Research Finding:
Students need help to realize that they must
summarize and make decisions rather than just copy
what someone else has concluded.
Comment
There is little guidance in the professional literature
for teacher-librarians for teaching the synthesis process
to students.
These skills and process need to taught in the context
of classroom content.
Information skills related to synthesis include: summarizing;
synthesizing; decision-making; taking a side based
on evidence; coalescing ideas forming a supportable
position; taking a stand.
TLs might [a] have students assemble note cards containing
quotes from various sources related to the research
topic and model the summarization process using student
note cards-then have the students do the same with
group critiques of examples and discussion of which
come closest to true synthesis and why; [b] have students
gather information in preparation for decision-making-then
create an activity to chart the decision-making process-and
finally make a decision or several decisions as a group
based on the evidence.
Source
Loertscher, D. & Woolls, B. (1999). Information
literacy: A review of the research. San Jose, CA:
Hi Willow Research and Publishing.
