On history this semester we learnt about the Cold War. We did various activities to give us a better understanding on what happened before the Cold War, why the Cold War began and who was involved. Three activities that, in my opinion, helped us the most to understand this concepts are the following:
- Multiple Intelligences: In this group work we had to build a presentation with different works on the beginnings of the Cold War. We used different intelligences such as music intelligence, writing and geographic. This was definitely my favourite project since its a very creative, fun and effective way to learn. By using our imagination and research to get to know a new subject we manage to remember what we learned in that process much better.
- Mock question and essay writing: with the same groups that we worked with on the multiple intelligences we answered two mock questions and an essay. This activity was very effective because it let us see what we knew and gave us a chance to show that via the mock questions. In my opinion essays are the best ways to test this knowledge and also organise it for the future. Even though the multiple intelligences activity was very helpful in my learning, this activity rounded up what I had learned, which is always very helpful.
- Test: tests are always effective in analysing and reflecting on what we know and need to learn more about. This test was a google form with a 30 minute limit. I found this extremely helpful since it prepares us for whats to come, as well as testing what we know. This firsts test made me asses and re-evaluate what maybe I thought I knew but actually need to look into a bit more.
Even though essay writings are my favourite part of history, I believe I could have done better on the individual essay we did on the 15th of may. Though I cant help but feel a bit of disappointment in my poor work, it has made me see that if I rush or don’t organise my ideas well, the result won’t be good. I took too long to organise what I wanted to use for the essay, which made me rush and therefore make the essay rather weak. But thanks to this, I now know what it is that I need to improve for next time!
If I had to give myself and evaluation I think I’d give myself an 8 or so. This is based on the fact that I have been present in every class and have participated appropriately in both group and individual work. I have given in the material in the due time and do believe that I have been able to answer what was asked very well. Of course, there is a lot of space for improvement, but I think I can pat myself on the back for the work that I’ve done this semester.
To sum up, this semester has been a very interesting and new experience. It has had it’s ups and downs, but in the end I can say I’m happy with what we have all learnt and done. For the remaining part of the term I would like to improve my knowledge on what we are learning by studying more and getting better prepared for evaluations. I also hope to improve my essay writing and not get to jumpy or rush when it comes to tests or such. And finally, I hope that when I look back at this evaluation I can say that I’ve improved and managed to reach my goals 🙂