Weaving

Organizing and Synthesizing Ideas

After discussing the topic with my former students, I felt I was better prepared to begin organizing information. My former students discussed their interests in African culture and what the “missing links” might be in my lesson. We were able to ascertain what students really wanted to know and how they would like to learn it. With their thoughts in mind, I made quick work of sifting through the mounds of information. Using lists once again, the information and pictures of masks I had gathered was organized into groups according to their role in the tribe. Research had led me to three reasons why the masks were made: to represent spiritual beings, to represent departed ancestors, and to represent invisible powers of social control. With these three categories, I organized my information and pictures of masks into an appropriate category.

It was during this phase of organizing that I began eliminating information which may not be useful for my intents and purposes. As I hope to use this completed project for my classroom, I felt it was necessary to have information which would be appropriate for school use. From information which I gathered, here are the lists which I created:

Masks of Spiritual Beings

Buffalo Mask – threatens and protects, gives tribe protection from the animal
Swooping Hawk – spirit of the sky
Flying Spirit –
Crocodile – protection on the rivers as tribal members travel

Departed Ancestors

Family members – tribal members would create masks to remember family members who had died, this gave a way for each family to always remember those who had once been with them
Rulers – tribal members might create masks which represented former rulers who had been kind and forgiving. I found 5 different masks which represented this idea.

Invisible Powers of Social Control

Mask of feminine beauty
Mask of cultural pride
Power of Poro Mask – portrayed magic would face lawbreakers, sorcerers and bad spirits.
Mask of Chiefly Courage and Anger – symbolized chief’s power to wage war and execute criminals.
Mask of Dangerous Forces – symbolized supernatural powers which were considered dangerous.

As I organized and analyzed the information, I felt I came to a point where I was ready to create a final product. If I wanted to use this information, I must make sure that I have answered all of the questions my students asked, yet, I don’t want to inundate them with too much information. Information overload can lead to boredom in the classroom, and that is the farthest thing from what I want to do. I now need to find a way to present the knowledge gained and also find a way to have the students make a connection with the material. As a student had suggested to me in the prior discussion, I hoped to give my students an opportunity to create their own masks which would represent something to them. Was this possible?

Wiggling

What a fun step in the information inquiry process! Wiggling is something I have done a multitude of times for personal and classroom use. Digging into a book, website or various other media is just something that makes me happy. I love the search, the finding of new information and the epiphany of realizing you have made a breakthrough. After carefully examining this step as I proceeded through this project, I hope to better address this troublesome area of research with my students. The copious amounts of information out there can be daunting, especially to the inexperienced. Anyone who is researching, I feel, must be aware of the tools and processes which can enable you to become a purveyor and expert in the evaluation of information.

Lamb tells us that the first process in the wiggling phase is planning for exploration. This step was not familiar to me, as I am not an organizer. I tend to jump into exploration, without thought as to the “why” of what I am doing. This step intrigued me, as I applied the knowledge to what I see happen to my students as they begin a class project. Why not add this extra step to ensure success as information is evaluated? Lamb suggests that one must “consider the Multiple Intelligences of your students.” As I began my own wiggling, I did just this for myself. What are my Multiple Intelligences? How best do I learn? Personally, I am a linguistic and logical-mathematical learner. For this reason, I chose to make lists of relevant information. I felt this would be best for me as I can organize the information into specific lists. For this project, I chose to begin creating lists with the following headings: African tribes who created masks, reasons for creating masks/ceremonies held with masks, materials used to make masks, and cultural significance of masks.

With these lists in mind, I began wiggling through the webpages to hopefully find pertinent information which would allow me to become an “expert” on the topic of African tribal masks. Reception scaffolds, reading techniques and filtering information are the next processes in the wiggling phase of information inquiry. Lamb tells us that “reception scaffolds assist learners in dealing with information.” I believe my use of lists is similar to the reception scaffold of note-taking. This is the form that works best for me, but it will be different for each learner. I find note-taking to work best for me as I can make interconnections as I go. In Keywords, Concepts and Methods for Information Instruction, Callison discusses the value of note-taking, particularly, the idea that “notes should be considered a work in progress and should be revisited so that the most important items are highlighted and other items discarded. Through review and revision of notes, new information patterns are found.” (pg. 142) I kept this in mind as I began working with my lists, ever mindful that I needed to revisit and revise as much as possible. One question that came to me as I revisited this list was this: are my list subheadings appropriate, or can I revise them to better fit my research needs? At one point in the wiggling phase, I considered adding the topic of women vs. men in the society, but I eventually thought better of it as I was not able to find enough information which would add to the project topic of African tribal masks.

