At this point you have taken the midterm and you should have turned in your first paper. Reflect on how these went. How do you feel that you did on the midterm? Did you study sufficiently? What might you change as you look toward the final exam (which is just six weeks away)? What about the paper – what went well and what didn’t go well? How will you improve on the next paper?
I think I passed the midterm! I would not go as far to say that I passed with flying colors because I do not think that at all!! I was not as prepared as I had thought I was for the midterm. As for my paper, based on how most do on their first paper in your class I was somewhat pleased. However I was not completely satisfied because I am used to getting A’s on my papers. For the midterm, I would have to blame a below standard grade on no one but myself. I had a fool-proof plan of studying and preparing myself for it during spring break and as soon as I got home, I totally dismissed it. However, when I got back to school I did buckle down and make flashcards and really studied the terms for the most part. However, I did not completely understand the concept of the theories. I think that hurt me on the paper as well as the test. Most of the theory portion on my test was left blank because I did not really understand what was going on when we had to write a thesis. To better understand I totally should have attempted it beforehand and asked for feedback from my professor, because that’s what a smart person would have done. However, I was incredibly lazy and I so did not do any of that. I did receive a little help from a friend of mine that also has the class and that helped some but not very much. For the final exam I will obviously prepare myself a lot more adequately a lot sooner. That is what really killed me for this first exam! I can retain a lot of information; I just did not completely absorb it. If I do this for the final exam I am sure that I will do very well on it. For the next paper, I plan to spend way more time writing it, and getting feedback before I completely turn my paper in to be graded.
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Good work on the three new blog entries. With respect to theory, hang in there. We’ll keep working on it, and be sure to ask questions. If nothing else, the midterm helps you to know what you need to work on for the final, and working on them will indeed make your papers better. It will help as you start to do your own research and see the theories in action. Also, you can draw upon multiple theories – you don’t always have to choose just one. Reading scholarly articles should also get easier as you get into your research project and are motivated to learn more about your topic. A good way to get into the articles is to actively take notes and ask questions as you read. And I’m very glad that you’re developing the instinct for informational literacy (i.e., looking up things you don’t know and/or about which you want to know more)!
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