using tattooing to teach boolean searching

7/31/2019 Using Tattooing to Teach Boolean Searching

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Using Tattooing to Teach Boolean Searching

Michael Lorenzen

Knowledge of Boolean searching techniques is important for undergraduates to be

successful in constructing searches in the catalog, databases and the Web. As such, it isimportant to introduce it to college students early in a library literacy course or during aone session BI session. This lesson uses active learning strategies to interest and teachstudents basic Boolean strategies. This is done by having students write and talk abouttattooing. Ideally, the class will have between 15-25 students to allow for both small groupwork and a larger class discussion. The lesson detailed here takes about 50 minutes toconduct. The lesson works best with undergraduates who are in their first or second year of

post-secondary education. It also works well with high school students.

Objectives of Instruction:

The student will learn how the importance of narrowly defining the search early in thesearch process.

The student will learn how to use the AND in a Boolean search to narrow a search.

The student will learn how to use the NOT in a Boolean search to exclude a term from asearch.

The student will learn how to use the OR in a search to expand a search.

The student will learn that although databases are constructed differently, the basics of

Boolean searching can be applied in all of them.

Components of the Instruction:

It has been my experience that students do not arrive at library instruction sessions veryexcited or motivated to learn. The student may be enrolled in a library skills course as agraduation requirement and may have low expectations towards the course or the student isat the session because an instructor arranged for a class to receive library instruction. Either way, grabbing the attention of the students can be extremely difficult. As such, I have beenusing the concept of tattooing at the beginning of all basic class sessions dealing withonline searching.

I begin the class by asking each student to write down on a piece of paper the types of people they believe get tattoos. It is important to have some extra sheets of paper and some pencils available for the students as many of them will come unprepared to write or takenotes. I give the students a minute or two to write down their responses. Some of thestudents are going to be surprised that the library lecture they are at is asking about tattoosand requiring them to actually participate by writing. Look around for these students andstrongly encourage them to write down a few responses. This is a basic use of the idea of


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the minute paper and it is a good way to let students know that they will be expected to participate in class.

At this point, break the class down into five or six groups. Try not to have more than threestudents in any one group. If possible, make the default groups work in such a way that no

counting off or moving is required by the students as this takes time and will distract thestudents. For example, if the room has three rows of seats divided by an aisle, use the sixresulting areas as groups. Ask the groups to discuss with each other their the responses tothe question. Let them know that each group will be asked to pick one example to sharewith the entire class. Be sure to let them know that each group must share an originalanswer so that back-up answers are a good idea. Let the groups work for several minutes.Try not to cut off the discussions until they start to drift off of topic.

Bring the class back to attention and begin asking each group for an example. As you getthe answers, write them down for all of the students to see. A flip chart, blackboard, or whiteboard at the front of the class works well for this. Continue until all of the groups

have provided a response. When finished, ask if any of the students would like to shareadditional answers. Usually, you will be able to write down a few more suggestions. Mostof the responses will be standard and you will hear them each time you teach this way.Bikers, sailors, prisoners, and athletes will be popular. Monks, students, and even librarianswill be thrown in occasionally as well!

This is the opportunity to emphasis how important it is to narrow down a search. Thestudents will have demonstrated by their examples that even a simple topic like tattooingcan be about a bunch of different things and people. A broader topic like abortion, war,

poverty, Shakespeare, etc. is going to have even more words that may be relevant. Gettinggood results in a library is not always dependent on how hard one works. It is possible to

work hard and get bad results. You can also work for an hour and have all that you need.Thinking about what you want, what words may be used to describe it, and how you maynarrow down your search will save the student time and results in better research. This

point is easy to make at this point in the lesson. And the students, still deeply interestedfrom the tattooing discussion, will listen.

An explanation of Boolean searching can be added at this point. Refer back to where youhave written down the suggestions from the students. Explain what AND, NOT, and OR are and how they are used to construct searches. Use the words the students gave you asexamples. For instance, when explaining the use of AND, write on the board bikers ANDtattoos to demonstrate. This can be done with all the Boolean terms using the tattoo relatedwords the student shared. You will find this much more effective than the use of VenDiagrams or straight lecture.

After explaining the Boolean concepts, go ahead and demonstrate the database or databasesthe students need to learn about. If possible, use the tattooing examples that the studentsgave you when demonstrating a search. Whatever searches you use to demonstrate thedatabase, be sure to point out when you are using Boolean operators in a search. A fewexamples where you do a few bad searches compared with some good Boolean searches is


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a nice way to reinforce the importance of using AND, NOT, and OR. Showing more thanone database is a good idea. Try to get two databases that look different to show thatregardless of the database, Boolean searching still works although variations in thedatabases may require the user to make some modifications.

It is important to have the students conduct their own searches as soon as possible. Ideally,you will have a classroom where each student has their own computer and can follow alongwith you as you demonstrate searches. This is a highly effective method of active learningthat will reinforce what you teach and immediately let you know when a student is havingdifficulty. If a room with computers for the students is not available, try to leave time totake the students out to an area with computers to help them do a few searches. The smallassignment provided with this lesson can also be used.

Evaluation:

I am fortunate that I am able to teach in a classroom that has computers for each student.

As such, I am able to monitor the students throughout the lesson and I can immediatelywork with a student who is falling behind. As such, I know this lesson works well inteaching Boolean concepts. I have also taught this lesson without any reference to tattooswith just a database demonstration with a brief lecture on Boolean concepts. The students

pay attention and interact with me better when I use the tattooing approach.

Supplementary Material :

Boolean Searching Assignment

1. Type in the word tattoos into an online catalog as a keyword. How many items are there

in the catalog with this word?

2. Type in the word bikers into the online catalog as a keyword. How many items are therein the catalog with this word?

3. How would you look for both #1 and #2 in the same search?

4. How many items are in the catalog that have both bikers and tattoos in the record?

5. Type in the word bigfoot into the catalog. How could you exclude the records thatinclude the word truck if you searched again?

6. How could you construct a search that brought up the most records if you were lookingfor books on both parrots and turtles?

7. Type the word tattoos into EBSCOhost How many results are there? Narrow the searchdown to articles that are about both tattoos and art.


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8. Can you find any records in EBSCOhost that are about tattoos but not about art? Howmany records are there?

9. How many articles can you find in EBSCOhost that are about either tattoos or bikers?

using tattooing to teach boolean searching

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