Intro/Background

Hello, my name is Paige Burton and In this reflection, I am going to be really honest. I have no knowledge of the planets, processes, or the impact it can have on humans, and I am very uncomfortable with each of these student learning objectives. My knowledge extends to about, The sun is the center of the universe and we rotate around it. would like to focus on the geological maps however because I know that this will be my weakest area and the hardest one for me to grasp.

Goals

I am the type that always stresses about school and grades, I always try to get ahead and make sure that I understand the material being taught. I am fully aware that with this upgrading style of teaching I am going to have to work through many of my normal stressors and relax a little. Although it feels scary to think about the fact that I will not know my grade as I turn things in, I feel like this will be a good learning experience for me to come up with some new techniques to not stress so much. I am trying to go into this as open-minded as I possibly can and try to be aware of the fact that this teaching style is in place with our best interest in mind. I am going to try and use this as an opportunity to learn under a stress-free mindset and grow as a person. That being said, my normal goal for a normal class setting is to get and maintain an A throughout the semester, and if this was a graded class that would still be my goal. However, this class is different. Due to the abnormality of this class, my SMART goal is going to be to learn the material as well as some life skills by the end of this class that I can take with me throughout my entire life. I believe that I have done very well at sticking to this goal, if feel that I have learned the material well and so far I have retained and still remember the material that I have learned.

Methods

I plan to obtain this goal by attending class and being fully focused while here, keeping up on the reading, notes, and other assignments, as well as studying, things like flashcards, hands-on work, reading with note-taking, going back and looking at the notes throughout the semester and talking with other classmates and the teacher when I feel stuck or confused. Lastly, I want to fully dedicate myself to my improvement in and out of the class and hold myself accountable for mistakes or laziness along the way. I feel that is have done a great job following these methods and that they have all been very helpful so far. I look forward to continuing these methods. I have been attending class regularly and have only missed one day up till now, I made sure there was notice and I still got all my work and notes done. When I am in class I do feel like I stay focused and participate. I spend so much of my time working on this from this class. More than any other class I've taken and although sometimes I get busy with life and have to spend a little less time on the class, it is okay because I think I am doing just fine. I think that this class has helped me to try and let go of my stress and trust myself and my knowledge more and this is a life skill that can help in all aspects of life. I think everything that I have been doing up to this point has been working for me and I plan on continuing on this path for the remainder of the semester.

(Preliminary) Results

Up to this point in the class, my overall feelings about the class are very mixed. There are parts that I enjoy, parts that I really understand, parts I find to be tedius and a little annoying and parts that I am struggling with. Lets start with the negatives so that I can finish on a good note. I really really don't enjoy the ungraded style of the class, I find it to be a major stressor. I don't like that there are so many last minute changes almost like the class flows very choppy. I don't love that we didn't get to pick our groups for most things from small to large scale things we are assigned groups and I don't love that. I am struggling with the Chemistry portion of things and still unfamiliar with rocks. Now that that's off my chest, lets look at the good. I don't feel like this class is completely useless for people who don't plan on being geologist. I think this class has a lot of good things to offer anybody no matter what occupation or interests they may have. I like that there is flexibility and variety on the ways we can do SLO to show our knowledge as it allows for creativity as well as gives some support to those who may not be very techsavy. I also feel like I am learning a lot in terms of, the solar system and how it came to be, plate techtonics and how it links to everything, minerals and how they are formed and used, and some rocks and why they form where they form and change. Over all, everything up to here has been pretty positive so far and if I was to grade myself based on my knowelge, effort, attendance, and participation I would give myself a high A.

(Preliminary) Conclusion

If I was to grade myself based on my knowelge, effort, attendance, and participation I would give myself a high A.