As for reading techniques, I am a skimmer. I don’t know if I have always been one, but I have found that the longer I have been teaching, the faster of a reader I have become. It has become something of a necessity; otherwise I would be inundated with grading. Finding key concepts and vocabulary words is the first area I focus on as I read a student essay, a webpage or a newspaper/magazine article.

Evaluating the validity of websites is next up. Several of the websites I was using for this project were quickly found to be valid. It is hard to question the validity of the PBS or the Smithsonian Institute! For other websites, I was thankful to have had prior training in the validating of websites. My school corporation offers technology training each summer, and I just happened to take the class on the validating of websites. The class I took used information from Teacher Tap, so I was very familiar with the process of looking at authority, objectivity, authenticity, reliability, timeliness, relevance, and efficiency. This class allowed me to be aware of this process and the questions I need to ask when looking at a website. Examples of two websites I questioned the most in this process are: African Traditional Religion and World History Archives. From the homepages of these sites, it was not easy to authenticate their validity. After perusing through them though, I was able to find articles which had extensive bibliographies. With the bibliographies in tow, I believe I can use the information found there without questioning.

After evaluating the websites, I began to filter through the information and began to fine tune my lists. At this point, I decided to add another subheading to my list: religious aspects of masks. I did feel a little inundated at this point. So much information to sift through! Skimming quickly through articles found, helped me to make heads or tails of the mountain of information I had found. A quick skim helped me ascertain if this article was something I would need to use. Although this did help, it still took me several days to wade through!

Collaborating with others was another important aspect of this project. I discussed the project with fellow Social Studies teachers at school. Unfortunately, this did not get me very far. African tribal masks seemed to be a topic that was unfamiliar to many. My next avenue for collaboration came through former students. I was able to “switch” classes with another teacher for an hour so I could discuss this topic with former students. This was an amazing seminar I held with my students from last year. These students helped give me a direction, as they discussed what they felt was lacking from last year’s study of African tribal society. Students wanted to know what the masks were made from and what the masks were used for. Students also wished they had been able to create their own masks to represent aspects of their life.

As I move on with my information inquiry project, I hope I am on the right track!

Webbing

You can find anything on the Internet, or at least, that is what I have been told! The 12 and 13 year olds who I see every day in my classroom seem to think that the Internet is the end-all of researching. Why go anywhere else?

Does the Internet really have everything that I need? This question came to mind as I began the webbing phase of my personal inquiry project. As the Internet grows larger and larger every day, the massive amount of information becomes even more all inclusive. According to Garner and Gillingham, there are four issues which lead classroom teachers to use the Internet rather than textbooks. These reasons are: “currency”, “flexibility”, “multiple interpretations” and “teacher authority”. Garner and Gillingham go on to explain this movement away from textbooks. “Textbooks are not current.” How many million times a day do you think the Internet is updated? “Textbooks are seldom read selectively. They dictate the material that the students have to learn and the teachers have to teach without any reference to the real-life situation of the class…The Internet serves as a flexible library…” While textbooks give one interpretation of the facts, “students can hardly avoid the multiple perspectives the Internet affords.” Lastly, with textbooks, teachers become the “experts” on the topic, while with the Internet, teachers “cannot necessarily control the information or the perspectives that the students find available.” (http://www.ncrel.literacy.smartlibrary.info/NewInterface/segment.cfm?segment=2328&table_of_contents=1654)


So do we give up the textbooks all together? No way! The Internet may be an easy, quick answer, but our students, and ourselves, still need the skills of researching the library’s catalog and digging in the stacks to find the elusive magazine article or book which may open the secrets to a given topic!

I have to tell you that the first place I look to find the answers to my burning questions is the Internet. With my laptop and wireless network, it can take less than a millisecond to find that certain something. When beginning the research for this project, my first stop was the Google search engine. http://www.google.com/ There are a plethora of search engines on the World Wide Web (Yahoo, DogPile, AltaVista, etc.), but I find the unobtrusive, clean interface of Google to be inviting. There is nothing to distract me from my task like flashing lights or pop-up ads.

Using Google, I hoped to find not only on-line resources but also print and other resources. The following are the search parameters I used: African tribe, history Africa, religion Africa tribe, African tribal history. These four parameters kept me busy for hours. Thankfully, on-line experience has helped me to be able to quickly weed out the “fluff” websites which may look promising on the surface but in the end, give you little output. Academic and museum websites are always safe bets for bountiful amounts of information. With my search parameters, these are the websites which caught my eye as valuable keys to the puzzle:
· African Voices – Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History website dedicated to the history and people of Africa.
· World History Archives - The History of Africa as a Whole – Website with great links to articles on African history.
· http://www.pbs.org/wonders/ - PBS website which explores African history and culture.
· African Art Museum – “On-line reference to the artistic styles of Africa.”
· Rebirth African Tribal Mask Collection – This is actually a catalog website where users can view and purchase authentic African masks (not cheap!).
· African Traditional Religion – Interesting website with articles and information on African religions.


