Forming Research Questions and Identifying Key Concepts View Worksheet After you have chosen a research paper topic, developing research questions and identifying key concepts helps you write a strong thesis statement and conduct structured research. Jumping into your topic without asking the right questions and developing a plan hurts the overall strength of your paper. In addition, by developing questions and identifying concepts, you make it easier to determine what information you need and how that information pertains to the scope of your research paper. Forming research questions to shape your thesis statement Forming research questions is essential in writing an effective thesis statement. I need to locate information about the types of homeopathic stress relievers.I need to locate information about the effects of video game violence on children aged 7-10.I need to locate information about the causes of childhood obesity.I need to locate information about childhood immunizations.
untitled Divergent thinking – more than a mere tool – is a technique very commonly used on creative activities because it allows us to expand our brains a little bit, by looking for new opportunities and ways of getting things done. So, from the problem – or whatever triggers your creativity – to the solution, instead of taking obvious steps and walking on a straight line, you force yourself to see different aspects of the situation, using unusual points of view, no matter how abstract of absurd they seem at the first place. This can be done by allowing everyone to think more freely while working on the task, gathering ideas that have the slightest relation to the problem itself rather than looking straight for a practical solution. Though it might sound like a waste of time, many corporations have found appealing answers to their problems by using such method. Another misconception around the divergent thinking is that the creative process should be all about it.
Visionlearning untitled Scientific method Diagram illustrating steps in the scientific method. The scientific method is an ongoing process, which usually begins with observations about the natural world. Human beings are naturally inquisitive, so they often come up with questions about things they see or hear and often develop ideas (hypotheses) about why things are the way they are. The best hypotheses lead to predictions that can be tested in various ways, including making further observations about nature. In general, the strongest tests of hypotheses come from carefully controlled and replicated experiments that gather empirical data. Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, identifiable features are frequently shared in common between them. Overview The DNA example below is a synopsis of this method Process Formulation of a question The question can refer to the explanation of a specific observation, as in "Why is the sky blue?" Hypothesis Prediction Testing Analysis DNA example Other components Replication 1.
Learning curve A learning curve is a graphical representation of the increase of learning (vertical axis) with experience (horizontal axis). Learning curve for a single subject, showing how learning improves with experience A learning curve averaged over many trials is smooth, and can be expressed as a mathematical function The term learning curve is used in two main ways: where the same task is repeated in a series of trials, or where a body of knowledge is learned over time. The familiar expression "a steep learning curve" is intended to mean that the activity is difficult to learn, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid progress.[4][5] In psychology[edit] The first person to describe the learning curve was Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. Psychologist Arthur Bills gave a more detailed description of learning curves in 1934. In economics[edit] Examples and mathematical modelling[edit] A learning curve is a plot of the increase of learning (or proficiency) with experience. Fig 8.
Critical reading techniques You will probably find that there is a lot of reading required for your module. Like many students, you might find that you are time-poor and you will, therefore, need to be speedy and efficient in your reading. This section will help you become an efficient reader and information processor. Covered in this section How to read efficientlyHow to read actively in an engaged wayCritically processing what you read25 mins to complete this sectionVideo (3)Audio (4) Reading university texts requires a more strategic approach from that used when you read for pleasure. Making notes is an essential part of the reading process. Make sure you are comfortable Finding the right space and time to read in is important Find a comfortable and quiet place to read, where you will not be disturbed or interrupted.
Leonard Nimoy - photographer Hypothesis A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the available scientific theories. Even though the words "hypothesis" and "theory" are often used synonymously, a scientific hypothesis is not the same as a scientific theory. The adjective hypothetical, meaning "having the nature of a hypothesis", or "being assumed to exist as an immediate consequence of a hypothesis", can refer to any of these meanings of the term "hypothesis". Uses[edit] In Plato's Meno (86e–87b), Socrates dissects virtue with a method used by mathematicians,[2] that of "investigating from a hypothesis In common usage in the 21st century, a hypothesis refers to a provisional idea whose merit requires evaluation. Scientific hypothesis[edit] Working hypothesis[edit] See also[edit]
Buzzword: Micro-learning I was introduced recently to a new buzz word making its way across the learning & development industry: Micro-learning. If you’re like me, you’re probably starting to get a bit tired of people adding their particular spin to learning – all in search of the holy grail that is the “right way” to make learning happen. It doesn’t exist. But having got that out of the way, it is worth looking at these ideas to see if there’s anything we, as learning professionals, can learn from them. As a term, “micro-learning” has been around since about 2004, when it was put forward in a PhD thesis by Gerhard Gassler. Basically, micro-learning describes a method of learning, whereby concepts and ideas are presented (or retrieved) in very small chunks, over very short time-scales, often at the point of need, or at the point of maximum receptiveness. Examples include: As can be seen from the examples above, micro-learning is generally pulled rather than pushed. ie. the learner dictates when they learn.
Critical thinking Critical thinking is a type of clear, reasoned thinking. According to Beyer (1995) Critical thinking means making clear, reasoned judgements. While in the process of critical thinking, ideas should be reasoned and well thought out/judged.[1] The National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.'[2] Etymology[edit] In the term critical thinking, the word critical, (Grk. κριτικός = kritikos = "critic") derives from the word critic, and identifies the intellectual capacity and the means "of judging", "of judgement", "for judging", and of being "able to discern".[3] Definitions[edit] According to the field of inquiry [weasel words], critical thinking is defined as: Skills[edit] In sum:
Hearing Is Our Least Trustworthy Sense by Orion Jones We like to think we perceive the world just as everyone else does. That's what makes communication possible, and without a baseline reality, how would science proceed? But our sense of hearing is remarkably unreliable, say sound psychologists. And since hearing is one out of just five senses we use to perceive the world, that's a little concerning. Or one out of seven if you count proprioception and vestibular sensation — and hey, why not? Just yesterday, for example, I missed a call from an unfamiliar number, and because I haven't set up my voicemail yet (who needs it?!) Ironically, our sense of hearing is unreliable because of its robust ability to create meaning from otherwise random sounds. Diana Deutsch, sound psychologist at UC San Diego, says that how we hear sounds depends on the tonality of our mother tongue, which varies greatly from country to country. Read more at BBC Future.
The Science of “Chunking,” Working Memory, and How Pattern Recognition Fuels Creativity by Maria Popova “Generating interesting connections between disparate subjects is what makes art so fascinating to create and to view… We are forced to contemplate a new, higher pattern that binds lower ones together.” It seems to be the season for fascinating meditations on consciousness, exploring such questions as what happens while we sleep, how complex cognition evolved, and why the world exists. The process of combining more primitive pieces of information to create something more meaningful is a crucial aspect both of learning and of consciousness and is one of the defining features of human experience. What makes the difference, Bor argues, is a concept called chunking, which allows us to hack the limits of our working memory — a kind of cognitive compression mechanism wherein we parse information into chunks that are more memorable and easier to process than the seemingly random bits of which they’re composed. This young man had, essentially, mastered exponential chunking.