How to Study the Past to Improve the Present
Studying the past aids in understanding events, their occurrence, impacts, and how to control the negative consequences of such events. In essence, studying the past can guide present decisions and improve the situation. Tutors impart knowledge about the past in the most epic of ways, and writing centers currently offer support to history students seeking knowledge of the past. Effective past analysis requires the use of critical incident assessment, comparative analysis of events, performing counterfactual analysis, using publications, and navigating electronic sources.
Critical Incident Assessment
After an event takes place, it can confer reflective learning to those who experienced it. Tutors at writing centers can learn from their shortcomings in meeting course objectives, outline their challenges similar to the Sweetland Writing Center writer to writer project and significantly improve teaching practices. Similarly, students can use the experiences of past students to improve their learning, peer feedback methodologies, and interactions.
Comparative Analysis of Past Events
Systemically comparing past events to make sense of their outcomes can help elucidate the chronology of actions that led to its outcomes, which can lead to the formulation of substantial remedies to similar scenarios. Suppose a writing center taints its reputation through poor teaching skills of tutors, lack of technical support with e-learning, or preferential treatment of specific groups. Then, enrollment rates of new students will plummet significantly. Such a center can gain from the comparative analysis of its past activities and draw up remedies for the future.
Counterfactual Analysis
Historically asking the what-if question can instrumentally be used to review causality. Counterfactual study of past experiences can provide an array of different circumstances that might have occurred had the situation been different. Accordingly, with rising popularity, new tutoring and writing centers can access the failures of existing centers, draw up alternative operational strategies, and implement them. The imminent successes of such actions will be seen through increased enrollment and positive reviews from students.
Using Publications
Publications refer to written works and reviewing or critiquing them can improve the present. Studying past publications about specific issues always proves beneficial in their remedy. Several publications have emerged highlighting the importance of writing centers and developing the best students. Therefore, institutions or countries that have not conceptualized and developed writing centers can get massive information to guide policy changes in education, including free tutoring and writing centers.
Navigating Electronic Sources
There is currently a vast source of information electronically ranging from the internet hosting online databases, televisions, films, and transistor radios. The internet is a major learning resource that contains historical information and present occurrences, which readers can infer from satisfactorily to solve current problems provided the sources are authentic. Students can navigate online information to provide solutions for course assignments and technical issues with e-learning. Again, writing centers can spur research among students by using electronic content.
Conclusion
Ideally, experience is the best teacher, and learning from the past through the above-discussed methodologies is the best way to improve learning and present experiences. Writing centers can invest in assessing past activities to gauge the overall quality of training they offer. As well, students can prioritize learning through past incidences, past research work, and peer-reviewed articles.
