Reflecting101

My Last Stand...

2010-02-09T22:54:00.001-08:00

My performance between now and the beginning of the second semester has been inconsistent. There were times when I would try and, honestly, not try at all. I know that I am 100% responsible and accountable for the bad work ethic that I have previously been showing. I also know that Mr. T is very disappointed, as well as I am, with myself. The oaths and promises I had made in the past were unfulfilled and broken. I consider this my explanation to my failure and somewhat of a last plea for a chance at improvement, something I know that I have to and will work hard for.
Work ethic is the most important aspect to a student who is trying to master AP Physics and compete with other students from around the world. This is something I have been EXTREMELY lacking lately. Through summarizing my work/performance the first half of the third quarter, I can say that I did either half or less assignments and have turned them in on time. I have taken my tests and tried my best, but know I have only scored at least 3’s or 2’s. My studying for one hour a night for AP Physics has been inconsistent and unacceptable. I have missed four days of school between now and Winter Break. I have tried to do practice problems but fail because of my lack of collaborating with a “working” study group. I have also been lacking of using a Socratic Dialogue during class. All, and a few others, of these flaws help contribute to what I call my “failure” within this college course based class.
The late submitting of this blog is unacceptable. Ironically, I honestly wouldn’t have wanted it posted any sooner because of the conclusions I had derived upon creating it. I didn’t post the blog sooner because I still wanted to add something more, somewhat of a deeper explanation as to why I have been the same, static person. Upon contemplating different revisions and aspects to it, I learned more about myself, along with reasons to my actions. These acquired observations are what I think are needed to create an effective and satisfying blog entry.
Interestingly, I think I know what the major source is to all of this “failure.” To perform actions, the performer(s) must have an incentive, or motivation. My bad performance has been caused by bad, or what I consider an insufficient motivation. Things that I have used in the past have not worked consistently, only having finite lasting effects. This can be a source/reason as to why I can’t perform consistently at my best. Having an insufficient MOTIVATION will only end up in insufficient ACTIONS, thus insufficient RESULTS will occur. I believe that I have found a good enough reason as to why I should continue this class, a reason as to why I should do my best. I discovered this new aspect as I was filtering out all of my previous motivations, deciding what should still be used or added so that I could obtain satisfying results. So that Mr. T can see satisfying results. Afraid because I can’t see into the future if this final changed worked, I can only hope that what I now use as an incentive is good enough for what comes ahead.

Goodbye Old Habits

2009-12-17T02:46:00.001-08:00

21. I earned the grade I selected for number 20 because of my unacceptable work ethic. Throughout this semester, I have gone below my own standards and much of many others’ expectations. My absences of class are of also cause to this grade because it is extremely important to attend all class periods. Although I had gone through the day in which I had “woken up,” it seems as if I somehow didn’t grasp it long enough and “fell back asleep.” I also believe I received this grade because I didn’t study correctly. My previous study habits have been ineffective in this class and I wasn’t able to change them quickly enough. Through my reflections of how first semester had gone, I now know everything that I can change and how to. I hope that this grade motivates me to do better in the future, only because I know I can.

22. My three areas of strengths include understanding concepts when studied, taking effective notes, and the act of “trying to pursue” the mastering of physics due to my high interest in the subject. When I study a concept, I try to make sure that I understand what it is, if not most of it. I do this because I know that as I keep on studying, I gain a better insight and knowledge of what I am supposed to know. I have the ability to take effective notes through paying attention and trying to understand concepts. Although there may be times where it is not put to paper, I conduct taking notes in my mind through evaluating and understanding things, whether they are from a group presentation, or a lecture on life. My last top strength is the pursuing of the mastery of physics. This to me is one of the most important things in taking this class. The downside to this is that I am not going at the rate at which I want to learn. The three areas that I need to improve on most are the amount of time used to study topics, turning in all of my assignments, and change my style of learning. Based on my knowledge of physics and looking at my time log, I have to put in way more ours into studying. Once this is achieved, I know that more assignments will be turned in as a result to my knowledge. Aside from this is the key to fixing all of my problems. The moment I start using an effective style of studying, I know that I will be able to master physics and almost anything Mr. T has to throw at me.

