Thursday, December 16, 2010
Blog 14 - The Parting...
This is your last blog ever for AP Government and Economics. This one is very simple. What did you learn this year that sticks out more than anything else? What suggestions would you make for improving this class? I want honest answers (I will not roll your cars, so you have nothing to fear :) ).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While in your AP Government Economics class, as far as the government part, nothing really just stood out to me considering the fact that im just not that interested when it comes to government problems. I did like when you told me how a case really is handled and that it can take up to over two years for a case to actually be taken to court. As far as the Economics part,even though we're just getting into it, it seems very interesting. Like with the Demand graphs how those work, was very interesting to me. Also learning what trade-offs were, money can never be scarcity,and there is no such thing as a free lunch, were things i didnt know and they stood out in my knowledge. My suggestions on improving the class would have to be, just taking less notes on the powerpoint, and give notes like you did for the economic part of the class. Just more hands on activities. Besides that i've really enjoyed your class, along with the discussions the class have had. :)
ReplyDeleteThe thing that stood out to me the most was when we were talking about the powers of the president and how votes are counted. To me, I felt as though the president doesn't have as many powers and that the vote of the people is really just a suggestion for the person we want to be selected. I also liked the few things that we went over in economics. My suggestions for improving in this class would be to try and do all of our work, do your blogs, and read your book. But, overall, it isn't such a bad class. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm more interested in technology, so things in government don't really take my attention, but the Supreme Court chapter is what sorta got my attention. I really didn't understand the supreme courts role in government and politics until this class, because you never really here about them. So I would say that stuck me like a thorn.
ReplyDeleteYou said me honest so, a way you can improve the class would be shortening the notes because they really take out alot of class time, especially during first semester with all the events we have. Also, more class projects, I think they help students learn information by forcing them to study the information and put it together in a way for the student(s) and class mates to understand the information being taught.
The chapter about the president is what stood out to me the most. I don't know why but i just like learning about the presudent's term and everything that comes along with that. I do wish that we had more time on economics though. It seems really interesting. As far as improving the class, I think you should do more hands on lessons and less note taking. Like when you broke us into groups and had us get notes from our class mates. That really helped. Other than that I really did enjoy this class!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out for me was the realization that our government really is just a big bureaucracy. Honestly, though, most of the semester was during my mother's campaign, so gov't class just kind of supplemented that. I learned more about campaigns by just living in the same house were one was being conducted (my mom's campaign headquarters was our living room) and understood more about how the whole party process works. The campaign was difficult to live with at times, but overall I am so glad I had the opportunity to witness it firsthand. And being in the commercial was pretty cool (if not a little embarrassing!)
ReplyDeleteI know most of my classmates would hate me for saying this, but I think the thing that would most improve the class would be to not allow computers and cellphones to be used. I feel like everyone would get a lot more involved if there wasn't a distracting screen in front of them at all times.
This year what I learned about Congress sticks out the most because I honestly had no idea how it worked before this year. I'm also learning a lot from the economics book. I like it a lot more than the government book. I think that we should get AP Government textbooks instead of Advanced books (but "where's the money?" Right?) Some of the chapters in the government book seemed like they were irrelevant to what the AP exam would cover, like the chapter on public opinion. I think we should have spent our time learning the sheet of Supreme Court cases instead.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that really stuck out to me this year is how our politicians vote. They don't always vote how we think they will and they might vote a certain way just to get reelected or support from other politicians. It was disappointing, but I guess it shouldn't have been that suprising.
ReplyDeleteAs far as something that could be improved I can't really think of anything. I didn't like rewrites, but they were a saving grace to my grade. I do agree with nancy though about the technology. When I stopped bringing my laptop to school I feel like my performance in the class improved.
Deja- I felt the same way about voting. It feels like all the hype over getting to the polls to the vote is misleading.
ReplyDeleteBTW - You don't have to respond to someone else's post. Should have made that clear in the prompt.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that sticks out to me most is probably what we are doing now, I really don't have much passion for government but I want to continue studying business and economics throughout college. As far as improving the class goes, I don't have anything to say. I guess my only complain would be the size of the class, but I know that is one thing that really can't be helped.
ReplyDeleteDuring the course of this class, thing thing that surprised me the most was the number of things that I didn't know about the interworking of the government. Things that felt like I should have know. Primarily the workings of the Courts and their jurisdictions. The only thing that would have made this class better would have been if we could have had it first block, so it wasn't interrupted so much. I feel like it could have been made a 2 semester class. I feel that we didn't cover all the information we should have.
