what i learned in regards to the curriculum
Over the last 4-5 months I have learned and obtained a great deal of important information by choosing to take HSB4U as an Alt Ed course. The curriculum states that by the end of the course students will be able to formulate appropriate questions for research and inquiry relating to one or more of the main areas of concern in the social sciences. I believe that I have demonstrated this throughout all four of my assignments, as each assignment is broken down by the three social sciences: anthropology, psychology, and sociology. I asked questions that require a great deal of thinking in both unit one and two, and the information provided in unit three and four answers a great deal of questions that are often asked. The curriculum also states that students will be able to demonstrate an ability to locate and select relevant information from a variety of print and electronic sources (e.g., books, periodicals, television, Internet sites) by the end of the course.This course does not have a textbook, and therefore I did all of my research online. It is because of this that I was able to learn how to evaluate the relevance and validity of information gathered through research and demonstrate an ability to organize, interpret, and analyze information gathered from a variety of sources. I was also able to effectively communicate the results of my inquiries, using a variety of methods and forms. I used a survey in order to obtain information about KPR’s education system for unit two, created Keynotes for each unit, and designed a website for unit five. By the end of this course, it is expected that students will “use appropriate social science research methods effectively and ethically; conduct research to determine the critical differences and similarities among the approaches and concepts of anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and summarize their findings; and effectively communicate the results of their inquiries”. Due to the fact that there is no textbook for this course, I have learned how to properly determine a reliable source and how to cite in APA properly. I understand the concepts of anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and I can view them separately, but I can also see how they influence each other. I have created Keynotes and included videos, photos, graphs, surveys and links in order to enhance my understanding and the overall presentation.
what i learned about my skills and abilities
It is through taking this course that I was able to improve many of my skills, as well as obtain new ones. I have become much more independent, as I did not have a teacher telling me when assignments were due (no specific dates). This was both helpful and difficult, as I found myself putting the assignments off, but once I started an assignment I did it well, as I knew there was no time limit. My collaboration skills have improved, as the course allows me to speak with people over the internet (locally, nationally and worldwide) as well as to my classmates, peers, and teachers. I have learned how to manage my time, prioritize, and set realistic goals, as I now know that assignments I assumed would take very little time take much more time than I expected. I have learned that I am the type of person who cannot work on multiple assignments at once, as I have to start and finish an assignment before I begin something else. This is not always a good thing, as I have a difficult time starting something else that must be done beforehand if I have already started another assignment. Despite this, it is helpful because it is the only assignment I am focusing on at that point in time. Due to this class, I also was able to enhance my Keynote and Power Point skills. The program that our class used was Google Docs, which allows for discussion on a topic and provides students access to word documents and Power Point. All of our assignments were on this program, allowing us to keep organized and understand and interpret information differently than any other class offered at ENSS. EDSBY is a program that is new to ENSS. It allows students to communicate with their peers and teachers online, and it can provide students with information about their classes and what is going on around the school. I also used this program a lot, as my marks were posted on this and I was able to obtain information from my peers by making polls. Alt Ed has definitely prepared me for further education, as I have learned how to complete assignments without structured due dates or assignment outlines. I believe that Alt Ed has assisted me for further education more than any of my other classes have throughout high school due to the flexibility and the amount of independent work that Alt Ed offers students.
What I learned about myself
After taking this course I have realized three important things about myself: I am a perfectionist, I am capable of anything if I set my mind to it, and I am an incredibly creative person. As a perfectionist, I constantly work for that +90% and ask for clarification or help in order to obtain that mark. This has allowed me to see that there is always something I can fix and I am always learning, but to also sometimes say, “Okay, this is as good as I can make it. I need to move on”. I feel as though being a perfectionist is a good trait, however, as it has assisted me in obtaining the marks that I currently have. It is because of this course that I now believe that if I set my mind to something I can do it. I look back on some of the units that I did at the beginning of the year and wonder how I managed to have enough time to complete them, and then remember I did it because I had to. I set my mind on that task, and worked hard in order to complete it. I went out of my comfort zone by creating Keynotes, speaking with people around the world online, and creating my own website. I now understand that if I tell myself that I can do something and I truly believe this, I actually can do it. It was through the creation of the Keynotes and the website that I realized how creative and artistic I am. I enjoy designing and creating things, and therefore I found that to be one of my favourite parts of this course This class allowed me to come to this realization, as I would not have discovered this by writing an essay in English class. I learned that I am a very independent person, as I need complete silence and a comfortable area in order to complete my assignments. My best work is done when I am sitting in bed alone rather than sitting at a desk with a bunch of people surrounding me. I need to be able to focus completely on the task at hand, rather than 15 different things at once. I believe that one of my biggest strengths is my ability to write about anything, as I may have no interest in the topic but am still able to complete an assignment on the topic. A perfect example of this my presentation on feminism because I do not believe with the majority of their beliefs, and feel that feminism has gone too far. Despite this, I was still able to give a non-bias presentation on feminists. My biggest weakness is my inability to focus while other students are around. I have found, especially in my grade twelve year, that I stay home in order to complete homework rather than coming to school because I get nothing completed. When I am at school all of my motivation goes out the window, while I am extremely motivated to complete schoolwork once I get home. This is not necessarily horrible, as university will consist mostly of classes in order to learn the material, but time to work on assignments independently in residence. Overall, I have learned a great deal of new topics and theories over the course of this semester, and I have enjoyed learning in a new and meaningful way. This class has definitely allowed me to mature and grow as a student, as I obtained knowledge and new learning techniques that I would never be offered in a standard classroom.