# data[].attributes.body
I think that most people fall under different locations on the line and that is okay. I feel this way because I know a variety of types of people and the majority of them would see themselves in a different light than others. I see myself as a very gritty person but I observe many people who do not seem to care when doing things. I don't think this is a bad thing but I think we need to create a more inclusive learning environment to promote a growth mindset. I think creating an environment that promotes failure (we do it so badly). I think this would help us similarly see each other. How do you promote a growth mindset through failure without promoting "sluggishness"? (by sluggishness I mean people who aren't changing and open to knowledge expansion).

# data[].attributes.body
Object: Trimmed, brown shrub

Feel: Pokey, earthy smell, wise

How does it make me feel: Reminds me of an old, wise man who continues to watch young, fresh sounds blossom around them.

Question: What role does it play in its friends around them? Does it help them grow or tear them down?

Experiment: Uproot the plant and see if its roots intertwine with the other. Or what did his roots look like? A soil nutrients study may also reflect on how this object plays a role in the environment around him.

Kolb's cycle made me think very philosophically and look at objects in different ways. It made me want to learn more about their story, making me crave exploration into their past life. The principles that most stuck out to me during this experience were 2 and 3. If you plan to have expectations on an assignment, it is important to set clear expectations and determine what is essential. Principle 3 highlights the importance of understanding diverse perspectives and examples. If you were doing this as a graded assignment, I think it is very important to consider the diversity of the minds that students will have. I know by just sharing with our table, we all took the assignment a different way. I would set limited expectations and allow them to express their true emotions about how this assignment made them feel and what they learned. I think the graded part can come from effort and detail in the reflection from the experiences within one's self.

# data[].attributes.body
Do you include your underlying values (your why)?

Form a connection with my students

Philosophy 1, Reflection 6

Inclusion through communication and involvement

Philosophy 1, Reflection 2,5,8

Creating a stress-free environment

Reflection 1, 7

Does you philosophy include your learning outcomes in terms of course content, skills, attitudes, values, and personal growth (your what)?

Prioritize knowledge retention (stress limiting factor)

Excited to further their knowledge about my content

engage with other classmates with "like" experiences to understand content

Do you describe your pedagogy/active learning modalities (your how)?

I need to self-relfect to develop this area of my philosophy

I learned different modalities to that would help reach my why

Reflection 1, 4,5,6

Do you describe principles and techniques of assessment? Is there a discussion of how assessment data can then be used to improve your course/student learning?

Reflection 3,4

Do you discuss your areas for improvement?

Reflection 2,3, 4, 5

# data[].attributes.body
Inclusion is such a challenging aspect to try to meet because it is so multifaceted. Today this activity solidified my opinions and challenges associated with online classes. I feel the common frustration amongst not setting strict enough expectations for times like these. I felt very included today because my feelings towards inclusivity were validated and we found ways to solve common problems. In labs, I related heavily to the case study and it was great to find ways to change that.

# data[].attributes.body
Curiosity: As a high-stress student, I am curious as to whether students feel more stress when encouraged to participate in active learning. I have experienced stress when being asked to interact with other students to reach a common goal, but I also have experienced stress in a common lecture setting because I am less encouraged to learn every aspect of the content.

Question: Do students experience more stress in an active learning classroom or during lecture-based learning?

Experimental Approach: I would have students who have taken both forms of classes (have them provide which classes they are referring to just to make sure) take a questionnaire assessing stress. Before collecting data, I would inform participants about active learning versus lecture-based learning to solidify that they understand the differences when accessing. I think questionnaires are a great method to obtain data from large populations. If I did not have enough participant, I would focus on two separate classes that I knew their teaching style. The assessment would occur at the end of the semester after they have taken the class.

Expected Results: I would expect active learning to experience less stress than lecture-based learning. Students may experience stress initially, especially more introverted students because being encouraged to indulge themselves in an active learning environment can prove challenging to overcome for some. However, research proves that active learning is the most beneficial form of learning because it encourages inclusion and knowledge retention. Therefore, active learning would experience less stress AND see greater benefits.

