Triangulate**
You want to assess the claims of a particular point of view before relying on it.
***
The sheer volume of online information makes it easy to collect alternative, and even opposing points of view. Such views are vital to the growth and survival of any knowledge domain, but it is necessary to evaluate the veracity of these claims.
Poorly conceived claims can detract from careful consideration of alternative opinions.
***
Therefore, triangulate in other sources — that is, compare the new claims against other independent documents that either support or refute a claim.
The physical difficulty of reading online text online, and of following arguments across various screens, and the ease with which you can click the next link to escape such frustrations will tempt you to give superficial consideration to these claims.
Triangulation is a time-tested technique for assessing the veracity of a claim in the offline world of books and articles.
Make notes in the margins, highlight text, underline salient points, and fold down corners or otherwise bookmark a page are efforts that support more thoughtful attention to a perspective.
***
Triangulation is a trigonometry application in which you find an unknown position or location using two fixed points a known distance apart.
Britt and Gabrys (2001 cited in Candy, 2004) note that ‘corroboration’ has three further uses beyond triangulation: to identify commonly agreed upon perspectives, to locate unique information not included in the source, and to identify information sources that omit important generally greed upon perspectives. This suggests the potential for a cluster of related patterns.
Note: See also check for quality.
Lifelong Learning design pattern map. Click to enlarge.
The “triangulate” pattern was originally published March 31st, 2005 on The Common Loon.
31 Mar 2005
