Review #1

Review your course contract from the beginning of the semester. Answer the following questions:
 
What are you doing well?

• I am enjoying what I am learning.
• I feel the curriculum is very useful in my personal life and as a future teacher.
• I have completed my classroom observations.
• I learned how to use Google Calendar.
• I carefully read the text and do the study guides.

What are you not doing well? 

• I have procrastinated the Field Response Journal
• I have procrastinated the Assessment Inventory
• I am often late in getting my study guides done.
• I usually come home from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays exhausted and I take a break from studying and I probably shouldn't.

Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?

• I feel I need to readjust how I am doing things in this class because I am constantly behind.  

List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.

• I need to get my study guides done earlier so I am more prepared for class.
• I feel I need to review my study guides, too so I retain the information.  
• I need to do homework everyday instead of taking days off then I won't have to do as much on the other evenings and get so exhausted.
• I need to stop procrastinating and get working on my Field Response Journal and my Assessment Inventory!

How is your motivation? Are you focusing on mastery or performance goals? Does anything need to change?

• I have been feeling overwhelmed and a little burned out probably because my summer classes and my responsibilities at home are intense.
• I still desperately want to learn and be successful.
• I do want to master the content of this class so I can be an effective teacher.
• However, I will admit, I am also motivated by performance goals. I can't help it!!!  

How is your field experience going? Name at least one take-away from your field experience to this point.

• I am grateful I have met the hourly requirements and taught my lesson for my field experience even though I have procrastinated writing about it.
• I observed two different jr. high Spanish teachers for my field experience. This was my first experience in a jr. high-I've kind of been afraid of jr. high--and I discovered that I actually really enjoyed this age group!
• I also noticed the different classroom management styles of the teachers. One teacher was more relaxed, yet he still maintained control and the students really seemed to like and respect him. The other teacher was more authoritarian and the students didn't seem to like or respect him as much. I want to be more like the former teacher and earn the respect of the students instead of demand it.     

 What can I (Dr. Cox) do to improve your learning in this course?

• I think you are doing a great job teaching this course!
• I really appreciate that you practice what you preach in your teaching!
• I love the elements of surprise in your class! I love having parts of our class outside! I love drawing neuron networks on the sidewalk with chalk. I love making marshmallow neurons! I love how you model being a great teacher! 
• Maybe if we can have a little bit of time at the end of class each day to work on our assignments I won't feel so overwhelmed.