Preparation and Test Anxiety - respond by Jan. 12

In two weeks, you have a big test in your physics class. You have to read chapter 10 in your textbook, listen to several lectures, and watch a couple of videos for the unit the test covers. In 8-10 sentences, discuss the following.

-How will you prepare yourself for the test (what will you study, how will you study, when will you begin studying, how often will you study before the exam, etc.)?
-To what extent might you feel nervous/anxious before, during, or after the test?
-What types of activities (speeches, presentations, tests, etc.) give you anxiety, and what (if anything) do you do to minimize your anxiety level?

You and Your Textbooks - BFFs, frenemies, or enemies? Post Dec. 8

Share your textbook reading and note taking methods. When you're assigned to read a portion of a textbook, what's your approach? When reading from a textbook, what, if anything do you look for/concentrate on? What works for you, and what doesn’t? Do you preview, just plow through it, or hunt and peck for "answers"? Even if you don't regularly read through assigned textbook readings, what benefits or weaknesses can you see with a systemized, organized textbook reading approach like sq3r? Do you think it's a good idea to take notes from what you learn in your textbooks? Explain.

Post your response in at least 6 beefy sentences.

Your current note taking habits - Nov. 29

Before we start discussing note taking and note taking strategies, take 5 minutes or so to reflect on your own note taking habits. Consider the following:

- Do you ever take notes? Why or why not?
- How important do you think note taking will be in college?
- If you have taken notes in the past, have you ever learned about notetaking strategies?
- What, if any, note taking strategies do you use?
- Do you try to organize your notes as you take them? Why or why not?
- To what extent do you review notes before a test - how often and how much?
- What kinds of symbols or shorcuts do you use in your notes?

What they don't teach you in high school - expectations for college and beyond . . . respond by Monday, Oct. 18

In class, we read "11 Things They Don't Teach in High School" as well as "What Lakeshore Technical College Requires from Students." In this blog, I'd like to post your reactions to these materials.

Here are some things to consider for your response:
- Do these pieces seem harsh? Realistic? Unrealistic? In or out of touch with what you expect of college and career life?
- What points do you tend to agree or disagree with? Why?
- With all their talk of high expectations and the responsibilities of college life/adulthood, these pieces seem to imply that there is a cushy world of comfort created for students in the k-12 school system that disappears upon entering college or the workforce. Do you feel that you and/or your peers have been experiencing this type of environment in your own k-12 experience? If so, what might be the positives of this? What might be the negatives? Explain.
- Anything else you'd like to add . . .