Personal connections and adult world connections
Which project did you have the most personal connection with this year? Why?
The project that I connected with the most this year was the Mask project. This project showed me a lot that I did not know about my friends and myself. I was very engaged with this project the whole time because I was learning about myself and my friends and that felt like something i could apply to my life in a helpful way.
What have you learned (skills, lesson, or knowledge) this year that will be most helpful for you in the future?
A skill that I learned this year is to advocate for myself. This year I learned that if i have a problem with my grades or if I just don't get how to do what we are told to do then I will go and talk to my teacher about it instead of just sitting around and watch it happen. This will help me a lot throughout high school because being able to communicate with your teachers is very important, And it even is important for once you are out of highschool too.
What project or projects have you done this year that have inspired you to want to learn? Explain how you were inspired.
A project that made me really want to learn was the film making project in Roxy’s class. My partner and I knew that we were showing this films in a movie theater in front of lots of people and that they possibly could even be going out to a global audience. This really pushed us to show our full potential and make the best movie possible.
How has your attitude towards learning changed this year?
My attitude towards learning has changed a lot in a positive way this year. I realised that school is very important and that every thing that I turn in can help my grade. I also used to think that learning was pointless and that everything we are learning we will never actually do in real life but i now see the importance in all of it.
What connections have you made this year between what you have learned in your classes and your own personal experiences outside of school?
During the mask project I made many connections between what we were learning in class and outside of class. I could really apply what we were learning in school to what was happening around me. I started noticing different ways people are being socialized by media and advertising.
How have your learning and experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
Many of the things we did in Humanities this year have changed my perspective on the world. We learned about how easy it could be for a society to fall apart with BNW (Brave New World). We also learned about how many different countries run and this has given me a perspective of what the rest of the world is like.
What work from this year would you like to look back on and remember when you are a graduating senior?
I would want to look back on the video project because me and Kaden got an A plus on it and had a lot of fun making it. I loved that there was an exhibition at Animas City Theater and that really kept Kaden and I engaged the whole time and pushed us to make the best video we could.
You as a student and a learner (your work and work habits)
What is the most important change you have made as a learner this year?
The most important change that i have made for myself this year is to advocate for myself. In the past if I had a problem with grades or was having trouble with something I would just sit and do nothing about it or blame it on someone else or the teacher but I now see that it is much better to advocate for myself and fix the problem instead of just watching it happen.
How have you taken an active role in your education this year?
This year I have really been trying to remove all distractions from me. In the first semester I always sat with my friends and people that I would like to hangout with. Now I try to sit by people that are going to help me focus and get class work done.
What piece of work that you have done this year are you proudest of? Why?
I would have to say that this year the project that I am most proud of is the video project. My partner kaden and I worked very hard on the video and even took lots of time out of school to get video. Then when we were all done we showed the videos at a theatre. We also got an A on the project.
If you could go back and refine one piece of work this year what piece of work would you refine and how would you refine it?
If I could redo a piece of work I would redo the geological time line project because i did a very poor job on it. I was not interested by the topic I chose at all and did not put enough effort into the project. I was lazy with research and took a long time to write my write up. If I could refine it I think I would just redo the entire thing.
What might you want next years teachers to know about your work habits?
I would want my teachers to know that sometimes I have problems getting started and finishing. Towards the beginning of the year I did not want to do school and just wanted it to be summer again but then towards the end of the first semester and the beginning of the second I really stepped it up and gave it my all. But then once it got close to the end of the year I started to fall apart again and I was too focused on what i was gunna do when i was done with school instead of being focused on what we were doing in school.
What was the most difficult thing you have done all year? Why was it difficult, and how did you
deal with that difficulty?
The most difficult thing I did all year was the rocket project. I thought the project was going to be a really easy laid back project but I was wat wrong. I tried to make the biggest rocket I could but It turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be. I made three rockets and they all failed. The way I dealt with this was once i found out that none of my rockets worked and it was too late to start a new one I decided to join a group that had multiple working rockets and work with them so i could still have data to show at the exhibition even though I failed to make a working rocket.
How has group collaboration helped you as a student?
Doing most of our projects in groups has helped me out as a student very much. It has helped me grow new relationships that will help my academics in the future. For example I worked with Kai on our NIM pow. I got to now kai through that project and then kai introduced me to his friend todd. Now if me kai or todd ever need any help on something we can all ask each other and try to work it out in a fun way instead of going straight to the teacher, so I would say being a group collaborator has help me become a better problem solving student.
Reflecting on yourself and our model of education (project based learning and our student culture)
What would you say to an incoming 9th grader about project based learning?
