A500.3.4.RB - Explore the Hunt Library

With a background in Education and Psychology conducting research using scholarly resources is a practice I know well.  The setup of the Hunt Library online makes it easy to access the information needed for research.  There are many options to help narrow down a search to exactly what type a resource you are looking for.  Typically the types of resources needed are scholarly.  

What makes a resource scholarly is the fact that it is peer reviewed.  When an article is presented for publication others within the field (peers) are given the task of reading through it to make sure it upholds the standards of the field.  Peer reviews basically serve as a check and balance system to make sure papers that are published are accurate and are of high quality of work within a field.  This in turn gives the articles a certain amount of credibility.  One person publishing a paper on a subject without any feedback could seem more like opinion, but when a group within the field has reviewed it and have held it up against the standards set the content has more merit to it. 

Why use scholarly references over say a Google search? Google simply searches the Internet, a large database, for results that match the criteria typed.  This can yield results of any type, from webpages to paid advertisements.  There is often very little evidence to show a user how accurate the information within the search might be.  Almost anyone can make a website about almost any subject, does that mean the information on that webpage is true just simply because it is on “the web”? The answer is NO!  I’m not saying that nothing on the Internet can be trusted, just that without knowing the source and background of the author information could be misleading.  There are good resources located on the Internet and through a Google search, however the user must be aware of the ones that are not. 

When writing a research paper one must be aware of where their information is coming from.  The most trusted sources of information are those that are scholarly or peer reviewed and accepted.  A quick search of the Internet can result in multiple “hits” on a subject and some may be accurate and reliable, some may not.      

A500.2.3.RB Telling My Story

What standards are important in my life? This question made me stop and reflect on my life starting with my childhood, and my childhood does not bring back fond memories.  I came to the realization that the standards I hold myself to are most likely a result of my not so great upbringing.  The two standards I found myself coming back to were reasonable and reliable.  When it comes to these standards it took me a little while to figure out exactly what each meant to me, but I knew right away what they didn't mean.  

I acquired these standards as a result of my disappointments as a child from my mother.  I unconsciously vowed to treat my children better than my mother treated me.  I want my children to grow up to be independent and self-sufficient adults, something I was never taught or allowed to be.  I want to model for them what a successful adult looks like.  I would like to be the same role model for members on my team at work.  I want to give them the skills to solve problems and succeed on their own.    

To be a reasonable person one needs to have good judgment and an open mind.  I want to be a reasonable person in both my personal and professional life.  I want my children and team members to feel they can ask me questions and will in turn receive answers that are in good judgment and well thought out.  I also want to be thought of as being open-minded and approachable, not bias and inaccessible.  Being reasonable doesn't mean that every request or suggestion should be accepted but that it should be at least considered.   

Being reliable is very important to me and always has been.  I know the disappointment that comes from being told someone will be there and then they do not show up.  I would never want my family, friends or coworkers to feel I was not there for them when they needed me.  Reliability to me has a two-fold meaning.  One meaning is to be dependable, to be there for people when you say you are going to be.  Along those same lines it means people can trust you to be available to answer questions they may have, and if you don't know the answer you will know how to work on finding the answer.  The second meaning of reliable is to be accountable.  When things do not go as expected, people need to know you will step up and take claim to the mistake instead of passing it off.  There is an old saying that a person is only as good as his/her word, I find this to be very true.  I want people to know they can count on my words and not have to worry about disappointment.

Being reasonable and reliable has been important to me for as long as I can remember.  Over the years what it meant to be reasonable and reliable has changed but the foundation has not.  I have thought more about these traits over the past few years within my supervisor role, it surprises me almost daily at the lack or reliability there is out there among employees.  Some of the antics I have witnessed I would never have even thought of pulling on an employer.  The even more disturbing reality is some employers expect and tolerate these behaviors.  I'm not sure if it is a generational phenomenon, but it seems to happen more with the younger employees around me.  Not showing up for work, showing up unprepared and showing up considerably late regularly are not things I would ever have done, yet it happens routinely in my job.  These issues have made me more determined to finish my degree in hopes to change things.

       





Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum (4th edition). Boston, MA: Pearson. 

A500.1.5.RB_HartSarah

Intellectual Perseverance

To start off my first class in the journey towards my MSLD I was asked to reflect on Intellectual Perseverance and how it will play a role in my academic studies and to leadership in general.  To begin this reflection a definition of Intellectual Perseverance must be given and understood.  The Foundation For Critical Thinking defines Intellectual Perseverance as:

Having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight (Valuable Intellectual Virtues, 2014).

Most of us have heard the word perseverance and even some of its synonyms such as persistence, determination and insistence.  Some would even say these words describe themselves.  Intellect is often associated with knowledge, intelligence and academics. Together the phrase Intellectual Perseverance simply means to push forward towards knowledge against all odds.  This can mean different things to different people.  Everyone’s idea of knowledge is different and so is his or her path and obstacles.

My enrollment in the MSLD program is an example of Intellectual Perseverance.  I am a stay at home mother of five, whose husband is away for work all week; I also hold a part time job and volunteer for the local soccer club.  I have plenty of obstacles in the way of me achieving my academic goal.  I have plenty of friends and acquaintances that tell me I am “crazy” to even attempt to go back to school, that I have too much on my plate.  The truth is I have longed to return to school for many years and finally one day I decided it was time and never looked back.  I love being a stay at home mom but I find I miss intelligent adult conversations, so I am determined to finish my degree in time for my youngest to start school.  I believe this insistence will not only drive me to obtain my degree but also make me a good leader.

A good leader in my eyes is one that can push a team forward through any and all challenges in the way.  I leader needs to have the ability to keep the end in sight while encouraging the team through any rough spots.  They also know when to let a team or any member struggle a bit in order to achieve a greater understanding of the question at hand.  If a leader were to always jump in with the answers whenever anyone was stuck then no learning would occur.  In order for a person to fully understand the outcome of a task they must recognize how that outcome was reached, and for this to happen they must experience the intellectual process.  With this the leader can use Intellectual Perseverance to help his or her team reach not only the end and solve the question but a greater understanding of what was asked.

When it comes to the quest for knowledge and learning it pays off to be persistent.  If intellectual truths are worth finding then the struggle to get there is also worth it.  Sometimes the things one struggles for most are the most appreciated.  Intellectual Perseverance is a valuable tool for anyone to have in his or her repertoire, but especially for a good leader.       

 

Valuable Intellectual Virtues (September 2014). Foundation For Critical Thinking, Online at website: www.criticalthinking.org)