Habits+of+Mind+ePortfolio

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ePortfolios
ePortfolio’s are becoming more important in school and university as a way of helping students organize, integrate and reflect on their formal and informal learning experiences. ePortfolios: • give you an opportunity to share and celebrate your progress and accomplishments with others • foster collaboration • help organize the products you have created; • enable you to reflect on your learning as a means of improvement • provide a source of evidence to help teachers write letters of recommendation; • provide evidence of the quality of your work and your depth of understanding; • provide evidence of how your knowledge and understanding has improved with time; • help you identify your strengths and interests; • help you choose your science courses in future years; • increase confidence. At its most simplest there are three stages to an ePortfolio: Collection of artifacts and evidence → organization and storage → Presentation Your ePortfolio will most likely start out as a portfolio of your progress, a place to organize your work and many end up as a final showcases your achievements and accomplishments.

The model alongside shows some of the different kinds of evidence and artifacts that can be incorporated into your wiki. Artifacts like videos, audio podcast, graphs, tables, diagrams, models, screen casts, lab reports, quotes, rubrics, PowerPoint presentations, models, sketches, plans, reflection, brainstorms, screen captures, models, and photographs can all be used as evidence.

Above all, in an ePortfolio it is important to be flexible, innovative and creative. Have fun with this! Your portfolio should also reflect your own unique style. Collaborate! Your fellow class members have a diverse set of talents and perspectives. While each portfolio is an independent endeavor, you are encouraged to learn from them as well.

Check out this helpful wiki on how to personalize your wiki. http://gettingtrickywithwikis.wikispaces.com/

Habits of Mind
Habits of mind are tools used by successful people to reflect on their thinking and learning in a way to improve their performance or relationships with others. By using these habits you will become more intelligent learner, and know how to be successful under challenging circumstances.

PORTFOLIO - Over the year, you will develop a ePortfolio that indicates your personal growth in all 16 habits of mind using this class as the context. As a minimum, you must add five habits to the portfolio each quarter for the first three quarters. In quarter four, you may add one more habit. During quarter four, you will then write a summative reflection based on school wide learning goals.

In your portfolio, place evidence of your exhibiting a habit of mind and/or reflective writing that outlines how you have grown in this area over the quarter. Further description of each habit can be found at this website http://www.habits-of-mind.net/ Bear in mind that sometimes a single piece of evidence may be used for more than one habit of mind.

HABITS OF MIND

1. Persisting Do you sometimes say, “I just can’t do this” or “This is too hard”? Do you give up when the answer is not immediately apparent? Persistence means staying the course, taking the time to work at something until you achieve excellence.

2. Managing impulsivity Sometimes we blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes we lack an organized strategy for approaching a problem; sometimes we make immediate value judgments about an idea before fully understanding it. Delay gratification – it is the essence of emotional self regulation Danial Goleman

3. Listening to others with understanding and empathy Sometimes we ridicule or put down the ideas of others in a group situation. Interrupting when someone is talking shows a lack of respect for that person’s idea. Devote your mental energy to another and invest in your partner’s ideas. Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening.

4. Thinking flexibly Can you consider alternate ideas? Can you deal with more than one solution simultaneously? Is YOUR way of solving something the ONLY way? If you never change your mind, why have one? De Bono

5. Thinking about our thinking (metacognition) It is important to think about your own learning strategies and to evaluate their effectiveness. Can you explain your own learning strategies? If you were asked “Tell us what went on in your head to come up with that conclusion? Would you say, “ I don’t know I just did it”?

6. Striving for accuracy and precision Do you turn in sloppy or incomplete work? Are you more anxious to get rid of the assignment than to check it for accuracy and precision? A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake Confucius

7. Questioning and posing problems Do you know that questions vary in complexity? Can you use questions as a strategy to search and find solutions? Can you use questions in science to pose problems that can be solved experimentally? The formulation of a problem is often more essential that its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill Einstein

8. Applying past knowledge to new situations Often students approach each task as if it were for the very first time. Its like each experience is independent, has no relationship to what has come before or what comes after. Psychologists call this an “episodic grasp of reality” (Feuerstein 1980) I’ve never made a mistake. I’ve only learned from past experience. Thomas Edison

9. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision Sometimes we use language that is vague and imprecise. We use words like “nice” or “ok”. In science, words must be used precisely to describe observations since subtle differences can lead to vastly different conclusions. I do not so easily think in words. After being hard at work, having arrived at results that are perfectly clear, I have to translate my thoughts in a language that does not run evenly with them. Francis Galton

10. Gathering data through all senses Use all your senses, stay alive, participate fully, get your hands dirty, experience it all. Don’t hold back.

