TPOL Questions
Personal Connections and Adult World Connections:
1. Which project did you have the most personal connection with this year? Why?
I had the most personal connection with the mask project because I got to choose a subject (economic class) that is meaningful to me.
2. What have you learned (skill, lesson, or knowledge) this year that will be most helpful for you in the future?
A skill that I have learned this year that will be most helpful for me in the future is collaboration. I learned how to be a leader and steer the group in the right direction and I also learned about working together and everyone working as one. A good example of this is my filter in science.
3. What project or projects have you done this year that have inspired you to want to learn more? Explain how you were inspired.
The project that inspired me and made me want to learn more this year was the teacher creature project. I really like the idea that I could completely transform someone else's idea into one of my own or just make an idea of my own from scratch.
4. How has your attitude toward learning changed this year?
My work ethic has been pretty much the same throughout the year. When it started, I was excited to be at a new school and I was ready to work. There were times where I felt like I was running out of steam but a break or interesting new project like the Shakespeare play.
5. What connections have you made this year between what you have learned in your classes and your own personal experiences outside of school?
In this century time is huge. Everything has to be turned in on time or you have to be somewhere by a certain time or something happens at a certain time. Time is a thing that I have connected to pretty much everything I do outside of school. I have band practice at a certain time, I meet my friends for biking at a certain time, etc. The same thing goes for in school. I have to be in class by a certain time, I have to turn in projects by a certain date, etc.
6. How have your learning and experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
I have learned a lot about jumping to conclusions and judging other people. I’ve been in experiences where I know people are doing those things to me even though it’s not what they think. A lot of people wrote about this in their mask essay.
7. What work from this year would you like to look back on and remember when you are a graduating senior? I would remember the Shakespeare project as a senior because acting was a fun and new experience for me. I also liked going deeper into Shakespeare’s writing and finding alternate meanings which I put into my final essay.
You as a Student and a Learner (Your Work and Your Work Habits):
1. What is the most important change that you have made as a learner this year?
An important change I made as a learner this year was not getting stressed. Instead, I’ve just been looking at the things that get me stressed as situations I just have to go through no matter what so why feel nervous? A good example of this was my POL.
2. How have you taken an active role in your education this year?
I’ve taken an active role in my education this year by trying to absorb all the information that is taught to me and trying to do my best in class. Yes, I have not paid attention or slacked at times but I think for the most part I did well learning all I could.
3. What piece of work that you’ve done this year are you proudest of? Why?
I am most proud of the Shakespeare project this year because I think I did well memorizing my part in the play and I was proud of the essay that I wrote. I think I dropped some good “intellectual bombs” in it. I also got the most knowledge out of this project and enjoyed it at the same time.
4. If you could go back and refine one piece of work this year, what piece of work would you refine and how would you refine it?
I would refine my filter project because we made our filter out of a plant which quickly made the project go downhill because the plant started to die and all the water that went through the filter turned yellow. I would have made the filter more self-sustainable and would have taken more of a leader role in our group since we didn’t really have one which made for some goofing off in class.
5. If you were the teacher, what comments would your teacher make about your work habits?
I would say I’m a hard worker but can sometimes get off task if I have been working for too long and need a break.
6. What might you want next year’s teacher to know about your work habits?
I’m a hard worker but can get off task if I’ve been working too long and need a break.
7. What is the most difficult thing you have done this year? Why was it difficult, and how did you deal with that difficulty?
The hardest thing I did this year was the wave project. It was difficult because I didn’t understand it very well even after I asked Brian for help. I overcame this by doing independent research on what we were trying to discover through our tests.
8. How has group collaboration helped you as a student?
Group collaboration has helped me as a student this year because I have learned more about being a leader and teaching my friends. I have also gotten better at working with the group as a whole. A good example of this is the filter project.
Reflecting on Yourself and Our Model of Education (Project Based Learning and our Student Culture)
1. What would you say to an incoming 9th grader about how to succeed in project based learning?
Turn in your work on time and take notes because you never know when a test will come up and you probably won’t remember some of what’s on it without notes. We had a physics quiz this year that I probably would have gotten a way lower score on if I hadn’t taken notes.
2. How have any of the habits of heart and mind helped you be successful as a student or person?
The habits of heart and mind have helped me as a learner because I used to not advocate for my grade if I needed to. Since this school is big on advocating I started doing it when needed and I’m happy with the results when I do like when I advocated for a grade in Roxy’s class because I wasn’t around for a lot of the project.
3. How has a relationship with a faculty member helped you be more successful in school this year?
My relationship with Lauren has made a huge difference with how I see math this year. I used to not like math at all but Lauren has been really supportive and teaches math in a way that I understand and like a lot.
4. How has the work in Advisory helped you grow or change as a student, as a friend, and as a citizen?
Advisory has helped me be more aware of things happening in the world because we talk about stuff like that a lot. There are a lot of different opinions in my advisory about things we talk about which makes for more interesting conversations and information.
5. Project based learning is a different model than traditional models of education. Explain how Project based learning has influenced your learning and your production of work.
I like project based learning a lot more than traditional learning because it’s way more engaging to me to make a project about what I’m learning and really experience what I’m learning first hand than to just write a paper or something. A good example of this is the Shakespeare project. We got to learn about Shakespeare and his plays, write a paper about them, and then actually perform them which I really liked
1. Which project did you have the most personal connection with this year? Why?
I had the most personal connection with the mask project because I got to choose a subject (economic class) that is meaningful to me.
2. What have you learned (skill, lesson, or knowledge) this year that will be most helpful for you in the future?
A skill that I have learned this year that will be most helpful for me in the future is collaboration. I learned how to be a leader and steer the group in the right direction and I also learned about working together and everyone working as one. A good example of this is my filter in science.
