Did Acheson give helpful strategies for researching within a text? If so, which one(s)?
Did Acheson reshape your thinking about "research" at all? If so, how?
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Introduction to English Studies
Instructor: Mat Wenzel, MFA, M.Ed.
E-Mail: mwenzel@fsu.edu
Office: WMS 331 Office Hours: T/R 9:15 to 10:45 SYLLABUS
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I found Acheson's strategies in research to be somewhat helpful, I feel as if these are already being taught to the point of it not being super fresh. The concepts of writing thoughts and reactions on paper is a very commonplace technique and maybe it was just taught to my high school but I don't think it was groundbreaking. Regardless, i think the strategies are essential to be taught.
Acheson was an amazing help in giving strategies on how to do research. I think I appreciated her advice on understanding how the text affected you and how you left feeling after you had read the text and what stood out to you. Usually we're taught that research is something that is boring and takes hours and can't truly be done without slogging through a bunch of text. She definitely reshaped my idea of it because she made it seem more interesting than any teacher could. It's more so about me and less about the author which is pretty cool.
Acheson gives other writers permission to move away from the overcomplicated approach to research of texts that has otherwise been in practice. This straightforward approach is more appealing because it allows the researcher of the text the freedom to analyze what they are studying without getting weighed down in details that are not relevant to the main concept they are interested in. By reading "actively", there is less in-depth research required and the beneficial information begins to stand out naturally while moving through the text. After reading through Acheson's tips, I am looking forward to implementing this technique into my approach to reading since it is sure to save me time and unnecessary research in the future.
Acheson gave a lot of helpful strategies! I was a little skeptical when I skimmed the chapter, because the tips she gives seem really simple - but that's what makes them so helpful! I often get caught up in trying to re-invent the wheel when I write essays, these questions will be good to keep me grounded and remind me to start simple and potentially to stay simple. It certainly reshaped my view of researching works I don't enjoy - I tend to dismiss them, instead of trying to figure out why I dislike them.
I think Acheson gives good advice for researching within a text. She explains how to slow down while reading and pay attention to things that are important, that someone like me, who gets absorbed by a text, would not notice otherwise. However, I don't think she reshaped my understanding of research, instead, I would say she gave me a better understanding of how to research within a text.