Day 13

Student Contributions by Hannah Gryzik

What We Did In Class

I researched on the Mongol Empire to find out what I have to say on the topic and why I want to keep this topic/why it interests me. We also chose which attraction or topic was the best in an area in Iran.

For the AP exam I feel scared, I want to do better this year than I did last year. I am preparing by turning in my class time and homework on time and making sure I am understanding the topics we are going over. I know this because I have so far turned in everything on time and mostly understand everything.

Have you grown as a learner?

I feel like I have grown a little. My thinking has definitely gotten deeper in this class because I have to think more about topics to answer the questions that Mr. Heintz asks. It challenges me more to create more thoughts than usual not just one big idea but multiple.

What isn’t working for you?

The vagueness of instructions.

I am normally told exactly what to do and when I am not I don’t know where to start and end.

It’s hard to focus for me when there is so many places I could start or end and I get caught up on what I’m supposed to be writing or researching. I will try to improve this by being more creative and not worrying that much on the beginning and end but getting stuff done and being able to get what is asked of me finished.

My Thoughts

Some push back…sort of.  I spoke to Hannah earlier in the period and when she started to tell me her frustrations, I needed her to write the post. Since there is a degree of freedom, and emphasize the degree. Sure, there is time every day for them to explore. But, there is a lot we have to do as well.

I’m finding that most of the students I have prefer to have everything spelled out for them. They want to be told exactly what to do, how to do, and when to do it. They have played school up to this point that way, and I’m changing the rules. I’m not judging their response. I understand their reaction. They have a lot to lose. They were “successful” under the old rules. Now, they can learn what they want. But, they aren’t sure what they want to learn. 

It’s a balancing act for me. Hence my question for the year: To what extent can I create classroom conditions that represent how people learn best while still allowing students to excel on the AP examination? I working through it. I want to patient with them. I need to support them through this journey, for I know I’m challenging what they normally experience in their day-to-day schooling. For now, it’s nice to hear their thoughts.