Physicist Reflection

1. What type of learner were you in this unit? What specific behaviours/actions led you to your selection?

- I came into this unit wanting to be a committed knower and I think that I unfortunately became more of a received knower. I was genuinely excited to learn more about physics, even though it came with the connotation of being difficult. When we began the unit with such simple and easy to understand ideas, I was tricked into thinking I understood all of it when in reality, I didn’t. I wasn’t able to be a committed knower and take my learning to the next level because I was trying hard to catch up and learn what I was having difficulty comprehending. 

2. What was the hardest thing for you to grasp? How did you overcome the challenge?

- The hardest concept for me to grasp was the idea that acceleration does not only mean speeding up and that it can also be slowing down or changing direction. Also, the idea of constant acceleration and velocity confused me for a while. I overcame this challenge by going over multiple practice problems and labs we did on acceleration and velocity. It was helpful for me to write out the problems from previous worksheets with no answers and solve them again. 

3.   How did you study throughout this unit? Did this work for you and/or do you want/need to adjust your techniques?

-Throughout this unit I did a lot of sample questions and quizzing myself with my own notes. I think it would have been much for helpful if I had spaced out my studying intervals. A lot of the time I would attempt to learn a lot of information in a short period of time, when I should have been doing small amounts each night. My study techniques did not work out for me as well as I would have liked for them to and I plan on making those adjustments for the next units. 

4.   How did you take advantage of the opportunities to learn during class? What about ou of class opportunities? 

- In class I took notes and tried my best to record answers and ideas that I thought may come up later in class or on a test. Outside of the classroom, like in labs and while I studied, I always tried my best to do so actively. If we were pulling a piece of paper out from a bottle, I tried to keep in mind why this is happening and how it relates to physics and my everyday life rather than just trying to complete the task. 

5.   How do you predict you did on the unit test? Were you able to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts on the test? What did you learn from taking the test that you want to remember for future units?

- I think that I did relatively okay on the unit test. I know that I could have done better, but I think that it is a fair and honest evaluation of my knowledge for this unit. The only thing that I think is unfair is that each multiple choice question was worth 3 points, so if I got 3 wrong I got something like a 60% on that section. I found this frustrating and wish each one had been worth only one point but I suppose this helped me learn that I should try to use all of these concepts in different situations to get a more well-rounded understand of them for future units. 

6. What did you learn from my feedback during this unit? What are you hoping to get better at in the next unit?

- I learned that Ms. Lawrence is not trying to trick us. She is trying to help us do well in her class and if we put in the effort, we will do well. So, for the next unit I am really aiming towards trying harder and putting more time into my homework and out of class studying. 

7. What did you get better at during this unit? What are you hoping to get better at in the next unit?

- I got better at using mathematical formulas and switching around what I am trying to solve for. In the next unit, I would like to get better at taking notes and actively participating in every class. 

8. What effort grade would you give yourself for your efforts during this unit? What specific behaviours are you basing this score on? 

- I think that I would give myself a 3 effort grade for this unit. I made an effort to understand everything, but I know that I could have done more. I think that I deserve a 3 because I came into conference period multiple times when I felt unsure about the previous night’s homework or when I felt like I hadn’t been paying enough attention to the class time. 

9. Is there anything else you would like me to know about your experience or approach to the class? What questions do you have at this time?

- The only thing I want to make sure that you know is that I know that I have the potential to do much better in this class and I am ready to be much more determined and focused on setting and reaching goals for myself.