matureagedstudent there is probably already a chasm between you and your parents, unless you have some white ahh parents that say 'good try' if you fail each class

  • din replied to this.

      • din

        • Post #68

        MMHS bro js leave it

        • MMHS replied to this.

            I don't know why we didn't think of that sooner.

            • din replied to this.

              I'm not really sure what the context behind all this abrupt chat is.
              Anyway, I'm getting an Advanced Standing Application to transfer my credits across from the Associate's to the Bachelor's Degree. They explained that not all of it can be transferred, but they assured that I won't have to repeat any classes, considering I passed them all. Once I get that back, I can finally schedule all my classes for this year.
              And O-Week is coming up, which is always exciting. It'll be nice to even chat to first-years, maybe help them along too

              • din

                • Post #82

                MMHS js leave it

                  7 days later

                  I've finally sorted out my subject for Year 3, Semester 1. The university informed me that due to my prior credits in the Associate's Degree, I only need to do three instead of four subjects. My Advanced Standing Application has not been processed yet, but I can continue with only three classes this semester.

                  I have decided to Major in Sciences (specifically Biology, and a bit of chemistry) and Minor in Maths. This is a change from my previous plan of becoming a Science and Humanities teacher, as I found the humanities did not interest me as much as I thought it would. Science and Maths are also commonly employed together as teachers (many HS Science teachers also teach maths, and vice versa. It's good to have both together). Whilst I actually chose not to do Maths in Year 12 (and did okay in Year 11 General), I want to focus on 7-10 Maths, mostly leading towards General/Further.

                  My core class this semester is Designing, Evaluating and Valuing Learning. This is an Education subject, focused on planning and structuring lessons, covering content and Indigenous pedagogies. This subject also has a 2-week placement program, which I am SUPER DUPER excited for. I can't wait to finally work with students, and see how my teaching works in the classroom

                  Chemistry 1A is a first-year subject, mostly done by biomed and pharmacy students. But I chose it as an elective, which I'm also keen about. I touched on Chemistry a bit in Year 9, but never continued with it (my molecule diagrams were very messy, lol). In Biology of Cell and Organism, we touched on a bit of chemistry, which was informative, but I feel like I'll need to do a bit of catching up between now and then. We also have lab classes again, which I enjoy. One of my friends did Chem 1A last year, maybe I'll email him and ask about the content

                  Tools for Modelling the World is my Maths class. It seems to be based more on problem-solving, rather than mathematical knowledge, but it also focuses on many topics in maths, such as algebra, geometry and vectors. I won't lie, when I saw the word 'vectors' pop up, I shuddered a bit. I remember my high-achieving, smart friends from Year 12 talking about vectors in Spec Maths and Physics, so I hope it's not too much. It seems like I'll need to teach myself some content before I start

                  Overall, I'm a little nervous about this semester. Less subjects, but more unfamiliar content, PLUS a two-week placement block to juggle as well. But, the Chemistry and Maths are first-year subjects, so I'm sure they wouldn't be too intense. And they'll also be pathways into more advanced subjects that I can get the hang of next year.

                  a month later

                  Only one week until I go back to uni, and I'm keen for this semester
                  I'll now be doing a fourth year Science Pedagogy subject, which I'm a little worried about.
                  The word count for assignments is much higher, and I'm looking at terms and topics I've never heard of. I assume it might be similar to the Teaching Science subject I did last year, but on the plus side, it is online, so I can work at my own pace. Also, classes seem to finish in Week 8, and the last assessment is due in Week 9, so that frees up some time for other assessments, at least
                  I also previously managed two third-year subjects in topics I knew little about, so maybe this will be like that. ALSO, I'm getting the tricky stuff out of the way first, so fourth year might be a lighter load.

                  I also got my placement details today. The good news is that it's a decent P-12 school in my town. The bad news is that I'll be teaching Maths, a subject with less prior knowledge. I changed my minor subject to Maths recently, so I'll need to prove my worth to my supervising teacher. Very eager to get started though!!!

                  11 days later

                  The first week is up in Year 3, and my goodness this is probably the trickiest semester start I've ever had
                  Designing, Evaluating and Valuing Learning seems pretty straight forward, just like every other core class I've had for education. A lot of group work and uncomfortable chairs, and the content seems pretty familiar

                  Chemistry 1A seems to jump right into the content. Molar mass, stoichiometry, formulae. I have a lot to ensure I know before we begin prac classes too, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy this subject

                  Tools for Modelling the World currently seems like a nightmare for me. I only did Methods in Year 10 and 1/2 General in Year 11. This content seems to jump into 3/4 Methods, with vectors, logarithms and crazy algebra. I want to do my best though, because it seems like everyone in this class is doing an engineering or physics course, meanwhile I discovered that fractions can have fractions inside them. We also have a computer lab class, using MathWorks. They seem a bit more straight forward
                  The problem is, I don't want to teach VCE Specialist, Physics or Methods. I want to reach the foundation levels of 7-10, how to substitute x, and add fractions. This is only a first year class too, so I have a long way to go

                  Junior Sciences Secondary Pedagogy (that's a mouthful) is also very straightforward. It's very similar to the Teaching Science class I mentioned earlier, except it focuses on 7-10, more than F-6. Someone started a group chat, and they're all confused about the 5E model which we would have learnt in our 1st and 2nd years, so...
                  This class also finishes in Week 8, so I'll have plenty of time to focus on my Maths and Chemistry exams, as well as the DEVL work

                  Overall, crazy start, but just like every semester, things will chill out and calm down eventually. I'll be a science and maths whiz before I know it too!