How to Inform the Public: I think informing the public is very important when we discuss stress because it is such a common feeling. Limiting stress levels provides increased learning capacity and also increases health benefits. Being able to prove to the high powers of UW (i.e. board of trustees) would be a great first step. Showing them the power that active learning may encourage them to build more active learning environments. I also think presenting findings and creating a workshop that all professors have to go through may help spread this idea. Even if we cannot convince every professor, every little opportunity matters. Lastly, I feel as though it is important to inform the student body about this research so they can advocate for optimal learning conditions.

Stress has caused so many issues throughout my degree and I feel as though preventative measures are not considered enough in our education. I would love to find ways to limit stress and active learning would prove very beneficial in that way.

# data[].attributes.body
When we were taking the iRat and tRat, I was exposed to a different way to take them. I am used to the scratch-off cards, but I thought this was a cool way and more convenient approach to doing so. As an educator, I feel as though it is important to reach out to your colleagues if you are struggling to find ways to maximize the opportunities students have to learn. Based on personal experience, I wish professors did this more often. When considering the structure of a course, it is important to analyze 5 different principles created by Merrill: (a) Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems. (b) Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge. (c) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner. (d) Learning is
promoted when new knowledge is applied by
the learner. (e) Learning is promoted when
new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world. In an instance where I may be helping a college redesign a course, it is important to celebrate the things that they do right. By following these five principles, I feel as though success can be found and active learning can be practiced.

# data[].attributes.body
The first step of the backward design is to identify goals. A goal is a broad statement of a general aspiration that is not directly measured. From there, outcomes and objectives are developed to help our students achieve the verb we want them to achieve and a set of conditions in which the action will take place. A verb is the action that is desired. Having an effective verb meets multiple tiers in Bloom's taxonomy. I like application-based experiences because I have talked to many individuals (including myself) who love interpreting what they have learned in this way. To establish conditions, I will consider how to convert goals into measurable, specific outcomes. In the classroom, I plan on inclusively implementing this by considering creating outcomes that the majority of the students can meet. Students exhibit individuality and it is important to consider all types of learners. To measure these outcomes, I have to consider assessing learning in ways other than grades and GPA. I need to access what they have learned, not what they have memorized. It is very important for me to not only promote learning and long-term knowledge retention in my classroom but also passion for the content they are learning. To achieve this, I would like to come up with fairly uncommon activities. Rachel, I would like to ask: what are some of your favorite, out-of-the-box ways of assessing individuals? Establishing a positive relationship with learning the content is how I plan to integrate long-term passion for the topics I am teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
Today raised awareness of how impactful active learning can be through statistics. During the double-entry journal, we focused on failure rates compiled through the 225 studies that make up this meta-analysis. The excerpt discussing how learning can be most beneficial in classes of 50 people or less stood out to me. I grew up in a small town, with a graduating class size of 30, so I knew nothing less. After self-reflecting it is evident how much I had to change my study techniques from high school to meet the demands of lecture-based learning. Through this experience, I want to promote active learning because I have experienced the benefits of how helpful it can be. The double journal entry was super awesome. I think this promotes interactions between students which will overall increase productivity. Science is making it very prevalent that active learning is much more beneficial than lecture-based and inclusivity is the top contributor. I would like to ask: what is the most effective way to implement a double-journal entry without it consuming a whole class period? Is there a way to speed up the process while also keeping all of the journal entry's components?