I have also found the value in on-line encyclopedias. Two which I used in this search were: Word IQ, and Grolier. Word IQ is a free encyclopedia for all to use. Grolier is an online encyclopedia for subscriber use only. My school corporation has purchased rights to use this encyclopedia for students, staff and parents for the past three years. Grolier is an amazing site with three different encyclopedias, each with a different reading level. It is a useful tool for all my students, and I have used it often myself.

After searching my school library catalog, I did not have much luck finding any print resources to help in my inquiry. Using my Google search, I came across a great site which gave citations for print resources which I thought might give me a place to begin a library search. (http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/atr_bibliography.htm) This site turned out to be a gold mine with hundreds of possibilities.

One last avenue I wanted to go down was the interview or discussion with an expert. I hoped to reach someone in the African Studies Program at IU Bloomington. I was lucky to find an outreach program where I could request to receive, on loan, slides, videos and artifacts. I was also directed to a K-12 newsletter which I could subscribe to.

With all the information available, I think I may have myself overwhelmed again. The Wiggling stage will be interesting as I sift through everything. I will be adding to my concept map begun in the Wondering stage and will repost it as I begin to wiggle!

Wondering

Wondering is the second stage of Lamb’s 8W’s of information inquiry. In this stage, the task at hand for inquirers is to “focus on a topic, theme, issue, or problem.” Easy, right? From experience with projects in my classroom, I have seen student after student flounder in a topic too broad for the time allotted. Honestly, I can tell you that I have not been able to help students in this area beyond just telling them that they need to change their topic. I would usually then tell them that “this” or “that” may be a better topic. Some students are upset with the idea that their idea was not good enough, as they don’t understand that a PowerPoint on the Vietnam War is just not possible in the week they have available. For several years, I, as teacher, have floundered in how to better address this problem in my classroom. After learning of this step in the information inquiry process, I feel more capable and prepared to handle this issue in my classroom.

As I began the wondering stage for my own personal inquiry project, I couldn’t believe the possibilities awaiting me. How do I take the broad topic of African tribal masks and create a specific, worthwhile and entertaining (at least to me!) topic. Thankfully, I had a direction. There are five steps within the wondering stage: finding purpose, questioning, connecting to prior knowledge, finding your focus, and narrowing your topic.

Finding Purpose

Using the ThinkTank at 4Teachers.org, http://thinktank.4teachers.org/, I quickly brainstormed the following research questions.

Why were these African masks created?

Possible Subtopics:
· What do the masks symbolize?
· Why did the tribe create the masks?
· What was the purpose of the masks to the tribal society?
· Who might have worn the masks?
· Who made the masks?
· How are the masks made?
· What types of materials were used?
· What if the masks had not been created?
· Where couldn't the masks be worn?
· When could the masks be worn?
· Who thought up the idea of the tribal mask?
· How were the masks protected when not in use?
· Why doesn't the African society still use these tribal masks?
· Who makes the masks?

I felt very inhibited at the beginning of this phase. What exactly did I want to know about the African tribal masks? Taking the time to apply the ThinkTank allowed me the opportunity to think outside the box as I tried to create questions using the given parameters. I am anxious to use the ThinkTank with my students. Will they be as perceptive to this activity as I was?

Questioning
Reading the Module Maker, I found that “the secret to great research is…great questioning.” Well, if that is the case, then my questions better be top-notch! According to the Module Maker, the most important questions are those that ask “why”, “how” and “which is better?” Looking back at my questions created using the ThinkTank, I had a few options to choose from. As I questioned my questions, my mind was full of questions!!! Which is the BEST question for my purpose? What was my purpose? How can I ever decide just one of these questions? Why are you questioning your questions? This was an interesting experience to say the least…will the questions ever end?

Connecting Prior Knowledge
What do I know about African tribal masks? Not much to be honest. It seems that each year when I reach the African continent with my 7th grade students, we just seem to glaze over the African tribal society. When students are asked to complete an independent study project, I invariably end up with questions on the tribal society and the masks used in religious and cultural ceremonies within the tribe. I have taken little time in the past to research this topic, and my students have suffered from it. What little I do know has come from very basic Internet searches, nothing in depth. I am embarrassed to say that this is true, but thank goodness for this opportunity to make amends.

