Break is finally here, so I am very excited. I finally get some time to rest and get myself back to speed. It's also a time to celebrate the holidays. Christmas has already passed, and was is great! One of the reasons why it was so good was because it felt so reserved for me...like it was well deserved. I really worked for those grades, and the rewards were sweet. One of the rewards is the reason why I am typing this blog not on my PC, but on a shiny new mobile device, which I am still getting used to so don't expect impeccable spelling and/or grammer because I'm still getting used to this tiny keyboard.
Concerning the class itself, I really had some negative opninions on the senseless soap project. I don't mean to bash on anyone, but I really thought it was a stupid idea. It's interesting, but not very immersing. It felt more like a chore to do this. Once again the busy work that I've done many times before. Yes, I think I would prefer just to do in-class work, because atleast that actually helps me learn the material better. I don't know if anyone noticed that I worked alone, but I did. I know that this class (or any other science class) stresses teamwork, but after a recent upset in another class involving a group project, I faithfully decided to go singleplayer in this. To my expectations, the entire process was smooth. No clutter, no liability. Like they say, "if you want something done right, you got to do it yourself." I couldn't agree more.
One of the most interesting things about claiming that a project has nothing to do with learning is that the claim begs the question: "what did you do to make the connections between what we are studying and what we are doing in the project?" Though it is important for projects to connect to what is being learned, those connections can only be meaningfully made by the learner. If you are unable to make those connections, then you need to ask yourself what can be done to reveal those connections? The soap project dealt with phase changes, energy transfer, and physical properties of matter. It transitioned the third unit on energy to the fourth unit on mixtures and compounds. Making connections requires an understanding of the content and an investigation of the ideas that may be at work behind the project. Keep in mind that pure knowledge is of little use without a practical application.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. Abud,
DeleteI appreciate the feedback as it allows me to reflect on my thoughts and how to improve them in the future. While the idea of an in-class project doesn't always click with, I have never gone out in arrogance to ignore the concepts involved with the project, and to state there is zero involvement in learning. Years before I did ask myself "what does this have to do with the material," on previous projects, and often times it's quite easy to see (such as this project as well). To reiterate the original post, might I add that the project may have not been of the best choice. Like I said, it was interesting, but not so much immersing, at least to me. That's just my opinion, and feedback for your future teaching.