I would tell them to be sure to make good academic relationships with all of their fellow students. I would also advise them not to work with there best friends but also not someone who is a complete stranger to you. This year in science I worked with Ruby and Jocie a lot because they where two people that I knew and could have fun with but also still be able to work with and get stuff done.
How have the habits of heart and mind helped you successful as a student or person?
The habits of heart and mind helped me become a successful student this year with every paper I wrote. Whenever I did anything that I had to write I tried to keep the habits of mind in mind, especially evidence.
How has a relationship with a teacher helped you be more successful as a student this year?
This year I grew a very good relationship with my advisor Hannah Starbuck. She has really helped out my success this year. She helped me keep my grades on track by checking in with me whenever she saw a bad grade or something she knew I could do better on. She also helped me keep it touch with my parents about how I am doing in school by making sure that I email them every time that we do a grade check.
How has the work in advisory helped you change as a student, as a friend, and as a citizen?
Advisory this year has taught me so much about all three of those thing but it mostly taught me about how I am as a friend. I only had two friends in advisory when started it but now I am friends with everyone in my advisory. It taught me that I should talk to everyone and give everyone a chance because everybody has at least one thing in common with everyone.
Project based learning is a different model than traditional models of education. Explain how Project based learning has influenced your learning and your production of work.
Project based learning has really ramped up my work production. I work a lot harder now and try much more on every project that we do because the projects that we are doing are fun and get me more engaged and make me want to learn opposed to being forced to learn. Text book learning did not work for me at all because I would get very sidetracked and distracted because what we were doing was boring. But I never get distracted or side tracked anymore because I am to engaged in the work that I am doing.
Which project did you have the most personal connection with this year? Why?
The project that I connected with the most this year was the Mask project. This project showed me a lot that I did not know about my friends and myself. I was very engaged with this project the whole time because I was learning about myself and my friends and that felt like something i could apply to my life in a helpful way.
What have you learned (skills, lesson, or knowledge) this year that will be most helpful for you in the future?
A skill that I learned this year is to advocate for myself. This year I learned that if i have a problem with my grades or if I just don't get how to do what we are told to do then I will go and talk to my teacher about it instead of just sitting around and watch it happen. This will help me a lot throughout high school because being able to communicate with your teachers is very important, And it even is important for once you are out of highschool too.
What project or projects have you done this year that have inspired you to want to learn? Explain how you were inspired.
A project that made me really want to learn was the film making project in Roxy’s class. My partner and I knew that we were showing this films in a movie theater in front of lots of people and that they possibly could even be going out to a global audience. This really pushed us to show our full potential and make the best movie possible.
How has your attitude towards learning changed this year?
My attitude towards learning has changed a lot in a positive way this year. I realised that school is very important and that every thing that I turn in can help my grade. I also used to think that learning was pointless and that everything we are learning we will never actually do in real life but i now see the importance in all of it.
What connections have you made this year between what you have learned in your classes and your own personal experiences outside of school?
During the mask project I made many connections between what we were learning in class and outside of class. I could really apply what we were learning in school to what was happening around me. I started noticing different ways people are being socialized by media and advertising.
How have your learning and experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
Many of the things we did in Humanities this year have changed my perspective on the world. We learned about how easy it could be for a society to fall apart with BNW (Brave New World). We also learned about how many different countries run and this has given me a perspective of what the rest of the world is like.
What work from this year would you like to look back on and remember when you are a graduating senior?
I would want to look back on the video project because me and Kaden got an A plus on it and had a lot of fun making it. I loved that there was an exhibition at Animas City Theater and that really kept Kaden and I engaged the whole time and pushed us to make the best video we could.
You as a student and a learner (your work and work habits)
What is the most important change you have made as a learner this year?
The most important change that i have made for myself this year is to advocate for myself. In the past if I had a problem with grades or was having trouble with something I would just sit and do nothing about it or blame it on someone else or the teacher but I now see that it is much better to advocate for myself and fix the problem instead of just watching it happen.
How have you taken an active role in your education this year?
This year I have really been trying to remove all distractions from me. In the first semester I always sat with my friends and people that I would like to hangout with. Now I try to sit by people that are going to help me focus and get class work done.
What piece of work that you have done this year are you proudest of? Why?
I would have to say that this year the project that I am most proud of is the video project. My partner kaden and I worked very hard on the video and even took lots of time out of school to get video. Then when we were all done we showed the videos at a theatre. We also got an A on the project.
If you could go back and refine one piece of work this year what piece of work would you refine and how would you refine it?
