Independence of Thought

A question I’m often asked by students working on projects is, “What should I include?”  While knowing project requirements and instructor preferences is  important,  even more important is the ability to try to answer your own questions. For instance, when assigned a finish schedule, students often ask, “What do you want on it?” But it’s not a matter of what “I” want; the better question is, “What should be on it?”  This question is answerable by taking a visual inventory of the room. Does it have a floor, walls, a ceiling, countertops? Well, those are finishes, and should be included! Apply this thought process to all worksheets and problems. IMO, solving something wrong is better than not solving it at all, because at least with a wrong solution you can retrace your steps and analyze why it’s wrong. This contributes to the development of critical thinking skills.