On the last day of the semester, I had the kids break into groups and create concept maps relating everything we had covered. Each group had a different take but they all did a really great job (even with the inclusion of men with six-packs and pacmen).
I also think one of the most valuable assignments for me as a professor is their final metacognition paper where they look back at teh semester and see where they've come but also look forward to see what they'll do differently in the future. Here are some of my favorite excerpts.
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“Before this class, I considered myself a pretty
professional public speaker. I was always good at not using filler words such
as um, uh, etc. But this semester, for some reason, my public speaking skills
went on the decline. In class one day, when we were giving a speech, I dropped
the F-bomb. I have never done this before in a public setting and I sort of
shocked myself. Everyone in the class was amazed and I was thankful my teacher
put up with it so well. Also during a speech this semester, I began to use
filler words such as um and uh. I’m not sure why my decline in speech happened
this semester. It may be attributed to the fact that my girlfriend was also
taking the class with me and posed a little bit of a distraction…”
“When I first saw this class on my schedule on, I thought
this class was something like a high-school study hall. I believed that this
class would give me time to do homework for my other, “more important” classes.
However, I see now that this course may be one of the most valuable classes on
campus.”
“This class has taught me a lot about what I can do to make
myself a better self-regulated learner from here on out. But I think the one
lesson that I am going to steal from this course is the idea of traveling. Yes
Professor Yadlin, I’m going to steal your thunder here. I think that traveling
the world is such a great thing to do in life. Life shouldn’t be about the
things that you own, but rather the experiences that you have; and one of the
best experiences in the world is traveling to different places and soaking it
all in. I know this may not be exactly what you are looking for, but this is
truthfully the most memorable lesson that I learned from this class. So as I’m
out seeing the world, you can be assured that I’ll be thinking about my
Effective Studying Professor. Cheers!”
“I feel that without this course my transition into the
College of Idaho would have been a lot tougher without the knowledge attained
from Study Skills. It is amusing to see the subtle changes in myself as a student.
Coming to school thinking that I could coast by, then getting into a class that
teaches a plethora of ways on how to succeed by being a hard worker. My
preconceived ideas of school changed drastically, but having the resources of
effective studying made it bearable. This has me excited for the future.”
“When it came time to go to my first Effective Studying
class, my outlook was still negative. Here I was, sitting in a room of
delinquents such as myself. Little did I know that my outlook would change drastically
within the next few minutes because of my ignorance? Dr. Yadlin walked into the
room, organized her materials on the table, and greeted the class. She told us
that this class would give us the tools and knowledge to better ourselves as
students, and would allow us to have a better and more successful college
experience. This was what kick-started the change in my outlook. This wasn’t a
punishment, it was an opportunity, a gift that would benefit me in the months
to come, and will certainly continue to do so for the rest of my college
career.”
“I plan on becoming a teacher so every lesson you have
taught us throughout the semester has been about the best ways to learn.
Although if I simply swap what we are learning to teaching you have also told us
the best methods to being a good teacher as well. I procrastinate all the time
with absolutely everything but this has taught me that no matter how small the
assignment is you must get it done n a timely matter or you will likely fail.
The projects you give us are always very easy if you put your mind to it and
get right down to business. But the second you start to procrastinate the
entire project will feel overwhelming and impossible. This course has shown me
my strengths and weaknesses. My biggest weakness is by far the most obvious. I
am constantly fidgeting, procrastinating, and sometimes it is impossible for me
to pay attention. You have pointed it out in class many times and although I’m
not a fan of being thrown under the bus it does help me realize when I am no
paying attention so that I can focus better.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot, Professor Yadlin, but I
should have listened to you from the beginning of the year. I had plenty of
time to do things but I was busy screwing around just like normal. But by the
end of the semester, I became more disciplined and am now on track to finish
better than I thought because I was in a hole with my current study habits….
Hands down the most important thing I take from this semester is to get my crap
done. It may sound a little harsh but it’s time to grow up. I can’t afford to
do poorly in my classes because I need to keep grades up to maintain my
scholarships. Why be screwing around when you could be getting work done and
strive towards the big prize of a degree? Also why be screwing around when
you’re paying lots of money? After going through this semester it dawned on me
that the time as come and that the real world is here. I used to hear that all
the time and I would laugh and think to myself that it can’t be that tough. I
was wrong- its’ a struggle but with good habits you can take so much stress off
of yourself. It would be beneficial for anyone to take a class like this. I
think it should be required for first semester students- I don’t care how you
are you can always improve on something like this. My advice to first year
students is that life starts right when you graduate high school and to not
hesitate to do so.”
“I just wanted to thank you for the great semester. I had a
lot of fun in your class. It didn’t’ start out the way I wanted it but maybe it
was for the best. But if I have anyone to thank for me completing my first
semester it would be you so thank you for all that you’ve’ done.”
Bring on the spring semester!
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