Finding Focus

What I did:

When I looked at my list of questions, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. In fact, I just wanted to get on with researching since I had guiding questions. The wondering phase seemed to be getting a little bit tedious. But, I remembered at the beginning that I jumped right in and starting researching, and I realized how unorganized it became really quickly. So I decided to keep plugging away! Since the list was working for me, and a very fluid structure, where I could cut and paste however I wanted. I started with the question “what is good nutrition?” to serve as a general definition seeking question. I looked at the other questions to determine if some would fit under this category. I found a lot. I classified this as an essential question and placed the more specific questions that fell within that category with it. I still had several questions left. When I read them, I realized that they all had to do with weight management. I turned this into an essential question and classified the questions that fell under this category, which ended up being all of them. With only two essential questions, I had my small chunks to work with to narrow my topic. However, I wanted to learn the big picture, so I broadened these two questions to make one overarching question to serve as my thesis. Click on this link to look at my thesis, two essential ideas, and supporting questions (http://portfolio.iu.edu/kaabaker/questions.doc).

I think it is important to develop a thesis or one summative essential question. It provides an overall view to guide research. The REACTS model, developed by Stripling and Pitts, includes the development of a thesis or statement of purpose. However, it occurs before the formulation of questions, not afterwards, like the way I did it. I think forming a thesis after all of the questions have been formulated worked well becuase it forced me to think about the whole picture, not just the small chunks in the form of questions.

I was originally frustrated because it was hard to get started, but when everything pulled together, I started to feel excited because I could see where my project was going…I had a focus! I also felt productive because I accomplished something that will get me somewhere. I was really motivated to get on with my research…I wanted to jump right in and start, so I had to hold myself back and work with the procedure. (This is the third time now that I have been tempted to get researching without finishing the “presearch”)

What I learned:

The meshing of steps:
Without thinking about it, the “Connecting to Prior Knowledge,” “Finding Focus,” and “Narrowing Topic,” all came together as one step. Through subconscious prior knowledge, my questions were organized under broader topics. Without my prior knowledge, I might have never classified portion size under healthy eating, and I might not have even known what the food pyramid was. Further, while finding focus, I also narrowed my topic at the same time by breaking down my questions into two distinct sections. Pathways to Knowledge, developed by Pappas and Tepe, call this "mesh" Exploring Relationships. Students define questions, cluster, outline, listing, webbing, or narrowing/broadening.
Question structure aids finding focus:
I found one of my two essential questions within my existing questions. If I left it in web form, it would have been hard for me to notice this because it was connected to nutrition at the same level as all the others. Having my questions in a list disconnected them a bit and let me move them around by cutting and pasting while grouping them together under larger ideas.
The tendency to quickly jump into researching still exists:
I just wanted to get on with it. This presearch seemed tedious. However, I see so much value in following the wondering procedure as I did. I am much more focused. But, it took much restraint from following my innate tendency to research first and then find focus. It occurred to me that I was probably taught this way as a kid.

What I can apply to my teaching:
· It will want to try joining “connecting prior knowledge,” “finding focus,” and narrowing topic,” to exploring relationships. While finding focus, students will be eliciting prior knowledge while narrowing their topic down into smaller chunks of questions grouped by a broader issue. Students will then be asked to come up with one essential question or thesis that will summarize their overall project.
· In whatever way students decided to organize their brainstormed questions, I will have to provide individual scaffolds for them to be successful at finding focus. I will want to help them develop skills in determining if their organization will be fluid enough to reorganize questions, and if it isn’t, what are better ways to organize their questions to draw out their essential and overarching questions.
· At this stage of a project, there will have to be a procedure for students to follow so that they don’t just jump into researching. I did not understand its value until I actually completed the whole wondering stage. Students will be the same way. At first, they will have to be forced to complete some of these steps for them to understand why it is important. With more experience, students will hopefully be more independent in choosing to participate in this important stage of the inquiry process.