GEometry skills:
The Explorations in geometry this year have expanded my experience as a student. I believe that the explorations this year have really challenged me this year not only as a student but as a thinker. I believe that the explorations have changed me as a student this year because it was really made me be able to think out side of the box in order to find the solution. For example when we did the exploration on the game cards. Once I thought that I found the answer it would turn out that it was wrong but it was pretty close. It took me multiple times go finally get the answer. While I was trying to find the solutions I would try different methods and see how those methods would work and how I could apply them to the methods that worked. Once I found the answer it was like a a big relief and I do think that the explorations have changed my dedication to find the solution. Same for the exploration discussions because during those discussions I really like to listen to my classmates thoughts and process on how they found the solution for the question, they showed me different methods to find the solution. The exploration allow me to use my notes or memory to find the answer and the discussions allow me to collaborate with my classmates on the methods they used.
A moment of breakthrough in understanding a challenge concept was when I was working on the new exploration that was about us indicating the truth value of each statement (whether it is true or false). This was a moment of breakthrough for me because when we were introduced to this project it was confusing at the beginning because some concepts were not clear to me. When I started working on it with Todd and Clay, Todd started explain how we solved the problem step by step. Then I started getting the hang of the methods that he taught to me. I went off to do the exploration on my own and it started making sense to me. If I found a solution that was wrong, that didn't stop me so I kept on trying to find the answer which would lead up to a sweet victory. The time had finally come and that was when I finally found all of the answers to each questions with perseverance and asking one of my classmates to explain this exploration to me, and the moment of breakthrough felt awesome. .
problem - solving skills:
I think that a mathematical skill that I have mastered is communicating and thinking in a clear and accessible way. I think that I have mastered this skill because during this semester we have been doing a lot of POWs and each of these POWs could be really confusing. When I have to do a POW I try to think of the POW in a different way by trying to reword the problem or think of the problem in a different way. For example the POW that we just did with the teachers trying to predict which student would get what prize and in what order. I approached this POW was by trying to see it in a different way with visuals. For this specific POW I started by making a table that had all of the teachers names and who their predictions were and what way they were going to get placed. I did it this way because I am a visual learner and I like to see the different ways that I could draw it out or place them in order. For this POW I started out by drawing a table and I went over and over trying to find the way that I could find the solution and I kept redrawing the table out until I got the right answer. The way that I solved this POW was by looking at the POW in a different way than the other kids mostly did. I think in order to solve that POW was by using communicating and thinking in a clear and accessible way. Another example was in the beginning of the semester I missed a lot of school days and I didn't get to get the homework that we did in geometry which really affected my learning and grade. I had to be able to make up the work and I would have to find a solution on how I could make it all up. I had to find a way that I could get all my work turned in and get the learning that I needed. The way that I had to solve this problem of mine was by using communicating and thinking in a clear and accessible way. For each of the projects that were missing I tried to see them as a challenge that I had to overcome. Because I still had work to finish in other classes which was a challenge, I started by finishing the other class projects and then when I went home I would then start to work on my geometry class projects. This plan ended up working at first but I only got a few projects turned in and that was disappointing. This was a lesson to learn of the future.
I think that a habit that I could stretch on is reflecting and synthesizing. I said reflecting and synthesizing because whenever I do a write up or DP reflection I tend to write a lot. But when I`m writing it takes me a long time to actually get my point or message out and then the public or teachers would get confused on what I`m trying to write. I would like to improve on this skill because I think that it would be a really good skill to master so that when ever I do a essay or a DP update I would be able to actual say without going on and on which is no fun for anyone. I wouldn't want to only improve this skill in geometry but in most of my classes because the same problem happens in each class project and DP update. I think that I kind of held myself back from improving in this skill because I would want to get the project over with and I would write the reflections in such a way that I that I want to show my writing skills and catch the public's eye on and how I was able to reflect on this project.