PORTFOLIO PROJECT

Portfolio Project

Portfolio Project

Analytical Skill Building

First of all, we need to give ourself time to cover the material in question. Critical reading is a slow and careful process, and we must take the time to analyze the material in detail to determine its status. Therefore, don't allow ourself to be rushed. If the pitch is in person, ask for materials to read later. If we are tired, make it another day. Nothing is so urgent that it cannot wait another day, so don't allow ourself to be pressured. Cooling off periods are allowed after a heated sales pitch and subsequent careless purchasing decision in many countries, but make our own cooling off period before we sign anything or commit to anything or hand out any money. Give ourself time to think; if there is a tag-team sales pitch going on, walk away and say we will give it some thought and get back to them on it, and take our leave of the situation to consider it in a less pressured environment.( Johnson, 1985)

The next technique we may apply to promote understanding and to detect the verity of a subject is to think about the topic carefully, not to just sit and absorb it. For example, if we are reading something new, put it down for a minute and ponder what is written. Ask ourself questions about the topic; what was the author's intent in writing it? Can it be independently verified? What is the author's background? Who disagrees with the author, and what are their arguments? These questions may lead we to examine other sources of information, and it generally a good idea to see both sides of an issue before making a decision about it. If a vacuum-cleaner salesperson is in our house and giving we a good pitch about their product and we feel we want to buy the machine, we might want to check out an issue of Consumer Reports about the machine first before making up our mind rather than impulse buying after hearing only one side. Keep an eye on ourself and our progress with the subject. Ask ourself if we understand what we are reading, and, if we don't, tackle it from another angle.

After we have finished reading the material, give ourself time to ponder its implications. This is the time to read over our notes if we made any and fit the new information into our present store of knowledge - if the information is deemed to be of acceptable quality and verity. Realize that not everything we read will be true, no matter how fine the prose or scholarly the source. Where deliberate deception is not an issue, there is still room for errors to seep into the material due to unchecked facts, inadequate or outdated science, deception on the part of others who informed the writer or speaker, commercialization of the academic community, and many other reasons. It is important to pick through what we read; material is seldom of such ...