Simonc51's Blog

Citations in research papers

simonc51 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:07:06 +0000

In my school we have recently been discussing the need for our students to be academically honest scholars. Many of them will go on to study at university and some of these students will complete post graduate research. One of the characteristics of a good scholar at any level is that they can show that they are well read and that they have utilised current research and thinking within the academic discipline they are studying.

Thus the use of citations or referencing in research work is essential. Most of us will never come up with completely new thinking in our academic discipline unless we go on to complete a doctorate. Even then these doctoral studies rely to a greater or lesser extent on ideas from scholars who have gone before.

For students at school this is all the more the case. They have to rely on the ideas and thinking of scholars who are more learned. Thus we need to brainwash our students into citing the sources of their research. The problem is that there are so many systems and personal preferences for the format of citations. These will vary between academic institutions and between faculties within institutions and between individual tutors within the faculty.

No system is any better than any other. In the end we choose the one that suits ourselves best as tutors and thus we load it on our students. Alternatively we look at past writing on the matter of citations and decide that we prefer the authoritative stance of a certain academic and we choose to align ourselves with their system.

Having scanned a number of systems on the internet and within texts of various types it seems that no one system of citiation could really be thought of as THE BEST. I wonder what some of you think about this?

Teaching

simonc51 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:59:03 +0000

I am increasingly concerned about the way our students learn in school in these days. The emphasis in our edcuational system tends to be on individual performance as opposed to group effort. Our exams system focuses on this throughout the school and college years. However beyond school and in the work place it is so much more important to work in a team and collaborate on projects. Yes our children do need to have individualised learning and be able to gather knowledge and develop skills.

However I am of the opinion that much good and even more effective learning comes through bouncing ideas of each other and off the teacher. It is a shame in one sense that our exam and grading system tends to be used to compartmentalise or judge our students on their individual progress for reasons of placements at college or for financial reward such as scholarships. Thus schooling and exams become, whether we like it or not, a competition. In these days of mass and rapid communication using the internet and cell phone technology etc. it is so important that we allow our students to collaborate on their work.

I do not mean plagiarise. There is a huge difference in ‘legalised’ collaborative work and deceitful plagiarism. Our students should be encouraged to communicate honestly with each other about their work and not be forced into cheating because they think that sharing ideas and knowledge is wrong. I would very much welcome comments about this from colleagues in education and in the workplace. What are your thoughts?

Geographical Matters

simonc51 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:55:49 +0000

The Philippines is a geographers paradise. If you are interested in how the physical world can demonstrate its power then this archipelago is a place you must visit. The islands are located slap bang in the middle of the western Pacific typhoon track and also directly on the boundary of two major tectonic plates.

One place I take my students is Taal Volcano in Batangas on the islandof Luzon. This volcano is described as an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in an ocean. It is also described as a ‘decade volcano’ being one of just 16 in the world that have this designation. This means it is a particularly hazardous volcano mainly due to its proximity to densely populated areas. In June 1991 Mount Pinatubo blew its top. A typhoon coincided with this eruption and the central area of Luzon suffered badly from these unstoppable forces.

Have a look on google earth at images of Pinatubo. They are very sharp and really amazing. The google earth coverage for Taal is not so good however our school here in Manila is rapidly building up information about this volcano and we are very close to becoming experts about it. Let me know what you think about these images. Do you have any amazing places that you would like to share with me?

Hello and welcome

simonc51 — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:50:56 +0000

Hi to you all

This is a brand new blog site for you to browse through. I am gradually learning the idea that we can collaborate electronically like this so I wanted to see how useful a tool it would be. Why not look at the pages included and add your ideas if you feel so inclined. Please have a look at my profile page to find out who I am. Why not drop me a line about you and your ideas on the topics listed?

Oh by the way the picture you can see is of Taal Volcano in the Philippines. This is a place that we visit with our students for geography fieldwork. The picture shows the main crater.