The Progressive School Vol 02 Issue 04
The Progressive School is a quarterly magazine for school owners, leaders and principals. It will continue to address vital issues that impact the emerging challenges in the design, administration and growth of schools in all its dimension.
The Progressive School is a quarterly magazine for school owners, leaders and principals. It will continue to address vital issues that impact the emerging challenges in the design, administration and growth of schools in all its dimension.
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Students can also learn to prepare<br />
questionnaire pertaining to a topic or<br />
concept and they can be encouraged to<br />
collect information and data by visiting<br />
libraries.<br />
Research using internet<br />
Internet, these days, has become the<br />
first source of information to students<br />
and they depend on this source largely.<br />
However, they need to be informed about<br />
the right sites to visit as there is no dearth<br />
of information available on the internet.<br />
Besides, there is information which is not<br />
appropriate. While doing research on the<br />
internet, the student needs to keep in mind<br />
the following aspects:<br />
1. Usage of right terminology or<br />
keywords. This will help them to type<br />
right words in the search engines. In<br />
this regard, the teacher can guide them<br />
how to use keywords in the search<br />
engines.<br />
2. Identifying and using search<br />
engines. Children should be<br />
encouraged to use more than one<br />
search engines than sticking to just one<br />
so that they can compare and contrast<br />
information and use what is best for<br />
them.<br />
3. Assessment of reliable and<br />
unreliable sources. Giving them<br />
information that not all the sources<br />
on the internet is reliable is very<br />
important. Also, it is important to help<br />
children to decide about the reliability<br />
of a website.<br />
Integrating research with teaching<br />
learning and training educators to<br />
impart these skills in students is no<br />
doubt a challenge at the moment which<br />
most schools have recognized. Across<br />
educational boards and curriculum, the<br />
Sukhvinder Multani<br />
need for subject enrichment activities<br />
and projects has been given significance<br />
in evaluation and assessment of subject<br />
specific knowledge of students by schools.<br />
This kind of evaluation also requires<br />
students to be at their creative best in<br />
terms of initiating and completing these<br />
activities. <strong>The</strong> role of research when<br />
integrated with these activities definitely<br />
adds value and enriches the students in<br />
three ways viz knowledge acquisition,<br />
deeper level of understanding of the<br />
knowledge with a unique way of application<br />
and the output in terms of understanding<br />
each aspect of the knowledge and thereby<br />
deriving inferences.<br />
<strong>The</strong> subject enrichment activities<br />
and projects in almost all the scholastic<br />
subjects when synthesized with research<br />
will bear fruits and will also set base for<br />
students about its significance and role<br />
in higher education. Student’s familiarity<br />
with research will equip them for pursuing<br />
future research assignments at higher<br />
educational levels.<br />
Besides, students will also learn and<br />
develop skills viz. writing a proposal,<br />
information gathering, information<br />
collating and referencing, analysis of<br />
information and data, drawing inferences<br />
and categorizing sources. Research skills<br />
will also encourage students towards<br />
writing research papers, publishing<br />
papers in journals/magazines and paper<br />
presentations in conferences and seminars.<br />
Research skills also lead to development<br />
of cognitive and other skills in students<br />
such as:<br />
1. Searching skills (secondary search)<br />
2. Preparing hypothesis/arguments<br />
3. Knowledge of research methodologies<br />
and their application<br />
4. Knowledge of various data collection<br />
methods<br />
5. Ability to analyze data<br />
6. Draw inferences<br />
Ways to develop learner’s<br />
research skills<br />
<strong>The</strong> educator can take initiative and<br />
adhere to the following in order to develop<br />
learner’s research skills:<br />
1. Encourage students to frame their<br />
own research questions which must<br />
certainly link to learning outcomes.<br />
2. Discuss with children the different<br />
research frameworks across disciplines<br />
such as scientific method of research,<br />
historical method etc.<br />
3. To emphasize that research is a<br />
systematic enquiry and does not<br />
provide any personal opinions.<br />
4. Make them aware that research is<br />
relevant to diverse areas and is done<br />
by many professionals.<br />
Subject beneficiaries<br />
Research skills are applicable to almost<br />
all the subjects including languages.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, there is an urgent need to<br />
integrate research skills with school<br />
curriculum which can happen through<br />
the following:<br />
1. A change in pedagogy to inculcate<br />
research skills.<br />
2. To revisit assessment criteria for<br />
evaluating research components.<br />
3. To bring in and encourage more interdisciplinary<br />
and multi-disciplinary<br />
research.<br />
It is evident enough that when students<br />
were given better research experiences<br />
and orientation, they are better prepared<br />
for their future work. Research also<br />
enhances writing skills in students which<br />
is applicable in almost all the areas.<br />
www.progressiveschool.in<br />
JUL-AUG-SEP 2018<br />
THE PROGRESSIVE SCHOOL<br />
19
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