Self-Study Course

Task List 3: The Application of Critical Thinking to Various Types of Educational Materials

In the last lesson we explored the skills needed to effectively learn, and the things to avoid. In this lesson you will learn to apply those principles to specific examples of educational materials.

General Tasks

In lesson 1 you planned out a course of study. One element of that plan was to determine what educational materials you needed to collect in accord with your primary learning talents. Choose one of the various educational materials you have on hand as a starting point. Eventually you will cover all of the materials you acquire using the techniques below. Be sure to apply the techniques of lesson 2 to each step listed below, wherever it is appropriate.

To paraphrase Wheeler's First Moral Principle: Always guess the answer to every question before you do a calculation, experiment, or ask someone else. If you are right, then you will reinforce your ability to guess answers of this kind. If you are wrong, then find out why you were wrong. There is nothing bad about being wrong!

Abstracting Journals and Services, Internet Search Engines

  1. Develop a list of topics to look for before each session. It is easy to get sidetracked by the vast array of available papers and web sites in any field of study.
  2. Make a list of a few questions you have in mind before you start.
  3. Decide on an arbitrary maximum number of abstracts or web sites you will survey. Bear in mind that you might realistically be able to read through fifty abstracts in an hour, or a dozen web sites.

Audio Cassettes/Tapes/CDs, Television and Video

  1. The advantages of these media are that you can back up and replay what you get. The disadvantage is that you may not know what to expect, and so may be unable to develop more than a couple of very basic questions before listening.
  2. An important point about any passive learning experience is that they are passive! You are not doing anything but listening or watching. The lowest level of activity involved with passive learning is taking notes.
  3. Ask yourself questions and try to answer them as the experience plays out.
  4. As you listen try to anticipate what is going to be presented next and where the flow of the experience is taking you.
  5. Play the whole thing through once. Listen without putting much effort into absorbing the material. The task here is to develop a list of questions.
  6. Then run through the material again, this time trying to glean the answers to your questions.
  7. Return to those parts that are of the greatest interest to you.

Bookstores

  1. Bookstores make excellent locations for getting a feel for your subject. To use a bookstore to get a feel for your subject, pull a couple of different books on the subject of interest from the bookshelves and note the chapter headings; how are the books organized? If there are many books of the same type nearby determine how much you will need to learn in order to satisfy your project goal. Perhaps you will need to reevaluate your project.
  2. Note the names of the authors contributing to your chosen field. This will help you as you progress; if you see a book or paper written by a favored author you will be more inclined to read it, while an author that puts you off may be avoided.
  3. Skim the books on the shelves to get some idea of the details of a subject under study. As you page through the book open your mind for significant questions. Note the questions and see if you can quickly find the answers. This can be helpful in deciding if you should purchase an expensive science book. Do not abuse this and attempt to read the book at the store, this is a good way to get booksellers angry.

College/University Catalogs

  1. The most useful aspect of looking at college or university course catalogs is to get a list of the important concepts within a subject. This is a roadmap to what professional scientists and educators consider important for your subject. By looking at several such course catalogs you can build a very good self-study course.
  2. As you read through a course description keep an open mind for questions that arise. Does the name of a course trigger a question? Does a subject covered within a course trigger a question?

