Learning journal
1. The learning journal will reflect on unit readings, concepts, definitions and personal and tutorial/online learnings. You need to complete a learning journal every week, commencing from Week 1 through to Week 4. The approximate word count for each journal is 250 words with the total of all four weeks of approximately 1000 words. You will submit all four journals in Week 5 through LMS.
2. Why a learning journal?
3. • To keep track of your learning experience
4. • To note down your thoughts, ideas and questions around your learning experience • To note down key concepts and definitions from the readings • To enter bibliographic details of the sources you have consulted (books, journal articles) • To help you identify your personal strengths, challenges and ways to overcome the challenges • To start seeing the complex relationships between theory and practice or your experience and what is reflected in the unit readings • To make sense of what you have read by identifying relevant examples and complex issues • To refine your ideas as you evolve as an active learner and scholar • To write about new knowledge or understandings gained • To provide a helpful tool to help you create a summary of key learnings from the unit which will be useful for your preparation for the major project and the exam What can you reflect on? • Your readings • Key concepts and definitions • Key relevant contemporary issues • Connections between what you have read and your personal experience and knowledge • Discussions in class and online A template for doing the weekly learning journal will be provided on LMS.
Also, I will be attached four essential readings from that you guys need to do it along with that I will be going to attached examples and template too in that format only you have to do it. And must not exceed the word limit, each learning journal needs to be of only 250 words. Overall you need to do four journals of each essential readings.
Slide 1
Writing Reflectively
& Academic Integrity
Sustainability Ecology and Communities
Dr Rajeni Rajan
Support for learning
Support for Learning
1
Week 3
Examples of writing reflectively
Academic Integrity and Referencing
Feedback on Learning Journal
Helpful questions for reflection
Writing reflectively in your learning journal
3
Analysis and judgement of evidence in readings
Critical thinking to complexities
Connections between readings/concepts
and
events/situations
New knowledge gained
Clarifications needed
Ideas for your major project
Key Area 3: Credible evidence showing examples of concepts
Critical thinking to complexities
Extract from Folke et al., p. 4
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment contributed to a cu
ent paradigm shift in the perspective of the human-nature relationship, from protecting the environment and conserving biodiversity to the challenge of stewardship of ecosystems and diversity and their services for human well-being.
Reflecting on The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment contributed to a new understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, for example, showing that ecosystem services directly or indirectly contributed to human wellbeing (Folke et al XXXXXXXXXXHowever, it is important to consider the definitions around ‘ ecosystem services’ across different contexts and their contribution towards human well-being. This would offer some insight into what constitutes ‘human well-being’.
Discipline specific vocabulary?
4
Extract from Folke et al., p.6
But, having a closer look at these forest remnants, extending the scope from the ecological to the social-ecological, reveals that these patches are sacred sites where ancestors of the local groups, the Tandroy of the Androy region, have been buried…
Reflecting on evidence
In Madagascar, forest remnants have demonstrated their worth as saviours of endemic species like Lemurs as well as havens for bees that then fertilise nea
y crops. These examples show the importance of social ecological systems particularly when the forests were also sacred sites for their preservation (Folke et al., XXXXXXXXXXIt is apparent that strong cultural beliefs have been critical in maintaining these forest remnants, which may have been otherwise exploited by humans. This, therefore, calls for responsible stewardship, which I think stems from acknowledging that sustainable practices need to be ethical, while also considering the dynamics of living beings and the natural systems .
Key Area 3: Credible evidence showing examples of concepts
Critical thinking to complexities
Discipline specific vocabulary?
5
Helpful questions for reflection
During this week’s tute discussions/tasks,
what was most engaging to you that you found yourself participating in?
what did you find most helpful or encouraging from what your pee
tutor said/did?
what surprised you most in relation to what your pee
tutor said/did?
what did you find confusing/hard to understand (concept? issue? etc.), and how did you resolve this or seek ‘answers’?
Adapted from Brookfield (1998)
Key Area 4: Discussions/engagement with peers and tutors
Learnings I made
Discipline specific vocabulary?
6
Acknowledging sources:
Examples from your readings
Example 1
Berkes and Folke XXXXXXXXXXstarted to use social-ecological systems as an integrated perspective of humans in-nature, and related it to the, at that time, emerging concept of resilience (Holling 1973, Folke 2006, XXXXXXXXXXBerkes and Folke (1998:4) pointed out that in the social-ecological systems perspective “the delineation between social and natural systems is artificial and a
itrary.”
Example 2
Bell and Morse(2005) judged the traditional and linear approach to sustainable development as one of the major impediments to sustainability. The various dimensions of sustainability need to be considered in an integrated approach as suggested by various authors (Meppem and Gill, 1998; Paehlke, 2001).
