Initial

Earth Science and Teaching

· What are your strengths as a student and as a teacher? My strengths as a student are that I enjoy learning and discovering new ideas and ways of doing things. I am a self-starter, a list-maker, and a person who follows through. I think that those strengths will make me a good teacher as well. I know it does as a parent.

· What are your weaknesses as a student and as a teacher? My weaknesses as a student are that sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done and I freeze, which leads to procrastination. The interesting thing is that I have done some of my best work at the last minute.

· What you feel most confident about when teaching Earth Science? I feel most confident about learning these concepts and ideas right alongside my students. Learning things together is the best form of discovery, in my opinion.

· What you feel most nervous about when teaching Earth Science? I am most nervous about forgetting the names of things.

Personal plans

· What is your SMART goal for this class? My SMART goal for this class is to be able to identify, diagram, evaluate and explain the wide range of geologic, oceanographic, and atmospheric processes and features that occur on Earth and describe the way they are created and evolve.

· If this were a graded class, what would your (realistic) goal be, based on your current life situation and expectations? I think that a B is very realistic given my life situation and expectations.

· What are some specific steps/plans that you are taking to achieve this goal? To get my work completed and submitted on-time and participate in any group activities and projects assigned.

· 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. I would say informal and formal assessments such as quizzes and projects regarding certain earth processes.

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? I think ungrading is a better way to assess what students know about something. I think that it’s more important than sorting students by marks because they may have cheated to achieve the grades they’ve received. What makes me nervous about it is that I forget names of things, so frustrating because when I speak about something I should know its proper name. I’m looking forward to the creative ways that I will be “ungraded”. Creativity is everything in learning and teaching. Being creative is literally life itself.

Anything else?

· Anything else you can think of that you would like to record your thoughts and feelings here at the beginning of this journey. Let’s get it started!!

• Where do you think you have exhibited your personal strengths in this class? I think I have exhibited my personal strengths in starting, completing, and correcting my lab work (I get things done). I also think that I have exhibited them in our group teaching demonstrations so far (I am a natural leader but I'm not controlling and listen to the people I work with) and in constructing my eportfolio (being creative).

• Where do you think you are weakest? I am weakest in recalling specific names for things. I forget peoples' names and I can be looking directly at them and repeating their names and within minutes it's gone. I hate that.

Goals

• When you look back at the goals you set for yourself at the beginning, how do you feel you are coming on them? I think that I am working on meeting my goals from my first class reflection. I think that will be something I'm working toward during my entire college career and into my teaching career. We're never done learning until we die.

  • How often have you been present in class? How focused on what is happening in class have you consistently been? I missed the first 3 classes, and an additional class due to one of my children being sick. There's a reason a person goes to college at 18 and not 40. Having the responsibility of children and school is a lot but I'm doing it as best I can. I have been focused on what is happening in class. There are times I'm exhausted but I am there and doing it.

How many hours a week do you typically spend on this class? When thinking about your progress in this class, do you feel it is enough? I think I spend about 10 hours on this class, give or take, including class time. I do feel it is enough. When more time is required I give it.

• Looking at your work in this class, what letter grade would you give yourself? I would give myself a B+.

• Now that you have had a chance to contemplate your focus, time, and performance in this class, is there anything that you are planning to change for the rest of the semester? No, I'm not planning on changing anything as of right now. I think I have found a good rhythm.

Teaching

• How do you feel your comfort level with teaching earth science has been impacted by class so far? I think that I'm still nervous about it but that I will be until I'm teaching students on a daily basis. I think comfort with it comes with time. I like that we are teaching in groups, I think that helps a lot with nerves as well as the workload (as long as all of the group members are putting in effort).

• How do you feel about your eportfolio and what you've built there so far? I love my eportfolio! I think that having us do this was genius. I have spent so many hours pouring over ideas and finding things to stash in there for future use. It has been my favorite thing to do so far. For me, I want a selection of videos, songs, books, learning activities, and lab ideas to choose from. I don't want just one PowerPoint to use every year, one lab to do, or one creative activity. Some classes may be able to handle a more advanced approach or they may not and I want to be prepared. I know it looks like a Pinterest board to some but it is exactly what I want it to be. I can easily change the activities that involve food to conform to the dietary requirements of my students. The labs and activities are inexpensive to put together and some just require me to take the time to create in advance.