3. What project or projects have you done this year that have inspired you to want to learn more? Explain how you were inspired.
The project that inspired me and made me want to learn more this year was the teacher creature project. I really like the idea that I could completely transform someone else's idea into one of my own or just make an idea of my own from scratch.
4. How has your attitude toward learning changed this year?
My work ethic has been pretty much the same throughout the year. When it started, I was excited to be at a new school and I was ready to work. There were times where I felt like I was running out of steam but a break or interesting new project like the Shakespeare play.
5. What connections have you made this year between what you have learned in your classes and your own personal experiences outside of school?
In this century time is huge. Everything has to be turned in on time or you have to be somewhere by a certain time or something happens at a certain time. Time is a thing that I have connected to pretty much everything I do outside of school. I have band practice at a certain time, I meet my friends for biking at a certain time, etc. The same thing goes for in school. I have to be in class by a certain time, I have to turn in projects by a certain date, etc.
6. How have your learning and experiences at AHS this year changed the way you see the world?
I have learned a lot about jumping to conclusions and judging other people. I’ve been in experiences where I know people are doing those things to me even though it’s not what they think. A lot of people wrote about this in their mask essay.
7. What work from this year would you like to look back on and remember when you are a graduating senior? I would remember the Shakespeare project as a senior because acting was a fun and new experience for me. I also liked going deeper into Shakespeare’s writing and finding alternate meanings which I put into my final essay.
You as a Student and a Learner (Your Work and Your Work Habits):
1. What is the most important change that you have made as a learner this year?
An important change I made as a learner this year was not getting stressed. Instead, I’ve just been looking at the things that get me stressed as situations I just have to go through no matter what so why feel nervous? A good example of this was my POL.
2. How have you taken an active role in your education this year?
I’ve taken an active role in my education this year by trying to absorb all the information that is taught to me and trying to do my best in class. Yes, I have not paid attention or slacked at times but I think for the most part I did well learning all I could.
3. What piece of work that you’ve done this year are you proudest of? Why?
I am most proud of the Shakespeare project this year because I think I did well memorizing my part in the play and I was proud of the essay that I wrote. I think I dropped some good “intellectual bombs” in it. I also got the most knowledge out of this project and enjoyed it at the same time.
4. If you could go back and refine one piece of work this year, what piece of work would you refine and how would you refine it?
I would refine my filter project because we made our filter out of a plant which quickly made the project go downhill because the plant started to die and all the water that went through the filter turned yellow. I would have made the filter more self-sustainable and would have taken more of a leader role in our group since we didn’t really have one which made for some goofing off in class.
5. If you were the teacher, what comments would your teacher make about your work habits?
I would say I’m a hard worker but can sometimes get off task if I have been working for too long and need a break.
6. What might you want next year’s teacher to know about your work habits?
I’m a hard worker but can get off task if I’ve been working too long and need a break.
7. What is the most difficult thing you have done this year? Why was it difficult, and how did you deal with that difficulty?
The hardest thing I did this year was the wave project. It was difficult because I didn’t understand it very well even after I asked Brian for help. I overcame this by doing independent research on what we were trying to discover through our tests.
8. How has group collaboration helped you as a student?
Group collaboration has helped me as a student this year because I have learned more about being a leader and teaching my friends. I have also gotten better at working with the group as a whole. A good example of this is the filter project.
Reflecting on Yourself and Our Model of Education (Project Based Learning and our Student Culture)
1. What would you say to an incoming 9th grader about how to succeed in project based learning?
Turn in your work on time and take notes because you never know when a test will come up and you probably won’t remember some of what’s on it without notes. We had a physics quiz this year that I probably would have gotten a way lower score on if I hadn’t taken notes.
2. How have any of the habits of heart and mind helped you be successful as a student or person?
The habits of heart and mind have helped me as a learner because I used to not advocate for my grade if I needed to. Since this school is big on advocating I started doing it when needed and I’m happy with the results when I do like when I advocated for a grade in Roxy’s class because I wasn’t around for a lot of the project.
3. How has a relationship with a faculty member helped you be more successful in school this year?
My relationship with Lauren has made a huge difference with how I see math this year. I used to not like math at all but Lauren has been really supportive and teaches math in a way that I understand and like a lot.
4. How has the work in Advisory helped you grow or change as a student, as a friend, and as a citizen?
Advisory has helped me be more aware of things happening in the world because we talk about stuff like that a lot. There are a lot of different opinions in my advisory about things we talk about which makes for more interesting conversations and information.
5. Project based learning is a different model than traditional models of education. Explain how Project based learning has influenced your learning and your production of work.
I like project based learning a lot more than traditional learning because it’s way more engaging to me to make a project about what I’m learning and really experience what I’m learning first hand than to just write a paper or something. A good example of this is the Shakespeare project. We got to learn about Shakespeare and his plays, write a paper about them, and then actually perform them which I really liked
Smart Goal
I will get at least a 90 in all my classes by the end of the semester. If I see my grade is below a 90 in one of my classes, I will take the necessary steps to get the grade above my goal.
S - This goal is specific.
M - I will know when I've reached this goal because either my grades in all my classes will be a 90 or above, or they won't.
A - This goal is attainable with hard work and perseverance.
R - I can realistically achieve this goal.
T - This goal is timely because I have a deadline.
S - This goal is specific.
M - I will know when I've reached this goal because either my grades in all my classes will be a 90 or above, or they won't.
A - This goal is attainable with hard work and perseverance.
R - I can realistically achieve this goal.
T - This goal is timely because I have a deadline.