23. Physics is the understanding (not knowing, because there is a huge difference between the two) of matter and its very existence. This leads to all things that apply, such as energy, forces, motion, etc.

24. I used my study group to the point at which I was gaining knowledge about concepts, but not to the level at which I could master them. The effectiveness of study groups depends on each of the members’ will to work towards the same goal. Most of the time, it is difficult to achieve this because not everyone is on the same level, or wants to be. Including whomever my lab partner was or where I sat, I would utilize my resources as they were given to better help myself. Aside from my point of reference in learning, I would also reach out to other groups or individuals if they needed help. Helping other also help me gain a better understanding of what I already knew because it worked as if I was reviewing.

25. Throughout the whole semester, I had about 50-60 entries. Although this may or may not cover the total amount of given assignments, it is still not enough to account for the total amount of entries I need to have a strong understanding of physics. I should have more entries to cover the needed periods of studying. I ended up having a total amount of approximately 65 hours, 40 for the 2nd and 25 for the first quarter. I know that this is not a sufficient amount of time spent for this class, having knowledge of how much content it covers.

3rd Progress Report

2009-11-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

My attendance for this class has been slightly rough.. As I transitioned from the end of first to the beginning of second quarter, I missed a few days because of a trip I took to Hawaii. After that, I probably missed a few other days because of getting sick from my friends. From my absences, I was able to still learn what I had missed and catch up to the pace of the class. Aside from my absences, I have never been late to any of my classes.
Writing in my planner and keeping my time log up to date has been an improvement. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have made a lot of changes as to how I organize my life. Lately I have been using both efficiently and will continue to do so. I have improved from barely using either to utilizing them as much as I can to this day.

My quiz grades have not been very good ever since I entered this class. I see this as a result from not putting in enough hours to study the required content of each unit and chapter before the quizzes are given. There will be an improvement in quizzes and knowledge of content that they require.
Lately our class has not done a lab report. From what I remember, I might have used personal pronouns in conclusions when I only now realize that I was not supposed to. If I have continuously used them in all of my reports, I will make sure to correct my mistakes in the future to prevent writing lab reports that fall into the category of “sucking.”
In keeping up with the online assignments and tasks, I can say I at least did all of the practice questions and signed in almost every day. Last week was the first week I did a set of practice problems. I will continue to improve my progress throughout the year by attempting all of my assignments online, being that this is also a large part of my grade.
My homework abilities have improved slightly but need more working on. I continue to read the textbook and outlines but had not done that enough until this week. During class, I take note on lectures that Mr. T gives us, along with typing notes after taking them, whether they are from videos or from other groups presenting
In communication with Mr. T during lectures, I have yet to master Socratic Dialogue. I have recently been trying to achieve a higher Socratic Dialogue in determination to understand what is being taught or reviewed due to my recent change in study habits.
My study group continues to divide up the work and help each other in understanding concepts when assigned problems. Working with my group members is important because of the teamwork and communication skills it promotes, along with collaborating. I contribute to my group through working as one unit.

Based off of this progress report, I think I deserve a grade around a C+, where as what I’d like would be a B. I will continue throughout the year to strive for an A, now that I have taken control of my life.