Finding Focus and Narrowing Topic
Using Inspiration, I began to create a concept map. With the general topic, African tribal masks, in the center, I began mapping not only my prior knowledge on the subject, but also some of the “blanks” in my knowledge. What did I want to know? My hope was to create a concept map which would point me in the right direction. Maybe I should just add on to one of the strands of information I already know about African tribal masks, or maybe I should research one of the new strands. As I did this, I was ever thoughtful of what my questions were and whether or not my questions were worthy of my research time. Below is a link to the beginning of the concept map I have been using: http://mypage.iu.edu/~aferriel/africa.rtf

After analyzing the concept map, I found that many of my questions may be answered if I looked to the purpose/role of the masks to African tribes. Each tribe, I was sure, would have different masks with different meanings, but what purpose did these masks hold to the society created in an African tribe. I think I am now off to the races of researching!!! Wish me luck in the next stage, Webbing!!

Watching

According to Lamb, "watching asks students to explore and become observers of their environment." As a 7th grade Social Studies teacher, it is unimaginable to me how often I have asked my students to do this, yet I cannot remember the last time I have taken the time to do this myself. How can I have asked my students to do this so many times and not taken the time to explore the world around me?

I have to say that this step was a very big hurdle to overcome. Where do I begin? What do I want to know? As I began to answer these questions, my mind became overwhelmed with ideas. Somehow, I had to find a way to make some sense of the madness. This brought me to journaling, something I had long put aside. During my college years, you wouldn't have found me without my journal. I remember many beautiful days on campus spent contemplating and writing on the ups and downs of my life. Why had I given up this outlet? After searching the attic to find old journals, I became elated with the chance to read my past thoughts and at times, was delirious with laughter at my silly rantings and ravings. It was a blast!

As I focused on the task at hand, creating lists seemed the right choice. Creating the list was an exciting process, as I began discussions with colleagues, friends and my husband. I began answering the questions like: What am I interested in?, What do I want to learn? and Why don't adults take the time to learn as our children do? I spent several days working on my lists. At some points, I would write twenty items down on the list. At other times, I would only write one or two items down. General topics became specific as the process continued. For example, I enjoy the Civil War, so I began to question why I do. My list began to include Civil War medicine, women in the Civil War, artillery, Civil War transportation, etc. Very quickly, my list grew to a page and a half of possible topics. I felt this was a good starting point, as I didn't want my list to get out of control! The list could have gone on for eternity. I will have to pick it back up when my life slows down, and I have the time to inquire about everything on the list.

Choosing a final topic was stressful to me. I was actually angered at the idea of having to eliminate items from my list. These are all subjects that I am interested in. How can I possibly say that one idea may be better than another? As my anger and frustration grew, it was time to take a break and put the list away. I could not stare at it any longer. My mind needed to rest. Why was this bothering me so much? Did I really care about these subjects so much that I needed to be angry about the possibility of taking one off the list?

The list sat dormant for three days, as I began to stop and breathe for a moment! As busy as I am, I found the opportunity to do this a much needed adventure! In Lamb's 8W's, the watching step is said to be one of "observing", "reading and viewing", "writing" and "discussing." I endeavored to do a little bit of everything. I had already enjoyed the discourse with colleagues at lunch, as I felt very in tune with their thoughts and ideas. During my three days grace from the list, I spent a weekend free from the usual running of my life. I made every effort to clear my schedule so that I would have time for ME! Crossword puzzles, walks in the park, reading a favorite book, etc. It was amazing how much fun I had. My husband actually told me it was nice to see me smile...now if that isn't telling me something, then I don't know what is!!

After my long weekend away from the list, I was able to make quick work of deciding upon a topic. After evaluating my weekend, the realization that time is so very precious was extremely evident to me. With this in mind, I wanted to choose a topic that would serve my needs in multiple ways. This topic should not only peak my interest, but it also needed to be something that would benefit my classroom. If I could find something that would meet this criteria, then maybe, at some point, I will have more time to do the things I have realized that I have been missing. (Journaling, trips to the park, reading, etc.) My thoughts also brought me to hope that by choosing the correct topic, I would become a better teacher in the end as well. If I could take the time to become an "expert" on a particular topic, then I hoped to become an "expert" of every topic on my list! (This may take a while, but the list is still around. I plan to add to the list and inquire as much as I possibly can!)

So, I have finally choosen the topic which will satisfy my goals. I will be researching the art of the African tribal mask. Since I have been a 7th grade Social Studies teacher, this topic has come up in my African unit of study. Every year, my students discuss and learn of the importance of the tribal society to Africa. Every year, I feel that my knowledge is lacking. How can I accurately educate my students on this important aspect of African tribal life, if I do not know enough about the topic myself? With this project, I hope to become that "expert" that I always thought I would be.

I am thankful for this class for helping me open this door of learning and thinking!!!

Project Topic

Finally, a sigh of relief! I have decided upon a topic for my personal inquiry project. After much thought and concern, I have chosen to research African Tribal Masks. More on the why and the how of this decision tomorrow!

My First Blog

Welcome! This blog was created for a class project and is my first experience with blogs. Within the context of this blog, I will be completing a personal inquiry project for an information inquiry class.