrading manual labor and pretty much doomed to hell.
And I quote from the aforementioned article; "I make no apologies for saying that in my case, our students are encouraged (forced!) to follow a research process, using the identified services that have been paid for by the Board and I do this by showing students that Grolier Online can provide the best results when trying to answer the big research questions that they have been given."
Wouldn't a better approach be to let the youngsters have their heads for a while, and then, then, show these eager minds how a strategy change can bring them better results. If you've ever been a child, then you know the wee ones don't like to be forced to do anything...and many of us never outgrow this mindset. But pseudo-enlightened educators continue to force these methods upon impressionable psyches with mottos like "It's for your own good, you know!" Aaargh!
posted by Mr.Jack @ 2:41 PM
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