core growth area reflection & self-assessment
Core growth chart
core growth area defense
CURIOSITY-
Evidence: One example of my core growth in curiosity would have to be during the first Explore and Play unit, where we learned the basics of Solidworks and were assigned to make a part. My partner and I got the hang of Solidworks pretty quickly, so we decided to challenge ourselves and attempt to make a robot (Wall-E). We tried to find which features on the program would be useful in helping us complete whatever task we were faced with; whether it was finding a way to make Wall-E's eyes, or testing out the different ways to give the body a texture.
Reasoning:
1) Before this experience, I never really considered myself to be very good with computers or computer programs. I was always scared to play around on the different computer programs, so my curiosity never really prevailed.
2) During the experience, I was scared to make mistakes because I did not want to mess up the final product, so I would stick to just using the features that I knew. However, as I grew more confident in the program, I started to play around with the features that I had never used before because they looked interesting and fun. I began to get over my fear of making mistakes when I realized that whatever I messed up on, I could quickly fix, and once that happened, I was able to let my curiosity guide me through the process of getting to know how Solidworks works.
3) Now I can honestly say that, due to the fact that I am 95% over my fear of making mistakes, I am not scared to play with the unknown, and, like I said, let my curiosity guide me through my learning in this class.
(add pic of wall-e)
Evidence: One example of my core growth in curiosity would have to be during the first Explore and Play unit, where we learned the basics of Solidworks and were assigned to make a part. My partner and I got the hang of Solidworks pretty quickly, so we decided to challenge ourselves and attempt to make a robot (Wall-E). We tried to find which features on the program would be useful in helping us complete whatever task we were faced with; whether it was finding a way to make Wall-E's eyes, or testing out the different ways to give the body a texture.
Reasoning:
1) Before this experience, I never really considered myself to be very good with computers or computer programs. I was always scared to play around on the different computer programs, so my curiosity never really prevailed.
2) During the experience, I was scared to make mistakes because I did not want to mess up the final product, so I would stick to just using the features that I knew. However, as I grew more confident in the program, I started to play around with the features that I had never used before because they looked interesting and fun. I began to get over my fear of making mistakes when I realized that whatever I messed up on, I could quickly fix, and once that happened, I was able to let my curiosity guide me through the process of getting to know how Solidworks works.
3) Now I can honestly say that, due to the fact that I am 95% over my fear of making mistakes, I am not scared to play with the unknown, and, like I said, let my curiosity guide me through my learning in this class.
(add pic of wall-e)
PRIDE-
Evidence: I would have to say that the moment that made me grow in pride would be during the Explore and Play unit where we had to solder two wires onto a button. Yes, it may sound like a very simple task, but I had not used a soldering iron since freshman year, and quite frankly, I had completely forgotten how to solder. In addition, my partner was absent during two of the days when we had to solder, so i was basically doing it by myself. In the end, I finished soldering the wires and button. Although it may seem like it was a small task, I was really proud of my final product because of the fact that I came up with a great final product.
Reasoning:
1) Before this experience, I was very nervous and insecure about my soldering skills and did not think that I would be able to complete the task alone.
2) While I was working on the button, I realized that this was a lot easier than I had made it out to be in my head. So my confidence level in completing the task grew.
3) Now, I see that having had pride in my final product can be carried with me throughout the rest of the semester/ year and help me be more confident in my school work.
Evidence: I would have to say that the moment that made me grow in pride would be during the Explore and Play unit where we had to solder two wires onto a button. Yes, it may sound like a very simple task, but I had not used a soldering iron since freshman year, and quite frankly, I had completely forgotten how to solder. In addition, my partner was absent during two of the days when we had to solder, so i was basically doing it by myself. In the end, I finished soldering the wires and button. Although it may seem like it was a small task, I was really proud of my final product because of the fact that I came up with a great final product.
Reasoning:
1) Before this experience, I was very nervous and insecure about my soldering skills and did not think that I would be able to complete the task alone.
2) While I was working on the button, I realized that this was a lot easier than I had made it out to be in my head. So my confidence level in completing the task grew.
3) Now, I see that having had pride in my final product can be carried with me throughout the rest of the semester/ year and help me be more confident in my school work.
COLLABORATION-
Evidence: The last assignment we received was to create a chart or Coggle that demonstrated my mechanical Engineering team's ideas and brainstorm about what we could do to build the legs to our Soul Machine. We did this by assigning each member of our team a specific topic to research and making sure that each of us had our ideas on the actual chart. In the end, our group came up with a total of over 30 different branches, most with pictures or very detailed definitions. In addition, I think that we could easily say that we all know what each other person researched due to the great communication between our teammates.
Reasoning:
1) Before we started to work on the Coggle, I was finding it hard to be able to communicate with my team all of the different ideas that I had about what we could build for our Soul Machine. In addition, I was thinking that it would be hard to be able to get everyone participating equally and having everyone's ideas heard and accounted for.
2) Once I started working on the Coggle with my teammates, I saw how easy it was to physically get everyone's ideas and research in one place where we could all build off of them.
3) Now I know that if we keep working with techniques like this (making charts, debriefing in class, etc.), it will be quite easy to collaborate efficiently and effectively throughout the entire project.
Evidence: The last assignment we received was to create a chart or Coggle that demonstrated my mechanical Engineering team's ideas and brainstorm about what we could do to build the legs to our Soul Machine. We did this by assigning each member of our team a specific topic to research and making sure that each of us had our ideas on the actual chart. In the end, our group came up with a total of over 30 different branches, most with pictures or very detailed definitions. In addition, I think that we could easily say that we all know what each other person researched due to the great communication between our teammates.
Reasoning:
1) Before we started to work on the Coggle, I was finding it hard to be able to communicate with my team all of the different ideas that I had about what we could build for our Soul Machine. In addition, I was thinking that it would be hard to be able to get everyone participating equally and having everyone's ideas heard and accounted for.
2) Once I started working on the Coggle with my teammates, I saw how easy it was to physically get everyone's ideas and research in one place where we could all build off of them.
3) Now I know that if we keep working with techniques like this (making charts, debriefing in class, etc.), it will be quite easy to collaborate efficiently and effectively throughout the entire project.
personal goal setting
Looking at my chart, I would have to say that my weakest area of all of the Core Growth Areas would have to be Mindfulness. Some specific steps that I can take to grow in this area throughout the rest of the semester and year would have to be centered around my group work. I would have to approach each group that I work in with an open mind. Being open to other people's ideas is sort of like the gateway to being mindful and considerate of others' feelings. Also, taking into consideration the ideas of the other members in my group would potentially make the final product turn out so much better. So, in the end, being mindful would be beneficial to everyone.