My three semesters in Earth, Life, and Time have been great help so far in school and gave me many opportunities that I would not have had if I did not join. Dr. Holtz and Dr. Merck were outstanding teachers on providing the material in a simple and detailed manner. Every lecture was something new and involved the class in either a quiz or a small group activity and then we discussed the project afterwards. Plus the power-point presentations were packed full of information and they did an excellent job of presenting it every class period. The class has helped me understand a variety of topics in science for the better. For example scientific method, evolution, and geology are all topics that I know a lot more about now that I have taken Earth, Life, and Time.
ELT did not only help with classes I am already in or topics that I am currently learning in other classes, there were some lectures that taught us things that I don't think I will learn in any other class in the future probably, or at least not as well. Such as the pseudoscience and "what science is" lectures. The pseudoscience lectures that were presented to us stick in my mind because it was something science related that we weren't already going over in other classes. Also the website that we were required to create first semester and keep updating throughout our time in ELT was a good idea. It was confusing at first to make the website and learn how to work the code and the program to put items online. However after learning how to do it all, you realize how good of an idea it is because you can post homework and various things online and make it look how you want. Also where else are you going to learn how to make a website, which can be very useful to know? The wide variety of topics covering science that we were taught will provide me with a great core of knowledge in science to help with higher level classes in the future.
You could say that some topics we learned have challenged some previous beliefs or ideas I had on my mind. I believe in science and evolution and it creates a weird challenge in religious views for me and I don't really know what to think about religion anymore. Also the pseudoscience taught me not to believe everything I see unless it's a trustworthy source. I was not sure how the media could advertise things that were untrue or did not work. These pseudoscience products rip off many people. They survive by fooling people into buying their product.
The readings that were required for the class were all very nice books that correlated with what we were learning in ELT or at least with other classes or what's hot in the news today. For example, "Guns, Germs, and Steel" relates to what is being recently talked about worldwide with human beings impact on the world. The environment and pollution are key topics in the news right now. Also The Third Chimpanzee follows with what we learned in BSCI106 as well. The quizzes were not totally based off of the books and thus there is no way of knowing who is actually reading the book or not though. One change in the class in the future could be having some way of making sure the students do the readings out of the book.
The field trips in ELT were a great requirement to the class and gave some hands-on, real-life views of what we were learning. For example a lot of the trips were to museums and to places to look at geology and evolution by looking at rock formation and fossils. The zoo trip I went on was really fun and gave me a chance to become more familiar with the metro and D.C. area. Also I got to see animals in habitats and learn a little more by completing a required trip report. The Maryland Science Center was very beneficial for me at this age still even though it is based for a younger audience. The exhibits I got to see were all pretty interesting and had great visuals or hands-on activity. I think this is a great way to learn science because a lot of things are able to be hands-on and some concepts can be hard to grasp for young children.
I feel that the assignment that will influence and provide the most impact on my life to come is the practicum that is due next semester. I completed my practicum work over this past summer and it taught me so many things that I can use in dental school and my future career. This practicum work gives me experience for dental school as well. This is one reason why the practicum is the best thing in ELT, because most people in ELT are science majors and thus are probable in going to some kind of graduate or medical school. Thus almost all of us need to take the initiative to get experience and internships in the line of work we each want to do. The experience each person gets from their practicum is a great way to work towards their future goal. Internships and work experience are huge requirements for getting into grad schools. This experience working with a dentist taught me information that I will know now for the rest of my life and will help me throughout my entire career.
I feel I have contributed some to discussions in class and also a good amount in the small group projects. Helping my scholar's classmates with other classes we are in is one way that I can help contribute. Mostly with the required field trips and service day and all the group projects and living and learning. I feel that learning how to contribute is the big thing you get out of scholars. You learn how to contribute to the community as a whole and to fellow peers.
Earth, Life, and Time has been a full, all around, excellent class for the past couple years. The teachers, class size, class times, material learned, homework assigned, etc. were all great for a one credit class each semester. What we all get out of this scholar's class is huge compared to the time spent for it. The information and experience gained from this class will be of great benefit throughout my life.