Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Biology Tutoring Eval
I just finished up this project because the spring baseball season started so I cant tutor after school anymore. I'm very happy with how this activity went. My goal was to better understand Bio, and I really think I did especially the electron transport chain which I've never fully understood and explaining to someone else really solidified in my mind. A second goal was to help other kids with the subject. I really think this went well too, one girl I tutored told me that she understood the genetics part of the course, and she did very well on the test. My third goal was to improve my dealings with people in different situations. Because tutoring presents a fairly common teacher-student dynamic which im often on the student side of I thought it would be good to get some practice as a teacher and better understand the relationship. I thought this went well, it took me a little while to get better at not coming off as condescending, but I'm sure thats something most people struggle with. I thought this activity met both my proposed outcomes, "increased awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth" and "undetaking new challenges". The first outcome was met by understanding my limitations both as a teacher and in Biology as a subject. There were things that I was really good at explaining and then other parts such as the organelles of a cell that I had a harder time with. The second outcome was met because it was a new challenge being in this kind of situation where I was the tutor and I had to adjust to the new role.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Baseball Conditioning
Conclusion Journal:
For the last couple months I'v been doing 5 hours a week of baseball conditioning to get ready for the spring. This activity ended last Thursday with the last pitching/catching clinic. My big goal for this activity was to get in shape, not only for baseball but because I perform better academically when i'm healthy. I achieved this, I feel much better and I've gotten back into a cycle of exercise that keeps me running. I feel much better and I've seen an increase in my understanding of subjects at school. Another goal for this activity was to see how the team looks, and to try to embrace my new position as a non-captain this year. I think this will be good for me, I feel I have less responsibility, and can focus more on my play. Which is not to say that I didnt want to be a captain, I may be difficult for me to take orders from some of the seniors, because I am just a little bitter that I wont be a captain this year. On the other hand, its not my decision and Ill support the captains and the team, because its really not about me. My two learning outcomes were showing perseverance in an activity, and undertaking challenges. I met the first outcome by giving up my Saturdays, and thursday nights to baseball, its a long drive and worked hard to get back into shape. The second outcome was more subtle, there were some adjustments to my swing and motion because of my growth over the off-season, but also coming to terms with my new role was a new challenge that I mentioned above.