PROJECT PATHFINDER/PORTAL PAGES
Among the hot topics in education these days are Inquiry-Based Learning and Integrating Technology into the Classroom Curriculum. The first is certainly nothing new to librarians; we’ve been helping kids with research projects for years, and many of us are already the techno-leaders in our schools, either by choice or by default.
Many of our students now run to the Web for “research” of any kind, even though they haven’t yet learned strategic search skills. Many of our teachers now want their students to use resources beyond the textbook, classroom, and even the school building itself, but are nervous about what might be found ‘out there.’
Project Pathfinders — a one page guide to appropriate resources for an inquiry-based activity — are an effective way to demonstrate the value of teacher-librarian collaboration for successful student learning. These guides steer students toward the most useful resources both within and beyond the library walls, help develop effective research skills, ensure that they WILL find the information they need to complete the project, and even help keep students on task as they explore.
Project Pathfinders can be either paper handouts or portal pages on a library website, as long as they include (at the minimum):
- recommended keywords and search terms to use
- Dewey numbers and/or useful print materials.
- URL’s or hotlinks to age-appropriate sites online, and any necessary instructions for accessing information in those sites.
- citation formats to document the resources used.
Once you’ve got the template set up, constructing a Pathfinder for a specific unit can take anywhere from an hour to a full day, depending on the scope of the assignment, and the variety and accessibility of the resources to be included.
When building a pathfinder for a class project I start with a list of relevant subject headings and search terms, and always ask the teacher for any additional key words that have been emphasized in the classroom curriculum. Next are the library materials, listing reference sources and Dewey numbers for the topics to be investigated, but rarely specifying individual titles.
Finding and deciding which URL’s to include on Pathfinder Pages should be just another part of our ongoing collection development responsibilities. Just as we read reviews and examine new titles for possible purchase of print resources, we need to keep track of recommended websites for curriculum consideration. Among the many sources I consult for websites to consider:
—Kathy Schrock’s GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS: http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide
—DIGITAL LIBRARIAN: http://www.digital-librarian.com/
—Librarians Internet Index: http://www.lii.org
—Awesome Library: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
I used to keep an ongoing database file on my hard drive so that I could add ‘possibilities’ whenever I come across them. Now, however, I use http://del.icio.us to ‘tag’ sites into broad subject-area folders, accessible from any ‘connected’ computer station, so that I don’t have to worry about losing my “consideration file,” and so that teachers can also add URLs for their subject areas.
Although I used to give out printed Pathfinders when the class came to the library, I now only post them on the library’s website, and use the page as the starting point for each class’s library activity. These online guides serve as effective portal pages for the students’ research (and efficiently demonstrating how to integrate info-tech into the curriculum), and as excellent PR devices for the library’s programs and services, for the following reasons:
- Teachers must collaborate with me for a Pathfinder Page to be developed for their class or subject. Because I’ve done the preliminary searching/sorting/sifting, teachers know that their students will be able to find the information they need quickly and efficiently, without wasting time in useless or inappropriate sites. The teacher who does not choose to use the library AND the librarian, however, does not get this service.
- Parents can check the library webpage to find out what research projects are currently in progress, and what resources are being recommended for use. The student who says “I couldn’t get to the library” no longer has an excuse, since the library is now coming to them.
- Since the Pathfinder Pages are now accessible from both school and home, nobody needs to copy down URLs from the blackboard or another screen, or have to bookmark URLs on different machines.
- When the class comes to the library, I use the Pathfinder to explain/review use of both print and online resources, and teach any specific research skills needed for this project.
- With a limited number of ‘net access stations in the library, I insist that students use the links from the Pathfinder Pages before I will allow use of any other general search engines. This ensures that time online in the library is used wisely, productively, and equitably.
- On every Pathfinder Page I include a link to www.easybib.com, an online application that will format a ‘Works Cited’ page, once basic bibliographic information is provided. Since students are required to do a bibliography for each project, this helps them document their resources AS they are using them.
- Specific Pathfinder Pages are available online only for the duration of that project. I upload or remove pages as necessary, to keep them current. Whenever a new/useful website is found for a project, I can update that Pathfinder Page and have the information available to everyone immediately.
The banner on my library’s webpage proclaimed: It’s an information jungle out there — let a librarian be your guide! Project Pathfinder/Portal Pages are a very successful way to demonstrate to both our in-school and outside communities how and why a professional information guide is a primary resource for every school.
Note: The original version of this article was published in Library Talk magazine, March 2001
After I retired from Heritage Middle School in June 2003, the current librarian has continued my Pathfinders model as part of the library’s collaborative outreach to teachers.
For examples of Project Pathfinder Pages, take a look at http://www.hmslibrary.info