Critical Skills 101

Originally published here.

This week we were asked to read a page about the almost infamous dilemma ‘What came first the chicken or the egg?’ and then anaylse and critique the contents of the article. I think it was interesting having to read the article very closely and extracting the main points and key words to critique and building on an argument to say why say one idea is inadequate with only the information given. Furthermore, it was great we could also draw from the skills we had to use last week in assessing validity and reliability. Also, I think being able to identify and critique something that in this case, has no real definitive answer is a very good starting point for developing these skills as you have to really break down the ideas and go beyond just stating whether one aspect is good or bad. Taking each individual section and then pointing out each area of criticism was somewhat time consuming as one flaw will lead to other questions, however I believe that this is a very beneficial skill to develop for many future situations.
I think working with a partner this week has made the task a lot more manageable, for one its easier to collaborate ideas in a smaller working group than a large one I believe. We worked well together and each equally contributed to the article critique as we had managed to discuss how to handle this task. My partner had started it off with writing the introduction and then an opening line into the critique section. I wrote down all my ideas and other research I had done and we both just continued to add onto each others work to provide us with our assignment. I believe due to drawing from both our ideas that we’ve got a good in depth range of criticisms and that our introduction and conclusion give us a clear insight and also understanding of the topic, but also how hard it is to really reach a completely solid conclusion.
So far the course has helped me understand more what it is like to be an independent learner. This week working in a pair has helped me realise I probably work best in small groups which will be key in aiding to my future learning. Also, the course has helped me broaden the use of available resources, for instance this weeks assignment, doing further research to either add to the critique or to affirm that my own argument was valid. Being able to take initiative and collect further information will be an essential skill to become an in(ter)dependent learner rather than constantly relying on others to provide you with the necessary information.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xk1-6GkI_lO-Ntibu7WAtCKv581X-nYI1P3R8aQPwoE/edit

Originally published here.

This weeks assignment on what came first, the chicken or the egg? was an extremely interesting title to be given.

The person that i was paired with and i, worked very well together, discussing what needed to be done and how we were going to sort out who did which part. We handled it very well, and together with our own research, i believe that we overall produced a very thorough essay, giving research and data from both sides to the argument, for or again the egg/chicken.

I believe that our conclusion and introduction give a clear insight to the chosen area topic and a good closing of analysis of the ‘Critique’ section. I believe that this section provides a wide variety of various opinions and theories related to this topic and therefore making the conclusion easier to write and generalise.

This weeks assignment has given me the opportunity to work in a pair, which in my opinion is a lot easier and helpful than working in a group, although that is also very helpful and necessary in future life. From this assignment, i have learnt the importance of analysis and how it is not always about explaining or describing but it is more about the analysis of the data that you provide, being able to break it down into parts until it becomes understandable. Being able to analyse a question that nobody is 100% sure of the answer to was a very useful and helpful technique that will most definitely help me if future experiences like this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xk1-6GkI_lO-Ntibu7WAtCKv581X-nYI1P3R8aQPwoE/edit

Originally published here.

Week3’s assignment was a tricky one, as not only did we have to rely on our own knowledge, but we also had to rely on the persistence and knowledge of others. My original group did not go to plan as i ended up being the only person to have done any group, so being moved to a more enthralled group helped me a lot as i was able to give my opinion and share with them what i had found, although this did not seem to make a massive difference. 

The final essay was amazing, it had everything that was asked, a good findings section that was reliable and rich in data, a conclusion that showed a clear match to the findings produced, although it did seem to go off topic slightly, it still related largely to the findings. 

Being able to work as a team and produce an essay between us has been a new experience for me and i feel that my skills have strengthened and i have learnt things that i didnt necessarily know before, it has given me the opportunity to combine my knowledge and research with that of others which i feel has helped me a lot.

This week has really helped me to understand and realise how much research does matter and how much it can help you to reach your final answer, without research it would be hard to ever really come to a clear conclusion and i feel that this week’s assignment has really shown me the value of research and working as a team.

Reaching the halfway point through the course, i feel that the new skills and knowledge that i have has helped me to improve my way of learning, whether that be with essay writing techniques, structure or even to help me with revision. I feel like in the last 3/4 weeks, i have improved my learning and developed into a more organised and hardworking individual.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14JenDif7mk0jRWXDp4bp8AIJxuIIKPqgqFnu9viyxHc/pub

Originally published here.

How did this week’s reading and assignment build on last weeks?

This weeks reading and assignment has given me a better all over all knowledge of the best way to research a chosen topic. It has also showed me a more structured and detailed way to research things. This week has really deepened my knowledge on how to research properly to get the best results possible.

How has it added to your understanding of conducting effective research?

This week has added to my understanding of how to conduct effective research as it has given me a effective way to structure my approach. I have found reading about the Harvard system very beneficial. Also, I found that combining my last weeks reading and this weeks reading I have been able to understand the Harvard system in better detail. I think with a bit of practise I will be able to use the Harvard system in a research task in the near future.

How much progress do you believe you have made as you approach the halfway point of the course?

Overall I think I have made quite a bit of progress as it is the first time I have worked on a collaborative piece with people I have never spoken to in real life. Not only has this helped my communication skills it also helped to make me more confident as during the task you had to be confident to put your points across and give your ideas. Also, it has helped me developed my independent learning and time management. I think this will be beneficial in all of my school life!

Originally published here.

1. Read and critique the #egg research project conducted by your group. Analyse and evaluate the validity and reliability of your research.

 Validity:

 Overall our project was quite valid as the conclusion that we came to was supported by the main pattern created within our results table. The main pattern that was created was that the younger people are less concerned about health factors when deciding on the best way to cook an egg. Whereas, middle aged people are more health concerned. Although, when analysing the elderly (over 70) we realised that they were less concerned then the middle aged. We came to the conclusion that this could be due to the lack of knowledge of health when they were growing up. Also, if they lived in uneducated times it would be extremely difficult to change their lifestyle (eating) choices at an older age. Although, we came to a clear conclusion in our results table we did have quite a few anomalies. This shows a lower level of reliability!

 

Internal Validity:

 Personally, I believe that the method we used to collect the data was relevant to the task. This was because we collected primary evidence (questionnaire.) This was relevant because we individually designed the questionnaire so we could get detailed information and we could direct it in the direction that we wanted the project to go in.  

 

External Validity:

Although, the project was not very externally valid as only a small group of people were asked and 85% of them lived in a 20 mile radius of each other. This shows that the results could only represent a small area as certain health campaigns may be in place. However, a few of the results collected were from abroad. This helps to make the results a little broader.

 

Reliability:

Overall our project was quite reliable as a steady pattern was created in our results. Although, there is no definite evidence that if we repeated the experiment the same results would arise. This may be due to our lack of secondary evidence, showing that we had little knowledge of whether this questionnaire had been asked before. To add to that, we had little explanation on whether anyone else had ever found this pattern or whether it was just a one off. Furthermore, when conducting the research I asked all the people on the same day at the same time. This would alter people’s answers as some prefer to eat healthy during the week but treat themselves on the weekend. Also, people have different time schedules (work) on weekdays to weekends.  Moreover, when collecting results the results were very basic one word answers so despite it was easier to make a conclusion from this the results didn’t give information if they cook eggs differently on the weekend.

 

Harvard system:

 Although, our research didn’t coincide with the Harvard system as we had no secondary evidence, making it less reliable and harder to compare our results to see if there was a definite pattern. It also makes our project less reliable.