Starting of the activity

One of the crucial factors for the success of a learning activity is to provide students with straightforward information about objectives, learning outcomes and assessment methods just from the starting of the work. If expectations are made explicit to students at the beginning of the course, students are motivated to be active in their learning.

I therefore started the activity introducing the Seminar and offering students an explanation of what the activity was about, what they would be expected to do and how their work would be assessed. A printed outline was handed around, leaving students the time to read and to ask any questions (Appendix 5. Seminar Outline). The outline, which was not

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adopted in the previous seminars, seemed to be appreciated by students, who checked it more than once the following days.

According to my plan, after the general presentation of the activity, the Ecology teacher was expected to introduce the group work. Since he was not able to participate in the first lesson, I had to present students the team activity, illustrating the reasons why the ability to access and use information was crucial for prospective environmental managers. I also asked students to list some possible situations in which an environmental professional could be required to solve information problems. Students appeared interested and participated in the discussion in a lively way: they seemed actively engaged in searching the “meaning” for their learning.

Among other issues, students listed some of the topics that had been chosen for the group activity (the impact of tourism on a protected area, the preservation of biodiversity), and this represented an easy and natural way to introduce students into the group activity.

The topics chosen for group works, together with the Ecology teacher, were connected with the 2. year Ecology program

1- The ecosystem

2- Management of protected areas 3- Biodiversity conservation

After a brief presentation of each of these issues, students grouped themselves in five teams (four-five people each) and chose one of the topics. Two groups chose the ecosystem, one group chose the biodiversity conservation and two groups the management of protected areas.

The task that students had to fulfil was to prepare a list of about twenty documents on the topic chosen, starting from a few general resources and adding some more specific ones about a particular aspect of the topic. The list had to be critically annotated and presented to the class, together with a critical report on the research process and the group work. In order to record the phases of the research process, students were invited to keep a group research journal.

7.3. Class activity

The class activities always started with a discussion, which aimed to help students identify their information needs.

7.3.1. Starting from problems and needs

In particular, the first class activity began asking students which kind of information were needed, in their opinion, to start a general search about the topic chosen for team work.

While they listed them (a definition of ecosystem, the national law about protected areas, maps of protected areas, when the concept of biodiversity was born and which was its exact meaning and so on….) a student wrote on the blackboard a first list.

Then I invited students to think about “where” these information could be found, and the student wrote a second list on the blackboard (students listed the Internet, books, papers from meetings, journals, newspapers, television, conferences).

The third step consisted in identifying the information tools that could help students in accessing the sources of information. Also this list was reported on the blackboard (students named Google and, in a generic way “the library” without indicating catalogues and databases).

Then I completed the table, connecting the three lists and highlighting the topics that were to be covered during the Seminar.

Students were also invited to draw up a list of the different phases of the research process, and another list of “skills needed” to perform a bibliographic search working in group.

Many students participated in this first discussion and appeared reassured by the opportunity to start from their current knowledge.

Each class activity started in a similar way, connecting the contents I was going to introduce to problems emerged during the previous lesson or during students’ group work.

As an example, bibliographic databases were presented following a request from a group, who, after the activity on library catalogues, asked:

Is there a catalogue which lists all journal papers in the field of Ecology?

The Document Delivery service was introduced answering another question, emerged during the activity on electronic journals:

What can we do, if we don’t find either an electronic nor a printed version of a journal paper?

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The “invisible Web” was presented when a student tried to locate books in University libraries using Google instead of the online catalogue.

In this way each content was introduced as an answer to a question, as well as an opportunity to empower students’ search. Learning how search tools work appeared to students as an activity “embedded” in their research task: they seemed interested and did not demonstrate to feel bored or overwhelmed.

7.3.2. Few contents and time to learn.

While presenting each content, I adopted the strategy of offering the least possible instructions, leaving students the time needed to test and try resources and information tools.

I presented only the main features of each search tool, then I invited students to read the

“help” pages and “search tips”. Some hands-on activities, that students were required to do in pairs, offered the opportunity to explore each tool in an independent way, with the co-operation of classmates.

Working in pairs invited students to support each other and to try and overcome difficulties without asking the teacher for help. I observed two students who, searching ScienceDirect, discovered that the truncation character was not “*”, as in the University Library catalogue, but “!”. They felt the need to share with their mates what they had found and asked me the permission to write it on the blackboard.

Giving students the time and opportunity to explore the features and potential of each tool allowed them to adopt the learning strategies more suitable for their own learning style.

Moreover, working in small groups helped them to face the anxiety occurring when dealing with a new subject. Observing students during hands-on activity I noticed a good level of interest and engagement. They appeared keen on experimenting and eager both to learn and to share with their mates what was being discovered. This impression was confirmed by my critical friends and by students themselves during individual interviews.

7.3.3. Putting pieces together and revising

Since the learning contents were presented following students’ questions and interests, there was a need to complete, revise and put them in a broader context, to avoid the risk that students acquired only some fragmented knowledge and separated skills. At the end of the first class activity I therefore started to list and summarise the main issues treated during the lesson. While doing this I perceived that students were less involved, as if they did not perceive the need to “put the pieces together”. They seemed fairly bored and showed signs of impatience. I took note of that, resolving to deepen such attitudes through the following interviews, and looked for another way to help students complete and arrange what they were learning.

I therefore introduced a new activity, without having planned it: the review of previous contents was committed to students themselves. At the starting of each lesson, the five groups in turn were in charge of revising what had been learned the day before, connecting new contents to previous knowledge. This revealed to be the right choice. Students appeared much more involved and engaged themselves in this activity, trying to present learning contents in a logical sequence and offering examples from their own research work. Also the class paid more attention and asked questions. Furthermore, this activity had the result of offering students the opportunity to test and practice their presentation skills.

In general, students appeared more inclined and disposable to learn when interacting with their peers than when listening to the teacher. In fact I also noticed that, before asking me for instructions or help, thy tried to find themselves a solution for their problems or, more frequently, asked their friends.