Community History Inquiry Project

The wishing stage in the 8Ws inquiry method focuses on assessing, evaluating, and reflecting on the process and the product. One is to think about how the project went and consider possibilities for the future. This is when students express their desires for the future.

Well, I liked doing my project a lot. I loved and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about my city than I ever knew before. If I were to do this again, I would probably break it down into parts. For instance, the area of architecture was HUGE. I just began to give examples of the famous architectural landmarks. Also, another area to do alone could be founding families. In hindsight, if I had realized that there was SOOO much information that would be useful and that I would want to share, I would have picked a more specific area and researched how that particular area in history reflects the community as it is now.

I wish that I could share every bit of information with everyone…but I know I can’t for several reasons. One being that not everyone would think it’s interesting. Also, it would take FOREVER. I feel that any part of history makes up who we are, especially as a community!

Personal Connection:

This was not the first time I have done a project using an inquiry method. Although, when doing a research project, if given a choice, more often than not, I just jump right in at the webbing stage. In the future, I will most likely stick to some sort of an inquiry method. Going through the steps really is logical and makes a difference in the kinds of answers and results you find.

For Curriculum Connections refer back to my Stuck in Wonderment post.

I am now at the waving stage of the 8Ws. Waving is the stage when you communicate your findings with others through presenting, publishing, and sharing. This is also the stage where students ask for feedback from fellow students.

My audience is anyone who wants to learn about how the history of a community, in particular Columbus (Indiana, not Ohio!), reflects the history of that community. At this point in time it is mostly adults. However, since there are Indiana Academic Standards that deal with getting to know the history of the community in 3rd grade, this might also be useful to them.

Just today I learned that a 4th grade class at school is doing a service learning project involving the history of Columbus. Perhaps I could share the information I learned with them as well.

My purpose for this information is to inform people, especially those who live within my own community. I think that a lot of what the people who take part in the community act in ways that reflects the local history. I wanted to share this with others. At the beginning stages of my research, I was chatting with the music teacher who I work with. Her family happens to be one of the families that has been around since the mid-1800s. Her father is very involved in what goes on in the community and works hard to preserve the history.

Although it would have been very cool to present this information in video format, I think the PowerPoint presentation worked just as well. It had elements for those learners who learn better by reading and it also had pictures to go along with the reading for those visual learners.

Without further ado, here is my PowerPoint…

https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/eschubel/project 1.ppt

In the wrapping stage, one needs to determine what type of product would best communicate the information to others.  There are a number of things that can be done including the following:

• make a video,
• create a timeline,
• synthesize the information you collected into new words,
• develop a picture, or
• create a chart.

The first thing to consider when determining the best way to convey the gathered information is to think about the audience.  Who needs to know about this information? What’s the best format or product for the viewers?

There are endless possibilities for ways to present the information, just keep the viewer in mind.

The first step is creating a finished product is to plan it out.  It’s like writing a rough draft.  You might not want to do it in the beginning, but you soon realize that it’s a good idea.

My product is going to be a PowerPoint presentation.  I have a lot of pictures to share and other information.  I think this format makes sense because it will be like a digital scrapbook.  I would make it with Flash, but I know not all computers are equipped with the latest versions of Flash, therefore, PowerPoint will be easier for viewers to use.

Stay tuned for the product!!

As promised, part 2 of Weaving it all together will discuss the importance of citing sources and plagiarism.

Citing Sources:

It is very important that students know that any source of information they used needs to be referenced. If students are taught from an early age the importance of citing sources and how to do it, it will become second nature when they do research. There is a lot of information available that helps students learn to cite sources, for example on Teacher Tap: Citing Sources. It is also important for students to be aware of copyright issues. They need to know they need to have permission to use information that is not their own or what is acceptable to use. A good resource for this information is Teacher Tap: Copyright.

In a previous post, Oh, what a tangled “web” I weave – Pt.2, I listed some resources that I had found that were possible sources for my research. Although all of my resources were chalk full of information, I did not use all of them. The resources that I did, in fact, use were the following:

Bartholomew County Historical Society, History of Bartholomew County, Indiana: 20th Century. Columbus, Indiana: Pentzer Printing, Inc., 2003.

Columbus Area Visitors Center, Columbus, Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureau. Columbus Area Visitors Center. October 9, 2007 <http://www.columbus.in.us/>.

“Columbus, Indiana.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 29 Sep 2007, 05:33 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. October 9, 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Columbus%2C_Indiana&oldid=161064216>.

Cummins, Inc. Company Background. Cummins Engine Company. October 10, 2007. <http://www.cummins.com/cmi/content.jsp?siteId=1&langId=1033&menuId=1&overviewId=1&anchorId=1&index=0&menuIndex=0>

Iorio, Tamara Stone. Columbus Indiana in vintage postcards. Charleston: Arcadia, 2005.

