Looking at Literature

Hi Sheila,

We haven't "talked" for awhile and I decided I had better get something written for this week's topic before you thought I had dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes things happen for a reason, so that's my excuse. Let me explain.
Today, I met with my Math professor. I had to try to come up with a plan for something I could do beyond the regular expectations of the course since it is a 5000 course. After some discussion, it was decided that I would do a research paper instead of the final reflection required of the other students in the class. I'm like, "Wow. This is exactly what we are talking about in my Research course this week." So, how cool is that? I actually got quite excited because, as you know, I really like to be able to use/apply the things I am learning in my practice and this is giving me the perfect opportunity.
I felt this chapter reviewed ideas I was familiar with but at the same time went in great detail about the hows and whys of the process which is going to be a huge benefit to me. I really liked the fact that the authors choose to include specific reference books, data bases, etc., relating to topics in education, which will be a tremendous time saver for anyone needing this type of information. I also thought the Sample of the Chart Method on pages 44-45 of the text may be of value to me when I need to organize the resources I find.
Many of the strategies for writing the review are ideas I am familiar with, however, I really appreciate the suggestions and samples on page 47 of how to organize the body of a research paper. I am quite sure this is going to come in rather handy. Finally, the guidelines for doing the review are a good summary of the process and, I feel, can be used as a checklist to make sure all aspects of the literature review have been covered. I believe all of the ideas I have mentioned, as well as other suggestions in the chapter, are going to make the writing of my paper just a little bit easier. That being said, I know this textbook will be close by when I begin to write.
Hope your week is going well. Looking forward to hearing from you.