Reading Notes

15 June 2017:  I just finished two books that I would highly recommend:

This book provides some basic definitions to help the beginning researcher understand how it all fits together.  Prefacing each chapter with a short personal reflection from both an experienced (Egbert) and novice (Sanden) researcher, this book explores the foundational concepts we must be familiar with to be effective.  The most useful part of the book was finally having definitions to these complex terms — although the authors do admit that there is not consensus on the definitions and that other authors may take exception to what they have chosen.  Regardless, I would rather have a solid framework to start with and then I can refine it with new ideas from what I am reading to continually build my schema about research.

I attended a webinar earlier this month given by Bill Burnett that gave me a brief taste of what this book was about.  It tweaked my interest so much that I tracked down the book and read it cover-to-cover one weekend.  Based upon upper undergraduate classes the authors teach at Stanford University, this book distills what they have developed and learned over years of interaction with students and workshop participants.  One of my favorite part of Designing Your Life was the Energy-Engagement Map worksheet, where you evaluate your regular activities in terms of how they boost or drain your energy levels.  Small adjustments to your schedule and commitments can help keep your energy on a more even keel and really help to balance your life.  There is a lot of great advice in this book plus a website with many of their worksheets available for free.

The next two on my bookshelf are:

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