1st Semester core growth area assessment
(The black squares represent the core growth areas that I believed I already had before actually starting the semester; The dark blue squares represent the core growth areas I believed I grew in throughout the first half of the semester [before SLCs]; The light blue squares represent the core growth areas I believe i have grown in throughout the second half of first semester [after SLCs])
EXPLANATION of core growth area chart
core growth area #1- courage
How have your struggled with this core growth area in the past?
I have previously had trouble with stepping out of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to school work. At times, I feel like it is smarter to take the safe route and not try any new or risky things that could potentially lower my grade. And vene in the situations where I do try to do something new, it has not always turned out the way I want it to, so that fear of failure also can prevent me from being courageous.
What is a specific moment in class that pushed you in this core growth area? (Be sure to describe the specific assignment or activity.)
I would have to say the the specific moment in class that truly pushed me to be courageous was the time when I was working with Faith to design a linkage on Solidworks. Since we learned about Solidworks and how to use it at the beginning of the year, I have felt pretty confident using the program, but that was because I had someone who truly knew what they were doing beside me to help me figure it out. When I was working with Faith, I had to take the reigns on the project because Faith did not know how to use Solidworks. I was pretty scared that I would mess up and ruin the linkage, but I gathered all of the courage I had and pushed myself to finish the linkage. In the end, it turned out really cool, and I was really glad that I did not shy away from the opportunity to learn.
How have you now improved in using this CGA after the above experience? How have your habits changed?
After realizing that I grew in courageousness, I have found myself taking a lot more creative risks with the work that I do. For example, when we were designing a structure for the body of the machine, I was trying to draw so many crazy designs that could potentially work, and was not scared of receiving criticism from my group. Also, I have tried to work with a lot of different things that I never thought I would be able to do. For example, I was apart of the drive prototyping group, and I used tools that I never even knew existed, but was confident in my ability to figure out how they work and use them to finish the model. I used to be in the habit of never thinking of creative and new ways to further the progress of a project or to complete a certain project at a higher level, but now, I have become so used to always wanting to take risks and try new things to further my project.
How has your understanding of this CGA changed after this experience? How has it changed how you define the CGA?
Before the experience, I had always considered courage as not being scared to either try new things or step out of your comfort zone, but now I see that it is a lot more than that. Having courage with your school work also means not being scared to take risks or listen to other peoples’ ideas because of the fear of getting a lower grade. It means that you are not scared of having an open mind and not being afraid of the final product.
I have previously had trouble with stepping out of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to school work. At times, I feel like it is smarter to take the safe route and not try any new or risky things that could potentially lower my grade. And vene in the situations where I do try to do something new, it has not always turned out the way I want it to, so that fear of failure also can prevent me from being courageous.
What is a specific moment in class that pushed you in this core growth area? (Be sure to describe the specific assignment or activity.)
I would have to say the the specific moment in class that truly pushed me to be courageous was the time when I was working with Faith to design a linkage on Solidworks. Since we learned about Solidworks and how to use it at the beginning of the year, I have felt pretty confident using the program, but that was because I had someone who truly knew what they were doing beside me to help me figure it out. When I was working with Faith, I had to take the reigns on the project because Faith did not know how to use Solidworks. I was pretty scared that I would mess up and ruin the linkage, but I gathered all of the courage I had and pushed myself to finish the linkage. In the end, it turned out really cool, and I was really glad that I did not shy away from the opportunity to learn.
How have you now improved in using this CGA after the above experience? How have your habits changed?
After realizing that I grew in courageousness, I have found myself taking a lot more creative risks with the work that I do. For example, when we were designing a structure for the body of the machine, I was trying to draw so many crazy designs that could potentially work, and was not scared of receiving criticism from my group. Also, I have tried to work with a lot of different things that I never thought I would be able to do. For example, I was apart of the drive prototyping group, and I used tools that I never even knew existed, but was confident in my ability to figure out how they work and use them to finish the model. I used to be in the habit of never thinking of creative and new ways to further the progress of a project or to complete a certain project at a higher level, but now, I have become so used to always wanting to take risks and try new things to further my project.
How has your understanding of this CGA changed after this experience? How has it changed how you define the CGA?
Before the experience, I had always considered courage as not being scared to either try new things or step out of your comfort zone, but now I see that it is a lot more than that. Having courage with your school work also means not being scared to take risks or listen to other peoples’ ideas because of the fear of getting a lower grade. It means that you are not scared of having an open mind and not being afraid of the final product.
core growth area #2- communication
How have your struggled with this core growth area in the past?
In the past, I have struggled with this core growth area because I have been very stubborn or hard-headed, and have had trouble being able to compromise with others in my team when necessary. In other cases, I have found it difficult to be able to talk to teammates who are “annoying me”, so I tend to shut down and get really frustrated, and that does not help the team advance at all. Also, I sometimes have trouble being able to express my ideas to teammates and listen to their perspectives.
What is a specific moment in class that pushed you in this core growth area? (Be sure to describe the specific assignment or activity.)
