HIT: SEC: Search Terminology

["Elizabeth A. McDonough" <eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU>]

Here is the hit on ideas for teaching students to be more flexible with
their search terminology. My apologies to those who tried to read the
hit I posted yesterday, only to find it was incomplete.

The ideas I liked the best suggested
having the students construct a Web with their search term in the middle
and
lines and circles containing related terms branching off of the main term.
I like the fact that this is so visual, but would also like to get
across the hierarchy surrounding a term -- broader terms,
narrower terms, etc... I think this hierarchy would be
pretty easy to get across to students in a visual format
like a Web.

Anyway, I had many requests for a "hit," so here it is.

Beth McDonough
Erwin High School
Asheville, NC
eamcdono@bulldog.unca.edu




Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:11:41 EDT
From: "Barbara R. Herbert" <bherb@juno.com>
To: eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU
Cc: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: SEC: Search Terminology

Students at the college level are no different than yours - only older!
;-)

When we do bibliographic instruction, we have search terms set up to
demonstrate the OPAC and CD-ROMs.  I purposely choose certain popular
terms that I know will come up with little or no results.   I ask the
students to try to come up with another term; if they can't/won't, then
I'll supply one.  Eventually we find a term that yields some results, and
they can see for themselves.

I also try to reinforce the fact that in many cases,we're working with a
controlled vocabulary; and if they don't pick the same term that the
source uses, they're out of luck.

Barbara

Barbara R. Herbert                      home:<bherb@juno.com>
Georgian Court College             work:<herbert@georgian.edu>



Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 20:47:40 -0700
From: Diane Freeman <dfreeman@jeffco.k12.co.us>
To: "Elizabeth A. McDonough" <eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU>
Subject: Re: SEC: Search Terminology

I know what you mean.  I have begun to make some headway in training both
the staff and students, however.  I find it is necessary to get the
teachers to understand why the students need to put some thought into the
search before they even hit the keyboard.  One thing I do is always ask
for the first 5 minutes of each class that comes into the LMC.  In that
time I refresh their memories about appropriate sources for the types of
topics they are researching.  Then I ask them each to get out a piece of
paper and write down what their topic and underneath that write at least
5 different keywords, repeating no words at all (so they can't write
"dogs", "big dogs," "red dogs") and then I go around the room glancing at
their papers.  For students who are having genuine problems generating
keywords, I use their topic as an example and let the group brainstorm.
I insist that the students take their search terms to the computer with
them WITH a pen(cil) to write down call numbers or take notes.  Good
luck.

--
Diane Freeman, Librarian
D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High             phone (303)384-9181
13200 W. 32nd Ave.              fax   (303)279-0694
Golden, CO 80401                voice mail (303)982-2611
email dfreeman@jeffco.k12.co.us


From: Margie Fronk <mehcf@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject: Hit:SEC:Search Terminology

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Kathy Schrock has a site that explains search tools with a slide show
entitled "Effective Search Strategies." This is a great site for
educators!

http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide


Margie Fronk
Aspiring Media Specialist
Heathrow Elementary
Lake Mary, FL 32746
mehcf@worldnet.att.net

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 08:36:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Susan K-s Grigsby <gs02skg@panther.Gsu.EDU>
To: "Elizabeth A. McDonough" <eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU>
Subject: Re: SEC: Search Terminology

We do a "Treasure Hunt" with our 6th graders.  They are first taught about
different resources: print, non-print, computer, reference, etc.  Then
they are each given a list of 10 "trivia" questions that have come out of
the sources they were exposed to.  They have two class periods in the
media center to find their answers and I (the LMS) do one-on-one teaching
to help them figure out different ways to search for something.  It's time
intensive but it works well - there is a chorus of "YES!" when they find
their answer - even from the reluctant ones!  Hope this helps!  :o)

Susan K. S. Grigsby
gs02skg@panther.gsu.edu

Those who don't understand aren't committed . . . those who do should be!


Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:51:55 EST
From: Dan Robinson / Indexing Services <drobinson@INFO.HWWILSON.COM>
Subject: Re: SEC: Search Terminology

Do your online databases have a browsable list? Encouraging the
students to use the list first might be the answer. Let them see how
the database constructs the searchable terms and you might have more
success.

Maybe some sort of scavenger hunt lesson would work. Instead of just
finding the term, they would also have to give you the surrounding
two or three terms in addition to the target.  It's a good way to
show whether or not a term is even in a particular database.

This type of exploration would also point out the differences among
the different databases in subject display and searching.

<grin> Thinking back to an earlier discussion about print vs
electronic indexes, it sounds as if these students have successfully
transfered the inability to use printed indexes to electronic
databases. </grin>.

Dan Robinson
Editoral Specs Specialist
H.W. Wilson Company
Bronx, NY
Lakewood, NJ  08701-2697


Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 14:09:42 EDT
From: MELISSA MALCOLM <MMALCOLM@mtabe.k12.vt.us>
To: "Elizabeth A. McDonough" <eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU>
Subject: Re: SEC: Search Terminology

Beth:  I used a webbing exercise with ninth grade science students
last year and it worked quite well.  What I found is that they were
very good at breaking the subject down into its myriad parts but
terrible at looking at the broader picture.  melissa

Melissa A.  Malcolm, librarian
Mt.  Abraham Union High School
7 Airport Drive                      "If liberty and justice mean
Bristol, Vermont  05443               anything, then access means
mmalcolm@mtabe.k12.vt.us              everything."
802-453-2333                             --Charles Ogletree


Beth,
One step in the Big Six process involves coming up with different search
terms.  I even teach a watered-down version of this to my elementary
school
students.  You might want to look at this model.



1
Bonnie Keyser
Library Media Specialist
East Bradford Elementary School
West Chester, PA 19380
"A Blue Ribbon School of Excellence"


Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 13:00:17 -0000
From: Guinyard Butler Media Center <library@barnwellsc.com>
To: "Elizabeth A. McDonough" <eamcdono@BULLDOG.UNCA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Search Terminology

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There is a new video coming out soon by the people who made Tomes and
Talismen dealing with using search strategies.  The kids are middle school
age, but it teaches using print sources first, then going to the school's
card catalog (from daddy's computer at home) then expanding to the web.
Shows promise, but maybe to young in format for your age.


Heidi Lewis
Library@barnwellsc.com



Beth McDonough, Media Specialist
60 Lee's Creek Road
Erwin High School
Asheville, NC 28806
eamcdono@bulldog.unca.edu