Persisting. This is the skill I improved most on this year. Without a doubt, this is also one of the hardest skills for me to improve on. I find myself asking a lot "Why persist, when I've done my job?". The answer that it improve performance overall, that it continues and always will be an important part of learning, had evaded me somewhat until this last quarter. I found a good example where persisting not only was good, but necessary to complete a science lab.
When Mrs. Knowles told us to all help present lessons to the class, I found myself having to teach the class about Hess's law, and bond energies. At first I thought it would all be fine and well, until I realized how complicated this could turn out. I then researched and researched- persisting until the end, on how to most comprehensively present the topic. I ended up settling on figuring out how I calculated a reaction's energy, and tracing my steps backwards to discover the process I use myself. Attached is a table I used in calculating bond energies, that I later adapted into my presentation for the class (Figure 1). Through all of this, I learned how to persist at something until I get what is needed out of it.
When Mrs. Knowles told us to all help present lessons to the class, I found myself having to teach the class about Hess's law, and bond energies. At first I thought it would all be fine and well, until I realized how complicated this could turn out. I then researched and researched- persisting until the end, on how to most comprehensively present the topic. I ended up settling on figuring out how I calculated a reaction's energy, and tracing my steps backwards to discover the process I use myself. Attached is a table I used in calculating bond energies, that I later adapted into my presentation for the class (Figure 1). Through all of this, I learned how to persist at something until I get what is needed out of it.
Figure 1.