Spring '13 Week 2

The following is a summary of the discussion and activities for Week 2.

Monday

Collect Course Syllabi from all students enrolled in classes
Introduction to Daily Energy Graph (DEG)
- DEG should be completed everyday for two weeks
- DEG should include information about what was being done at the time of each entry/hour (e.g., in Math class, drove home, etc.)
Learning Styles Assessment

Discuss Learning Styles and how learning styles impact school and work.
Review class syllabi for a few classes and go over the key elements: e.g.,
- Grading policy
- Exam/paper dates -- put in Calendar system
- Quizzes -- put in Calendar system
- Contact information/office hours -- put in Contacts app or Address book
- Reading assignments/due dates -- put in Task app or Todo list
Discuss how same kind of skills apply when completing job/volunteer applications or paperwork of any kind.

Students discuss their thoughts after first day of their outside class:
- Overwhelmed by amount of work
- Overwhelmed by people in class(e.g., number, age)
- Overwhelmed by grading system
- Fear of not doing well
- Did I choose the right class?
- Am I ready?
Anyone starting school or returning to school will have similar fears and concerns. The goal of the class is to provide our students with skills and strategies they can use to be successful.
For those in school, but not in Math or English, typically classes are introduction classes and students are not expected to already know the information.
Students don't usually know how a teacher tests or grades until after the first exam/project/quiz, etc. Be prepared to learn from that experience and adjust your study habits or techniques based on that feedback.

Notetaking suggestions:
- Don't transcribe lectures
- New topics go on new page
- Use reference system to insert written notes
- Use different color to insert typed notes
- Include pictures
- Take picture of board, when appropriate
Notetaking strategies to fill-in gaps
- Gaps in written notes
- Gaps in typed notes