Author: tchan303

Originally published here.

“What is the best way to cook an egg?” was the question we were asked to tackle and to find a solution to. I realised it was going to be quite a challenge seeing as the question was very broad and open to interpretation and we would have to collaborate our research to find an answer. In terms of the research process, I found it very useful that we had guidelines to help with the inquisition as this made the process much more systematic and easier to approach as well. The research and enquiry was very time consuming and required a lot of thought as you needed to draw from various resources and not just type into google the question and assume that the first answer you see is definitive. However, it has been very useful as it has helped me develop my ability to be critical about sources and also cross referencing information to draw the best quality data which involves both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data gives us better objectivity and the results we assume, would be accurate and therefore it gave us a good basis for our research by providing us with data to work from and which was also relatively easy to obtain. Qualitative data gives us richer and more detailed information to work with, although this is much more subject to opinion and bias and so we had to procede with caution whilst handling this form of data. I believe in order to get the best results you would have to draw conclusions from both types of data (triangulation) which is a new skill I have acquired during this week.
In terms of our success as a group working on this project, I found it difficult to communicate with the other members of the group on many separate occasions regarding which direction our research was going to take. This problem has most likely arisen from the fact the discussions had to take place online and we were not on at the same time to properly debate how to answer this question, and some members of the group failed to make an appearance and contribute to the research. This made it difficult to really make good progress on the project as a group as it took a while for it to really start up. Admittedly it took myself a good part of the week to really get going as it took me a while to figure out how to use google docs in the first place! Nevertheless I believe the project would have been more succesful had it not been for the fact everything was done online and if some members of the group were more co-operative and a the moment it hasn’t been published as I’m waiting for a group consensus to approve.
I think i made an effort in collaborating my ideas with others, however as some members of the group did not attempt to make any changes or respond very much it is hard to assess how affective I was as a collaborator. This probably wasn’t helped by the fact none of us where ever online at the same time. However, I believe i could have given more feedback on other peoples input to the project and engaged in more discussion, as well as starting the project slightly earlier! All in all, I think this week has shown some of the difficulties of working in the groups sometimes but also highlighted how useful it can be to share ideas and information.

Originally published here.

I chose to join this critical skills course having heard its focus on independent learning and I hope it will help me develop my skills in this area. Often when revising for an exam I simply read materials I already have and really fail to exploit any other resources that I have at my disposable. This skill will almost certainly be useful to acquire for the future.
This past week I have been challenged to really define what independent learning is and what skills this may consist of. I believe there are misconceptions that independent learning is, as it literally implies, learning unaided and alone or autonomous learning and self directed learning. While there are some elements in this proliferation that are true, I think the term ‘independent learning’ is just a broad umbrella term that covers most aspects of learning.
To be a good independent learner, there are probably many things you first have to identify within yourself, for example reflecting on how you learn best, in a basic sense are you an auditory, kinaesthetic or visual learner. Every person is different, so for instance one may feel more of a benefit teaching materials in order to retain information whilst another learns from being taught. The ability to recognise and identify the best method which suits you is a key characteristic in being an independent learner.
Through further discussion, although the implication is that independent learning is a solitary activity, this is deemed not the case. Being able to establish when you require help from others and finding the right person to ask for guidance is also a key aspect which gives rise to the term in(ter)dependent learning. Having the ability to work together with others and sharing ideas with others can further enhance your own knowledge and also help you become more aware of your educational environment in a social context.
Inevitably one of the most important characteristics of an in(ter)dependant learner is to have motivation and the drive to work hard to achieve this goal. This gives rise to the question ‘Can you learn to become a more in(ter)dependent learner?’ I believe it is perfectly reasonable to argue that you can, as a desire to become an independent learner can be achieved through developing an individual’s positive attitude by finding an ambition they can strive towards. Nevertheless, even without an end goal as a means of motivation, being taught the skills and aspects of being an independent learner will help to successfully instil a strong positive mentality to find the optimal conditions for an individuals learning.