As far as this project is concerned, overall I feel that my project went fairly well. It was a slow start as I was trying to decide on the topic. Unfortunately, I had another hiccup due to me worrying about my topic choice. Once I got that straightened out in my head, I was able to push forward.
I am a very organized person. I believe that helped me keep the wealth of information I found sorted and layed out in a workable manner. I also believe that it helped that I was excited and passionate about my topic of choice. In one of the first lines in the project description Annette Lamb states, "Your topic should be something that you are truly interested in exploring." (Guide 1: Information Inquiry) This project would have been even more difficult if I had picked a topic I was less than interested in. I am excited about one day planning a wedding and I thought this would be a fun way to get my feet wet.
Sadly, as organized as I am, this doesn't carry over into time management. I am not saying that I didn't spend enough time on the project, but I feel like I could have used some of the time I spent more wisely. As I was working on my final project, I kept thinking that I still left my inquiry subject too broad. I could have taken one of the topics and really got down to the heart of the information. Instead I tried finding a wealth of information on many topics. Now, I am not saying that this is a bad thing and when planning a wedding, I know you have to hit all of the points. I am simply saying that given the time we had for the project, my time would have been better spent focusing on one area. I don't regret my focus areas by any means. It was actually a lot of fun to explore the options I will have when I begin planning.
A challenging part of the project was the fact that there was so much information out there on my topics of interest. A lot of my time was spent sorting through all of that and finding the sources that would work for my 5 areas of interest. As I said, narrowing the topic may have been a good idea. So, if I were to approach this particular topic again, I may have kept my focus to "how to have a successful outdoor reception."
Daniel Callison writes, "The teacher as a model of reflective behavior will serve as a mentor who learns from mistakes as well as successes." (9) I will be the first to admit when I make a mistake. I think this helps students understand that you are human. Describing your mistakes or set backs and also your success will help show your students you are a reflective individual.
This project would be a great example to share with my students. I work in an elementary school K-4, so they may not necessarily be interested in the final product (4th grade girls might...they love that kind of thing). The process would definitely apply. I would share my difficulties with the amount of information available. We are doing some research projects currently and we are starting small with just one source of information. They were able to pick their own topic and also what they wanted to find out about that topic. If the students can't find the information in the source we are using, I will help them find another source. We are working with keyword searches and finding trustworthy sources as well. I would also be sure to share my successes. Help them learn ways to organize their information. All part of the 8Ws! I love it!! Although my students at this point will not be planning a wedding, the experiences I had during my inquiry are very applicable!
Callison, Daniel and Leslie Preddy. The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy. Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. Print.
Absolutely agree- the process you went through for this project will definitely impact the work you do with kids and how you might structure similar opportunities for them. I'm glad you decided to stick with your original topic of interest and push through. I suppose the students you work with will need some of that encouragement, too. Thanks for sharing your reflective thoughts.
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