College/University Courses

  1. If you decide to take a college course, I recommend that you apply the techniques of lesson 2 and the section Lay Books, Monographs, and Textbooks below for how to most effectively use the reading assignments.
  2. Make sure that you complete all appropriate reading assignments prior to the next classroom session.
  3. Make a list of questions based on your reading that you want addressed in the next class.
  4. While listening in class keep your mind open for answers to your questions, and note any additional questions that occur to you.
  5. Always try to anticipate what the lecturer is going to cover next.
  6. Any questions that were not answered can be asked at the end of the session.
  7. Many classes will have discussion sections, these are a good place to ask questions. Listen to the questions asked by other students, do they raise any questions? These discussion sections are a good place to explore areas not covered by the reading assignments and lectures.
  8. Many courses have a laboratory component. If such is the case in your course you should read the lab description carefully so that you know all about it prior to performing the lab. Do you understand why each step is being done? If not then you don't really understand the purpose of the lab. Does the experiment raise any questions? Can you think of an experiment that could settle the questions? Try to get permission to perform any experiments that you think of.
  9. Be sure to do all assigned homework as soon as it is appropriate. When you solve a problem does the solution raise any questions? Does it answer any questions you already have? Can you find related problems that are of interest?
  10. If you have additional questions be sure to make an appointment to see the teacher/instructor/professor. See the section below on Letter Writing, Personal Interviews and Tutoring for details on how to most efficiently use your time with a teacher/instructor/professor.
  11. Consider exams as a means to test your understanding of the subject. This is what the instructor will use it for, but you should do the same. What are your weaknesses with respect to the course? What are your strengths? Can you think of a way to use you strengths to bolster your weaknesses? Were you prepared for the exam? What can you do to better prepare for future exams?

Colloquia, Conferences, Hangouts, Meetings and Seminars

  1. Find out who is important within the subject area of the conference. Are any of these people present? If so, are they giving talks? When are the talks? If not, can you arrange to meet them? If so, think up a question or two for them? See the section on Letter Writing, Personal Interviews and Tutoring for further details.
  2. By talking to people in the field find out what you can about new developments. Do these provide you with any new questions? Do these provide you with any new answers to existing questions?
  3. Before you go to talks make a list of questions based on your understanding of the title of the talk that you want answered.
  4. While listening in talk keep your mind open for answers to your questions, and note any additional questions that occur to you.
  5. Always try to anticipate what the speaker is going to cover next.
  6. Any questions that were not answered can be asked at the end of the talk.

Correspondence Study

  1. Perform all reading assignments and apply the concepts from Lay Books, Monographs and Textbooks below.
  2. If there is an audio or video component to the course apply the techniques from and Audio Cassettes/Tapes/CDs, Television and Video above.
  3. Some correspondence courses have a laboratory component. If such is the case in your course you should read the lab description carefully so that you know all about it prior to performing the lab. Do you understand why each step is being done? If not then you don't really understand the lab. Does the experiment raise any questions? Can you think of an experiment that could settle the questions? Use this opportunity to perform any experiments that you think of.
  4. Be sure to do all assigned homework as soon as is appropriate. When you solve a problem does the solution raise any questions? Does it answer any questions you already have? Can you find related problems that are of interest?
  5. If you have additional questions be sure to send a note containing these to the instructor. See the section below on Letter Writing, Personal Interviews and Tutoring for details on how to most efficiently use this resource.
  6. Consider exams as a means to test your understanding of the subject. This is what the instructor will use it for, but you should do the same. What are your weaknesses with respect to the course? What are your strengths? Can you think of a way to use you strengths to bolster your weaknesses? Were you prepared for the exam? What can you do to better prepare for future exams?

Educational Retailers, Science and Technical Retailers, Surplus Clearing Houses

  1. Before you go, make a list of questions that you want answered. This will help you focus as you wander around the place.
  2. As you look at things, be open to possible ways that you can use what you find to develop answers to your questions. Do not be disappointed if nothing strikes your fancy.
  3. When you look at something, ask yourself if it can be used to demonstrate some principle you are looking into.

Encyclopedias and Handbooks

  1. Before consulting an article in an encyclopedia or a handbook, make a list of a few questions you want to answer. Keep this number small, that way your task is manageable.
  2. Note the section headings in the article under study. Do they open new questions? If so, note them and move on. Are any of the headings directly relevant to your questions?
  3. Skim through the article and note any questions that arise. Did the skimming answer any of your original questions?
  4. Read through any parts that are relevant to your questions. Did this answer any of your questions? Does the article cross-reference any other articles that could be of interest to you? If so, consult those articles beginning with step 2.

