The Student as the Researcher

 

Before reading the chapter, I thought of many possible difficulties and benefits when implementing the role of a student researcher in the classroom. Difficulties included the lack of motivation students would have to even be a student researcher, the possibility of them providing misinformation, Students get frustrated when they're unable to find the answer for their peers or themselves, or, one of my biggest concerns would be my inability to teach them how to do effective researching online. Yes, I would say I'm comfortable using technology, but like the chapter said, I do not believe I am 100% knowledgeable about how to conduct research and efficiently use the internet to answer my own questions or to know what questions to even ask to find my answer. However, I am learning and have been learning through my educational experiences. I wonder how different it would have been to write all those research papers if I were taught how to research and use internet resources. After reading the chapter, I think having the role of the student researcher in the classroom has many benefits. A student researcher is able to contribute to the classroom, which will encourage them to provide better answers and pay attention to the information they're providing. They are able to learn about new resources and expand their research skills. Having a student researcher will encourage students to be curious and look for information that maybe even the teacher is unable to provide the answer to. I as the teacher will benefit as well because I will not always know the answer, and some questions are too good not to know the answer to. Having a student researcher will allow me to have them search for the answer, provide us with the information, and I will be able to move on with the lesson.

An assessment that is done through the use of technology would look different from that of a memorization assessment. The assessment item would most likely be a prompt question that gave some information but required the student to expand on the topic through research. Students will learn more when they are required to seek the answer instead of being told and forgotten. An example of a prompt I would use would be, "Butterflies begin their life cycle as a caterpillar and become a butterfly through metamorphosis. Research the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Give detailed information about the different stages." This gives the student some information including, there are stages, butterflies start as caterpillars and something about metamorphosis. although it doesn't provide them with much information, this type of prompt set them up to ask their own questions and seek information.