At the very beginning of our Soul Machine project, when we were still not very familiar with our teammates, I had a lot of trouble not getting frustrated or not being stubborn and shutting people out. WHen we first started to prototype our drive, body, and legs, we were in teams of three so that we would work more efficiently. However, I noticed that one of my teammates was trying to do all of the work by himself and not properly delegating work to his other teammates. I tried to talk to him, but it only ended in an argument every time. But once I saw that my lack of proper/effective communication with my teammates was not benefiting us in any way, I tried my best to put all of my troubles and frustrations aside and try to talk through the problems we were facing. Once we were able to talk about the situation in a calm and mature way, we were able to get so much work done.
How have you now improved in using this CGA after the above experience? How have your habits changed?
Ever since I went through that experience, I have tried my very best to try to talk my way through or compromise in every problem or discussion I face. It has worked out really well and the dynamic within our group has never been better. Also, I have been able to get so many of my ideas incorporated into the project because I was able to efficiently talk to my group members. For example, I thought that I knew of a much simpler way to construct our drive prototype using less materials, and because I was able to calmly express my ideas with them, we ended up designing our prototype in a very smart way. Now, I pride myself on being able to talk with all of my teammates in order to produce change and action.
How has your understanding of this CGA changed after this experience? How has it changed how you define the CGA?
Before this experience, I thought that the key to effective communication was just being able to express your own thoughts, opinions, and ideas. But now I see that there is so much more that goes into effective communication. For example, being able to understand others’ perspectives and work from them, having the ability to work your way through problems by compromising or coming to an agreement, and being able to put everyones’ ideas together.
In the past, I have struggled with this core growth area because I have been very stubborn or hard-headed, and have had trouble being able to compromise with others in my team when necessary. In other cases, I have found it difficult to be able to talk to teammates who are “annoying me”, so I tend to shut down and get really frustrated, and that does not help the team advance at all. Also, I sometimes have trouble being able to express my ideas to teammates and listen to their perspectives.
What is a specific moment in class that pushed you in this core growth area? (Be sure to describe the specific assignment or activity.)
At the very beginning of our Soul Machine project, when we were still not very familiar with our teammates, I had a lot of trouble not getting frustrated or not being stubborn and shutting people out. WHen we first started to prototype our drive, body, and legs, we were in teams of three so that we would work more efficiently. However, I noticed that one of my teammates was trying to do all of the work by himself and not properly delegating work to his other teammates. I tried to talk to him, but it only ended in an argument every time. But once I saw that my lack of proper/effective communication with my teammates was not benefiting us in any way, I tried my best to put all of my troubles and frustrations aside and try to talk through the problems we were facing. Once we were able to talk about the situation in a calm and mature way, we were able to get so much work done.
How have you now improved in using this CGA after the above experience? How have your habits changed?
Ever since I went through that experience, I have tried my very best to try to talk my way through or compromise in every problem or discussion I face. It has worked out really well and the dynamic within our group has never been better. Also, I have been able to get so many of my ideas incorporated into the project because I was able to efficiently talk to my group members. For example, I thought that I knew of a much simpler way to construct our drive prototype using less materials, and because I was able to calmly express my ideas with them, we ended up designing our prototype in a very smart way. Now, I pride myself on being able to talk with all of my teammates in order to produce change and action.
How has your understanding of this CGA changed after this experience? How has it changed how you define the CGA?
Before this experience, I thought that the key to effective communication was just being able to express your own thoughts, opinions, and ideas. But now I see that there is so much more that goes into effective communication. For example, being able to understand others’ perspectives and work from them, having the ability to work your way through problems by compromising or coming to an agreement, and being able to put everyones’ ideas together.
goal setting for next semester
After you experiences from this year, what are some things that you want to work on? (Make sure to ground your goals within the Core Growth Areas.)
I think that I could still work on expanding or strengthening my creativity next semester. Although I have grown this year in regards to being able to think outside of the box and gather inspiration from different places, I found that I have not grown as much as I would have wanted to or as much as I plan to before I go off to college. So next semester, I want to challenge myself to add a personal creative touch to every project that I do.
What actions can you take towards achieving these goals?
I think that the easiest and most effective way to ensure that I grown in creativity would be to make sure that I put all of my effort into each project and thing that I do. If I feel like if I am very passionate and am working hard on something, I will be more willing to put my own touch on it to make sure that I am proud of my accomplishment.
I think that I could still work on expanding or strengthening my creativity next semester. Although I have grown this year in regards to being able to think outside of the box and gather inspiration from different places, I found that I have not grown as much as I would have wanted to or as much as I plan to before I go off to college. So next semester, I want to challenge myself to add a personal creative touch to every project that I do.
What actions can you take towards achieving these goals?
I think that the easiest and most effective way to ensure that I grown in creativity would be to make sure that I put all of my effort into each project and thing that I do. If I feel like if I am very passionate and am working hard on something, I will be more willing to put my own touch on it to make sure that I am proud of my accomplishment.