Curriculum Connection

Curriculum Connection

This project can be used by elementary school students as well as high school students.  Since eco-friendly issues are very popular in the media right now.  The students are probably somewhat already familiar with some issues and/or subjects pertaining to the environment and its preservation.  In order to form a real life connection to the questions asked in this project, the students will need to investigate them more in depth so that they will form a lasting impression on them for their future decisions.

Standards for the 21^st-Century Learner in Action from American Association of School Libraries used for both age groups.

Standards 1: 

Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge

Standards 2:

Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations and create new knowledge

Elementary School Students

5.1.1 Recognize and describe that results of similar scientific investigations may turn out differently because of inconsistencies in methods, materials, and observations.

5.2.6 Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a procedure.

6.2.3 Select tools, such as cameras and tape recorders, for capturing information.

6.2.8 Analyze and interpret a given set of findings, demonstrating that there may be more than one good way to do so.

1.  The students could do a science fair project using the ingredients and materials I presented in my presentation.  They could use the scientific method and conduct experiments.  They could take pictures of whatever they were trying to clean and then after pictures.  Their findings and pictures of the process could be presented at the fair.

2.  They can use the recipes in my project and working in groups, conduct experiments in the classroom and then present their findings to the class.

3.  Use this project in a unit on ‘Going Green’.

4.  The students can research a conservationist such as Henry David Thoreau or John Muir and present their findings in any format they chose.

High School Students

C.1.2 Determine the properties and quantities of matter such as mass, volume, temperature, density, melting pot, boiling point, conductivity, solubility, color, numbers of moles, and pH (calculate pH from the hydrogen-ion concentration) and designate these properties as either extensive or intensive.

1.  Chemistry Class- the students will compare the effectiveness of environmentally friendly cleaning products to commercial cleaning products using qualitative and quantitative analysis.  The questions asked:  1. How do cleaners break up and ‘clean’ oil, grease and scum? 2. What is the pH scale? 3.  Where do Vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda fall on the pH scale? 4.  Why isn’t water alone an effective cleaning agent? 5.  What are the health effects of exposure to commercial chemical cleaners? 6.  What are the environmental effects of using commercial chemical cleaners? 7. What are the volatile organic compounds? 8.  Are most cleaner’s acids or bases? 9. What is the difference between a qualitative observation and a quantitative observation? 10.  What variables might there be in your experiment? 

2. After a unit on “Go Green” which includes this project, have the high school students volunteer to speak at functions discussing the benefits of using environmentally friendly cleaners and the dangers of commercial cleaners.

3.  Have the students in groups of four explore more deeply one question presented in the Power Point presentation and discuss their findings with the class.

4.  Create a school wide project based on at least one question I asked in my project.

Personal Connection

Personal Connection

Well, I didn’t know until I took this class that I even possessed a personal approach to inquiry.   In reflection, I feel that my inquiry process is similar to Dr. Lamb’s 8W’s as well as the feelings step of each phase of Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process model.

I don’t remember ever being able to just pick a topic I was interested in within the academia setting.  I have always been either assigned a topic or had to pick out a topic from a narrow field of options.  In either case, it was never a topic I would be vested in to the point of it having a long term impact on myself or my family.

Thus I never had time to participate in the “Watching” phase and neither reflect deeply and/or brainstorm about a topic such as the one I chose.  I also missed out on feelings associated with this step (Initiation) in Kuhlthau’s  Information Search Process of apprehension and uncertainty. 

In the second phase, referred to as “Wondering”, I had no problem coming up with questions but at the same time, I did experience Kuhlthau’s feelings of confusion and anxiety as in the Selection step because I didn’t know which questions to focus on.  Then I had a mixture of emotions for the “Webbing” phase, “Wiggling” and “Weaving” phases because I felt I had essentially combined all of these steps into just one by gathering information and then using Sticky Notes to take notes on throughout the process as well as simultaneously evaluating the sources I found.   Throughout the process, I continuously organized and analyzed the information I gathered in my Sticky Notes.  In addition, I did a thorough, detailed and final organization of the information by moving relevant information into four separate Word documents focusing on my four questions when I had completed my gathering phase for good in the process.