Experimentation, Observation

  1. All good experiments or observations serve to answer a specific question. Make sure that you fully understand your question before conducting an experiment or observation.
  2. Look at the question you intend to answer. What do you know about the question? What do you intend to measure? How do you plan to measure it? If you can't measure it directly, can you measure something else and calculate what you are looking for? Be sure to use your experiment/observation to find only one unknown at a time, if possible.
  3. If you are performing an experiment be sure that you have at least one result where you know ahead of time what the unknown will be. Such a run of an experiment is called a control. You can then compare all later runs to the control run. If you can do multiple runs at the same time, then do a control run with each batch.
  4. Record the results of the experiment/observation as they occur. Can you explain the results? Do you need to analyze the data before you can explain the results? Can you explain all of the data analysis methods that you used, and why you used them? Do the results suggest any further questions?

Lay Books, Monographs and Textbooks

  1. The first place to begin with a new book is by looking at the index. If an entry has many pages associated with it make a note of it. When you are done, you will have a list of the most significant parts of the book. Do any of these raise questions? If so, make a note of them.
  2. Now turn to the table of contents. Note the structure of the book. Do any questions occur to you?
  3. Read through the forward and the preface. What is the author trying to tell you? Do these raise any additional questions?
  4. Go to a chapter of interest to you. Note the section headings. Do they suggest any questions? Skim through the chapter, were any questions answered? Did you get any new questions? Search the chapter for the answers to your questions. Were any questions answered? Did any new questions arise? Do this for every chapter that interests you.
  5. Are there any practice problems? Are any of them related to your questions? If so, attempt to solve them. Did you succeed? If not, why not? Did the results raise any new questions? Do any of the practice problems look like they would be interesting (or just plain fun) to do? Do them!

Letter Writing, Personal Interviews and Tutoring

  1. When writing a letter, or before a personal meeting, interview, or tutoring session make a short list of questions. Work these into your letter. Make sure the questions you ask are really what you want answered. Do not be ambiguous. Do not deluge your mentor with too many questions, they have their interests and you do not want to intrude on them.
  2. Take notes on the answers given to your questions, so that you can stuydy them later.

Libraries

  1. Libraries, like bookstores, make excellent locations for getting a feel for your subject. To use a library to get a feel for your subject, pull a couple of different books on the subject of interest from the bookshelves and note the chapter headings; how are the books organized? If there are many books of the same type nearby determine how much you will need to learn in order to satisfy your project goal. Perhaps you will need to reevaluate your project.
  2. Note the names of the authors contributing to your chosen field. This will help you as you progress; if you see a book or paper written by a favored author you will be more inclined to read it, while an author that puts you off may be avoided.
  3. Skim the books on the shelves to get some idea of the details of a subject under study. As you page through the book allow your mind to keep open for significant questions. Note the questions and see if you can quickly find the answers. This can be helpful in deciding if you should purchase an expensive science book.
  4. Use the techniques under Lay Books, Monographs and Textbooks to read any interesting books.
  5. Librarians are a great resource. Get to know them well. They can help you find what you are looking for even if you are an expert at library searches.

Magazines and Other Lay Press

  1. Before consulting an article in a magazine, make a list of a few questions you want to answer. Keep this number small, that way your task is manageable.
  2. Note the section headings in the article under study. Do they open new questions? If so, note them and move on. Are any of the headings directly relevant to your questions?
  3. Skim through the article and note any questions that arise. Did the skimming answer any of your original questions?
  4. Read through any parts that are relevant to your questions. Did this answer any of your questions?

Research Journals, Review Journals, Papers.

  1. Look through the table of contents for the journal. Are any papers of interest? Does this raise any questions?
  2. Read the abstracts of any papers of interest. Did this answer any questions? Did this raise any questions? Are you still interested in each paper?
  3. Read the conclusions of any paper of interest. Did this answer any questions? Did this raise any questions? Are you still interested in each paper?
  4. Read the introductions of any papers of interest. Did this answer any questions? Did this raise any questions? Are you still interested in each paper?
  5. Skim through the main body of each paper of interest. Did this answer any questions? Did this raise any questions?
  6. Read through those sections that are of interest for each paper. Did this answer any questions? Did this raise any questions?

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