-= Initial Reflection =-
-= Initial Reflection =-
Earth Science and Teaching
What are your strengths as a student and as a teacher?
I like to think that one of my strengths as a teacher is patience. My strength as a student is my ability to persevere through tough course material. I try me best to not give up, even when the course work is difficult.
What are your weaknesses as a student and as a teacher?
Ironically, my strength of patience when I am teaching does not fully translate when I am a student. While I do persevere when faced with work I have trouble with; sometimes, if I do not understand something right away, I will get impatient and antsy. My weakness as a teacher is probably presentation. Sometimes I have difficultly formulating exactly what I want to say.
What you feel most confident about when teaching Earth Science?
Honestly, I would not feel confident about teaching this material right now. When looking at the teaching learning objectives, there are some parts that I remember from school, but even more parts that I've never learned or have forgotten.
What you feel most nervous about when teaching Earth Science?
The main topics I am nervous about would probably be Ocean circulation and Atmospheric circulation, the two topics I know the least about.
Personal plans:
If this were a graded class, what would your (realistic) goal be, based on your current life situation and expectations?
My goal grade for this class would be an A. While it would not be a walk in the park due to other time commitments, I think putting forth "A" effort is a goal I can realistically accomplish.
What are some specific steps/plans that you are taking to achieve this goal?
The main step needed to achieve this goal is setting aside time everyday to work on this e-portfolio, study the chapter, and work on other activities. Looking a week or two ahead and comparing the schedule with my work and other class will be paramount in creating a schedule that includes and segments everything.
As you know, there are some specific student learning outcomes that are expected for this class. What are some ways you can think of to assess your growth in this class? This obviously will take some creative thought...take your time.
Well, the obvious answer would be if we can answer the learning objectives surrounding the material. For example, one of the topics is about Plate Tectonics. The ability to answer/teach about Plate Tectonics would show that we know the material.
Ungrading
What are your thoughts as we go into this semester regarding the idea of ungrading? What are you looking forward to and what are you nervous about?
Ungrading is an interesting idea that I had never heard of before taking this class. The lazy part in me cheered when a cursory glance at ungrading meant there would be no homework. The fact that the goal of taking a class to learn feels obvious yet overlooked. Many of my other classes have felt like the focus was more on completing a set amount of worksheets rather than strictly learning about the topic. I am slightly nervous that the lack of hard due dates make it easer to slack off; however, I look forward to the challenge of keeping up with the e-portfolio despite the absence of graded due dates.