In Dr. Lamb’s “Wrapping” phase, I created my Power point presentation.  Other times, in my educational endeavors, I have usually just written either an APA or a MLA paper as the final product. 

Now moving on to the “Waving” stage which required me to share my presentation with my peers and possibly other people.  Well, I am getting used to this aspect of sharing among my peers as opposed to just showing it to my professor.  Since I have been in this program, I have been required to share at times my assignments but this is the first time, I have shared an in depth deeply reflective inquiry based project. 

Lastly, the “Wishing” phase I need to address. I smiled to myself when I first read the description for this step because I keep a daily journal, I know I have mentioned my thoughts and concerns about whatever assignment I am working on at the moment in there.  Of course, I have never had to formally write an evaluation of my inquiry process and product before this assignment but I am glad that I did.  First, it makes sense to acknowledge your ‘wish’ list of regrets and triumphs as it relates to your assignment.  You can think about this phase in your head but it doesn’t become real until you see it in black and white.  I have learned from writing my thoughts down for years that you learn more from the experience (whatever that may be) when you reflect and record your thoughts.  I know that I have certainly have learned a lot.  I know that I go through different steps in my journey within the inquiry process and I can now identify and recognize these steps.  I recognize the feelings I am feeling at each phase and I know they are normal and just part of the search process I am going through at the moment.  In addition, I am able to pass on my knowledge to students so they will successfully learn the process of inquiry as well. 

Technology Requirements

Technology Requirements

1.  Concept Map-  I created a concept map through bubbl.org and I put the link in my blog during my Wondering phase.

2.  Pathfinder, Social Bookmarks or Bibliography.  I   bookmarked Delicious  which can be accessed at  http://delicious.com/lisam49

3.  Productivity Tool.  I used Microsoft Power Point for my final product.

4.  Note taking Tool.  I used the Sticky Notes from Microsoft .

Wishing

Wishing

Overall, the inquiry experience went well for me even though I couldn’t narrow down my questioning for my topic (Webbing) and I truly felt this journey was intense (Weaving).

Well, strength of this project was that I was able to find a lot of quality information that answered my four questions on my topic.  Also a second strength is that I can reuse these great resources again.

In regards to the Power Point presentation, I felt the strengths of my product were the content and graphics in the form of ClipArt.  In reflection, if I had more time I would have created a Pathfinder addressing the four questions of my topic and possibly even adding some more questions and thus going back to the ‘Webbing’ phase.

The weakness of the process is that I couldn’t get a response from an expert or a forum on answering some of my questions from my topic.  For instance, I wanted to know why someone would want to use environmentally friendly cleaning products.  The benefits of using vinegar.  Also what ingredients worked best by itself or in combination for cleaning specific areas in the house?  I don’t think the omission of this information necessarily hurt my product because I had reliable sources but it would have offered an authentic perspective to my audience.  In addition, I would have learned additional information about my topic for my own purpose.

If I had more time I would have sent out a survey at the start of the project so the participates would have had ample time to respond to me. 

The start of my personal inquiry journey is similar to students of all ages because we are all trying to locate information about something that we want to know more about.  In our quest to find the answer to our question and/or solution to our problem, we would ideally use an inquiry-based model. 

I realize as I was going through the inquiry process for this project, I used Dr. Lamb’s 8 w’s model as well as Dr. Carol Kuhlthau’s  Information Search Process model (the feeling stages) in my research endeavors.  I have acquired this naturally or rather automatic response to completing research based assignments over many years.

