So I think now would be a good time to reassess my Participation Template. It’s week three and I’m finally getting back to the student routine which has exposed the actual flaws in my approach to studying – as opposed to the flaws I predicted when initially creating my Participation Template. In order to get the most out of this class, I need to refocus my energy into a new list of weekly goals.
Blogging has been a problem for me. I’ve struggled to actually do anything and I could attribute it to any number of things but I think it is predominantly laziness. After four months off, reacquainting myself with the workload of university has been an arduous endeavour. My goal for this week: 5 blog posts.
After the success of completing my week one reading, I suffered an unfortunate relapse back into my old habits. I printed out the subsequent readings and intended to complete them however I never made the time to sit down and actually accomplish the task. My goal for this week is to have completed the Bogost reading.
Both of these things are primarily a result of laziness but I also think I need to acknowledge that their being neglected is collateral damage in my attempt to maintain the same lifestyle I lead over the four-month break. I need to re-order my priorities and allocate more time to my studies. My goal is to give myself one day a week where I do not make any social or work commitments.
One of my original Participation Template goals which I have successfully realised (thus far) has been my note-taking during class. Despite accomplishing this goal, it will maintain its position on my Participation Template as I think note taking remains an important study aid and, as proven by my struggle with completing the readings, initial success is not indicative of an ongoing habit. My specific measurable goal for the next week is to bring my notebook to class and take at least a page worth of notes in each class.
The final thing I would like to include on my new Participation Template is to become a more active contributor in class. I didn’t incorporate this goal to my original Participation Template as it has never been an issue for me in the past. I think one of the reasons for my lack of specific participation in this class could be attributed to the fact that I have been behind in the readings and thus felt out of my comfort zone with regards to voicing my opinion. However, I also think that there have been fewer opportunities to actively contribute to this class in comparison to other classes I have completed and would like to see more opportunity for class discussions and the input of my peers’ opinions on the topics we explore in class and in the readings. For the coming week, my objective to fulfil this new goal is to contribute at least two comments, opinions or questions per class.