Created by Julie Goucher, 2018 using word clouds
The way we each learn is different, I prefer to write notes, so for me I am likely to recall something if I wrote it down having read it or heard it. There is a plethora of genealogical and historical learning offerings out there, so much so it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. If I am undertaking research, say planning a book, article, course, I tend to make notes as I read.
If I make a direct copy, perhaps a sentence that “speaks to me” then I do that in a different colour and create the citation so that I and anyone else can find their way to the same information, in the same format. I must stress, this is not taking someone’s work as mine, it is identifying that this particular bit (sense, concept, theory etc.) was written by author/presenter ABC in (name of book, presentation etc.) and published/presented (year and publisher or date and host if in a presentation. This is about recognising and respecting another person’s work product mentioning what they said and in what format they said it.
The more reading and listening you do the more grounded your knowledge and subsequently your research will be. However, it is not just about reading and listening on our own. Interactions with us – peers, tutors, presenters etc is just as valuable and provides a mechanism for sharing ideas.
The following are the Pharos courses that I teach the first three are about Surnames and these are in a layered learning style:
Introduction to One-Name Studies course – a foundation for undertaking a study – learning about the numbers that reflect the people in your study, the history of surnames, and then drawing conclusions as to the history of your surname of interest.
Practicalities of a One-Name Studies course – focuses on tools that you can use in your study. I am often asked whether this should be taken first, or the Introduction course, and it is probably as broad, as it is long. If I was coming to this as a fairly new genealogists, or surname researcher, I would likely take both courses; they focus on different things and provide a rounded focus on researching a surname and developing a study.
Advanced One-Name Studies course – builds on the material learnt in the introduction course and is probably best taken when you have some time under your belt with a study. This provides the opportunity to create an article and for those who elect to, to have the article tutor assessed and published in the Journal of One-Name Studies.
Each time a course runs, students are invited to leave feedback. Feedback is important and provides a mechanism for me to develop the course, or perhaps create an additional paper. A recent addition, as a support document is guidance for developing, and building a study profile – you can download a copy HERE.
Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe – this is a course that I designed to give a broad understanding to mainland Europe. The course has description can be read HERE. There is focus on how complicated Europe is, given how many countries make up the Continent, the differences and similarities, religious focuses and prejudices. We look at the scale of influence of Europe and most importantly, we hone in on events within the last 100 years or, BUT, war in the 20th Century can and does impact records from pre 20th Century era.
This course is very much about getting the basics right, building research on solid foundations, because without that, it would be a bit like building a house in the middle of a swamp. As this is already quite lengthy, I am going to continue this on day 21!
Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest 