End of the Semester Reflection

How do you view research differently after this class?

I used to look at research as such a tedious time consuming thing when it came to academic classes. I have always enjoyed researching jut not keeping track of what I came across. But now I view recording my research as something very important not only for me and the work that I do but for the individuals who will be taking my research a step further or to the next level, whether I know it or not, there may be someone who will be depending on my documented research. I am contributing to something much more bigger than I think.

How does a  geographic viewpoint impact your approach to research and understanding of place?

For me personally, it makes it so much more tangible and so much more interesting because whether the history of a place is verbally or literally recorded there is so much history to it, and that creates so many layers of research to be done. With something like a geographic location, I would rather try to obtain as many oral stories as I could, not everything is written in the books, sometimes you have to create your own research method in order to answer your question.

Will you use (and seek out) primary sources in the future? Why or why not?

I definitely will be seeking out primary sources in the future. And I will be doing that because it is a very reliable source and there is never any speculation or anything skeptical about the credibility of a primary source. And I have also been working on my own website for almost a year or so, so primary sources will be very vital to include.

How can research in general, and place-based research in particular) be made more engaging?

Research can be made more interactive by first allowing the pupils to come up with any topic of their choice, unrelated to the course and allowing them to come up a number of credible sources then evaluating their sources in class, maybe in a game like way and testing their knowledge on how to determine if a source is reliable and credible.

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