7
Referencing styles
Referencing guides (Murdoch University Li
ary)
8
To point out changes to the APA style : significant changes
A
ief overview of Chicago and APA 7th as author-date styles
Feedback on Learning Journal
efore submission
Questions
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
Next week
9
PowerPoint Presentation
Synthesising sources
Dr Rajeni Rajan
Support for learning
Support for Learning
Week 2
Preparing to
synthesise
Stages of reading
Example synthesis
Synthesising from
unit readings
Useful phrases for
synthesising sources
Stages of Reading 1
Stage Strategy
Skimming/ scanning to get a general idea of the content Don’t read every word, or look at every detail. Instead
look at
Title, Date of publication, author(s); headings and sub-
headings; introduction; abstract
Select the most relevant sections
• Read abstract/introduction/conclusion – key points
• Read first and last sentences of paragraphs
• Look at charts/ diagrams
• Look for key words
• Decide if some sections are more relevant to your topic
Reading for deep understanding
and detail
Examining details paragraph by paragraph
• What is the author’s position / view / message?
• What are the main points / claims?
• What are the recu
ing key words or phrases?
• What theory is used in presenting ideas?
Stages of Reading 2
Reading Stage Questions to ask What to select
Early Stage What are the most relevant
sources for my assignment topic?
An entire source after skimming
and scanning
Middle Stage What do I need to read for this
source?
Relevant sections within the
source
Guided by headings and sub-
headings
Final Stage What specific information can I
use from the source?
Specific information or ideas from
the source
When you synthesise…
When you synthesise…
Combine
sources
Support your
argument
conclusions with
more than one
citation
Show that
you have
ead
extensively
Group similar
ideas/argument
from various
sources
togethe
Preparing to synthesise/combine sources
What’s the order?
LOCATE
COLLATE
EVALUATE
REVIEW
ORGANISE TO WRITE
Preparing to synthesise/combine sources
Locate/find
elevant sources.
Skim read
headings,
abstract,
introduction,
findings &
conclusion for a
gist.
Then read
deeply.
Collate relevant
information by
making notes as
you read.
Evaluate the
information you
ead.
Compare and
contrast the
information –
where do they
agree, where do
they differ?
Review your
notes and reflect
on what you
have read in
elation to your
assignment task.
Organise your
notes, ideas into
a preliminary
structure and
start writing.
LOCATE COLLATE EVALUATE REVIEW ORGANISE
Source: https:
emedia.rmit.edu.au/learningla
sites/default/files/Synthesising_2015_Accessible.pdf
Example synthesis
(1) Combining information from two sources:
Folke et al. (2016)
The social-ecological systems approach
emphasizes that people, communities,
economies, societies, cultures are
embedded parts of the biosphere and
shape it, from local to global
scales…Social-ecological systems are
complex adaptive systems, where agents
often interact in unplanned and
unpredictable ways. These interactions
underlie the emergence of
oader scale
patterns that feed back on the system and
influence the interactions of the agents
(Levin et al. 2013).
Kim (1999)
A system is any group of interacting,
inte
elated, or interdependent parts that
form a complex and unified whole that has a
specific purpose. …natural and social
systems can be far more difficult to
understand than non-living systems
ecause we never know for sure what their
purpose or design is…Systems attempt to
maintain stability through feedback.
(2) Making notes from the two sources
Folke et al. (2016)
• Socio-ecological systems
intertwined - complex systems
• Parts of a whole are connected
• Parts/agents interact with one
another but not predictable
• Interactions provide feed back on
system XXXXXXXXXXinfluence interactions
of agents
Kim (1999)
• A system is inte
elated
• The whole consists of parts that
are interdependent
• The whole is complex and unified
• The whole has a specific purpose
• Interdependency of parts is key in
keeping the whole togethe
• A part cannot function
independently
• Feedback essential for stability
(3) Combining the two sources:
Folke et al XXXXXXXXXXand Kim (1999)
Systems are complex due to their intertwined nature, consisting
of interdependent parts or agents (Folke et al., 2016; Kim,
1999). For this reason, Folke et al XXXXXXXXXXpoint out that
socio-ecological systems cannot work in predictable ways.
Similarly, Kim XXXXXXXXXXcontends that the natural systems, as
opposed to non-living systems, are not straightforward in the
way they function. However, Folke et al XXXXXXXXXXand Kim
(1999) emphasise the role of feedback in maintaining complex
systems. Hence, an interdisciplinary perspective as such is
necessary when addressing sustainability issues.
Useful phrases for synthesising sources
To show agreements/similarities
Smith XXXXXXXXXXargues that her
data support Dorji’s XXXXXXXXXXview
that...
Al-Arshaf’s XXXXXXXXXXwork on X is
complemented by Achebe’s
(2010) study of …
Jones XXXXXXXXXXasserts that…
Likewise, Lim XXXXXXXXXXholds the
view that…
To show disagreements/different
perspectives
While Smith XXXXXXXXXXfocusses on
the socio-economic aspect of X,
Dorji XXXXXXXXXXpays particular
attention to the socio-cultural
influences in relation to X.
Some researchers (e.g., Achebe,
2010; Al-Arshaf, 2016) have
highlighted X as