Valid Source?

Throughout a students journey through education they are bombarded with assignments. Of these assignments, one of the most dreaded is the essay. A factor that makes this assignment so difficult, especially in the more advances stages of the journey through education is finding valid and accepted sources for essays. Some of the largest sources, most accessible, and possibly even the easiest to use are “wikis” such as Wikipedia. Unfortunately for students, in most cases, these wikis are not considered a valid source. The question has been asked should students be allowed to use these wikis as a source for their work? Considering that a wiki allows anyone to put information on the site and edit that information and that these articles on wiki databases are not peer reviewed, wiki sites should not be considered a valid source for students to cite.

The first and primary reason that wiki sites should not be considered a legitimate source is that anyone who desires to write something can. In face they can write anything they wish to. Theodore Schick Jr. and Lewis Vaughn, authors of How to Think About Weird Things, state that “’Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion’ goes the platitude, meaning that everybody has the right to believe whatever they want. But is that really true? Are there no limits to what is permissible to believe?”(71) Yes, it is true that these writings will be edited, but the same goes for the editing, anyone can edit in whatever fashion they see fit. For example, on the Wikipedia website, on the top left corner of the main page is a link that reads “editing”, from this link anyone who desires to can edit any article they would like to, all they have to do is have an account. Now this might seem like a great way to maintain knowledgeable authors until you click the bright blue link that reads, “create account“. After clicking this link, all one has to do is come up with a creative username, a password, retype that password, and provide an email address, however, the email address is optional. With this a viewer can easily tell that this process is hardly one that qualifies a person to become an author for a so-called valid encyclopedia. Speaking of this, Jim Green of AssociatedContent.com says, “Considering that anyone with an ideological axe to grind and a smattering of writing ability can spin falsehoods on Wikipedia without challenge from the site's editors, clearly it should not be referenced as a valid source for factual information.”

The second reason is that the most credible sources that students can find and use are those that are peer-reviewed. Peer reviewed simply means that someone who is an expert in the field that is being discussed reviews or examines the writing to determine if it has the credentials to be a valid source. Katherine Brind’ Amour of the Academic Writing Suite states, “The most credible types of publications are peer-reviewed journals, official government publications (including census information), and books from peer-reviewed or reputable publishing companies (think Oxford, Harvard, or Yale University presses). Wiki cites are far from peer reviewed or from being considered as a parallel to Harvard or Yale as sources to find credible information. Keeping in mind that for a source to be valid it needs to give confidence to the reader, Wikipedia is by no means valid. A person simply does not and should not get the same feeling of security and credibility when reading something from a wiki cite as they do reading information from a renown university or other source.

Obviously the creators of wiki cites along with their frequent users have a different opinion. The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, describes it as “an effort to create and distribute a multilingual free encyclopedia of the highest quality to every single person on the planet in his or her own language.” Wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it”. There is no doubt that these cites are very productive and efficient. They offer limitless information and in an extremely accessible manner. A large portion of the information is probably very factual and credible, however, this in no way meets the standards set by Mr. Wales quotes saying Wikipedia is “of the highest quality”, nor does it meet the standards that need to be met by students in order to have quality essays based on valid and credible sources.

In conclusion, wiki cites are undoubtedly extremely valuable tools. These cites are effective tools that can provide information in a productive and efficient way. However, wiki cites simply do not meet the requirements that are set for student’s and their sources. The fact that anyone can write anything they feel like and call it a fact on these cites, along with wiki cites being far from peer-reviewed demonstrates that wiki cites are not reliable for students to use. These cites simply do not instill the necessary confidence in the reader about the source they are reading.

Reasoning Skills Necessary in Primary School?

When a person thinks about primary school most often they think, addition, subtraction, simple writing and reading. Usually, it is basic skills necessary to life and the rest of a student’s education career, that are taught in primary schools. However, the question has been asked, should reasoning skills be taught in primary schools? Considering that primary school is a place where children learn basic, yet necessary skills that they will use for the rest of their lives, and that history has proved the necessity of these skills, children should definitely be taught reasoning skills in primary school.

A point comes in a child’s life when he must begin to make decisions for himself; this means that a parent is no longer deciding every little thing for that child. This stage is typically middle school. The decisions that students begin to make at this stage can greatly affect the rest of their lives; therefore it is necessary that schools begin to teach children reasoning skills prior to this stage. In many cases, if a child is only taught reasoning skills after or during middle school it is too late, and the result can be detrimental to that child. Speaking of this, Stephen T. Russel, Ph. D., of the University of Arizona, says, “The issue of decision-making becomes increasingly important during adolescence because teens are developing greater autonomy and encountering more choices independent of adults. The choices teens make may drastically affect not only their own lives, but the lives of others as well (Ganzel, 1999). Some of these choices may include which career to pursue, whether or not to have sex or use contraceptives, whether or not to use alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs, or whether or not to engage in violent or risky behaviors (Fischhoff et al., 1999; Ganzel, 1999).” Primary school needs to be the place where children and students learn these skills.

History has proved the need for reasoning skills because throughout history, humans have needed a certain skill set in order to survive. This includes the ability to find water and food, to fend off enemies, and to be able to take part in a relationship. Each of these sills that are essential to survival come with a prerequisite of having reasoning skills. Reasoning skills to know where food and water will be, reasoning skills to know how to deter and stop your enemies, and reasoning skills that help determine who you can and cannot trust. This is the case from ancient history, for example Rome, until today. In ancient Rome children were taught reasoning skills at a very young age, and Rome was one of the most powerful empires ever to rule the world. However, the fall of Rome can be accredited to the fact that the people of Rome felt they were so powerful they no longer needed reasoning skills. The same will be true of our American society if we do not teach young kids reasoning skills while they are still in primary school, and before it is too late and they already have to make major decisions.

In the fourth chapter of How to Think About Weird Things, Theodore Schick, Jr., and Lewis Vaughn state, “Those in the know are more likely to get their way than those who aren’t, because their views are based on reality-not on fantasy, illusion or wishful thinking. Their projects have a greater chance of success, because their knowledge gives them the ability to foresee obstacles and devise ways of overcoming those obstacles. Prediction and control are keys to survival, and knowledge makes prediction and control possible.” Reasoning skills are a necessary component of survival in life. In most cases, children begin to make key choices that will affect their lives in middle school. It is imperative that primary school’s teach these children reasoning skills so that when they do come upon the tough and inevitable choices of life, they will be capable of making logical and wise decisions. Although it is a possibility that this could be too young of an age for children to begin learning reasoning skills, the fact that these skills are necessary for the rest of their lives, along with the fact that in the next stage of their lives monumental choices will begin to be made, make primary school the best option to begin teaching children reasoning skills.