Change... Yes I Can

2009-11-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, Mr. T gave us another lecture on life. The main point of giving it to us was to help us understand what we needed to be and if it were to ever occur, when and how it would happen. Due to our study habits at the time, and for some still today, the need for a drastic change was required for us to be able to be successful both within AP Physics and life. He instructed and explained how we would know when we changed, describing it as if it was some sort of Holy Grail. The only way we would know we changed was if we woke up one day, at any point in our lives, and realized it at that moment that from thereon our life would be “different. I am glad to say that I experienced this event earlier this week. I discovered an indescribable feeling in which I knew there was something different about how I looked at life and wanted to change my own. From earlier comparisons of academic work this year, I have been what you can consider “slackin to the max.” Within the past few days, I have been improving in all of my AP classes, wanting to achieve better understandings of content and improving in my performances. I have also changed the way I am outside of school, creating better time management skills that are allowing me to accomplish many things that I would have never been able to do before. Although it is just the beginning of my “comeback,” greater evidence of improvement will become noticeable in the near future. I’d like to personally thank you, Mr. T, for helping me change my way of life to create a better and more appreciable one. I can finally achieve my goals that never seemed possible.

- Nicholas Tomas

Am I Prepared?

2009-10-29T06:23:00.001-07:00

1. In preparation on writing a term paper, I can consider myself semi-ready. The closest I have come to writing one was over the summer for my AP Gov/Econ class. Although it was my only experience, I hope to actually practice and write a few within my senior year, the amount I expect my teachers at Vallejo High School to give me. My teacher for English 12 P will DEFINITELY NOT assign or teach neither our class, nor any of her other classes about term papers. I am extremely disappointed for this fact because it is setting me up for failure as I attend a 4-year University of California. Despite the setback, I will ask guidance from those teachers that I know can help me and others in need, such as Mr. Tillay.

2. The last time I've written a book report was the beginning of last year’s AP English class for Ms. Nelson. Due to it being so far back and me unable to remember the rubric, I am not sure if it can be considered “formal.” My abilities as of now in writing one would be almost good enough to obtain a passing grade. I must also obtain help with this type of writing.

3. My ability to write a persuasive essay is strong, but not as good as it could/used to be. Thanks to Mr. Acac and Ms. Philips, I was able to pass the AP exam, in which a persuasive essay is a third of the possible grade. To help improve my abilities in this style of essay, I need to review what I learned last year and practice.

4. On a scale of 1-10 on being a good reader, I grade myself as an 8 average on a variety of genres. Although I don’t like to read much, I am still able to perform at high expectations such as analyzing the text’s content. I am not actually sure how many pages I can read in an hour because of the wide range of how many words can fit on page, etc.

5. If I were to do a lab that lasts 3-5 hours, it must be something that I am interested in (most labs interest me). I can tolerate the time length of the labs because I am a patient person who likes to achieve the desired results from experiments. I must also have a good lab group, if required, to work with. This group must contain the ability to have open ideas and work proficiently to maintain our focus and achieve the desired results.

6. Writing a formal lab and turning it in the day of the lab may be of some difficulty. I usually like to take my time in structuring my lab write ups so that they are informative and proof of my understanding. With a deadline like this, I will have to work fast in typing it up, while at the same time making it better than they usually are. As of now, I need to practice writing lab reports faster and more efficiently to be up to par with those who are in their first year of college.

2 Million Minutes in 2 Class Periods

2009-10-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

1. Life for high school students in China and India is straightforward: their lives are based on studying and having to deal with lower class conditions, including poverty. Students in these countries are focused on studies alone, rarely on anything else such as sports or having fun with friends. They also have to structure their lives on poverty-like conditions. Their environment in which they grew up motivates them to work hard in life to make a life. Compared to the US, the conditions and results are almost completely opposite. Students in the US basically study less and play more. Life is easy and academics are not taken as seriously, creating a dim future for the US.

2. Chinese high schools take education seriously. For instance, the Chinese school day is approximately 9 hours, aside for the extra two month long school year if compared to the US. The things that they study are important to life after high school such as advance topics that their high schools don’t even have access to/teach. Students try hard because of their economic status. Their view of life is either a degree or poverty. For entertainment, they “sometimes” hang out with their friends or do “fun” things related to school work.

3. High school life in India is also harsh due to the conditions that students face in everyday life. Majority of the students live in poverty and have to study hard to have a possible future. Many of the students there study to become engineers because it is a common goal for families. Their families and poverty are used as motivation to do well in school and study hard. Their school days are also long in preparation for college, aside from the fact that majority do rigorous studying over weekends.

