Acclimatisation to Postgraduate Studies

Part 2

Having written down your responses, and thought about them, do you want to change anything you have written?   If so, why? - give a reasoned answer. If not, why not?   Type up the questions and your responses on a word processor.   You might like to use an 'outliner' for this.   File it under a directory/folder called 'Research Progress'.  Having typed this up you have had a little time to reflect upon your thoughts.  Do you now want to change your ideas?  If so, why is this?

It is worthwhile making this into a form of learning journal or learning log.   You can add comments when you want (date them) and even add more sections.   A learning journal is just a way of getting you to concentrate on the way you do things.   You may find, for example, that you can skip read some articles and that a note in your bibliography will suffice (without making a Xerox 'to read when I have the time').   You may find that certain types of music goes well with certain tasks (see Pat Cryer's book), if so, a note might be useful. Rather than start a completely new book, it might be an idea to set up some pages for a learning journal in a lab or field book. (You have one of these don't you?)

One good way of looking at what you have done, or indeed reviewing a brainstorming a problem, is the Ômind mapping' technique used by Tony Buzan (1995).   This is also a good way of organising your thoughts before making a presentation or a poster - or even for planning your thesis.   If you want to use this idea seriously then have a look at Buzan and Buzan (1995). I think that if you do start to use this technique to 'doodle' your way thorugh problems then you'll find it an invaluable technique.

Books referred to are in the Bibliography.