Question

Week #8 - Small Group Discussion

This has been a challenging term for many of us, so this week I'm not going hit you quite as hard with the discussion questions. I would like you to do two things for your initial response:

First, give an overview of your watershed critique. It doesn't need to be in great detail, but provide a description of the watershed and a couple of the major things you've focused on in your critique (positive and negative).  You don't need to share the entire paper, an abstract/summary is more than sufficient. The idea this week is to allow your group members to provide feedback, giving you a bit of peer review as you start to polish your project. When responding to other group members' summaries, ask questions, and provide constructive feedback. You're helping each other revise your papers.

For the second part of the discussion, tell us how you feel about the idea of scientists as advocates. If you think it's appropriate or inappropriate, tell us why. Understanding opposing ideas is important when dealing with challenging issues such as the ones you can face in natural resource management. Understanding doesn't mean you have to agree with an opposing view, but that you can see where that view may come from. Understanding what lies beneath that opposing view can help better identify solutions that will be acceptable from both viewpoints. With that in mind, provide an example of when an opposing view could be valid. As we get into more of the human dimensions aspects of watershed management we will potentially be dealing with differing opinions. Be respectful. There is a technique used in conflict resolution called mirroring that can help. When replying to another post summarize what they wrote, "What I understand you're saying is X, because of Y. Is that right?" They can then respond and say yes, or they can clarify what they were trying to say. What this does is show that you are listening to what they are trying to communicate, identify areas of misunderstanding, and that can go a long way towards improving communication. It can also work well in personal relationships!

5 months ago

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