Step 7: Synthesize
Synthesis is the process of combining what you’ve read (in the case of our class) with what you know and the talents you have to create a new and original work. Synthesis is what allows you to answer a question, make a decision, recommend a solution, or create something. Think of synthesis as the way you show that you truly know what you claim to know.
Synthesis is where you combine ideas (or in this case, what you learn from sources), putting parts together in a new way. It is ensuring you understand each source individually and then mix them together towards the goal of your work.
To make this happen, you need to use your CRITICAL and CREATIVE thinking modes.
- Critical thinking is a way of thinking (or approaching decisions, ideas, and creative works) that asks you to evaluate the evidence available and determine its relevance and reliability, understand what it says, determine what it means, and then make or take some type of action.
- Creative thinking is a way of thinking focused on problem-solving which comes up with new, innovative, and relevant thinking
As you synthesize, you are using both of these types of thinking.
During synthesis, you will process what you’ve read to form new ideas, perspectives, opinions, and insights. When you synthesize in an academic class, you are focusing on the evidence you’ve read, viewed, or listened to and then think about all of this in relation to what you already have learned. You synthesize by processing what you learned into a personal project (for example an argument, decisions, action plan) that you support with evidence (your sources). Your results showcase what you read, how you’ve thought about the material, and your ability to turn it into something valuable.
You’ll use synthesis in 2 different ways in this project
- You will review many sources to come up with an idea, answer, decision, or more related to your project. This is the main way you will synthesize in this course: by combining information to create new ideas, answers, and recommendations.
- You will, in some cases, put your sources in conversation. In this class, this type of synthesis can be used in your presentation. For example, you could state your claims (big ideas) and then use evidence to discuss them (with language like “While researcher 1 believed that, researcher 2 felt that… and my own experience shows that… Together this tells us that…”). In most classes, this is done in writing. Look at the sources below focused on synthesis in writing to understand this- just remember you do not have to write for this project.
Synthesis steps:
- Read and review your sources
- Ensure you understand each source well and have good notes
- Consider how your sources relate to each other AND to your question
- Determine the answer to you question
- Decide what source contributed to each part of your question AND how they did so
To learn more about synthesis and writing: