| A Work | B Work | C Work |
| -Misses few classes or completes make-up work -Annotates all readings -Makes substantive weekly comments on discussion board -Makes weekly in-class comments about reading -Completes all assignment -Collaborates equally and effectively | -Misses few classes or completes make-up work -Annotates most readings -Makes weekly comments on the discussion board -Completes all major assignments Collaborates with others | -Misses several classes without make-up work -Completes most readings -Makes less than the required weekly comments on the discussion board -Comments in class on occasion -May miss a major assignment or meet minimal expectations on all assignments -Does not effectively collaborate |
First Week Introduction
Sophomore year! I am very excited to jump back into this water equity and conservation issue and interact with the youth at JJK. I hope to establish good connections with educators at JJK and create a lasting impact with their program. I chose the following goals to really dive deeper into interacting with our mentors and relate classroom material to real-world situations at JJK. Most of these goals will be completed individually, as we are switching gears into our more personally curated products. I am excited for our many site visits and ultimately our water fair with these after school kiddos. I am nervous about constructing a product that is as complex and detailed as I have it outlined in my head 🙂 I want to focus on doing things with a purpose this semester. I don’t want to complete a reflection because it is an assignment that is due, but instead view it as an opportunity to indulge myself in my research.
Midterm Introduction
We are halfway through the semester and I feel like I have a good grasp on my final project. It has been challenging to work on this project and slowly chipping away at it. I wish there was some sort of validation from my project along the way, knowing it is all coming together. I have really enjoyed talking to Zach and Kurly from JJK and listening to their feedback. I am looking forward to observing the water fair later this month and reflecting what did and did not go well. It has been challenging for me to work on reflections because there isn’t much for me to reflect on. I have been outlining this project for a month now without much else accompanying it. I hope that as the semester comes to an end, I start to feel proud of my project and ready to polish it in 320.
As far as goals I have accomplished, I have been doing well working independently to meet deadlines while adapting to changes in my final project course. In the second half of the semester I plan on connecting with my peers and mentors to get feedback on my project and learn what could make it better and more useful.
Final Introduction
[Now that the semester is over, use your introduction to reflect in-depth on your process. How well did you meet the goals you set out to meet? What did you learn that surprised you? Focusing on your goals for this class, what do you want to remember to take with you into your future courses? What strategies can you use to continue developing toward these goals?]
Course Goals
Goal 1: Connects and extends knowledge from academic study to civic engagement (20%)
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Prioritize stakeholders when thinking about product Collaborate with the kids at JJK as well as Zach to aid his needs | Implementation plan Discussions and collaboration with JJK Drafts of model Reflection #2 | Able to effectively communicate with community partners and present final product cohesively |
Throughout the first half of the semester, I have connected with Zach and Kurly twice to discuss project ideas as well as update them on the progress of my project. This has connected and extended knowledge from academic study to civic engagement by effectively communicating with these community partners. This collaboration has helped me mend the past two semesters into a final understanding of this wicked problem.
In our implementation plan, we each outlined a research question and goal for our projects. We have been studying this problem for two semesters now, therefore constructing these questions and goals was easy for us. Below is my implementation plan that connects our wicked problem to an action plan.
In the second half of the semester, I plan to revise this section and add in other interactions I have with educators.
Goal 2: Works independently toward goals by contributing and meeting deadlines (20%)
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Schedule time to complete assignments outside of class while still collaborating to the group | Reflections done by due date Developing individual product Reflection #3 | Eagerness to get assignments done before the due dates Curating ideas to follow into CODE 320 |
So far this semester, I have completed all reflections before their respective due dates. I have also come to class prepared or even a head start on the tasks for the day. This shows my eagerness to get assignments done and dedication to this project.
In our first semester, Sonia, Marques, Alexandra, and I were the “Youth Education” group. We have since then happily welcomed Justin and Tamiria to our research. Now that we are in our implementation semester, we are able to curate our own product. Sonia, Marques, Justin, and Alexandra are in charge of constructing stations for a water fair while Tamiria is doing interviews of local community partners. However, I have branched out and started a more individual product. This shows that I can both work in teams but also independently to accomplish my goals.
I plan to include more about my reflections as the semester goes on and I interact with more educators.
Goal 3: Pursues knowledge and educational experience beyond the classroom (20%)
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Constructing an implementation plan to benefit the kids at JJK Academy | Reflection #5 Final product and presentation Collaboration with educators | Willingness to adjust to benefit Zach and interest in further projects in this field |
I recently met with Miss Martinez, a 7th grade science teacher from Texas. I was looking for more insights on how to make a successful water fair product. She suggested that it would be a Google Drive with different sections for each topic. Within these files can be different folders for age groups, activities, and a description page. Once I am done outlining my lessons, I will focus on the format of the tool kit. I am looking forward to collaborating more with Miss Martinez as well as other educators.
I have been doing work outside of the classroom by researching lesson plans, compiling them, and formatting them into my toolkit.
Goal 4: Systematically analyzes assumptions to develop logical plans to solve problems (20%)
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Gather information from site visits/Teams meetings with JJK to construct a product that will most benefit them | Implementation plan Reflections Preparations for final presentation Site visits and Teams meetings with Zach and Kurly | Ultimately impact the kids at JJK Academy in a positive way with key water conservation and equity takeaways |
This semester so far has been about adaptability. In the beginning, I wanted to have a station at the water fair but I ultimately decided on a water fair tool kit. This shows growth and logical advances towards my final product. I revised my implementation plan as well as my contract to show these changes.
When thinking about what I want my water fair toolkit to look like, I thought about how my final CODES project could impact other communities. I wanted to develop a product that would be distributable so that other communities could utilize this resource that we all worked so hard on.
Searching for my lesson plans has contributed significantly to planning my toolkit.
Goal 5: Adapts and applies a deep understanding of multiple worldviews, experiences, and power structures while initiating meaningful interaction with other cultures to address significant global problems (20%)
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| These reflections will demonstrate the connection from the class and partner visits to the real world problems | Reflection #3 Reflection #4 Working with my group to present our final products | Able to draw conclusions from my research and make plans for the future |
One of the topics I want to focus on for my tool kit is water equity. This may not be an issue in all communities, but I have lived here my whole life and had no idea that surrounding communities has these problems, so it was an eye opener when I first joined CODES. I have found other organizations who have done work in communities like Centreville and Cahokia Heights that we can learn from. I want kids to want to make a difference and fight for equity.
I have interacted with other cultures to address significant global problems because I have interacted with Kurly, Zach, Amy, Miss Martinez, and so many more who come from all backgrounds..