My personal inquiry experience is unlike students and young adults I will encounter in my profession as a library media specialist because they are still learning which model and/or combination of different inquiry based models work successfully for them in their goal to solve a problem and/or answer a question.   On the emotional level, I felt the wide range of feelings that Carol Kuhlthau attached to her phases in her Information Search Process model.  Since students of all ages are less experienced and less sure of themselves, I know there emotions will be more pronounced and intense for them.  Therefore, I will need to constantly give them guidance and encouragement from one step of the process to the next.  My ultimate goal would be to help them understand the inquiry process by teaching them the different models (and the feelings associated with the model if it is applicable) so they will eventually move effortlessly from one phase to the next as I do in my personal inquiry journey.

Waving

Waving

I will be communicating my ideas through my Power Point presentation.  I will share it with my classmates, Professor Dr. Lamb, family and some of my friends who might be interested in the topic.

I will definitely show my husband and eldest son the Power Point presentation because I want to make the switch from commercial cleaners to environmentally friendly cleaners and I feel this presentation presents an in depth look at the reasons why we should switch.

I am looking for some feedback from people because there might be additional information I overlooked and/or possibly a typo I made in the data that I need to correct. 

After  successfully figuring out  how to use the filemanager in Oncourse to put my Power point presentation in for others to view it, I feel pretty good about the final product. 

It is at http://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/limuelle/Inquiry%20Project.pptx

Once again, theory wise in Dr. Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process model there is no step that is comparable to Dr. Lamb’s Waving step.  Thus I had to look to other models again.  Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 in there “Synthesis” step has presenting information.  Also Pathways to Knowledge model by Pappas and Tepe has the “Communication “  step which involves sharing the new knowledge

Wrapping

Wrapping

The information I gathered on the four questions focusing on my topic of using environmentally friendly products in my home can be used in at least a couple of ways.  First, it can be used to educate consumers on the dangers of mass-produced cleaners and the options available to them to use.  Secondly, the recipes included can be used by consumers as well.

I am going to use the four separate Word documents for each question on my topic,  I created from my Sticky Notes as a basis for my Power Point presentation.  I divided my Power Point presentation into four different sections based on the following four questions:  The first question: History of the Environmental movement; the second question: Why I should use environmental friendly cleaners; the third question: Why are mass produced cleaners bad? and the fourth question: What materials do  I need to make my own environmentally friendly cleaning products?  In addition, I included a reference page and “Some recipes to get started” section that was an extension of my question on what products I needed to have to make my own environmentally friendly cleaners.

In these slides, I conveyed my ideas in written form.  If I ran out of space, I would include additional information in the ‘notes’ section of the slide.  I used visuals in the form of ClipArt to distinguish the sections from one another so the viewer could remember and easily reference back to each distinct section in the Power Point presentation.

It is important to me because I want to completely eliminate mass-produced cleaners and start to use environmentally friendly cleaners for the sake of the environmental as well as my family’s health.  

The people interested in the information would be my husband and myself, parents of children of all ages, people who have compromising immune systems due to diseases such as Cancer, Lupus; people who are starting a family and are looking for alternative ways to clean in the house.  Also people who want to make a change in their life by going “green”.  Lastly, people who want to know some more information about using environmental friendly products in their household. 

Since Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process doesn’t have a step that is remotely similar to Wrapping, I looked at another model.  The other model was Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 and this model has a step, Synthesis that “5.1 Organize information, 5.2 Present information.” (Callison & Preddy, p. 44). 

Reference

  Callison, D & Preddy, L. (2006).  The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy.  Westport:  Libraries Unlimited.

Weaving Phase

In this stage, I am ‘weaving’ my project together.  This has been a really intense journey for me thus far.  I feel that I need to analyze every step I make in this inquiry process project.  It can be draining to reflect so intensely on a subject.  Well, I am tired and experiencing self-imposed stress yet I am focused in the ‘weaving’ portion of this process.  Then as I continue to analyze and evaluate the information that is presented before me, I finally began to formulate plans in my head and on my sticky notes to finish this project.

