What the IIM?

The Independent Investigation Method (IIM) is a teacher-created, proven model for teaching students from Kindergarten through High School levels how to conduct good, reliable, and copy-free RESEARCH.  Today's students are living and learning in an information-saturated environment. Finding facts is not a problem; we are all bombarded with facts, factoids and false facts on a daily basis.  Our students need a method for sorting through these facts to find what they need to answer their questions, from "What would happen if frogs dropped out of the food chain?" to "What college should I apply to?" 

IIM provides the scaffolding to guide even our youngest students through the research process. The skills they develop as a result will enable them to become independent, knowing how to:

• choose an appropriate topic (not too broad, not too narrow)
• set reasonable goals (enough facts, a variety of resources, and good questions)
• conduct reliable and ethical research (not plagiarizing, not copying, using appropriate sources)
• organize their information (sorting, analyzing and synthesizing what they need)
• evaluate their process (checking on their goals, deciding when they have what they need to move forward)
• develop and create their product (showing what they've learned in a unique and engaging manner)
• and preparing a presentation (sharing their knowledge and skills with an understanding of their audience).

This is such an important process, and though we are only getting them started at the K-2 level, my colleagues at Memorial and Cawley Schools have remarked on how capable our students are as they continue to develop their research skills based on the IIM experiences we provide at Underhill School. 

Click here for helpful links to information from the IIM website:

 Resources from the IIM Teacher Lounge