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A little more about me and my philosophy...
My basic belief: If you look at any single aspect of science, it will not be complicated. The complexity begins to emerge when you realized there are a lot of "simple" concepts to put together. Putting all of these pieces in place, while not difficult, does take work and effort. Students that are willing to put in the time and the effort tend to be successful. Students that are not willing or able to put in the time tend to not fare as well. I have a lot of support pieces in place so students can work smarter as opposed to work harder. For many students adapting to the work load can be a challenge.
Vocabulary: This is the hard part for most students. Science is a vocabulary dense subject, especially biology. We introduce more new words into your lexicon than any other subject (by using fancy words like lexicon... did you see what I did?) Keeping track of all the words is the first big challenge you will need to overcome. A key part of each unit will be to tackle the vocabulary. There are many different methods you can choose from. The key is to find what works for you and then do it for every unit! Vocabulary quizzes are a major part of the quiz grade.
Classwork: Classwork typically includes notes in class and smaller activities that get turned in at the end of a unit. It is a catch all category that sweeps in everything else that is not specifically homework, a lab, a quiz or a test. Classwork gets turned in at the end of a unit. It is worth 15% of the overall grade. Notes in class need to be completed on Cornell Note Sheets which I provide in class. Notes after lectures should be sumerized to compete the process.
Homework: I view homework as practice for the test. It is the chance for students to reinforce concepts and practice skills. It is not busy work and it really isn't optional. The individual point value of the homework is not high, because life happens and things get in the way. If you miss any one homework, it will not be a big deal for your grade. If, however, you don't do any of the homework, the likely hood of you doing well on the test will be dramatically reduced. Imagine playing a competitive sport without practicing before the game. You wouldn't expect to do well in a game if you've never practiced or if you practiced poorly. This is a good analogy to help place homework in its proper place. Students that put effort into the homework and strive for perfection often achieve excellent results on the tests. Funny how that works isn't it?
Labs: Labs is a catch all for class activities and modeling that take place in the classroom. I try to make sure that labs give students the experience they need so that they can learn by reflecting on the experience. Some activities are followed by formal lab write ups; many others do not. Students that struggle with test need to make sure that they put a major focus on the labs because this is the best place to balance tests out.
Tests: This is the category I use for formative assessments. They are culminating events for large units. Unit tests are a blend of fill-in-the blank questions (typically about vocabulary words), multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. Many tests include some type of graph analysis or diagram analysis. Tests may also include essay questions that are based off the unit outcomes. You will typically have choice on the essay question you answer.
Vocabulary: This is the hard part for most students. Science is a vocabulary dense subject, especially biology. We introduce more new words into your lexicon than any other subject (by using fancy words like lexicon... did you see what I did?) Keeping track of all the words is the first big challenge you will need to overcome. A key part of each unit will be to tackle the vocabulary. There are many different methods you can choose from. The key is to find what works for you and then do it for every unit! Vocabulary quizzes are a major part of the quiz grade.
Classwork: Classwork typically includes notes in class and smaller activities that get turned in at the end of a unit. It is a catch all category that sweeps in everything else that is not specifically homework, a lab, a quiz or a test. Classwork gets turned in at the end of a unit. It is worth 15% of the overall grade. Notes in class need to be completed on Cornell Note Sheets which I provide in class. Notes after lectures should be sumerized to compete the process.
Homework: I view homework as practice for the test. It is the chance for students to reinforce concepts and practice skills. It is not busy work and it really isn't optional. The individual point value of the homework is not high, because life happens and things get in the way. If you miss any one homework, it will not be a big deal for your grade. If, however, you don't do any of the homework, the likely hood of you doing well on the test will be dramatically reduced. Imagine playing a competitive sport without practicing before the game. You wouldn't expect to do well in a game if you've never practiced or if you practiced poorly. This is a good analogy to help place homework in its proper place. Students that put effort into the homework and strive for perfection often achieve excellent results on the tests. Funny how that works isn't it?
Labs: Labs is a catch all for class activities and modeling that take place in the classroom. I try to make sure that labs give students the experience they need so that they can learn by reflecting on the experience. Some activities are followed by formal lab write ups; many others do not. Students that struggle with test need to make sure that they put a major focus on the labs because this is the best place to balance tests out.
