Wishing

I have asked questions, located answers, and completed a product (two actually).  The time has come to reflect on the process.  I have been reflecting all along, of course, but that action should not stop just because I have posted my final product.  Nearly every information search or inquiry model I have studied includes a formal time of reflection at the end of the process.  Eisenberg and Berkowitz's Big6 model says that I should judge my final product AND my process.

I'll start with the process.  I'm thankful that I had a model to follow.  I had several actually, but I focused primarily on Lamb's 8 Ws.  I have lots of practice with searching for information, but having the support of a model helped me complete the process in an orderly (but not always linear) manner.  I checked off the steps as I went, even though I occasionally revisited steps that I had checked off my list.  By the end, I was fairly sure that I hadn't missed anything major.  I also used Dr. Lamb's grading rubric as a checklist to ensure that I would earn as many points as possible.  As far as the actual information that I found is concerned, I am relatively satisfied with what I located.  The sources I used (EBSCO databases, public library, formal websites of organizations) led me to credible, useful information.  I believe that I pulled out the most relevant, specific information to use in my product.

Speaking of the product...  My original intent was to create a personal creed.  I am still slightly disappointed that I did not end up doing that, but I let the information that I had discovered guide and inspire my decision to create what I did.  I am pleased with the PowerPoint for what it is.  I acknowledge that it is broad and not deep, as far as the information in it is concerned.  A product concerning one type of creeds (ex. Christian creeds) could have provided deeper information.  But then, my original intent was to provide a cross-sampling of many types of creeds.  I believe I accomplished that.  The personal piece of the product, my This I Believe statement, was inspired by a movement that I discovered during my information search process.  It is certainly more personal than factual, but it combined my own reflections and beliefs with an understanding and application of the process that others around the world have used to communicate their creeds and philosophies.

If I were to do the project again, I would probably narrow my focus.  I had two excellent books, a couple articles, and a wonderful human resource about Christian creeds.  As a Christian, it would be interesting to go deeper into that topic.  I don't really consider the inquiry I just completed as a missed opportunity, though.  I learned a lot.  I think it gave me the information I need to go deeper.  One inquiry leads to another!  As Callison's diagram of the inquiry process displays, reflection leads to more questioning, and the cycle never ends. 

Spending time evaluating my process and product caused me to think about how my experiences were similar to and different from an elementary student completing an inquiry project in my library.  Here's a chart of my thoughts on that matter:

Finally, here is a list of the ways that I included technology in this inquiry project.

• Concept map- I used both Inspiration and bubbl.us to create concept maps during the webbing stage of my inquiry.  The bubbl.us map showed the resources that I had gathered at that point, and the Inspiration map showed specific information that I was trying to synthesize.
• Social Bookmark- I used Delicious to create a list of online resources that I located for my inquiry.
• Electronic Communication Tool- I used email to ask my pastor questions about our congregation's use/disuse of creeds.
• Productivity Tools- I created a PowerPoint presentation to communicate the new information in a final product.  I used my computer's internal "camera" to produce screenshots of images to include in my blog posts.
• Notetaking Tool- I used my Mac's built-in app Stickies to collect important tidbits of information. The stickies sat conveniently on my desktop until I needed to refer back to them.  Thanks to Josh for pointing that app out!

Thank you for following my inquiry process.  It has been a rewarding experience for me!

Waving: Final Product, Part II

In the 1950s, Edward Murrow hosted a radio series entitled This I Believe.  Noteworthy individuals such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, and Helen Keller, along with various everyday citizens, read short essays on the air about a guiding belief in their life.  The project was revived by Dan Geidman in 2004.  Since then, over 100,000 essays have been submitted.  Many have aired on public radio.  They are archived at thisibelieve.org.  In the introduction of the anthology This I Believe II, editor Jay Allison asks "What would you say in five hundred words to capture a core principle that guides your life?  Can you name a belief that underlies your actions? In the discovered truths of your experience, what abides?"

I decided to try to do just that for the second part of my product.  Click the image for a full-screen view, or you can also read HERE.

My final product differs from my original intent.  From my very first blog post, where I explored the options for my inquiry and ultimately decided on creeds, I had planned to finish the project with my own creed.  I had thought that it would be a creed that would incorporate all aspects of myself.  In some ways I did accomplish that goal, as I reflected about my beliefs throughout the process of collecting information.  However, that is not the creed that ended up in print.  As I read about the This I Believe project, I began to wonder what belief I would submit.  At this point, I do not plan to actually submit it to This I Believe.  The caliber of my writing does not compare to the entries they typically receive.  Although my writing is somewhat personal, I decided I would go ahead and share it with my classmates (and anyone else who happens to visit this blog).

I feel fine with my decision to not create the final product that I had initially set out to create.  In none of the inquiry models that we have studied does the step of selecting a final product come before the information gathering process.  Instead, the information that is discovered helps determine the method or format for sharing the new information.  This was the case in my inquiry.

