When we think of research, a set series of images may come to mind: checking out books at a library, conducting tailored online searches, or writing notes. All of these typical research techniques require a multitude of prior skills in order to be successful, including reading, writing, computer savvy, and knowledge of one's resources. How, then, do we introduce concepts of effective researching to the Early Childhood classroom?
For young children there are certain basic, yet essential concepts about researching we can bring to their attention without much need for direct instruction. Simply through modeling and exposure, children can begin to recognize useful resources on their own – for instance, do parents explicitly tell their children, "You can come to me if you have questions"? Instead, the child naturally understands the adult as a sort of guide. The young child has recognized a trusted resource, and turns to it when he or she has an inquiry. From there, the child may assess the feedback they've received, deciding what to do with the information. Simple though it may be, this is a form of research in itself!
As a possible introduction to more structured researching, however, I envision an outdoor activity that incorporates an electronic research tool. In the spring, we are often discussing categories of vertebrates in our science curriculum, including birds. Since the students are older and more experienced by the springtime, we are also more open to venturing out of our school building. They have also gained experience through the Montessori Sensorial curriculum that allows them to hone their senses and build observational skills. With these facts in mind, I am imagining a birdwatching walk as a way to structure a research activity. This activity establishes a question that the children can research: What bird did I just see outside?
The Merlin Bird ID app, available for iOS and Android devices, is a research tool developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that provides a simple, streamlined way to identify birds seen in the wild. A teacher who is introducing this tool might explain that Cornell is a higher learning institution, and it is the Ornithology Lab's job to study birds. This establishes the maker of this resource as a legitimate authority on the topic of birds. By answering a short series of questions, the user helps the app to generate a list of birds that are likely to have been seen. The Cornell Lab then takes data from the app's search results to add to their database of bird sightings. This could give an extra sense of purpose to the child's research, and demonstrate that their findings can be useful to others! The questions are as follows:
1. Where did you see the bird? (Bird ID can track user's current location for this question)
2. When did you see the bird?
3. What size was the bird? (User chooses one of seven options)
4. What were the main colors? (User selects up to three colors observed)
5. What was the bird doing?
These questions deal in concrete, observable information, making them manageable for a child or group of children to answer. This takes out some of the guesswork that can be involved in more advanced research, providing structure and focus that keeps the process from becoming too abstract. Once these questions have been answered, Bird ID provides a list of possible matches.
Because Bird ID provides a long list of possible results, the child must then parse out which information is relevant, determining the most accurate result. There is an ingrained lesson here: Sometimes the first result of an inquiry or search is not the right one! The researcher must use their own judgment to interpret the findings. The search results also provide further information on each bird, such as a gallery of images and recordings of a bird's call or song. This may encourage the user to dig deeper and seek more information to verify the findings. The entire process of using Bird ID to identify a bird can be seen in a brief video below:
Though the app's interface is simple, I envision this activity being guided by an adult or older student. This is due largely to the amount of reading involved, which is a skill most children aged 3-6 have not mastered yet. Some of the question could be managed by children independently, such as selecting three colors they observed. However, other questions such as "What was it doing?" may best be delivered verbally. With adult assistance, research skills can be scaffolded from a young age without added obstacles such as reading or writing.
Another potential challenge with this app is the need for online connectivity. Bird ID does not seem to work without an internet connection, which could make it difficult for some to use outside. Using the app on a device with a data connection would prevent this issue. An alternative solution would be to have the children keep notes of their observations while outside, perhaps on paper, then use Bird ID back at school, where an internet connection is more readily available.
There is also some need for prerequisite knowledge of birds for children to effectively use this app. For instance, the question, "How big is the bird?" operates under the assumption the user knows common bird groupings such as sparrows or geese. With the help of classroom work however, the children can get a strong foundation from which to approach this task. This activity could be introduced to complement an entire unit on birds, allowing the children to access prior knowledge from their classroom work to better inform their Bird ID research.