            In the wondering phase and to this point, the weaving phase; I have been asking questions about environmentally friendly cleaning products.   In the wondering phase in my bubbl.org concept map, I had a great deal of questions ranging from the cost of environmentally friendly cleaners to the history of the movement.  However, once I moved on to the next phase, webbing, I realized I had too many questions and not enough time to explore them all so I just focused on four key areas of my topic.  Thus I have continuously weaved my way through important concepts on my topic of using environmentally friendly cleaning products.

            When I was exploring ways to organize my information further in this phase; I looked into transformation scaffolding but I could not find one that I could utilize successfully for my project.  I believe that a student might need direction for this segment of the inquiry to enable him/her to select the best way to organize and synthesize their project.

            In the webbing phase, I organized my information in clusters using sticky notes on my computer screen.  Next, I am synthesizing and analyzing information in this weaving phase.  Once here, I used my Sticky notes as my guide.  My notes were informal and meant to be a ‘work in progress’ so that I could change them as needed as well as refer back to them.  The content of the sticky notes was in direct relation to the four major questions of my inquiry.  These four areas addressed the history of the movement, why I should use environmentally friendly cleaners, why commercially produced cleaners were bad and what materials were  needed to make my own environmentally friendly cleaners. The best way for me to organize the information I gathered was to cut and paste my sticky notes into a word document.   I put notes for each question into a separate work document.  As I went through my notes to enter information into each word document, I had to analyze and apply knowledge by selecting the most prevalent points that would best address the four questions I had wanted answered.  This was a tedious process for me because I could not figure out how to print the sticky notes so I could have a hard copy of them to then enter into a document.  Instead I had to go back and forth between screens once I figured out how to cut and paste the sticky notes.  Once completed, I could actually ‘see’ the project though.
I  also tried to ask an expert twice and I never did receive a response to my questions.  I would have liked to had included that information in my notes on each question but I was not able to get a response.

I referred back to Dr. Lamb’s “Reviewing the Results” questions as I was weaving in and out and all around my information in this stage. I have included them. I think for older students these questions would help him/her to determine if he/she has covered everything in this particular stage.

1.  Have the most important questions been addressed?

Yes, I believe so. 

2.  Have any new questions arisen?

No

3.  Is there extra or repeated information that can be eliminated?

I eliminated any extra information so the answer is no.

4.  Where are the “holes” in my understanding?

I don’t think that I have any ‘holes’ in my understanding.

5.  Are there other ways to view the information or perspectives I should be considering?

Answer:  Yes, there are other ways to view the information.  It can be viewed as an informational source for people who want to know about environmentally friendly products as well as its history.  It’s for adults and/or older students who will understand the terminology used.  It could be viewed as a biased stance against mass produced cleaning products because its stance is pro-environmentally friendly. No, I shouldn’t be considering other perspectives because I am focusing on educating my peers about this topic who are adults.

This phase in Dr. Lamb’s model is similar to Carol Kuhlthau’s “Prepare to Present or Write” step in her Information Search Process inquiry model.  This step has five components:  The first one is “Task: conclude search for information.” The second one is “Thoughts:  identify any additional information for specific gaps; also notice most of additional information is redundant and resources options are nearly exhausted.” The third one is “Feelings:  relief, satisfaction, but disappointment if some information needs are not met.  The fourth one is “Actions:  recheck sources for information overlooked in first review; confirm information and bibliographic citations; organize notes, write outline.”  The fifth one is “Strategy: return to library to make a summary research to assure all information leads have been exhausted.” (Callison & Preddy, p. 41).   All five components of these ISP processes are included in this phase as well.  In addition, I could easily identify with all three of the feelings described.  I do feel a sense of relief at knowing that I am almost finished with this project.  Also satisfaction that I was able to find some quality information that I can use as well.  In addition, I am disappointed that I was not able to get a response from the experts on my questions. 

Source

Callison, D & Preddy, L. (2006). The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.