Hidden Assignment - Course Contract

2-3 goals I have for this course...

1. Firstly, I want to come away from this course having a knowledge of how to better understand the kids I am teaching. I want to know how they learn and not only that, but how to learn ways to determine a student's learning style.

2. I want to be interactive and actively involved in my own learning process. I want to be able to take hold of the material I am learning and understand how I can apply it to experiences I will have as a teacher.

3. I just want to keep up with the "rhythm" of the class. :)

My weekly preparation plan...

As I said before, one of my goals is to stay up with the "rhythm of the course" that we discussed on the first day of class. In order to do this I know that I need to stay on top of things and be very aware of what is required of me. I will do this by having a time during the week, maybe right after class, when I look over the schedule and see what is required of me the following week. I will look at both what is due the next week and bigger assignments which are due farther in the future. For my other classes I usually make a calendar listing all of my assignments that are due for the semester. I plan to do this for this class as well.

My study strategies...

Throughout my high school and college career, I have discovered that I learn best by first taking notes (writing out notes, not just typing them on a computer) and then going over them repeatedly. I usually do this by making flashcards or keeping a log of different terms somewhere in my notebook. As long as I stay on top of this I never have to "cram" for a test or assignment.

The process I will follow if I do not understand a topic...

Firstly, if I do not understand a topic I will ususally first try to figure it out on my own -- looking in the textbook, looking online, etc. However, it that does not work I will try to find a classmate who does understand the topic and then go over it with them. If stage two does not work, I will then go to you, Dr. Cox and then hopefully I will be able to get my problem worked out. :)

I will reach my goals in this course by....
1) Using my time wisely,
2) Being aware of assignments,
3) Asking for help if I need it,
and
4) Being awesome!!