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Howard University Active Learning Method Report

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A complete annotated bibliography has at least 5 credible sources from the past 5-7 years:

  • 3 sources must come from peer reviewed, academic journals. These sources will give you an understanding of scholarly perspectives and research on your issue.
  • 1 + sources will be a newspaper or magazine article. This source will give you a sense of the national conversations on this issue.
  • 1+ sources will be your choice. It might be a book chapter, blog, video, educational website or other credible source.

For each source, you will write for three purposes (this is your “annotation”): 

  • A full APA-style reference list citation. Education scholarship uses APA style, so that is our style for all work in this class.
  • An approximately 150-word summary
  • An approximately 100-word annotation that reflects on the usefulness of this source for your project. 

See more detail here:

Complete citation in APA format

Refer to information/readings on Canvas but don’t stress about having perfect format. Focus on including all relevant publication information. 

Paragraph 1: Summary (~150 words)

  • Choose and apply the appropriate summary style that we will learn about in Lab 2.
  • Concisely describe the main points of the source in your own words. Do not use quotes.
  • For research articles: you do not need to include study methods or design, eg. number of participants (unless notable) or control versus intervention group. Focus on:
  • What was the research question? What were they trying to determine?
  • What was found (see results)
  • What the results mean
    • How did researchers interpret their findings?
    • How do they think the findings can be applied?

Paragraph 2: Reflection (min 100 words)

  • Reflect on the relevance of this source to your project and describe how you intend to use it. What will you focus on from this source and why? What key ideas could you address and what examples could you use?
  • Compare and contrast this article with another in the annotated bib. How does this study relate to and differ from the others? What other study might you discuss it with and why? For non-scholarly sources such as newspaper articles, blogs, or education websites: how do these sources relate to the studies on this issue? Are there any discrepancies or disagreements?
  • If this is not a peer-reviewed research article from a scholarly journal, briefly state why it is credible.

* Note that you can (and should) include sources that you find, summarize, and reflect on here, but don’t ultimately use in your project. This is a working document and a tool!

Specifications for your annotated bibliography: Additional elements

You’ll also begin the assignment with a self-assessment memo, followed by your research question as it relates to your project.  You’ll end your assignment with a reflection paragraph. See details next. 

Document Format and Organization

Present your entries in a way that serves you most. You can use headers that correspond to the products you are planning on developing, or perhaps headers that address topics or arguments within the pieces. Whatever your system, make sure it is logical and useful.

Order of items (top of page –>>)

  1. Self-assessment Memo : (~100 words) Using the evaluation criteria, describe the strengths and weaknesses of your annotated bibliography. Reflect on your reading practices: How did you approach reading your sources? How effectively do think you read? Did you apply any new strategies? Include any questions or concerns for Kelly.
  2. Overarching Research Question: Pose a single preliminary research question: this should be something that piques your curiosity, not one you already know the answer to. As you learn more about your topic, narrow it. Be sure your research question relates to the major project.

[Items 3 & 4 repeat with each category]

  1. Category Heading: Include the heading that identifies the group you are creating from the sources.
  2. Annotations for each source: See detailed instructions below for your approx. 150-word summary and approx. 100-word reflections for each source.
  3. Overview Paragraph/s: After you write your annotations, write 1-2 paragraphs explaining your thoughts about this topic now that you have researched it. What are the most important findings? Is there a consensus on your topic or disagreement? Explain. At this point, what is your opinion about this issue? Has your perspective shifted? How?

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