How To Help Your Child Research Online

Last weekend I was assisting my son to do some research on his laptop. I would love to say he was cooperative, but that wasn’t quite how it played out.

I asked him to show me the topic he was researching, in this case a biography. I looked on Haiku for the scaffold for the task and the child simply had to simply look through what information was required for each paragraph and find the research. Simple enough I thought - however, occasionally it doesn’t seem so, and in my case, my son didn’t want to look beyond web page one, let alone actually read what was on the page.

So, what do we as parents of school students need to know about the research our kids do? 

Research today is different - but old principles can be applied to new technology

Old School

I remember an assignment that I did at university in my History of Theatre subject. It is a fond memory because I did so well at it and followed the research methodology better than I had with most other assignments.

Here’s what I did:

1. I gathered about 10 books from the university library that either covered my subject in depth or had some vague reference to it.
   
   
2. I opened each book, looked at the contents and index pages first and then bookmarked the relevant pages.
   
   
3. I transcribed relevant notes and quotes into a notebook and wrote the reference details for each book at the top of the notes for each book.
   
   
4. I looked through my notes and thought about the ideas and concepts I had noted then checked my task sheet to see how I should collate the notes together into the essay.
   
   
5. I began writing my task and then adding quotes and so on into the body of my essay as I made my points.
   
   
6. After writing a rough copy of my assignment - I typed it onto the computer and printed out my final copy for handing to my lecturer.

This methodology can be applied to the research our children do in a digital space. It does involve being organised and it doesn’t hurt to actually have them take notes on paper. I believe that the process of writing out the information assisted me in recalling it later when I was constructing my essay. A copy and paste (unfortunately all too common) of a reference doesn’t help with recall or deeper processing of the information.

Online Research

1. Search specifically for my topic on a number of search engines (not just Google) using a select group of keywords from my task sheet.
   
   
2. Scan the links that are presented from the search engine for relevance - this may involve going further than page one of the search results.
   
   
3. Click the links to explore the content of the relevant web pages and identify the legitimacy of the article - if good, take some notes and reference the page with a reference generator.
   
   
4. At this point I would have created a document where I am collecting all my notes and references to make it easier when I compile the assignment.
   
   
5. I would check the task sheet for how to format the information and what is required - perhaps even search for some tips online for constructing a great essay.
   
   
6. Begin typing in my own words and then adding the research and referencing it as I go.
   
   
7. Printing my assignment and then, after reading it myself, handing it to someone to read it - I tell my students not to tell the proofreader “Is it good?” but to ask the question “How do you think I need to improve?”
   
   
8. Once I’ve had feedback I would then edit my assignment, print and hand in.

That’s generally how I would do it.

Related Blogs:

For the Joy of Writing

When Should I Stop Reading to My Child?

Does Helping with Homework Do More Harm than Good?

Do You Know What Your Kids Do Online?