Irwin Union Bank. Irwin History. Irwin Union Bank. October 10, 2007. <https://www.irwinunion.com/iub/about_us/irwin_history.jsp>.

King, John. Columbus Explored. dwell. October 9, 2007 <http://www.dwell.com/peopleplaces/profiles/3055096.html>.

Mote, Patricia M.. Images of America: Columbus. Charleston: Arcadia, 2005

Sechrest, David. Historic Columbus Indiana. October 9, 2007 <http://www.historiccolumbusindiana.org/>.

Visitors Center, (Columbus, Ind.). Columbus, Indiana, a look at architecture. Columbus, Ind.: Visitors Center, 1974.

On to the weaving stage! Weaving, according to Annette Lamb, is the stage where ideas are organized, models are created, and plans are formulated. The focus is on the application, analysis, and synthesis of information.

As suggested by Annette Lamb, weaving for some students is the most difficult stage. I didn’t think anything could be more difficult than the wiggling stage! But she makes a point when she says that it can be difficult because students are running out of time to put the project together. As kids these days say, “I hear that.” These days I am finding it harder and harder to work on homework and work full-time. I have to try to balance housework with homework also. More often than not, homework wins. But I’m still running out of time even when I work on homework for hours!

To help battle the problem of running out of time and putting together information that seems disjointed, students need strategies to follow. One strategy that is useful is to use a chart or diagram of information rather than using a notecard for different pieces of information. Personally, I think notecards can be helpful during the earlier stages of gathering information. But once you want to “weave” it all together, it helps to put it all together in one place like a chart. For instance, I have put my information on a KWL chart. I started a KWL chart in the wondering stage. It was not finished, however, because the What I Learned column still needed to be filled in…along with some more questions for the What I Want to Learn column.

Updated Community History KWL Chart

As students complete a project using the 8Ws, they go through different phases. They might start off in the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, but by the end of the researching, they are moving higher in the levels because they are synthesizing and analyzing the information they have collected.

They also go through the following steps:

• Compare: how is the information in different sources alike or different? Why? Using a compare/contrast chart might be helpful with this step. With my research I compared the information that I came across and if the information overlapped it was all very similar. I didn’t feel the need for a comparison chart in my case.
• Select: What information is useful? Eliminate extra information and keep the most powerful. Certain tools, such as graphical organizers, notetaking, brainstorming, outlining, paraphrasing, databases, timelines, etc, can be very useful with this step also. As mentioned above, I made a graphical organizer in the form of a KWL chart. I was also in the process of making a timeline but had software issues. I decided to scrap it. I used databases found on INSPIRE to search for information about Columbus, but mostly the history of the architecture.
• Organize: In this step, one has to decide what the best way to organize the data is. One must identify key ideas first and foremost and then cluster the information into categories. Once that is done, then one must determine a logical order to present the information, whether it is chronologically, alphabetically, by cause/effect, comparing and contrasting the information, identifying similarities and differences, or by classifying the information. Since I am doing my project on the history of Columbus, I believe a chronological presentation of information would work best for me.
• Analyze: During this step, the researcher must look at the information from different perspectives. Information needs to be broken down to see if and how the information is related to each other. This can be done in several ways: drawing inferences, identifying trends, interpretting data, solving problems, making decisions, and applying information. One trend that I have recognized in my data is that the majority of the information I gathered about the history takes place in downtown Columbus. There are certainly a lot of businesses and buildings in the downtown area that are hugely important to the history of Columbus.
• Synthesize: Formulate new ideas. I have formulated a few new ideas, which I listed last on my KWL chart. I believe that today’s Columbus reflects an older Columbus in a few ways. First by maintaining a lot the businesses and buildings that were around when the town was still young. Although many of the buildings might not be used for what they were originally, they are kept up-to-date and house new businesses because it is recognized they are an important part of the city. I also think that the architecture remains a priority among those who aim to build new structures. This could be because they want to help keep the name of Columbus tied to being world-renowned for architecture. It helps that the Cummins Foundation still offers to pay for the architectural costs if those building choose an architect that is on a list of “acceptal” architects. There is currently another downtown renovation project in the works to further revitalize the businesses and buildings. I think this is a great thing because I love the downtown area.

As students look over their graphical organizers, notes, or any other information they have gathered, it is important that they review their results. It might help them to ask some of the following questions:

• Have the most important questions been answered? I believe mine have been!
• Have any new questions arisen? In my research there were a few…of which I answered.
• Is there extra or repeated information that can be eliminated? Any redundant information can be removed or combined. I have also done this!
• Where are the holes in my understanding? I really wanted to know where the name Columbus came from? or why it was named Columbus after having been named Tiptonia for about a month. I searched all the resources I had and I did find one place where it said the reasoning was hazy…though it didn’t list that “hazy” reasoning.
• Are there other ways to view the information or perspectives I should be considering? Nothing comes to my mind!