If I could redo a piece of work I would redo the geological time line project because i did a very poor job on it. I was not interested by the topic I chose at all and did not put enough effort into the project. I was lazy with research and took a long time to write my write up. If I could refine it I think I would just redo the entire thing.
What might you want next years teachers to know about your work habits?
I would want my teachers to know that sometimes I have problems getting started and finishing. Towards the beginning of the year I did not want to do school and just wanted it to be summer again but then towards the end of the first semester and the beginning of the second I really stepped it up and gave it my all. But then once it got close to the end of the year I started to fall apart again and I was too focused on what i was gunna do when i was done with school instead of being focused on what we were doing in school.
What was the most difficult thing you have done all year? Why was it difficult, and how did you
deal with that difficulty?
The most difficult thing I did all year was the rocket project. I thought the project was going to be a really easy laid back project but I was wat wrong. I tried to make the biggest rocket I could but It turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be. I made three rockets and they all failed. The way I dealt with this was once i found out that none of my rockets worked and it was too late to start a new one I decided to join a group that had multiple working rockets and work with them so i could still have data to show at the exhibition even though I failed to make a working rocket.
How has group collaboration helped you as a student?
Doing most of our projects in groups has helped me out as a student very much. It has helped me grow new relationships that will help my academics in the future. For example I worked with Kai on our NIM pow. I got to now kai through that project and then kai introduced me to his friend todd. Now if me kai or todd ever need any help on something we can all ask each other and try to work it out in a fun way instead of going straight to the teacher, so I would say being a group collaborator has help me become a better problem solving student.
Reflecting on yourself and our model of education (project based learning and our student culture)
What would you say to an incoming 9th grader about project based learning?
I would tell them to be sure to make good academic relationships with all of their fellow students. I would also advise them not to work with there best friends but also not someone who is a complete stranger to you. This year in science I worked with Ruby and Jocie a lot because they where two people that I knew and could have fun with but also still be able to work with and get stuff done.
How have the habits of heart and mind helped you successful as a student or person?
The habits of heart and mind helped me become a successful student this year with every paper I wrote. Whenever I did anything that I had to write I tried to keep the habits of mind in mind, especially evidence.
How has a relationship with a teacher helped you be more successful as a student this year?
This year I grew a very good relationship with my advisor Hannah Starbuck. She has really helped out my success this year. She helped me keep my grades on track by checking in with me whenever she saw a bad grade or something she knew I could do better on. She also helped me keep it touch with my parents about how I am doing in school by making sure that I email them every time that we do a grade check.
How has the work in advisory helped you change as a student, as a friend, and as a citizen?
Advisory this year has taught me so much about all three of those thing but it mostly taught me about how I am as a friend. I only had two friends in advisory when started it but now I am friends with everyone in my advisory. It taught me that I should talk to everyone and give everyone a chance because everybody has at least one thing in common with everyone.
Project based learning is a different model than traditional models of education. Explain how Project based learning has influenced your learning and your production of work.
Project based learning has really ramped up my work production. I work a lot harder now and try much more on every project that we do because the projects that we are doing are fun and get me more engaged and make me want to learn opposed to being forced to learn. Text book learning did not work for me at all because I would get very sidetracked and distracted because what we were doing was boring. But I never get distracted or side tracked anymore because I am to engaged in the work that I am doing.
smart goal
S-At the end of the semester I will have A’s and B’s and be organized and prepared for school. Also i will spend 30 to 60 min every day after school.
M-This Goal is measurable because I will make a calendar and check of if I did 30 minutes of work or not. also i can check my grades every friday with my parents and my advisor hannah every wednesday.
A-This goal is very attainable for me because 30 min to an hour is not that much time. Also i usually have time to meet with my parents about grades on friday or some time over the weekend.
R-This goal is also very realistic because 30 min to an hour is not that much time and won't be too hard. Also i believe that if i am organized and prepared I can be a straight A student.
T-I would like to accomplish this goal by the end of the semester. This is a good time length because it gives me plenty of time to to get organized and get all of my grades up.
M-This Goal is measurable because I will make a calendar and check of if I did 30 minutes of work or not. also i can check my grades every friday with my parents and my advisor hannah every wednesday.
A-This goal is very attainable for me because 30 min to an hour is not that much time. Also i usually have time to meet with my parents about grades on friday or some time over the weekend.
R-This goal is also very realistic because 30 min to an hour is not that much time and won't be too hard. Also i believe that if i am organized and prepared I can be a straight A student.
T-I would like to accomplish this goal by the end of the semester. This is a good time length because it gives me plenty of time to to get organized and get all of my grades up.