How did you like doing your independent research project? To begin, I liked doing the independent research project, because it was a chance for me to do a project on something that I am actually interested in, rather than focusing on a question that the teacher gives us. What did you like and what didn’t you like? The freedom of the project is something that I liked, but also something that I didn’t like. I liked the freedom in the project because you could pretty much do anything that involves some sort of math. Yet, I was unsure what the expectations were for the amount of work I should put into the project.
What would you change about this project, if anything? If I were to change something in this project, it would be the expectations, because we didn’t even have a rubric to base our work off of. Honestly, I feel like I could have focused on a harder question for my project though.
What did you learn about your research topic? In this project, I learned all possible combinations for the sum of 15, by using an ace, for three-card hands and four-card hands in cribbage. For those who don't know, cribbage is a board/card game, where you need to get 120 points to win, by getting pairs, combinations of 15, and runs. Also pegging is an important part of the game, because that's the part that involves skill, not just luck. So, if you ever happen to be playing cribbage, I know all the possible combinations of 15, when using an ace in your hand.
Junior Year Reflection:
If you set goals for yourself this year in Math class, were they achieved? Why or why not? At the beginning of the year, I set goals for my Math class, such as, getting an A, turning in all or most of my work, and to pay attention better. I am happy to say that I achieved all of these goals.
Do you feel more confident in your math abilities? Why or why not? I do feel confident in my math abilities because I have always loved math and found it interesting, so I am most of the time following attention. Math has been one my best subjects since I was in elementary school, so I am not worried about my math abilities.
Did you feel you were able to balance this class with other classes you were taking? My math class was a nice balance with my other classes because when we had homework, we would sometimes have time to get most of it done in class. The workload was never too much for me, it was a good challenge. Do you feel prepared for Math 4 as a senior and any other math electives you may choose to take? I do feel prepared for Math 4 as a senior and other math electives, because I have learned a lot this year about math, especially in Precalculus.
POW 1: I am proud of this POW because I did a lot of my own research for specific numbers that were related to my topic. Also, I created graphs to display my knowledge and have a visual understanding. This POW was enjoyable for me because it was a very open question, so there was no specific answer. You could take this problem on several routes. I like this because everyone had different opinions and topics towards the question: Why are people upset with population growth? Also, I learned a lot more about pollution and how humans affect the world.
POW 4: I am proud of this POW because I really applied myself to find the answer to this problem. I spent several hours on my own time to try and solve this problem. I really liked this POW, because I used my own time on this problem because I was truly interested in it. It was not too challenging, but challenging enough to be intriguing. Also, I liked that there was a specific number you had to find, rather than an equation you had to try and find.
Silverton Write Up:
Reflection:
I felt like I have advocated for myself all semester and have tried my hardest on assignments to be completed and correct. Although there were times throughout the semester where I felt like not doing my work and putting it off, I eventually did it and made it in on time. Math has always been one of my favourite subjects because it makes sense to me and is fun. I love working with numbers when I understand how to solve the problem. I have turned in all of my homework assignments and received a successful grade. Sometimes the POW's did not make sense to me and I could have asked for help more from the teacher or my peers, but overall I still feel pretty good with my work on the POWs. I would like to continue this mindset into the next semester, of always completing the assignments and getting good scores on them.