Educational Foundations and Leadership EDUC 5463EDUC 5463-Instructional Strategies
General Information for Students
Resources
1- Books, catalogs and databases
Search Tips
Suggested Keywords
(search terms)
Resources 2
- Internet Sites
Evaluating
Websites
Following APA style
rules
Resources Part 1
If you are unfamiliar with the terminology you encounter while searching article databases (or while reading articles in journals) you may wish to refer to sources such as textbooks, dictionaries, and other reference resources in the field of study.
Reference Materials on the Broken Arrow Campus
Digest of Education Statistics Call # Ref L11 .D48
The Educator's Desk Reference : A Sourcebook of Educational Iinformation and Research (EDR) Call # Ref LB1028.26 .F74 1989
Encyclopedia of Education Call # Ref. LB15 .E47 2003
Historical Encyclopedia of School Psychology (Electronic book – enter title into library catalog)
Social Work Almanac Call # Ref HV90 .G53 1995
Reference Materials on the Muskogee Campus
Teaching for diversity Call # LC1099.3 .G367 1998
Reading engagement : motivating readers through integrated instruction Call # LB1573 .R2787 1997
Reference Materials on the Tahlequah Campus
A Critical Dictionary of Educational Concepts Call # Ref. LB 15.B29
Encyclopedia of Learning & Memory Call # Ref. BF 318.E53
Handbook of School Psychology Call # LB 1051.H2356 (Note that this title is held on third floor)
Historical Encyclopedia of School Psychology Call # Ref. LB 1027.55.H57
The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms Call # Ref. LB 15.M32
Books (Catalogs for finding)
Print format books are available by searching the NSU online catalog.
Search the NSU Libraries' Online Catalog: http://library2.nsuok.edu/
Searches may be limited to just the Broken Arrow campus for convenience. Books available on the Tahlequah campus may be ordered for delivery to the Broken Arrow campus. It usually takes two to three days for materials to arrive via campus mail.
Here are some of the subject headings used in the catalog: learning strategies, Science--Study and teaching, effective teaching
Electronic books: Netlibrary provides access to over 42,000 academic books to NSU students 24/7.
Search for E-Books using NetLibrary: http://library.nsuok.edu/Refdesk/vrdbks.html
Journal and Magazine Article Databases
Academic Search Premier - This is a general database, which means it contains article citations and full text articles covering many academic subjects. It is one of the twenty-five databases produced by EbscoHost for which NSU has a subscription. It is probably our most widely used database and is sometimes referred to simply as "Ebsco."
ERIC - This is another database produced by EbscoHost. ERIC stands for the Educational Resource Information Center. It contains more than 2,200 digests along with references for additional information and citations and abstracts from over 1,000 educational and education-related journals. ERIC contains a thesaurus, which can be very helpful in figuring out which search terms to use when looking for information.
Professional Development Collection - Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of more than 550 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This databasealso contains more than 200 educational reports.
Go to all EbscoHost databases (from there, you can search them all simultaneously by checking the box next to each - then click continue)
Education Full Text - Part of Wilson's Omnifile Full Text, Mega Edition, EFT provides comprehensive coverage of an international range of English-language periodicals, monographs and yearbooks. Coverage includes 79 journals (37 with full text) not covered by ERIC's Current Index to Journals in Education. Index coverage goes back to 1983. Full text articles from 1996 to the present. Contains a thesaurus.
Search Tips
1. Be prepared with synonyms in case your original search produces no results. Use a thesaurus if the database is equipped with one.
2. Pay attention to search tips or help screens provided by each database. Even experienced researchers (like professors and librarians!) can have trouble when dealing with a new interface. Take the time to learn how to use the tool - it will help you to avoid frustration!
3. Remember that most databases allow for Boolean Searching. Use and to narrow, or to expand, not to exlude. Truncation is also useful for bringing back all relevant results. For example, type counsel* to bring back documents containing the words counsel, counseling, counselor...
4. Take advantage of the following sources of help:
- Reference On Call at JVL is staffed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-TH and 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Friday by reference librarians or other experienced library staff members.
Suggested Keywords to use when searching for information on topics in instructional strategies
One of the first steps in creating a research plan is to select “key words” which best describe the topic you plan to research.
If you are unfamiliar with the terminology you may wish to refer to sources such as textbooks, dictionaries, and other reference resources in the field of study. Contact your instructor if you are unsure if a particular topic is appropriate. It is usually wise to make sure if you are on target with your topic before you begin to spend much time researching a project.
Use the following terms individually or in combination with one another:
education and strategies (combine terms using and)
"student-centered learning" (enclose phrases in quotation marks) OR
"student centered learning"
teach* and "at-risk students " OR "students at risk"
(truncate to search for all forms: teaching, teachers, etc)(use or to get all
possible versions of the term)
diversity
"cognitive style"
"learning modalities"
"learning strategies"
"learning motivation"
"thinking skills"
"classroom techniques"
"learning styles "
culture
math and strategies
language arts and strategies
spelling strategies
gender
"multiple intelligenc*"
elementary or primary
middle school
junior high
high school
secondary
students
children
adolescents
teen* (truncate to get all forms: teen, teens, teenagers, teenaged, etc.)
Resources Part 2
Internet Sites
General
Sites for Teachers: http://www.sitesforteachers.com/
Can Teach: http://www.canteach.ca/index.html
United States Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml?src=a
The Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/
Evaluating Web sites
It's important to remember that publishing on the web is very easy - almost anyone can do it! The problem with that is knowing what's credible (worth your time) and what's not.
Here are some of the thing you want to look at or for:
the URL (.gov, .mil, .us, .edu
are usually pretty credible);
links to information about the author or sponsoring organization;
links to other sites that are credible;
how current it is
Ultimately the researcher must be the one to determine whether or not to use information found on a web site. The following information from the University of California at Berkeley provides some excellent guidelines for evaluating sites:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.htm
Following APA style rules
The American Psychological Association originally created a publication manual to provide a common structure for all journal manuscripts in the area of the social sciences.
Many other disciplines (including psychology, the behavioral sciences, nursing, personnel administration and many areas within education) have adopted this as their professional writing standard as well.
In an academic environment, you will often be expected to conform to this standard when writing. At this point, you should be mostly concerned with creating an accurate reference list using proper format and providing citations within the text to give credit for an idea or concept to the source from which you got it.
Print:
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2010). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
The library owns several copies of the style guide; however, only the 5th edition circulates (can be checked out). The NSU libraries have seven copies of the 6th edition in reference and two on reserve. (
Websites:
Using APA format (Purdue University) - this comprehensive guide summarizes the print version of the book. Click on Your Reference List to find examples of the proper format to use when listing sources you used.
APA Style.org's Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact the Subject Librarian for Education - burkhead@nsuok.edu
- College of Education Web site
- Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership
Page maintained by: Sarah Burkhead
Last Updated: August 19, 2011