# data[].attributes.body
The complexity of the brain has been an area of interest of mine for quite some time now. However, throughout my time in my undergraduate degree, I have never taken a deep dive into the role of the brain in education. After reading the literature assigned for this week, I learned how influential the neurobiological underpinnings of morality, creativity, and culture can be on our education. When reading the passages from Brain Rules, I enjoyed the quote, "If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom." In order to oppose this idea, it is important to exercise inclusivity to promote emotional engagement. How can I create a stress-free learning environment through controlling neurodivergent factors? Creating a learning atmosphere where individual engagement generates enhanced cognition leading to better learning. If individuals are in a stressful environment, learning becomes harmed. With consideration of these factors in the classroom, it is important to discuss how we can incorporate multimodal learning. One thing I think is important to discuss with a peer is how exercise plays a role in our learning capacity. When we move we learn. I took this outside of "The person who is doing the most work in the classroom is doing the most learning" (Doyle, pg 7) and I started to try to generate ways that individuals can move within a classroom while also keeping our other factors that contribute to neuroscience in mind. I enjoy the idea of incorporating small, stationary foot-pedaling stations during class or having chairs in an active learning environment that encourages the individual to avoid sitting still. These ideas really stood out to me because as someone who experiences a lot of performance anxiety and stress, I can handle my emotions better through movement. This is not the most affordable method for large lectures, however, I think purchasing several of these objects that would be rotated amongst the tables would be beneficial. Another way to promote engagement in multimodal learning is through pictures, writing, and illustrations. I think it is important to incorporate a table-wide drawing exercise in each class. To hit even more areas on the head, it would be beneficial to have each table-mate draw an aspect of the picture so everyone remains included and teamwork is encouraged. Activities focused on encouraging the release of dopamine will further promote individuals to engage with their peers. Although these are only a couple of many ways I can promote a "growth mindset" environment, I would like to ask the question: What are some more realistic ways that I can incorporate movement within the classroom that individuals have not been familiar with?

# data[].attributes.body
Today's conversation really resonated with me as we discussed inclusivity. After a lot of self-reflecting on my personality and academic personality, I realized that my strengths are to be a leader through communication and involvement. When I teach, I find myself trying to connect with students through similarities. During our conversation today, it was brought to my attention that some people may feel discouraged because they cannot relate to the conversation. My big "food for thought" moment today was: how can I initiate group involvement to invite individuals who exhibit different personalities (especially the ones who are different than myself that I have a hard time relating to) to optimize their learning experience? Having friends who take a more introverted approach to group involvement and after discussing their emotions and experiences, I have decided that I would like to try smaller groups that evolve or work with larger groups. I liked the idea of taking a self-assessment survey, but instead of putting them with opposite personalities, try putting them with like people first. I really do think this will spark incorporation by some of the more reserved individuals. I think it could almost "snowball" into active involvement in large groups by building up everyone's confidence. Environment is SO important to me and I look forward to sharing these ideas with my professors!

# data[].attributes.body
Today I was exposed to several different active learning techniques that I had never previously learned about. The snowball exercise stuck out to me because I feel as though it is a great way to emphasize preparation, while also creating less stressful anxiety. When you want to promote retention, some exercises focus more on preparation. For example, team-based learning is a great way for people to show up prepared, solidify knowledge, establish confidence, and identify/communicate areas of confusion. I also gravitated towards case studies. I wish more science classes implemented case studies, especially majors in health care. I think having this exposure to real-life applications is very important before we practice in a clinical setting.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout my time as an educator, I have focused on having the students facilitate learning through each other. Active learning keeps the students engaged and encourages them to retain the knowledge at hand through the anticipation that they are expected to regurgitate it or attain some level of knowledge in the area. After communicating with my peers for several classes and discussing how they learn best, it is evident that they retain information best when they have to teach it to others. Having to communicate with others provides the students with a more clear understanding of how comfortable they are with the material, while also encouraging critical thinking. Active learning highlights important life skills that students can further develop and will prove beneficial in their future profession.

Another important contribution I can make to promote and optimize active learning is to establish a relationship with students. Comfortability is found within the learning environment. As a lecture assistant, I am expected to guide and become a secondary source of information. I need to create an environment where students feel as though they can reach out for help. All students are different so one of my goals is to allow all students to use me as a safe place. Talking to the professor can be a very intimidating experience, so if I give everyone a warm welcome, students will feel comfortable asking me questions they may not feel comfortable asking him. By doing so, I will create a growth mindset and accelerate learning for my students.