Internet research

Teachers have the responsibility of giving students the skills they will need to thrive in the world after graduation. Historically, these skills revolved around reading, writing, and arithmetic. Organizations like The Partnership for 21st Century skills are urging educators to meld those important core competencies with the essential 4 C’s (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation).

“Basic research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I am doing”
– Wernher von Braun

Recently, we received a request to cover research skills in the classroom. While many lessons offer a research component, there appear to be very few K-12 schools requiring research skills as a core competency. In the 21st century, shouldn’t we require students to be fluent in research methods upon graduation, instead of waiting until college where many students have to scramble to learn these skills (or not) on the fly? Feel free to discuss on our Facebook and Twitter pages. In the meantime, here are some resources for the classroom.

Internet Research Assistant