Alternate Viewing Option

I don't really care for the way my product uploaded in movie format.  The slide transitions are not occurring at the times that I set, and the quality is grainy.  You can also view the product HERE.

Final Product, Part I

Here is the first piece of my final product.  I created a PowerPoint presentation to display the information that I gathered throughout this inquiry about creeds in their various forms.  I saved the product as a movie so that it should be easily viewable across platforms and browsers.

Part II, my personal application, will be coming soon!

Wrapping

As I begin to think about concluding this inquiry, I must decide how I will present my findings.  My inquiry has really been made up of two parts, and I don't think that they belong in the same product.  The information that I gathered about the nature and purposes of creeds could be presented in a research paper or multimedia presentation.  I think I have decided to create a PowerPoint.  The other side of my inquiry has been more personal and reflective.  I wanted to consider and eventually articulate what is meaningful to me, a personal creed.  I could put both pieces in one package, but I have decided instead to create two separate products that could be displayed together or separately.  I'm not entirely sure that I will want to display the personal component at all.  My intended audience is myself.  However, because I am currently participating in a learning community, I will extend that target to include my instructor and classmates (and anyone else who happens to stumble across this blog).

I've also been thinking about how this new information I've learned about creeds (statements of belief) could be used in an instructional setting.

Curriculum Connections

Grade 2- Social Studies
2.2.1 Explain that the United States government is founded on the belief of equal rights for its citizens.
2.2.5 Identify people who are good citizens and describe the character traits that make them admirable.
2.2.6 Discuss and explain the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance and identify other ways citizens can affirm their citizenship.

Second grade students (7-8 year olds) have probably not given a lot of thought to the beliefs that they hold.  They believe the things that their parents and teachers tell them to believe.  A second grade teacher will probably not ask his/her students to engage in a soul-searching process about their beliefs, but it is a good age to start talking about why society has certain values and how individuals can uphold them.

Classroom Activities:

• Read the books The Declaration of Independence from A to Z by Catherine Osornio and We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow.  Discuss the rights and responsibilities that are described and why Americans believe in them.
• Create posters on paper or with an online tool such as www.glogster.com.  Finish the sentence: I believe that a good citizen...
• Identify good citizens in the school or community.  Students conduct and record interviews describing what these good citizens do and why they do it.  Publish videos on a class webpage of "Model Citizens."  Also include videos of students in the class describing how they will be good citizens as children, and later, as adults.

Grade 8- Social Studies
8.2.2 Identify and explain the relationship between the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States.
8.2.7 Explain the importance in a democratic republic of responsible participation by citizens in voluntary civil associations/non-governmental organizations that comprise civil society.

By the 8th grade (13-14 years old) students should begin taking the opportunity to reflect on their values.  They are likely beginning to look to their peer group for values, rather than their parents and teachers.  It is a good time for activities that require them to clarify what they believe and why.

Classroom Activities:

• Read the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights.  Discuss the rights and responsibilities of citizens.  Brainstorm a list of ways that they themselves and others are benefitting from those rights and fulfilling those responsibilities.
• Select an organization that has a significant meaning to the student, such as the Humane Society.  Research the organization and develop a plan to get involved in some way.
• Listen to podcasts of essays from the NPR series This I Believe, including examples of essays of both famous, noteworthy individuals as well as ordinary high school students.  Then students write their own "This I Believe" essays.

As I planned that final activity for 8th grade students, I thought maybe I could try it for part of my final product for this inquiry.  Hmm... we'll see how it goes.

Weaving

I guess I started the weaving stage while I was still webbing.  (It is a good thing that this inquiry process does not necessarily have to occur in a linear fashion.)  My final web of that stage began to organize information into groups.  Once the key information was all laid out in a concept map, I could look for connections and begin developing insights.  One of my questions was about common themes in creeds. This became a task of comparing apples to oranges in some cases.  I didn't find useful connections when comparing a religious creed to a profession's creed.  Comparing apples to apples was more helpful though.  For example, it was insightful to compare the communist creed to the American creed, which was set forth by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.  Americans stand by the belief in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  On the other hand, the communist creed declares that there can be no peace on earth until all nations are communist.  Certainly an example of creeds existing in opposition to each other.  In another example, I noticed that the Buddhist Jodu Shinshu Creed has similar elements to the Methodist Social Creed in regards to glorifying their respective deities and working for the improvement of society.  Additionally, neither of those creeds are really characteristic of the true definition of a creed- a statement of belief.  They are more like mission statements or pledges- aims and objectives.  This realization made me think about my karate student creed, which was what got me started on this inquiry in the first place.  That creed outlines the aims and objectives of a karate student.  Although they do reflect a karate student's beliefs, they are not explicitly stated as such in the creed.  Through my own experiences and the examination of information I've gathered, it seems like the term creed is often used when mission statement or pledge would be a better choice.

