This is my third year in the PLP program, which also means the third year of Student Lead Confrences, or tPOLs. Now it’s time for mPOLs. Not only has the name changed throughout the past years, but the format has also turned right around. Before we would share three things or projects, one we were proud of, one that shows a growth mindset, and one that we thought we could improve on. This is where it’s changed. Instead, we’re now showing how we think we can improve as an overall learner, and hopefully achieve our goals by the end of our grade 10 year. We were told to use examples to show what we need to work on, singly focusing on what we think we could improve upon but of course having some projects in there that we’re proud of. Lastly, where it really changes, is a question. Usually at the end of our presentation, we’re the ones who are being questioned. For the mPOLs, we’ll be asking a question directed at our teachers and parents, about our development as learners.
To begin, let’s focus on what needs to be improved. Every year I’ve done a tPOL, or an SLC, we’ve all based a talk about one thing, time management. With my hectic schedule this has been, and still is, a great challenge for me. My whole life I’ve had this problem and just recently have I been starting to figure it out. I most definitely do not have it totally under control quite yet, but I think we can all agree it’s gotten much better. Yet, it is something I’m still trying to work towards. This involves finding a system for me to keep track of hand in spots, sports, and be a place where I can go and remind myself what exactly I need to complete, and by when. What I’ve found to be working for me but is something I’m looking to change at one point or another, isn’t something to do with the actual organization of my work, but getting up at 5:30am to complete assignments, write blog posts, and make the final touches.
Speaking of making final touches, this is something else I would lov to continue to improve on. Not the fact that I need to improve on making those last details, the fact that I am still hesitant to hand something in that I don’t think is my best work. This is once again something that has been brought up in the past at these meetings. It’s better to hand something handed in and be able to receive critque, than it is to have a project that’s at my standards and be a week late.
An example of me trying to improve on this is what’s been my favourite project, and the work I’m most proud of, the WW1 soldier podcast. I was so engaged with this project it was a struggle for me to put the iPad away and actually find some sleep. I love studying war history and having a project specifically tailored around that, as well as a soldier that I found extremely interesting, was great. And it resulted in some of my best work as a PLP student. Showing how this improves upon handing in multiple drafts is just that, that’s what I did. Because I loved this project so much I just wanted it to be the best it could be. The recording wasn’t what I had drafts of but my script, I handed in double the amount required because I was writing something that would take nine minutes to record, and with the help of Ms. Maxwell, I was able to cut it down to six and a half.
I am not a 75 student, which is why I almost died when I was told I was receiving that mark in both math AND science. I’m considered a gifted learner in math so this took me as a massive shock. What I later found out was that was because the tests that I’d aced and received high nineties on, weren’t the things that were counting. It was the one project per unit. For the first unit it was our solar panel project.
We were told we could do either a physical model or a 3D digital model, but we’d have to figure it out ourselves. Something I managed to do after downloading, researching, and testing about six different apps. Since it was my first time working with one of these apps I didn’t have much design or added detail because I’d spent too much time simply learning how to use the program. This had nothing to do with the math we were learning and all I did was add in more work for myself. We’re also only about halfway through our third math unit and still have over half of the course to complete. With more project to follow I plan to complete the project as quickly as I can and then begin focusing back on learning the math principles. So I can come out with a complete understanding of each unit.
Another quick thing I think that I’ve improved on a lot is my blog post writing. I’ve developed a much better layout, and have implemented the reflection aspect, not just the steps involved within the project. You can see the difference between one of my earlier posts and the one I’m most proud of, here:
The last thing I’ll talk about is something a little easier to comprehend. Not so much am I scared to speak out loud, we all know that’s not an issue, but I’m scared to be wrong. Which also relates back to me having got perfect my projects before I hand them in. This fear is withholding me from speaking out in class. A majority of the time I’ll be thinking out loud and mumbling, but not wanting to speak up and say what I believe to the class. I tend to wait and hold back until someone else has spoken. Most of the time what I was thinking is spot on and it’s just a matter of having the courage to face being wrong every once in a while.
I truly believe that in these first five months of school I have grown tremendously as a learner, in all fields. I’ve taken the advice I’ve received from both parents and teachers in the past two years and have started applying it to my work. I hope in these next five months I’m able to continue on this path and reach all of my goals set by not only myself, but my teachers as well.
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