4. Students in India and China know what they will be doing in ten years because they have everything planned out. If their main plan doesn’t fall through, they have a back-up plan to support their future and save them from poverty. They will basically graduate with a degree or experience poverty.

5. Parents in China and India take their children’s education seriously. They enforce the amount of studying their children are required to do both at school and at home. Some believe that their children are not studying enough, even when they are to the point at which they have no social life. Parents in the US are less aware that their student’s work is not sufficient enough for them to compete against the world.

6. Students in China and India were selected to compete against students in the US because a greater contrast was needed to realize how much the US failing at education. Both of these foreign countries are also two of the top four in the world in being the most advance.

7. This statement clearly shows that students in the US are not able to compete with others around the world. Their efforts in contributing to the economy will be less of an impact due to how far they are behind everyone else.

8. Vallejo High School is not, as a whole, helping me prepare for college. There are multiple gaps and areas in which I need to be helped on to succeed in life after high school. The lack of commitment of certain staff from my school greatly affects whether I perform good or bad in college. As an individual, I have done things such as challenge myself more and stepping up my efforts in education.

9. Compton is a father of a US girl in high school whom in which he thinks is not getting good education. His plan is to evaluate the curriculum of the schools in the US and compare them to two top countries and compare them to see what is needed to be done.

10. Mr. Tillay is correct when all of the given examples are not concerned with our learning in school. Based on our self evaluations and comparisons to others who are greater prepared, we are able to see what is needed to be done by others so that we ourselves can progress. I've learned that as a Vallejo High School student, I have little help left to receive and I must do the rest on my own to succeed in life after high school.

What I Learned Today

2009-10-26T00:22:00.000-07:00

After working together in class on the Unit 6 Test I realized that when collaborating, we are able to achieve higher test scores. Not only do we achieve higher scores but obtain a better understanding of topics. Through working together, we as individuals provide input from different point of views. These ideas may fluctuate in either being similar or different. It was discovered that there are also times when a person must assert themselves to support their own arguments, knowing from their point of view that it is correct. Once the class had given their scores that they would have received without help, I was amazed that majority had scored an average of C’s and D’s on the multiple choice questions. I guess this also shows that we ALL have to try harder at mastering the subject of physics.

Quarter 1 Reflection

2009-10-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

AP Physics Effort/Performance/Progress Matrix

Name: Nicholas Date: Oct. 12, 09

SUCCESS is the result of personal effort, patience, nightly studying, working through frustrating times, having a Socratic dialogue in class, and staying motivated to master the subject matter. You will be submitting this form electronically and creating a summary on your blog. The evaluation scheme is 6 = above and beyond; 5 = excellent (A); 4 = well done (B); 3 = good (C);
2 = poor/little effort (D); 1 = no attempt (F).

1. CORNELL NOTES for Chapters 1 through 5. 4

2. COMPUTER Notes/Tutorials Units 1 through 4 4

3. FUSION WEBSITE USE – Calendar, Section Files & Links 3

4. TEXTBOOK Chapters 1 through 5 Questions 4

5. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT WORKBOOK USE 2

6. HICKMAN PROBLEM-SOLVING WORKBOOK USE 1
- didn’t use this yet

7. BOYLE WORKBOOK USE 1
- didn’t use this yet

8. PHYZ GUIDES Reading and Highlighting 5

9. TILLAY PROBLEM-SOLVING HANDOUT completion 4

10. BOARDWORK for Points – at least once a week required 6

11. CLASS NOTES – taken from lectures and problem-solving 5

12. VIDEO NOTES – taken carefully, reviewed, & highlighted 5

13. LABS – all seven completed, electronically completed 6

14. ONLINE GIANCOLI PRACTICE QUESTIONS – all done 5

15. ONLINE GIANCOLI PRACTICE PROBLEMS – all done 2

16. MATERIALS – brought to class every day 5

17. ATTENDANCE – on-time every day! 5

18. NOTEBOOK – everything organized, used effectively 4

19. QUIZ – see Mr. T for your average for Units 0 to 4 3

20. GRADE EARNED for the first quarter 3

BLOG Work. COMPLETE the items below on your blog. SEND your blog URL to Mr. T tonight. WRITE responses using your knowledge of Technical Writing. Use separate paragraphs for each item below.

