Dissecting primary scientific literature can benefit middle school students
Although often not used in middle school classrooms, analyzing primary research documents can be beneficial for students who want to pursue science in the future, according to , Education Program Coordinator at the in Edgewater, Maryland. Primary sources or documents are academic papers published by scientists, which are often used to make educational content, including textbooks. Karen shared her thoughts with educators during a keynote address at the Society鈥檚 inaugural Middle School Research Teachers Conference (MSRTC), a weekend of peer-led professional development specially curated for middle school teachers.
At SERC, Karen鈥檚 core responsibilities include presenting her colleagues鈥� research to students in an easily digestible format. 鈥淚鈥檓 tasked with acting as the bridge between the research of our Smithsonian scientists and teachers, students and the general public. It鈥檚 not an easy task. Some of our researchers are naturally good at teaching and sharing their work, but others, well, not so much.鈥�
Given her experience in translating complex material for students, Karen acknowledged that the complex language in primary research documents can be off-putting to middle school teachers and their students at first. That said, she advised teachers not to be intimidated by the jargon.
Karen added that educators shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to tell students when they don鈥檛 know something. By their example, students will learn that age is no factor in continuing one鈥檚 education and that it鈥檚 OK to ask questions they are curious about.
Karen recommended breaking down research papers into several key parts. Students can begin by delving into the abstracts and conclusions of research papers, which will give the gist of the research topic and findings, without intimidating them with detailed methodologies and data. This information can be supplemented with the teacher鈥檚 lesson plan and, slowly but surely, students will begin to grasp difficult concepts. If a student would like to better understand scientific terminology, Karen feels students have to immerse themselves in it鈥攊ncluding the challenging aspects.
Students who are interested in pursuing science fair projects, should consider studying abstracts and research published in academic journals, Karen noted. She further suggested that students be encouraged to apply their critical thinking skills to come up with original research topics.
In addition to participating in the Society鈥檚 Middle School Research Teacher鈥檚 Conference, SERC also works with the Society during Broadcom MASTERS finals week, where finalists learn about marine life and participate in team building challenges. Read more about the finalists鈥� experience at SERC here.
