A Thanksgiving Family Review

Monday morning always seems to come quickly, doesn’t it? And this one, for me, is particularly stressful because with the holiday coming up, I’m trying to figure out how all of my work is going to get done over the next week. How am I going to balance spending time with my family and focusing on work that needs to be completed by December 1? I always seem to be in this pickle around a holiday because no matter how well I prepare, I always have work to do.

Knowing that my family will ask me how my work is coming along and probably to explain, again, what exactly it is that I’m doing, I’ve been thinking…why not have them read and review something that I have written?

So, here’s my plan – after I finish this entry, I am going to create a peer review sheet (or “family” review sheet!), which will help guide my loved ones as they read what I am currently working on – the method section of my dissertation. I’ll write a few sentences about what a method section is supposed to include (so they are clear) and then I will create a rubric for them to use as a guide as they read through my work, making sure that each subsection is sufficiently complete. I’ll also include a few sentences about the area I am having the most trouble with and ask them to share any suggestions.

I encourage you to do something similar, creating a review sheet that will be the most helpful for you. Perhaps on your review sheet you want to include the instructions that your professor gave you for the specific assignment you are having your family (or friends) read. You can also include a rubric, if the professor gave you one (or you can make your own – see the last blog entry).

If we do this, not only will we get the help that we need, but I think that by reading our work, our families and friends will get a better idea of what we are all working on. For me, the method section will work particularly well for this because it really shows what steps I have taken to collect my data and my reasoning behind the procedures that I am using. Also, it has already gone through multiple stages and revisions, and to be honest, it would be helpful to have other eyes looking at it.

As always, good luck with your work and…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!