Tests: This is the category I use for formative assessments. They are culminating events for large units. Unit tests are a blend of fill-in-the blank questions (typically about vocabulary words), multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. Many tests include some type of graph analysis or diagram analysis. Tests may also include essay questions that are based off the unit outcomes. You will typically have choice on the essay question you answer.
Tips for Success
Use a planner: If it is not written down, it never happens. One of the first things you should be doing when you get the unit direction sheet is to transfer the due dates into your planner. I expect you to keep track of due dates for homework, labs and quizzes. Cultivating the habit of mind of checking the planner at night to make sure you have everything covered for the following day is equally as important.
Vocabulary: Hit this hard, hit this early and put major effort into learning the words! These are the major ideas that we have for each of the units. If you develop a good grasp on the vocabulary, you will have a much easier time connecting concepts together from class lectures and the readings. If you are not getting at least 70% on the vocabulary quizzes regularly, you need to focus more time on this aspect of the class.
Turn in your work: The work assigned in class is not busy work. It has value and it is an important part of your learning process. Turn it in! When you don't you get scores of zero and missing assignment kill your category averages. Turn it in! Partial credit is better than zero credit. Turn it in! I can't give you the benefit of the doubt if I have nothing to look at... TURN IT IN! (can you spot the theme?)
Ask Questions: Smart students ask questions! Smart students make a point to come to class prepared with questions for the teacher to clarify. When they don't understand something, they are the first to ask me to clarify expectations. Students that ask questions quickly establish themselves as students that are engaged in class. These are the types of students that teachers love to help. Be that student!
Studying for the Test: Successful students in college form study teams and work together to learn the material. This will work well for you in this class as long as you choose your study team wisely. Who should you choose? Best friends can work well if you can stay on task and not get distracted. If you can't do this, look for a different study partner! That "cute" someone in class that is all "Dreamy McDreamy?" Not a good choice at all... that is way too distracting. Look for someone that is interested in getting a good grade in class and forge a partnership. Quiz and review materials with that person. Work together to create study guides you can both use. Push each other for success and celebrate each others achievements.
Push yourself: The only person you should be in competition with in this class is yourself. Set realistic goals for labs, quizzes and tests. Work hard to meet or exceed these goals. If you view this as a challenge vs a drudgery, you will find the motivation to put in the time and effort needed to get a good grade. If you can't find any joy in that, it will be hard to sustain your efforts over the course of the semester. If you find yourself easily meeting all of your goals, set higher goals so you continue to "stretch."
Vocabulary: Hit this hard, hit this early and put major effort into learning the words! These are the major ideas that we have for each of the units. If you develop a good grasp on the vocabulary, you will have a much easier time connecting concepts together from class lectures and the readings. If you are not getting at least 70% on the vocabulary quizzes regularly, you need to focus more time on this aspect of the class.
Turn in your work: The work assigned in class is not busy work. It has value and it is an important part of your learning process. Turn it in! When you don't you get scores of zero and missing assignment kill your category averages. Turn it in! Partial credit is better than zero credit. Turn it in! I can't give you the benefit of the doubt if I have nothing to look at... TURN IT IN! (can you spot the theme?)
Ask Questions: Smart students ask questions! Smart students make a point to come to class prepared with questions for the teacher to clarify. When they don't understand something, they are the first to ask me to clarify expectations. Students that ask questions quickly establish themselves as students that are engaged in class. These are the types of students that teachers love to help. Be that student!
Studying for the Test: Successful students in college form study teams and work together to learn the material. This will work well for you in this class as long as you choose your study team wisely. Who should you choose? Best friends can work well if you can stay on task and not get distracted. If you can't do this, look for a different study partner! That "cute" someone in class that is all "Dreamy McDreamy?" Not a good choice at all... that is way too distracting. Look for someone that is interested in getting a good grade in class and forge a partnership. Quiz and review materials with that person. Work together to create study guides you can both use. Push each other for success and celebrate each others achievements.
Push yourself: The only person you should be in competition with in this class is yourself. Set realistic goals for labs, quizzes and tests. Work hard to meet or exceed these goals. If you view this as a challenge vs a drudgery, you will find the motivation to put in the time and effort needed to get a good grade. If you can't find any joy in that, it will be hard to sustain your efforts over the course of the semester. If you find yourself easily meeting all of your goals, set higher goals so you continue to "stretch."