Course Contract

Becky Madsen

Course Contract

1.                  List 2-3 specific goals you have for this course

a.       I want at least 5 solid major ideas on things to do to enhance the learning in my future students.

b.      For my own success, this is kind of a lame one, but I really want an A.

c.       I want to walk away from this course feeling glad I've taken it and happy with the knowledge I've obtained and have a sense of personal success.

2.                  Describe your weekly preparation plan. Be specific. What will you do each day of the week to prepare for this course? You may want to use a time management tool such as a calendar, planner, online calendar (e.g., Google Calendar) or app (e.g., iStudiez) to help you get organized. Remember to schedule in time to sleep, eat, and exercise!

a.       I've created a Google doc that to be accessed anywhere with all my assignment and all classes with a calendar where I’m scheduling out the whole semester breaking down my assignments evenly so I don’t get overwhelmed.

b.      I've set aside a dedicated times to work on Ed Psych. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings will be my Ed Psych days. I have a designated amount of time which should hopefully exceed the amount needed. I also have a follow-up day of Saturdays to complete any unfinished work.

c.       I have a schedule for the whole week with all of the classes I'm working on which includes spiritual studies and exercise. It outlines all my available time and makes sure I’m capable of handling everything I want to do.

3.                  Outline the study strategies that you will use to understand the material. You planned your time in the previous question, now how will you prepare? Consider the information from this lesson in your response.

a.       After each section, I want to take some time and try to connect the information to actual teaching in my classroom. I will ask myself things like, what is an activity I could do to help incorporate this concept. I often do this by discussing the content with my husband who also finds some of this class interesting and engaging. We think about what kinds of parents we want to be.

b.      I also want to think about the types of questions that will be given on a test and think of the kinds of things that Dr. Cox feels are the most important for me to remember. When I decide what is most important, I want to take time and consider why Dr. Cox has emphasized this idea and how it can be helpful.

4.                  Explain the process you will follow if you do not understand a topic. Check the Course Orientation Lesson for some suggestions. The Internet and other resources are available for you to use on everything except closed-book examinations. Please remember to be specific on any web searches (e.g., if you're trying to define the term "arousal," as you will in the next lesson, search for arousal motivation psychology).

a.       If I don't understand a topic (I've been doing this a little already), do a web search of that topic and read what the online community has said about it. Often times the topics are broken down into really simple ideas that are easy to understand.

b.      I can also review the videos and module and book information to see if there is anything I've missed. I may go over the headers and see if I can summarize that section. If I can't, I should re-read or re-watch until I can.

5.                  Complete the following statement: I will reach my goals in this course by... (your response should be a statement rather than a date! It should summarize everything above.)

a.       I will reach my goals in this course by:

                                                              i.      Reflecting on each section to determine how I can best incorporate it in the classroom. When I've come up with a good idea, write it down, so I can start comprising a list that I will be able to use when I'm teaching my own classroom.

                                                            ii.      My biggest struggle is time management, so I plan on sticking to the schedule I've laid out for myself. The idea is that if I do Ed Psych in the dedicated time slots, I will soon get ahead of the lessons. I will be able to spend more time in making sure my responses are meaningful and important. This timely and thorough effort should give me the A I'm looking for.

                                                          iii.      In order to have a sense of personal success, I need to put true effort into learning the material. I never want to do the lesson just so I can turn in the Study Guide. When thinking about Educational Psychology, I’m trying to make connections with myself and how it can help me when I become a parent one day. Understanding how kids think, I can hopefully do things that have a purpose and in a way they can understand. In summary, I want to do each assignment to the best of my ability so I can get the most out of it.