Week three

It's hard to believe it, but I;m already at week three of this class. It's needing very little of my effort so far, it seems like everything's just coming to me. I think this is because of the class style. Gone are the days where I would have to cram everything we learned in a short amount of time just to get a good grade. No, it's different now. The hands-on labs are really getting results in to me, you know, stuff that I actually know now. It's incredible. But should I be so quick to make this conclusion? I have seen other people around me, confused and agitated so far. Although I can't compare, could I suggest that they should just pay attention? That's what I've been doing and it seems like it's been working well so far.

But now, about the meat of the class...the material, as I've said before, seems to be elementary, probably just because it's introduction material, and nothing that I would expect to be be mind-boggling. The conservation of mass relates to something  I was studying last year in physics: the conservation of energy if I think that's what it's called...? But anyways, we learned that energy in the system is always translated somewhere else, and you can only lose it to the environment via friction for example. I see this sort of as the same concept. You have a system, and mass (or energy) and within this system it must be preserved. Basic fundamentals. Something I hadn't really thought about was the difference of accuracy and precision. We did discuss this in physics, but I didn't have a good idea because our instructor explained in as if we were shooting at a target. Mr. Abud explained it a bit more realistic to the classroom environment, how observations can be accurate or precise based on the the observer and his or her equipment. I think that's just how it should be explained. Something else that was cool was how the amount of water mL is translated directly into volume. That's just cool.I see why the metric system is so much more superior to our own system. It's based on observations, not random guesses. Like, what is a foot anyhow? What's an inch? I know it's 25.4mm, but what does that mean? Twenty-five point four mm of what?

I know there's something else that I could be missing here in terms of what we've learned, but what is it? But hey, maybe I could suggest that if I can't remember this classroom concept, does this mean it has simply become common knowledge? Just a thought.

Week 2

It's week two of Honors Chemistry.

So far it's been good. I'm becoming a bit more comfortable with the environment, as well as the method. I have found that the a lot of the methods are similar to what I experienced in Honors Physics with Mr. Pata. There's the same standard-based grading, the same assess and re-asses system, and there is no traditional homework.

I got to say, it's a nice change. I never felt the same pressure from when I was taking Honors Biology, compared to Honors Physics. Biology was the opposite as you can imagine. With what I have experienced, it's a fair system that aims more at student success in the end than on the first try...and that's what we really need as a society; getting to actually understand whats happening than being obsessed to find out what to answer on a test...because is that really going to help me when I'm at work? Answer B or Answer C? Certainly not.
While this is all a 'fair' and revolutionary to some, I have to ask how far it will go. To what limit does this work to? Could we use this in mathematics, writing, or other sciences? I have observed this system in just Chemistry and Physics so far, and my hypothesis is that it cannot work in other subjects. Why? I thought back to Biology, and what I learned. How much did I learn? All I can say is that we did a lot. We went through many many concepts and subjects in a short period of time. But even more importantly, we learned about even more in facts and information. So we learned many facts and concepts in Biology. To my experience, it was always in a note-and-lecture style because there was never time to do it in a slow, observation-based curriculum used in our new standards system. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this new system will only work with subjects like Phys and Chem because they are primarily concept-based classes that don't really require the student to restate facts and information. Just a thought.

But so far what I've learned has been interesting. the most memorable was the Volume vs. Water lab. The results were interesting, and it felt almost obvious once I learned that a cm^3 was equal to a mL of water. In another memorable test, we observed the conservation of mass. This was obvious to me. Why? It just seemed logical. How could you add mass withing a system without the induction of more mass? Just seemed silly to me, but that's just an opinion, because maybe someone else actually learned something from this test. So that's great for them.

So far the concepts we've learned seem to be rather rudimentary to me, but that's probably because they are simple introduction labs, so as of now I have no concerns or improvements to be expressed about the content.

Blog 1

Blog 1:

My first week of school was fair, I guess. I get to see the same people that I like, and I do not like. But so far in my first week I have encountered neither in chemistry. Being a senior, I am very unfamiliar with most of the people. But besides my social standing with my peers, the class isn't bad. It seems easy because it is very different from the lecture-based and otherwise black-and-white classes that I've had in the past. This is refreshing to encounter a new teaching style that involves technology, an emphasis on problem solving, and a lowered priority on what the answer is. I agree with the style. Sure the answer is important, but an even more important answer to a question is how we got there in the first place. Why I think that's important is because I always learn a skill, and shortly forget it because I was focusing on getting the answer rather than using the skill. So I think it will be a very good year regarding what I learn and how I will learn it, although I may not be comfortable without being around my friends. 

But why do I feel so uncomfortable? I think it's because I've gotten used to their companionship. I think it's a huge psychological factor that you do better around your friends. You have confidence. I have experienced this many times. Sometimes I recalled raising my hand to answer a question, which is something I seldom do, when I'm around people I know well. I have also seen this in people around me. Last year, a student who always talked was immediately silenced the day two of his closer friends did not attend class. I know that doesn't have much to do with the class, but it's something to consider with some of your students. And just because I don't talk much doesn't mean anything either. If I do get around this, the class will be fun. I know it. I will be able to learn things like I should be; like those who made their first discoveries years ago. Instead of copying their work from a book, I will be going through the same thought process they did. So it will be more of "why does this happen, and how?" rather than simply "what's the answer?"

(Subject to editing?)