By providing this structured, simple interface with which to seek information, the children can get an informative introduction to formal research. Many implicit lessons are imparted to children through the process of using this app – There are tools out there to help answer your questions; you can identify experts on your specific question or topic; results can be parsed out and assessed for their usefulness; and, your personal research could be helpful to someone else!
For young children there are certain basic, yet essential concepts about researching we can bring to their attention without much need for direct instruction. Simply through modeling and exposure, children can begin to recognize useful resources on their own – for instance, do parents explicitly tell their children, "You can come to me if you have questions"? Instead, the child naturally understands the adult as a sort of guide. The young child has recognized a trusted resource, and turns to it when he or she has an inquiry. From there, the child may assess the feedback they've received, deciding what to do with the information. Simple though it may be, this is a form of research in itself!
As a possible introduction to more structured researching, however, I envision an outdoor activity that incorporates an electronic research tool. In the spring, we are often discussing categories of vertebrates in our science curriculum, including birds. Since the students are older and more experienced by the springtime, we are also more open to venturing out of our school building. They have also gained experience through the Montessori Sensorial curriculum that allows them to hone their senses and build observational skills. With these facts in mind, I am imagining a birdwatching walk as a way to structure a research activity. This activity establishes a question that the children can research: What bird did I just see outside?
The Merlin Bird ID app, available for iOS and Android devices, is a research tool developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that provides a simple, streamlined way to identify birds seen in the wild. A teacher who is introducing this tool might explain that Cornell is a higher learning institution, and it is the Ornithology Lab's job to study birds. This establishes the maker of this resource as a legitimate authority on the topic of birds. By answering a short series of questions, the user helps the app to generate a list of birds that are likely to have been seen. The Cornell Lab then takes data from the app's search results to add to their database of bird sightings. This could give an extra sense of purpose to the child's research, and demonstrate that their findings can be useful to others! The questions are as follows:
1. Where did you see the bird? (Bird ID can track user's current location for this question)
2. When did you see the bird?
3. What size was the bird? (User chooses one of seven options)
4. What were the main colors? (User selects up to three colors observed)
5. What was the bird doing?
These questions deal in concrete, observable information, making them manageable for a child or group of children to answer. This takes out some of the guesswork that can be involved in more advanced research, providing structure and focus that keeps the process from becoming too abstract. Once these questions have been answered, Bird ID provides a list of possible matches.
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| Sample list of results. Note: The left tab gives more detailed views. |
Though the app's interface is simple, I envision this activity being guided by an adult or older student. This is due largely to the amount of reading involved, which is a skill most children aged 3-6 have not mastered yet. Some of the question could be managed by children independently, such as selecting three colors they observed. However, other questions such as "What was it doing?" may best be delivered verbally. With adult assistance, research skills can be scaffolded from a young age without added obstacles such as reading or writing.
Another potential challenge with this app is the need for online connectivity. Bird ID does not seem to work without an internet connection, which could make it difficult for some to use outside. Using the app on a device with a data connection would prevent this issue. An alternative solution would be to have the children keep notes of their observations while outside, perhaps on paper, then use Bird ID back at school, where an internet connection is more readily available.
There is also some need for prerequisite knowledge of birds for children to effectively use this app. For instance, the question, "How big is the bird?" operates under the assumption the user knows common bird groupings such as sparrows or geese. With the help of classroom work however, the children can get a strong foundation from which to approach this task. This activity could be introduced to complement an entire unit on birds, allowing the children to access prior knowledge from their classroom work to better inform their Bird ID research.
By providing this structured, simple interface with which to seek information, the children can get an informative introduction to formal research. Many implicit lessons are imparted to children through the process of using this app – There are tools out there to help answer your questions; you can identify experts on your specific question or topic; results can be parsed out and assessed for their usefulness; and, your personal research could be helpful to someone else!
I love your blog! As a fellow Montessori teacher this is a great resource!
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