Reasoning Analytically

My Understanding

To me, Reasoning Analytically means making judgements using good evidence. When you are Reasoning Analytically, the most important thing you need is evidence, or something to back up your claim or judgment. You also double check your evidence with multiple sources. For example, if you find some information that can lead you to make a judgment, you should check at least one other source to make sure that the information you found is true.

Reasoning Analytically usually starts with a question, and ends with a statement or a judgment, because when you weigh the evidence you have, you have enough to make a reasonable claim. When Reasoning Analytically, you also have to keep your mind/wit/brain in check. If you found a piece of information that seems completely wrong, or just cannot be true, you should definitely find a different source. Just because there is information on a website doesn’t mean that it's true. 

Credible sources are also very important. They decide whether or not you can trust a website and the information it gives. A credible source is “written by authors respected in their fields of study. Responsible, credible authors will cite their sources so that you can check the accuracy of and support for what they've written.” The website normally needs to end with either a .org, .gov. or .edu, but there are some exceptions. Credible sources need to include the author, the date it was published, and more. The author needs to be “an expert in their field,” or basically know a whole lot about their topic. When Reasoning Analytically, you must have credible sources to back up your claim. 

What Reasoning Analytically doesn't look like is making random statements that have absolutely nothing backing it up. For example, if someone said the Earth was flat, there is no real evidence saying that it is, so that person has not Reasoned Analytically. This person would not have checked multiple resources, and did not weigh evidence. However, some sources do say that the Earth is indeed flat, but these sources are not credible, and you should not trust them. 

When Reasoning Analytically is not being used, it leads to conflict and the spread of misinformation. People could believe false rumors and/or information and could share that with others, who start spreading more false information until everyone believes what isn’t true or questions what is. Social Media also has a huge impact on the spread of misinformation. Since it is one of the most effective ways to share things and most people use it, one post, reel, or video could change someone’s perspective on anything. Some who believe false information could “take action” and create conflict with others, but if everyone took the time to Reason Analytically and weigh all the evidence, they will see the truth and no more harm will be done. 

My Growth

When I first came to SEEQS and learned a bit about Reasoning Analytically, I understood the “basics” pretty well, such as weighing evidence and making judgements. At the very least, I understood it more than some other Sustainability Skills, namely Thinking Systemically.  Over time though, I think that I have mainly grown in my understanding of what it means to use this skill, what it looks like in action, and what it looks like when the skill is not in use. 

Exemplary Project 

The Four Plans project is an 8th grade math project about helping a client who is looking to make a responsible financial decision, by investing their money at a bank to prepare for retirement. The bank gives the client four “financial plans” to choose from, and it is our job to help the client figure out which plan is the best. This is a group project, and we have to collaborate and Reason Analytically to help our client. The goals for this project is to Collaborate Productively with a partner to learn about linear versus exponential functions in real-world financial situations, practice Reasoning Analytically by coming to a reasonable conclusion about which financial plan is “best” based on our calculations and analysis, and practice understanding Exponential Functions to prepare for an upcoming assessment. In this project, we have to individually analyze two of the four financial plans, while our partner does the other two.  At the end, we will meet up to compare our data. Below is a list of the four financial plans. 

So, the first thing we did in this project was decide who would analyze which plan. We decided that I would analyze plans 2 and 4, and my partner, Jaxon, would analyze plans 1 and 3. To solve each plan, we first had to decide whether an equation is linear or exponential. If an equation is gradually rising by the same amount each time, then it is linear, but if there are any signs of exponents or a huge rise each time, then the equation is exponential. Then, we would just fill out the equation (for example, y = mx+b for linear equations) with the numbers in the word problem, and insert each problem into the calculator, replacing the x with a different number. After we have all our answers, we would insert them into the doc. We would also enter the equation into Desmos graphing calculator, and take a screenshot of the line graph. An example of the linear graph (Plan #2 is below. 

After we each completed both of our plans, we debated about which plan was the best. We decided that plan 1 was the best, because the client got $210,024.52 at the end, which was more money than any of the other plans got. After this, we were finished.  

Connection to Reasoning Analytically

Throughout this Four Plans project, I made judgments about the plans “based on reasons and evidence.” One example of this is when I was doing my own calculations. I made decisions based on the equation I used and put into the calculator. I was also making a decision when deciding which equation (linear or exponential) best fit the plan. I used matematic evidence, logic, and calculations to figure out each plan and decide which plan was the best. 

I made sure I was making accurate calculations because I would always check my answers with the answer I got before to make sure that they were connected to each other. For example, when filling out the linear equation table (below) all I had to do was add $200 each time, or each year and double check my answers using the calculator, to make sure that my answers were right.  

When my group compared each of our plans, I made a judgment about which plan was best for the Client by choosing the plan that gave the client the most money over time. I did not make a judgment about which plan was best for the Bank, so this is a counter-example of Reasoning Analytically.  

Overall, based on this reflection, I feel like I Reasoned Analytically pretty well because I made a judgment to help my client based on the reasons and evidence I had. I used mathematical calculations to fill out the tables, and re-did something if I thought it could be incorrect. If I did this project again, I would make judgments to help both the client and the bank, instead of only the client. I will also weigh the pros and cons of each Plan with more detail to find the best compromise for everyone.