11. Creating, imagining and innovating Have you ever said “I can’t draw” or “ I was never any good at math” or “I can’t sing”? It doesn’t matter. You can still create and innovate – find a way. The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination. John Schaar

12. Responding with wonderment and awe Some people are “turned off” to learning. They make statements like “ When am I ever going to use this stuff” or “Why do I have to think so much” or “Does this count for a grade”. Learning can be exciting and fulfilling, if you approach it with wonderment and awe. The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of the mysterious. Albert Einstein

13. Taking responsible risks Some people are very reluctant to take risks. Fear of failure is far greater than the experience of the adventure. There is a voice in their head saying, “ If I don’t try, then I cant fail”. These people are more interested in knowing if their answer is right than in the process of finding the answer There has been a calculated risk in every stage of American development – the pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business man who were not afraid of failure, dreamers who were not afraid of action Brooks Atkinson

14. Finding humor This is not finding humor in human difference or fallibility but perhaps more the ability to laugh at ourselves, and our own frailty. Think about how you cope when you get an answer wrong in class. Are you able to pick yourself up after a bad grade and deal with it reasonably?

15. Thinking interdependently Some people have underdeveloped social skill and struggle to work in groups. They seem unable to contribute fully in group situations and either let someone else do all the work or they hog all the work. To work in a group, you have to be willing and open to feedback, you have to be willing to learn and grow and you have to willing to give up an idea and work with someone else’s. Take care of each other. Share your energies with the group. No one must feel alone, cut off, for that is when you do not make it. Willie Unsoeld, Mountain climber

16. Learning continuously This requires humility. You must have the humility to know that you don’t know everything and you cannot be afraid to find out. When you talk with people, if you are humble enough to learn, there is always something to learn. Insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results Albert Einstein

Describing the 16 Habits of Mind in more detail:

Semester Assessment
Each quarter your portfolio will be assessed as either distinguished, proficient or novice. It is worth 10% of your semester grade.

D - Distinguished P - Proficient N - Novice

D - Highly organized. Links and completion dates on the home page make navigation effective. P - Well organized with relevant links. Navigation somewhat effective. N - Hard to navigate.
 * Organization**

D - Careful selection of evidence and rationale for each habit. P - Evidence is well selected and some rationale is included for each piece, connection to each habit is present at a basic level N - Somewhat random selection of evidence, rationale missing for some pieces, evidence does not clearly indicate the habit
 * Content choice**

D - Well written, honest, insightful and thoughtful self reflection that shows how the habit specifically affects you as a learner. What does this example say about your learning style now and what are areas of growth in the future as you strive to improve your: performance, powers of reflection, ability to respond to challenges and setbacks and relationship with others. P - Reflection is sound, displays some evaluation of personal strengths and weaknesses to show growth N - Reflection lacks depth, superficial consideration of strengths and weaknesses to show growth
 * Personal reflection**

D - Skillful use of a variety of different multimedia devices (sound, text, images, video) and products/artifacts created in class to enhance communication. Highly personalized and unique. P - Multimedia devices are used to enhance communication. N - Little use of artifacts and multimedia devices to enhance communication.
 * Presentation**

End of Year Reflection
SAS has school wide learning goals through which the mission, vision and core values of the school are taught. These are our EAGLES.

SAS students will be:
 * E**MPOWERED to be life long learners, risk takers, innovators, leaders through collaboration and team work
 * A**DAPTABLE, flexible, self motivated learners
 * G**LOBAL minded citizens who embrace diversity with compassion and empathy
 * L**ITERATE individuals who communicate articulately and can analyze information
 * E**THICAL human beings who demonstrate citizenship, integrity and honesty
 * S**KILLED inquirers who apply knowledge and strive for excellence

You final reflection, the last article in your habits of mind ePortfolio, will be a reflection on the year. Using the EAGLES as a guide, reflect on how you have grown in each of the school wide learning goals over the year and make sure you reference your statements to items in your portfolio. Word Count: Approximately 600 words

Student ePortfolios
Emily Lily Chris Kevin Victor Angela Vincent Johnny Natasha Whitney Hyun Ji Shannon Helen Kara Jean