{"id":27830,"date":"2021-10-27T21:27:50","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T04:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=27830"},"modified":"2021-10-27T21:27:50","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T04:27:50","slug":"the-only-subject-that-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-only-subject-that-counts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Only Subject that Counts"},"content":{"rendered":"

In processing How to Read Numbers<\/em> this week, I continually thought about the characters from the hit comedy \u2018The Big Bang Theory.\u2019 The emphasis on proving or disproving equations, ensuring there is accuracy in even the smallest of details, and communicating clearly were what Sheldon, Leonard, and the rest of the crew (minus Penny) did each week. For me, How to Read Numbers <\/em>was reminiscent of my undergraduate statistics and research courses and yet it brought a new dimension with the utilization of current events as the examples used. Chivers\u2019 break down ten key elements to pay attention to when studying, reporting, and believing statistics which include finding the context, having knowledge of the sample size, impacts of various biases, and the cherry-picking of figures to support a particular view. As they stated many times in the book, the numbers that are presented across media outlets pertaining to Covid-19 are likely not true and accurate, regardless of which station you are watching because we simply don\u2019t know enough given how (relatively) short it has been studied thus far.<\/p>\n

I appreciated the encouragement to academics reading the book as that is the realm I live in. I consistently have conversations with students about critical thinking, analyzing and research the source before reposting something on social media, and the importance of asking more questions to get a fuller picture so they have confidence in what and why they align with any particular stance on a topic. There is an increasing awareness among faculty and staff of students arriving for college largely underprepared and without knowledge or skillsets that would have been considered basic standards just a decade ago. As Chivers\u2019 discusses, I have been able to see the inflated GPAs arriving as the pressure on high school teachers to have their students perform at higher levels has increased over the years.<\/p>\n

This reading was a great reminder as I go into the next phase of the NPO and prototype creation. With my focus being on providing an international education for all university students, it will be critical for me to include in whatever the outcome, a component focused on researching, understanding, and interpreting important statistics at a global level. As I am often in the habit of doing, I will likely encourage students to look at news sources from outside of their home context to find a more balanced and accurate portrayal of what is going on in their own country as what is being presented to them directly is likely fueled by alternative motives. Additionally, it will be significant for students to learn how other cultures and people groups may interpret statistics differently to ensure they do what they can to curb any biases from impacting their end result.<\/p>\n

While I feel that I can align with what How to Read Numbers <\/em>emphases throughout, I also closed the book feeling a bit deflated with a more acute knowledge of just how challenging it is to find truth on any given topic. If media can\u2019t be a reliable source of truth nor academic publications themselves, it feels as if the ability to make an informed decision on anything is nearly impossible or overwhelming. So I find myself going back to the source that I know is true and am comforted by the fact that is outside of his ability to be anything but who He is, which is truth; and in doing so am gently asked which kingdom I belong to and am pursuing this day. While I feel it is critical to be wise, knowledgeable, and exercise the capacities I\u2019ve been equipped with by the Lord, I also must keep the eternal perspective in view when it comes to what numbers and topics I am focused on. May I embrace my finite understanding as it only lead me to lean into the one that has infinite understanding of truth all the more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In processing How to Read Numbers this week, I continually thought about the characters from the hit comedy \u2018The Big Bang Theory.\u2019 The emphasis on proving or disproving equations, ensuring there is accuracy in even the smallest of details, and communicating clearly were what Sheldon, Leonard, and the rest of the crew (minus Penny) did […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2076,2077,2004,2075,275],"class_list":["post-27830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chivers","tag-how-to-read-numbers","tag-lgp11","tag-statistics","tag-truth","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27830"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27831,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27830\/revisions\/27831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}