Growth Mindset

 Since I took a class with Laura last semester I had already watched the videos on Carol Dweck. I instead read the chapter that Laura wrote for a book on ungrading. This was fascinating and I actually wish I had more experience with class that did not grade!

I recall at least one experience with writing a paper - I received a score of 99 out of 100 possible points. Why? I have NO IDEA. No feedback was given, no notes were provided on why the score was 99 vs 100 or even 95 or 85. The score felt entirely as if it was assigned by chance - the professor read the paper, decided it was pretty good but maybe didn't want to hand out "perfect" scores?

Another professor once graded a large paper after the end of the semester. The score on that paper was a disaster. Why? Again - no real idea. Based on the instructions given the paper was solid. Perfect? Probably not. But worth only 55 out of 120 points and a large percentage of the course grade? Apparently. This was another case where it was unclear why the score was given. Style differences? Disagreement with the research hypothesis? Who knows! 

My preference in both of these situations would have been for feedback, revision and ungrading similar to what this class does. I know this would require some thought and change in the structure of certain classes. It might be well worth it - even in more research oriented fields, publishing usually does not happen on the first try!

"Grade cutoffs" by ragesoss is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 

(A "fun" way to grade? Ha!)

Introduction to Eli who has now applied for graduation!

 

Hi, I'm Eli! I've been working on my degree for some time now. Until this year, I've felt like a perpetual transfer student; I was always accumulating credits but never graduating. In the meantime, I've managed to change my major a few times, get married, and have a kid who is now 11 years old. I've also bought and sold my first house so I could move my whole family back in with my mom to afford this college thing again. I'm finally a senior not only by hours but also in the Social Work program. It has been a long road but the end is in sight. Assuming nothing crazy happens with this pandemic thing, I should graduate in May!

(Photo information: "the long and winding road #1" by Pierre Metivier is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

As I mentioned, my major is Social Work. All of my classes last spring & fall were actually directly related to my major. Still, I think the best one was our Motivational Interviewing class, and I wish it was open to non-majors. Even with the sudden switch to online courses after Spring Break, we still managed to have all our simulations and interviewing practice. Applying the content within fields of social work practice this year in our practicums should be challenging!

I have too many favorite books to name - I spend almost all of my free time reading. According to my Kindle app, I have read at least one day out of the last 131 weeks and last year completed 352 titles. That is down a bit from 2019 but I know I played a lot of hours of video games over the summer because we didn't go anywhere! My favorite TV show or movies are often whatever I find that looks interesting on Netflix or another streaming service. Although I do make it a point to keep up with the new seasons of Call the Midwife and Doctor Who.

We are currently a one-dog household, which is exactly the way Bernard likes it. He is a Chihuahua mix that has been so happy most of his people have been home since March. Heated blankets and any of our pillows are his favorite things. 

(Photo information: Personal photo of my dog Bernard, taken August 2020)

Some of my favorite foods I have to make from scratch because I have Celiac disease. This means I cannot eat gluten - wheat, barley, rye, and a few other grains like triticale. So delicious things I used to enjoy, like soft pretzels or deep dish pizza are always homemade! It also means I am very creative with how I make things, and I'm always experimenting with different flour blends. (P.S. If you enjoy making chicken at home and aren't allergic, mix coconut flour into your breading! It's delicious. Also, chickpea flour makes excellent gravy.)

I did list Santa Fe, NM as one of my favorite places. Santa Fe has excellent gluten-free food, and the high desert scenery is beautiful. A favorite place I haven't been to yet because of travel plans cancelled by the pandemic is Italy. Despite being the land of pasta and pizza, or maybe because it is, Italy has many people with Celiac. Because of this, they also have a high number of restaurants where you can easily get Celiac safe gluten-free food. 

(Photo Information: "Florence, Italy" by Lex Kravetski is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

I do have some hobbies besides making allergy-safe food and reading. I also like to sew, which makes my kid happy. Between my sewing and my spouse's metal and woodworking skills, we're basically a fabrication shop. This comes in handy for all the crazy ideas our child has come Halloween or any other time.

Storybook Favorites

What fun storybooks to browse through! I really enjoyed the concept behind the Goddess of Contagion storybook. Taking mythology and updating to something so modern and timely is fascinating. The storybook has what I am coming to think of as the "standard" google sites layout, which is convenient. I am not sure how I feel about the titles of each short link in the navigation bar just saying "story" versus a title. This may have been due to space or the style of the author. 

I also liked exploring The Creation of Kali storybook. The different creation stories of Kali presented in this book almost feel like they could  somehow be done in a branching set up. I'm not quite sure on that one, you would have to change some details to make it work but it would be something interesting to think about doing!

The storybook called The Beginning of the End was also interesting. The stories within were set up to be cyclical, which fit with the stories being told. Reading through the stories to the end leads right back to the beginning. The author really had to think this out to make sure their stories would work and I find that fascinating.

I also enjoyed flipping through the Horror in India storybook. The set up in the intro of a demon fighting family and vengeance is a great concept. I enjoyed the photo selections with this storybook as well!

"To hatch out golden eggs - Goldene Eier ausbrüten" by Daniela Hartmann (alles-schlumpf) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Favorite Place - Santa Fe, NM

 

One of my favorite places, that is in theory is somewhat accessible in our current travel reality, is Santa Fe, NM. While travel in general is a bad idea given the current upswing in COVID everywhere, Santa Fe at least feels close enough to access. 

At this point this pandemic owes me so much travel.

This is a photo of the Santa Fe Cathedral by Pedro Szekely.

(image information: Photo "Santa Fe, New Mexico" by szeke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 from Flickr)

First Post - New Semester!

 New blog, new class, new semester!