I think that the apples and oranges issue that I am running into here is a result of not narrowing my focus enough at previous stages of the inquiry process.  Perhaps it would be a good time to cycle back and choose a limited focus, such as religious creeds only.  However, I am going to be stubborn and hang on to all the themes and information I have found so far.  I want my final product to include information about creeds from many aspects of life, not just one.  I would imagine that this is a common problem for students of all ages.  There are signs that we should adapt our inquiry in some way or another (narrowing, broadening, shifting focus), but we don't necessarily want to make that adjustment.

I like the way that Pappas and Tepe refer to this stage as "interpretation" in their Pathways to Knowledge model.  That word choice reflects their belief that a student should not be merely regurgitating the information that they have collected, but instead be actively considering it and applying personal meaning.  I've tried to interpret the information I've located for my inquiry by connecting it to my own experiences.  I'm sure that, for any student, a project with a personal connection will have a more lasting impact than one that they complete from an emotional distance.

Carol Kuhlthau says that by this stage of the process, the student should be feeling relief and satisfaction.  I'm not quite there yet.  I think I will have those feelings as soon as I determine what my final product is going to look like.  At this point I'm thinking PowerPoint, or I may try out iMovie.  An announcement on that matter will be forthcoming.

Wiggling

As illustrated by the web in my previous post, I have been trying to sort the information I find into groups. The groups are based on my original questions.  Although I have had the questions in mind throughout the information gathering process, it seems like a good time to formally revisit them and determine whether I am finding effective answers.  Additionally, I've been reading and thinking about what constitutes quality questioning.  I've looked at a few models for distinguishing types of questions.  I like way Jim Burke classifies questions into 3 types- factual (in the text), inductive (through evaluation/interpretation), and analytical (through connections & relationships).  I will include the classification for each of my questions in parentheses.

1. What is the best definition of creed? (factual)

Well, I have found several definitions.  Examining the word's etymology, from the Latin, appears to give the most authentic definition.  This question was useful for building essential knowledge about creeds, but it was very easy to answer... not a very deep question.

2. Who uses creeds? (factual)


This question seems simple, but it gave me quite a bit of trouble.  I feeling like I left so many resources untapped here.  I looked at creeds for a couple religious groups, yet I also left out many.  The same applies for political ideologies and professions.  I did not have time to examine every single entity that could conceivably have a creed, and therefore, I know I will feel as though my final product is missing certain perspectives.

As I found information to answer this question, I also found answers to a question I did not think to ask initially.  Who does not use creeds?  In his questioning toolkit, Jamie McKenzie talks about these divergent questions that are sometimes formed by turning around our original ideas and expectations.  I also looked into the "why" of both the original question and the new question.


3. What are some of the earliest creeds on record? (factual)

It was hard to find concrete answers here.  As I worked through the inquiry, though, this question seemed less important.  I focused my attention on the content and themes of creeds more than their history.


4. What are the most common themes in creeds? (inductive/analytical)

I made some connections here as I was gathering information, but I think that this piece will come together more in the weaving stage.


5. What is the difference between a creed, an oath, a pledge, and a mission statement? (factual) Are the terms interchangeable? (factual, potentially analytical)

I realized that I definitely had some misconceptions about creeds.  Studying dictionary definitions helped me out a lot here.  Again, I will have better conclusions here after the weaving stage.


6. What elements should I include in my person creed? (analytical)

This is definitely the least documented question of my inquiry so far.  I've formulated some ideas mentally, but they are not on paper (or screen) yet.


I have quite a bit of background in searching for quality sources for academic assignments.  I have a mental checklist of attributes to look for in web-based sources- author's & publisher's credentials, currency of content, and professionalism in presentation.  It seems that wikipedia is better regarded now as an information source than it was when I started college seven years ago, but I still avoid it as a definitive source.  I did read the article about creeds, though, to find information that I could substantiate with other, more professional sources.  Most wikipedia articles also provide links to the source material for further reading, and that can be helpful too.  In this inquiry, I tried to use the official website of religions/organizations in order to read their creeds.  Sometimes that was impossible.  For example, there is no official creed for atheism, but some individual atheists have developed their own creeds.  It's not my role to determine whether one is more valid than another.  I just have to value those perspectives as representative of a human belief experience.  Other sources had more obvious authority.  I trusted my church's preacher (who has an education from a noteworthy Bible college) to have an authoritative understanding of the church's use/non-use of creeds.  I used dictionary.com for definitions.  It's validity is evidenced through citations of established dictionaries such as Webster's and the World English Dictionary.  Finally, I used Academic Search Premiere and Google Scholar to locate eBooks and articles that come from reputable sources.

Now that I have gathered the information that seems to satisfy my questions, it is time to start weaving it together as I look for clues as to how I will present my information to an audience.  I am still nervous about how the back half of this project will shape up.  There is still a lot of work to do.  I think that this is the place where many young students who are inexperienced at inquiry are at risk for becoming overwhelmed and giving up.  Reading information sources is often the easy part, but shaping it into something of one's own can be intimidating.