Lesson 13 Strategy 5 Using

Research as a Teaching Strategy.

I.What is Research?

The word research has its roots in the old French word "recherche", meaning to investigate
thoroughly. Books on educational research often go a little further and define research as,
"Seeking through methodical processes to add to one's own body of knowledge and, 1,
hopefully, to that of others, by the discovery of non-trivial facts and insights" (Howard &
Sharp, 1983).

1. inquiry that is carried out systematically and purposefully

2. inquiry that focuses on revealing some new knowledge.

There are several very important steps in any research

• There must be a clear purpose we must pormulate a question that we will answer

• There must be a detailed plan for trying to answer that question

• Data must be gathered and analyzed in an attempt to answer the question

• Some conclusions must be reached either to answer the original question or to explain why
we could not find an answer

Three approaches to research that are useful for the teacher and student (killen 2009)

1. Research based on finding, interpreting and using information that has been produced by
someone else
2. Research based on gathering, interpreting and using information that did not exist before
the research was conducted

3. Research based on some form of experimentation

Advantage of using students research as a teaching strategy according to killen (2009)

• research encourage the learners to ask question to investigate to discover and to create
answer for themselves

• Research can give the learners experience working in the way of professional work

II. How to Use Research as a Teaching Strategy?

-Research is very much a student-centered approach to learning, but it is not something that
you should expect your students to do totally independently. It will not be sufficient to
simply give the students a research question and leave them to their own devices to find the
answers. Instead, you will have to plan each phase of the research carefully and prepare your
students by making sure that they have all the prerequisite skills or that the research project
is structured in such a way that the students will develop these skills as they work through
the research.

You have to plan carefully for each of these things. You might proceed as follows:

• Decide exactly what you want the students to learn. You should have clear learning
outcomes.

•Develop suitable research question (or a set of questions) that will be the focus of the
studen research activities and that will help them achieve the desired learning outcomes.

•Identify what prior knowledge and skills the students will need in order to conduct their
reseand If necessary, teach that prior knowledge.
•Identify a number of strategies that the students might use if they are to be successful in the
research and be prepared to recognize and encourage the students who use these
approaches.

•Plan the lesson in which you will introduce the students to the research exercise.

•Plan how you will monitor the students' progress.

•Make sure that you have arranged for the students to get appropriate access to equipment
documents, or people so that they can gather the data necessary for their research.

• Plan how you will assess what the students learn from the research.

• Plan how you will evaluate the research activity.

• Explain carefully to the students why you are using this teaching strategy and what/how you
expect they will learn from it.

• Ensure that the students have the necessary communication and social skills to work
effectively together.

The students will need to work through (8)eight distinct phases in their research activity.

They wil have to

1. clarify the purpose of comes they understand exactly why they are doing the research
and what outcomes they are supposed to achieve.

2. develop their research questions.

3. develop a research strategy.

4. filter, organize, analyze, and evaluate the information or data.

5. locate information or gather data that will be used to answer the research questions.

6. develop an answer to the research question.

7. report the results of their research in an appropriate way. 8. evaluate the effectiveness of
their research strategies, including the way their results were presented, so that they are
better prepared for their next research project.

Structuring the learning experience for students

- Involves creating a clear roadmap that aligns with their learning objectives, incorporating
various teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles, providing regular
feedback, and fostering a supportive environment that encourages curiosity and exploration.