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Just as essay writing, projects and oral presentations are all key elements of a child’s assessments at school, so too is the research that lies behind them. In fact research is an essential ingredient of becoming a lifelong learner. So here are five (well-researched) tips to arm your child with excellent information gathering skills.
Every project, assignment and essay contains key words that identify and set the parameters of a topic, and it’s critical a child understands how and where to easily find these words.
These keywords will also set their search terms when researching on the internet or at the library. For example, in primary school a project may ask a child to select a mammal and write about its habitat, breeding cycle and diet.
Research terms then become “mammals”, this brings up a list of animals, with the child selecting wombats. Then search terms are “wombat breeding cycle”, “wombat habitat”, “wombat foods”.
Naturally as students progress through school, topics, keywords and limiting words become more complex (you can see our detailed post on essay writing and limiting words here) so the sooner they get a grasp of what information a project outline is seeking, the better.
The internet may have brought easy access to information at our immediate fingertips, but quantity doesn’t necessarily equate to quality.
It’s important children understand the difference between reliable sources like news websites and renowned resources compared to personal blogs, wiki sites and general commentary.
Meanwhile, libraries still hold an important place in the field of research and using them teaches valuable skills for looking up, finding, and accessing information.
Reading for research purposes is different to general reading, requiring the skill of scanning the text for keywords, and skimming the words for relevant content.
Skimming involves reading headlines and seeking critical information like dates and names while sorting through large amounts of text.
As children progress into high school, citing the source of their information becomes increasingly important.
Many schools will outline exactly what they require in references. But in general, referencing is noted in the footnotes of an essay or at the end, and includes the name of the publication, the authors, the date of publication and relevant page numbers.
While researching is an essential part of an assignment, project or essay, failing to correctly denote another person’s work is a critical mistake or downright cheating.
Even at a young age children should be made aware it’s not all right to copy the work of another, and it’s certainly not OK to pass it off as your own. Doing so is an act known as plagiarism, and it’s viewed particularly seriously as students enter their senior years of schooling.
Encourage your child to correctly cite references, come to their own conclusions and submit only work that is their own. Senior students should be particularly mindful that in the age of the internet, teachers and assessors have ways and means to determine whether the words they use and the conclusions they draw are their individual work.
For over 25 years Chalkwall has assisted students reach their academic goals. We believe confidence is the key to knowledge acquisition and every child deserves the best start in life. We take the time to arm your child with the skills, support and esteem they require to achieve the results they deserve. You can learn more about our services and tutoring here.