Other

• Is there anything else you would like to share regarding how you feel things are going at this point in the class? This is my favorite class this semester and I look forward to being there every Monday and Wednesday. Having the ungrading system in place has removed stress and pressure. I like that if I've made a mistake(s) on an assignment I am afforded the opportunity to go back, look at the information again, and correct my mistake(s). That helps me learn so much better. I have always learned better from my mistakes.

Class/Teacher Interaction

1. For what percent of our classes were you present for? I have missed about 6 days out of 27 (due to my kid’s illnesses) which 22% absence. That means I was in class 78% of the time. Canvas says 69%.

2. When you think back to your presence in class, what percent of the classes were you actively participatory in? (i.e., not on your phone, talking, sleeping, etc.) 77% is fair

3. How many hours a week (on average), outside of class, did you study for/work on this class? I would say that it varied depending on what was due. Let us go with 7 hours.

4. How many times during the semester did you directly interact with me on an individual level? (i.e., coming and asking questions, getting clarification, an inbox message, etc.) I would say a dozen or more.

5. How do you think that your participation with the class and me may have impacted your knowledge and growth in this class? I think that participating in class and with you has helped me to learn more and retain more information than I would otherwise. Asking questions, making comments, and receiving feedback are vital when learning how to teach.

Practice work

1. How many of the practice work assignments did you get a "complete" on? All of them.

2. How many of the practice work assignments did you get an "incomplete" on? None of them.

3. How many of the practice work assignments did you not attempt? I attempted them all.

4. How many of the assignments that you did submit were submitted on time? (Usually 1 week) All of them.

5. When you look at those numbers above and your knowledge of topics, how do you think that your participation with the practice work impacted your knowledge? I think that my participation in the practice work supported and reinforced what we were being taught, making it clearer and easier to remember. It helped build that knowledge base.

ePortfolio

1. How soon into the semester did you get your ePortfolio URL created and submitted to me? Within the first few weeks, as required.

2. How many objectives did you get submitted and receive feedback on throughout the semester? I have completed them all and submitted them when they were due. The ePortfolio review that was due time before last I did not realize that there were two that were due, so I missed those but as soon as I realized it, I completed them. I let my review team know that they were missing at the time they were due and to list that they were missing on the review sheet even though they will see them in my ePortfolio.

3. How many objectives did you complete within the last 3 weeks? I finished that last few that were due, I believe seven of them in total.

4. When you look at the answers above and your final product, how do you feel your ePortfolio turned out and the impact that the answers may have had on its quality? I feel that my ePortfolio turned out great and that the quality of it is just as I want it. I wanted to have a few options on each objective to change it up depending on the class age, learning styles, and levels. I do, however, feel that it will never be done. I think it can be improved and added to. I think of it like a working ePortfolio. I can add to the science section and add ELA, Math, History, and other topics. I am genuinely excited about it.

Overall class

1. When you look at the overall class, the entire semester, what are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in this course? I am most proud of the ePortfolio and doing well in this class (even with sick kids and missing the first two weeks).

2. When you look at the overall class, the entire semester, what is it that you most wish you could change or do differently? I wish I would have opened up earlier and created those classmate relationships sooner.

3. When you look at the overall class, the entire semester, what final grade would you give yourself based on your current knowledge of the class objectives? I would give myself an A. My knowledge is not perfect, but I know more now than I did before class began and I have an ePortfolio to show for it.

4. Do you think that your grade would match the grade I would give you? Why or why not? Yes, I do because you were the one that told me to not stick to my comfort zone and raise the bar a bit.

Final Thoughts

1. Any last thoughts/reflections/comments on your personal work/participation/growth in this class? I think that putting us in groups to teach was a terrific idea. It relieved much of the anxiety that comes with first time teachers and opened the door for friendships as well as helping other classmates that struggle with public speaking and anxiety, allowing us to encourage each other and grow. You made our class a safe place to express opinions and ideas, to ask questions, and a safe place to disagree. The ungrading system removed so much stress for me and made me feel free and I worked just as hard as if it were a regularly graded class. I feel that I have grown in my knowledge of earth science and feel better equipped to teach it and have fun with it. I am profoundly grateful to have had you as a professor and to have experienced this class.