21. DESCRIBE why YOU earned the grade listed for #20. GIVE SPECIFIC Signs of
Excellence…look at how you answer the questions above it!

I deserve a 3 out of 6 for a grade because I personally know that I didn’t try my hardest in this class. My progress throughout the first quarter can be described as hectic and frustrating. Although I have participated and done majority of the given work, I have not mastered the subject like I am supposed to. My success within this class can be viewed through my labs that I perform successfully with my group and from my participation within the weekly group presentations.

22. IDENTIFY your three areas of STRENGTH and NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT.

My three areas of strength within this class are doing labs, working in groups (collaborating), and understanding basic concepts with the use of calculus. These can be seen through my lab write-ups, group presentations, and work/notes that requires math. My three areas that need improvement are doing the practice problems online, doing better on tests/quizzes, and understanding everything that is taught. These things can all be fixed through studying and trying harder within the class – going “above and beyond.”

23. WRITE your own DEFINITION of PHYSICS based on your knowledge to date.

Based upon all that I have learned to this point, physics is the study of matter and how it behaves. It is also the observation and understanding of how matter and its behavior are related to everything throughout the world.

24. HOW can Mr. T help you become a BETTER student?

Mr. T can help me become a better student by explaining concepts to me if needed. As of now, I have to personally make progress of my own to become that “better student.” He has already made excellent progress in helping me to become who I am now and realize who I need to be, leaving it up to me to finish what he started.

25. WHAT should Mr. T consider changing to HELP you become a BETTER student?

There isn’t anything that I prefer Mr.T to change to help me become a better student. The only source of error in my learning is my individual performance within the class. I need to personally change my study habits and ways of learning things to master physics.

26. LIST who you regularly study with in this class.

On a regular basis, I mainly study with my study group, which includes Reedge Abueg and Arron Ercia. We help each other answer questions and divide work evenly, while at the same time gaining equal amounts of understanding towards the topic(s). There are also times when other students within the class ask for help, mainly certain individuals from different groups.

27. SUMMARIZE your time log: number of entries and number of hours studied.

My overall time log is slightly under the required amount of time necessary to succeed in this class. Although I put in x amount of time into studying, it is not an amount that is considered enough to master the subject of physics and all that relate to it.

28. Any other concerns or comments?

One of the main setbacks that I experienced this quarter was not having internet. This class is completely related to electronics and the internet, making it important to have a computer with internet access. My failure to have one led to part of why I have the grade I earned/deserved. I promise that I will become a better student and it will be acknowledged. Thank you for being such a great teacher/mentor. You will be the closest I can get to actually experiencing a real college class.

Reflecting 102

2009-09-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

Over the past four weeks of school in attending AP Physics, my learning as an individual, and as a part of a group, has greatly changed. It has been improved to the point to which I know what my REAL responsibilities as a student are. For instance, I am getting use to the different style of teaching I am experiencing. This is creating a persona in which I am more focused on learning the content instead of being concerned of “reading and barfing it up for the grade.” Another example of a change in my learning can be seen in the lectures. I notice that as they are given, I am more interested in what is being talked about or explained, whether it’s a group presentation or a full class length lecture on how to succeed in life (September 11, 2009).

