The first semester of the school year is finally at an end. So much has happened already, and it's just the first half of the school year. I've learned so much from all of my classes. There are so many things that can be looked back on.
A memorable thing for me was most of the events done during the first semester by leadership. During first quarter, we had some pretty "bad" events that were too simple and stale. Now in second quarter, I think everybody can see how much we have improved on our creativity and complexity. I can't wait to see how good we do going into the next semester.
In science, we have been working on a DNA structure made out of small beads and rods with copper wire. How exactly does this relate to science in any ways (besides the obvious)? Well, here are some reasons and explanations to how it relates to science?
Well, one way that this relates to science is that it gives us a visual of DNA. We see how the different bases connect and which goes with which. Another way is that, well, it has to do with DNA. When we are making the DNA model, we have to know which color rod equals what base, and things such as that.
For homework, we were told to read an article about an example of education in Japan. The situation was researched by a college graduate named Jim Stigler who went to a fourth grade classroom for research in Japan. The Japanese students were learning how to draw three-dimensional cubes, and it intrigued the students a lot. One of the students was struggling with drawing the cube, and the teacher sent him up to attempt it on the board. He struggled and struggled, as the teacher would tell the students to compare it to theirs, and the student still couldn't get it right. Stigler says that the student looked as if he were to burst into tears. By the end of the period, the boy managed to draw the cube correctly, and the class politely applauded him. This means that the whole period had been spent drawing a cube. Another example was of a math problem. There was a group of Japanese first graders, and one of American first graders. The American students immediately gave up on the problem, knowing they couldn't. The Japanese kids continued to work on it hour after hour, until they were finally stopped. They cried because of the fact that they weren't able to complete the problem. What does this say about education in Japan compared to that in America? It says that people from Japan were taught to take their education more seriously than some Americans. Not to say that all Americans are "dumb", or that all Japanese people are smart.
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