ML I-Search Research Paper

This I-Search research paper records your search for learning about how best to support and teach ML students.

The term "Multilingual Learner" (ML) is the preferred term for students who are learning English while also developing and maintaining proficiency in other languages. "Multilingual Learner"    acknowledges that students may speak more than one language, certainly an asset, not a deficit.

You may also see the older terms English Language Learner (ELL), a student who is still developing their English skills and has a native language other than English, and English as a Second Language (ESL), the method or program used to teach English to non-native speakers.

Your research should include paper sources, the Internet, interviews with ML teachers, other teachers who work with ML students in your content area, even ML students themselves.

Your paper needs to demonstrate some knowledge of community activities and resources relevant to the ML students you are writing about.

Itt would be valuable in the course of your I-Search paper to connect/compare/contrast the ML teaching approach or approaches you are learning about to a Justice-Inquiry-Action approach.

The paper should be at least 3 pages long and include references to sources consulted. Prepare to present your findings to the class.

An "I-Search" research paper uses "I" and discusses the process and journey of your research, as well as the development of your ideas. Rather than a thesis statement organizing the paper, an I-Search paper is likely to begin with a question. And that question might evolve or take new directions as the research journey proceeds.

Here is a description from one website about I-Search papers:

I-Search reveals the thought processes involved in the search for answers. This allows other members of the learning community to follow the writers' thought processes as their search leads them along the path of discovery. Throughout the I-Search process, students reflect on the information they encounter and make decisions about how to proceed based upon their reflections. This combination encourages the development of metacognitive skills because the students are required to reflect deeply as they analyze the information they uncover and make decisions about its validity. The reader is then able to share the learning process because of the emphasis on the search in writing the I-Search paper.

The I-Search Paper is an interesting variation on the research paper invented by a famous WMU professor, Ken Macrorie!

The Read, Write, Think website has a strategy guide for teaching I-Search papers.

Elaine Minamide posts several excellent examples of I-Search papers from her English 100 class at Palomar College in California.

As you examine and experiment with the I-Search paper you will see subtle differences that may influence your approach to teaching I-Search papers.

Created by: allen.webb@wmich.edu
Revised Date: 11/25