The usage of a study group has been extremely valuable to my, and my two other partners’, benefit within the class. To me, it helps ensure that I am learning the content that is required but in a different way in which communication with others is important and stressed. In consideration to communication, we are able to somewhat create a Socratic dialog in which we may help each other with questions and solve problems we are assigned. As problem solvers, we are improving greatly on the level of knowledge that is needed to solve certain problems. For instance, we try to solve the most difficult problems because they help us exercise the content of the topic that we know instead of just some of it. These problems may require knowledge from all chapters of a unit instead of just one or two. We are also expanding our range of technology/style in presenting our group presentations on problems. After showing our knowledge in knowing how to use PowerPoint efficiently, we are now extending our capabilities in presenting more efficiently by learning how to use Flash. This will help us understand and create a better form of presentations and will be used soon within the class. As a study group, we don’t really need extensive help on topics such as how to present of how to solve our answers. Our main goal as of now is to change the presentation environment and start using flash to better show our understanding of the topic/problem and how to communicate better in a different way other than PowerPoint.

My study habits as an individual in this class are what I want to improve on most. For some reason, and I have not experienced this before, I am not committing my full capabilities as a learner to a topic that I am greatly interested in, aside from knowing that it is the most important class in relation to my major(s) in college. Although I am not showing efficiency as an individual, I know that the will to succeed in this class is in me due to my contribution to my group and others who need help. I noticed that when it comes to others, I put them first before me. This may be a good trait for the benefit of communication and knowledge shared with others, but is a backfire to me and my own learning environment. I know what is required of me to pass the class with an A, a 5 on the AP exam, and a complete understanding of the subject. The first four weeks have strengthened this understanding and given me insight on specific things such as doing and completing all the work that is assigned or studying (not cramming) before tests.

The study habits away from class are of a normal and daily routine. I mainly do my work for this class at night in my room and on my computer. During this time, I also consult with my study group in what is needed to be done in preparation for certain events such as studying for a test of doing problems and fully understanding them to present to the class the next day. On an average, I may study for this class 6 hours a week. Knowing that this is less than the required minimum, I will begin studying longer and try to get in at least an hour and a half to two hours a day. I need to greatly improve the integration of this subject into my life because it will be a major aspect to it both now and in the future.

My DESERVING grade for this class as of now should be a C. I can understand why I might receive a grade such as this because I haven’t turned in every assignment and have not done the best I could have on quizzes/tests. I am prepared to receive this grade as a progress report but to only improve it to an A for the semester. With knowing what has to be done, as explained earlier, I will accomplish what I had set from the beginning of the school year for this class. I will achieve a high understanding of the material and lessons learned, along with high scores and grades to support that knowledge. I am prepared to show improvement and am willing to live up to my high standards for this class.

2009-08-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

In reflecting upon AP Physics since the day I recieved the summer homework assignment to the first three days of school, I've gained important insight upon what will be required throughout the school year. Over the summer, the workload (sorry it's still in the process. almost done though) was introduced to me in a not surprising, but different way. For instance, I was supposed to start off working in an easy book (Hewitt) by doing problems which posed barely any difficulty. After that, I worked in the more "AP like" book, Giancoli, but only on chapter one. The book and its problems were not as hard as I thought they would be, guessing from my experience with AP Chemistry and the problems I had to solve from it throughout the year. Although I know I was given a somewhat comfortable start, I am prepared for the increase in work and rigorous college style teachings of Mr. Tillay. When I first entered the classroom, I was a little surprised of how small it was, aside from the fact that there were "ONLY THREE" people, including myself, to have signed up for it that had came from AP Biology. Majority of the students were returnies from his previous Physics P class. Seeing that they were extreamly comfortable around his presence, I started to observe the character of my new teacher. As time passed, I was introduced to what the school year was to contain and how it was to be taught. One of the main things that i really liked was the style of Mr. Tillay's teaching/lecturing. I feel that his teaching style will be one of the closest to college style teachings I will have encountered throughout high school, aside from some of my previous AP classes. Although it will take me a few weeks to adjust and settle in, I know that I can benifit from this class and its teacher. Tomorrow, but by the time I post this blog, today, will be the first lab we will be performing. From a personal standpoint, I like doing labs because they create an in-depth experience of learning. I will be looking forward to it, along with all the other things and surprises he has for us for the next 177 days of my last high school year. Wish me luck.