Browsing Practice

Browsing takes practice.

Browsing, or surfing, is easy to do: just click a link. Using browsing to find information efficiently is not easy. Querying is almost always quicker. That being said, most searches end with browsing, homing in on desired information by clicking links and scanning.

The Zeus Bunnycam is a challenge that can be used to demonstrate the difference between querying and browsing. I've recently updated the Bunnycam challenge because Google no longer supports its subject directory, which was the basis for the browsing experience. Subject Directories make excellent (safe) playgrounds for browsing practice. The challenge now uses the dmoz.org subject directory instead.

Becoming a proficient browser involves making increasingly 'educated' guesses. The breadth of one's vocabulary directly impacts one's success, but chance also plays a large part. Much of the time it is impossible accurately to predict what link points to the desired information: an author uses a different word than you would use or the information simply isn't available.

Rather than frustrate learners with challenges for lack of information, browsing challenges that use subject directories focus on word choices: what link is most likely to get me closer to the information I need?  Additionally, subject directories expose the differences between querying and searching.

Try it.

Open dmoz.org, the open directory project. Look for information on the Zeus Bunnycam.

1. There are two ways to search: click on the categorical links provided or enter a query in the database's search engine. Querying is by far the quicker method. This can be experienced by dividing a class in two groups: Query and Browse. The Query group only uses the search engine. The Browse group only clicks on words (no typing).
2. Another group experience is to make everyone browse. Stop the action after 1 minute. Find out where members of the group are. In what section are they browsing? There is bound to be a wide variety of responses. This demonstrates the difficulty in making educated guesses as to where someone else 'filed' the information. Two people are not likely to put the information in the same place. Why?  This question would be good to explore with middle school students and older in the context of language arts.
3. Browsing is deeply connected to scanning: looking at the results for clues that suggest one is getting closer to the desired information. It is often enlightening to ask students why they click one link rather than another. Ask them to explain their choices to the group. Hearing others' explanations is a learning experience.

Browsing is also a heuristic strategy. Many find it an enjoyable activity that leads to surprising results. You start looking for one thing and find something new. This is a good application of browsing that requires little practice: you see something interesting and follow it. Since browsing is the final step in most queries, getting better at accurate guessing takes practice.

For Elementary Students the Challenge is...

The younger a student is, the more challenging searching becomes.

On average, middle school students have more difficulty than high school students (the subject of an earlier post). Compared to middle school students, searchers in the elementary grades find themselves with fewer advantages.

There are a number of reasons (developmental, social, economic, etc.) for this and by no means is this post intended to be exhaustive. In fact, I'm going to focus on only one cause. Early childhood specialists, elementary teachers and librarians will have much more to contribute on this subject--and I encourage you to do so!

An obvious obstacle children face is vocabulary.

This might not be as big a problem if there were universal words used to describe the things we seek. Elsewhere I've talked about the "1 in 5 rule:" that, on average, there are four other words that may be used to describe an object or action. Unless children stick with fairly simple terms (butterfly, acorn, planet) there is a good chance they will not use the correct term (the term that matches the information they want). Moreover, 1-word searches are among the least effective ways to search--two words prove to be much better--and matching both words (if they're not the right ones) can produce unexpected results.

Because their vocabularies are limited, they may be unable to think of alternate words. That being said, it's amazing how few older students approach searching as a task of finding better keywords. Apparently, knowing more words is not the only obstacle to becoming an effective searcher.

But not having a good command of words, their meanings and the relationships among them poses a serious limitation. It is on this point I welcome insights from practitioners: what do you see as the limits?

There are some accommodations that can be made. One is to limit the search. Having children search in a closed, vetted environment is a fairly popular solution. Using Nettrekker.com or creating a custom search engine provides children with an authentic search experience while fishing in a pond that's appropriately stocked (not like a free range search engine where you can hook on to some real sharks).

Another alternative is to use a subject directory where the keywords are already supplied and the choices are vetted. This approach, while less efficient than a search engine, can be used to teach relationships among words. And again, notwithstanding your school's filters, the pond is largely protected (to check this yourself, use the search box on a directory site to search for an objectionable term).

That's all for now. I want to hear your thoughts on what makes searching challenging for children and what you may have found that helps.