Semester 1 Classwork and Homework
Chapter WorksheetsThose pesky systems of equations which had been haunting me earlier in the semester arose once again, and I was forced to conquer them with an iron fist. My short term goal to be able to apply systems to other situations had not yet been provided the opportunity to until I reached the time of midterm exams. I managed to tackle the systems of equations, which fulfilled my short term goal and helped fulfill a portion of my long term goal (which can be read on my main page under my philosophy for the year) as well.
The Chapter 4 Jigsaw shown on the right was an in class assignment (that, had it not been finished during class was to be taken home) in which our tables were divided into different groups, and would work on a certain aspect of the chapter while our other table mates worked on the others. Once we returned from our groups to our table, we would help each other in concepts which our other table mates had not previously been working on or had forgotten. This type of group work seemed to work well with me, and I found that I quickly caught onto forgotten material very quickly with the help of my classmates and in return I would help them. This helped to fulfill my long term goal of being able to retain information and use it effectively. |
Collective Midterm ReviewsAs mentioned earlier, the use of group work proved to be effective in aiding my learning process as exhibited in the Practice Midterm partner work which I completed with my classmate Gabrielle Butcher. This was the first collective midterm review we had been given, and it would have been much trickier had I been working alone. The use of teamwork is absolutely essential when trying to take on a large portion of material or information. My partner and I were able to complete the review in a relatively short time, leaving us time to spare to use to ask questions on concepts we were shaky on, which helped fulfill part of my long term goal to ask more questions in class when I don't understand something.
In my next three midterm reviews, the general progression in score and increasing understanding shows my growth and achievement in the first semester of the 2014-2015 school year. My first score, an 84% (which I would personally consider quite a low score), was one that was earned during my first attempt to complete an entire collective review on my own. The group and partner work which I had done before was helpful because I could remember saying things out loud and hearing them instead of just having abstract concepts in my mind that had not been put into words. I remembered talking over problems that had confused me and working them out together as a group. An increase of score is seen in my second individual collective review. I had learned from my previous mistakes made in my first review, and after asking my teacher questions and reviewing the problems which I had answered incorrectly, I was able to further grasp a more in depth understanding of the information which I had not had before. Finally, my in class midterm practice test shows my overall achievement in that I earned a satisfactory score and withheld from making silly errors that I had made previously. I had effectively fulfilled my short term and long term semester goals in that I had improved my understanding and that I had asked others questions for help (which I would normally not do). I am pleased in the growth which I have shown this semester, and I hope to improve even more in my next semester. |