Stay tuned for more of the weaving stage, specifically information about citing sources and plagiarism.

Back for more…

The evaluation of sources is a very important issue. As mentioned in the previous post, there are many criteria to consider when evaluating sources. I think someone like myself, who uses the Internet for many things, can determine whether a site is trustworthy more easily than students…or even other adults that might not use the Internet enough and are perhaps naive about the fact that some sites post false information. One main thing I have been looking for in the sites I have used is who the author is and where he/she has gathered the information from.

I definitely skimmed and scanned the resources I had looking for specific information. Once i knew a resource had the information that I wanted, I went back and read it more carefully.

So here I am at the wiggling stage.  According to Annette Lamb, creator of the 8Ws, wiggling is the stage that can be the toughest for students.  Wiggling is when researchers “evaluate content, along with twisting and turning information looking for clues, ideas, and perspectives.”  The researcher tends to be “uncertain about what they have found and where they’re going with the project.”

I have to say, just yesterday I was feeling good about my research.  I found a lot of resources and consider them to be good resources…but just as hinted at by Annette Lamb, I am now feeling a little uncertain about where this is going because there is SO much information for me to sift through.

During the wiggling stage, researchers often need some sort of support.  I completely understand this feeling.  I am working independently and I have no one who is working with me that can give me the support that I need…so I turn to my sister and my mother.  My sister is a teacher and understands this concept well.  My mother is a principal and was formerly a media specialist.  She favors the inquiry methods heavily.   So, she also understands that I need some support and maybe a few people to bounce some ideas off of.  However, not everyone has these options for support.  Annette Lamb makes some suggestions for scaffolding, some of which I will use…even with the support I do have.

The scaffolding that I may use are the following:

• Anticipation Guide: This is something that will get students thinking about a lesson.  The guide might be a list of questions, a list of words, or a presentation outline.
• Graphical Organizer: Some students learn best through seeing things…using visuals.  A graphical organizer can be pictures, diagrams, and concept maps, as long as it is something that might help pull ideas together.  Timelines are also a good graphical organizer.
• Study Guide: A study guide helps students focus their efforts.  A study guide can help students focus on certain parts of a lesson through lists, formulas, diagrams, and other tools for organizing information.  I personally love KWL charts.

Skimming and scanning

I like to think that I am a master skimmer/scanner.  Though they are different, they are very similar.  Skimming is done at a high speed.  Skimming can be done when you want determine if an article may be of use/interest in your research.  Skimming can be done in several ways…reading the first and last paragraphs using headings and summaries.  You also might read the title, subtitle, subheading, and illustrations.  Skimming is especially useful when seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension.  It works well to find dates, names, and places.  It can also be used to review graphs, tables, and charts.

Scanning, although similar, is a tad bit different.  Scanning is the technique used when the searcher knows what he/she is looking for, for instance in a phone book or dictionary.  You are searching for the key words or ideas.  Scanning is also used when you are trying to determine whether a resources will answer you questions.  Once you have scanned it, it might be useful to go back and skim if it looks like it might be of help.  Things to look for when scanning are the use of organizers such as numbers, letters, steps, or transition words such as first, second, or next.  Also look for words in bold face, italics, or different font size, style, or color.

All of these suggestions for skimming and scanning will greatly aid in research as it saves a lot of time.

One must also evaluate the resources that are used carefully.  This will also save time in the long run.  Time spent making sure resources are valid in the first place will save you time because you won’t have to go back and re-do any research if you make sure it’s good information in the first place.  Books are not as hard to evaluate.  Internet resources are where it becomes tricky.  There are loads of websites out there that are not valid.  It is imperative that students know how to identify these materials.  A good way to evaluate a website is to look for the following information (found at IMSA 21st Century Information Fluency Project) :

• How much experience does the author have in this area?
• What is the author’s occupation?
• What is the author’s educational background?
• What is the author’s reputation among others in the field?
• Is this a national or international organization?
• What is the mission of the organization?
• Does the site provide contact information for further information?

…there is a plethora of more criteria available where these came from!

There is often information overload in this stage. I am there. I don’t know where to start.  There is so much great information that I have come across.  I am having problems deciding what I should include and what I should leave out.  This is where some graphical organizers are going to come in handy.  I have the KWL chart that I started a few stages ago.  I am also thinking about using a timeline of when things happened in Columbus.  It is important for me to remember that the information I am looking for is about how the history has shaped the community.

Stay tuned for more of the wiggle stage with more specific information about my search!

Well, I have to say even with the good number of books that I have as resources, I have come across two more:

Iorio, Tamara Stone. (2005). Columbus Indiana in vintage postcards. Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, SC.

Korab, Balthazar. (1989). Columbus Indiana: An american landmark. Documan Press: Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The thing about Columbus is that many of the people who live here are proud of it.  A lot of the people I know own literature about Columbus…and that is where these two resources came from.

A few of the resources I have found that might be of use are the following books:

Bartholomew County Historical Society. (2003). History of Bartholomew County Indiana: 20th century. Bartholomew County Historical Society.

Mote, Patricia M. (2005). Images of America: Columbus. Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, SC.

Rand, Paul. (1998). A look at architecture: Columbus, Indiana. Columbus Visitors Center: Columbus, IN.

Republic, The. (1997). Columbus: 125 years. The Republic: Columbus, IN.

Worton, Sylvia Wells. (2002). Sylvia’s world and the spirit of the tree. Art in the Heartland: Columbus, IN.

There are also some websites that aid in the research of the history of Columbus:

Historic Columbus Indiana

Columbus, Indiana Visitors Center

Columbus Explored

I also searched the INSPIRE database for articles about the history of Columbus:

Indianapolis Monthly. (2005). Zaharako’s. Indianapolis Monthly. 28(14).

McCaslin, Walt. (1964). Athens on the prairie. Saturday Evening Post. 237(11).

Welch, Jack. (2006). Setting sail for Columbus. Louisville Magazine. 57(9).

Wright, Jodi. (2003). Design within reach. Indianapolis Monthly. 27(4).

As I have been reading through all of these resources, I have, as Carol Kuhlthau suggested might happen, has a shift of confidnce.  I have become less frustrated.  There is a sense of clarity.  Answers to my questions and wonderings are becoming clearer.  Not that I wasn’t to begin with, but I am definitely becoming more interested in the information and what I am learning through my research!

It is finally time for the webbing stage of the 8Ws, although(I have to admit) I’ve kind of been doing this all along.

The first thing I need to do in the “webbing” stage is to plan a search strategy. As suggested by Annette Lamb, this stage takes place when one has come to an understanding of his/her problem or question…that is when one can begin to seek answers. I feel that I am in this spot.

To determine the best way to go about searching for answers, there are several questions that have to be considered:

• What kind of information do I need?
• Where can I find this information?
• What format will the information take?
• How do I find the specific information I need?

So, first I must identify the type of information I need for this topic. As Annette Lamb suggests, I must “resist the urge to go right to the Internet.” As easy as it might be to go straight to the computer for answers, the research is more meaningful (I think) if you look elsewhere also. It is a bit overwhelming thinking about all of the possibilities of where to find information about a community, other than the Internet. There are so many places one could look. First, for this particular project, there are a few characteristics I am looking for in the information I need. The information needs to be factual and historical. I could look at either primary or secondary resources. But based on personal preference, I’d rather have primary resources…depending on what information it lends me. I’m a fool for primary resources.

One place that can be used to look for background information is in references resources, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries. This gives the searcher somewhere to start. However, I hardly think that I will find much information about Columbus, Indiana in any encyclopedia. BUT…I could go back to the encyclopedia once a little more information is researched, for instance the names of the world renowned architects that have designed a number of buildings and other landmarks in the community.

Another place to look for information is in nonfiction books covering Columbus. There are also a few videos and websites available that cover the history of Columbus. The employees at the Bartholomew County Historical Society (BCHS) are also always happy to help with anything involving spreading the history of the great town of Columbus, whether that be in the form of an interview either by phone or in person…or e-mail. I could also check and see if there are any publications that the BCHS has published.

All of these sources have merit and one is not better than the other. If it’s good information…it’s good information. No matter where it came from…as long as it’s true.

If I were using this research project with a third grade class, I would most likely make a pathfinder where students could locate resources that would provide the students with a starting point, as suggested by Annette Lamb. I would include suggestions for books, websites, people to contact either in person, by e-mail, or in person, and videos…or make a visit to the BCHS. If they were to use the resources, they would gather a wealth of information.

So, with all of that said, part of my search strategy is this:

• I need to find factual information
• Can be found in primary or secondary resources
• I can look on the Internet, BCHS, nonfiction books, magazines
• There are videos about Columbus I can access
• To find these specific pieces of information, I can go to the public library, my own school library, BCHS, Internet (several websites with historical information available), the visitors center, historical tour of Columbus, interview knowledgeable people in the community in person, by phone or e-mail.

Now I’m off to find a few specific resources to add to my search strategy!