ReplyDeleteIn your AP government class I learned a whole lot of things that I did not understand or never would have even thought about. I can say that your class has really helped me have a better understanding of Government and how it works. Watching the news or watching elections actually catch my attention now and also I understand what they are talking about. The subject that we studied that caught my attention the most were the three branches of government. I loved the fact that they work together to get the job done. To improve the class I think u should make more things sort of "Hands-on" because people learn things in different ways, and that is just how I learn things and how I understand them.
ReplyDelete@hayden I agree I was also suprised at how much I didnt know about the Government
ReplyDeleteOne thing that sticks out to me is I recieved a better understanding of government in general. I realized it's not as complicated as looks on the outside. I don't have really any big suggestions but I wove had more discussion on our blog topics. The blog seemed pretty irrelevant other than it being another easy grade for us. I would've like to really hear on some of the viewpoint given by my classmates.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entirety of the duration of this class one thing has been constant and prominent: Government is everywhere and is complex. But of all the things we learned about what stuck out the most were the blogs and more current events that tied into what we were learning. The only improvements I could suggest for actual enhancement of learning would be to cut out some of the busy work and have some more back and forth fact relaying between students and teacher as well as more group oriented applying work. Obviously having the class fourth block was a mistake. Also I do regret not getting deeper into economics, and wish we took less time on congress.
ReplyDeleteDuring this class, I realized I hate government. It just isn't in my interests. But I definitely was enjoying the economics part. If you could work more of that into the class, or even have AP Economics as a separate class, I think that would be great, and you could learn more about both Government and Economics without rushing and cramming all of it in to a half of a semester.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that really sood out to me was learning first that alot of voting is just a suggestion of who America wants. I also learned that without a congress party that's on the same party team as the president, that it's harder for the president to take actions that he want's done. Another thing that stands out to me is the Packing Bill. Even thought it didn't get passed it was still intresting to see someone actually try. Most of all I love!! Economics. It holds my attention. My suggestion would be to keep doing the notes the same for eco. (The three years with you has been a blast I don't think any other history and Gov./Eco. teacher could top you.)
ReplyDeleteApposed to what you may think Mrs. Matherson, I actually DID learn a lot in your class this semester. If it weren't for your class, I wouldn't have even thought about paying as much attention to politics and the way our government is now functioning and has been for centuries. Particularly, what stuck out the most to me is how much work people really put into running for offices. I actually didn't think that the campaigning process was all that tedious. Another thing that stuck out to me was among our brief "intro" to economics. The paradox of value (diamonds and water). Non-essentials to our daily lives host a heftier price than those that are needed in order to live. In a way, I agree with Michael. I think that a lot more would get accomplished and more would be covered if these subjects were taught in separate classes. For one, it would be less stressful for both you and your classes. (Looking out for your sanity!! :) From the little bit you taught us, I think that I would have really enjoyed learning more about economics. Personally, if the classes were split, I would have opted to study our economy.
ReplyDeleteWhat sticks out to me the most is the chapter on Congress. I feel like I have a better understanding on how big it is and I know more about how it is organized. However that chapter was a really long one so there is a lot about Congress that I still don’t know or just don’t understand.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am posting for Lena, because she is sick. Lena says that she learned a lot about the different levels of the Judiciary system. Lena says that one thing that can improve the class is to break up the amount of vocabulary words we get at a time.
Overall I learned that government is much more complicated than I thought. Especially getting bills passed and the whole process of Congress voting and if the President vetoes and such. Like many other people have said,I wish we could have talked about economics more and done more hands on learning with that.One thing I think could have improved was starting class a little earlier instead of talking for awhile, also not having it 4th block because by that time most everyone was ready to leave but I do realize that was just a scheduling issue. This was a great class though and thanks for everything mrs. matherson!
ReplyDeleteThis year is your class, I learned that I'm actually a lot more interested in government than I thought. Government is one of the concepts that I think is the least understood among Americans and that is the main reason why there is so much conflict around it. I think if people took out the time to actually learn more about the governing bodies around them and how these different administrations work, there would be less confusion and it would be easier to make necessary changes to better the government. I've really slept on politics, but now I find them quite interesting. Economics, although short, was not a hard section, and was really a lot more about common sense. Your class was very helpful to me as a young adult, who is preparing to possibly venture into a career as a lawyer, and also to a young adult who is about to be on her own in just a little while :).
ReplyDeleteSuggestions on improving this class, I would definitely say another period for the class.
Well then....hmmm...what did Paris Strother learn?? Being that I was asleep for 85% of the class I can't really say much huh? Lol. Okay so I did learn some things. None really stood out to me thought because I'm not a history or social studies person at all. I can say, though, that the section that stood out the most to me was the Judicial section. It was very intersesting to see how controversial that branch is and how much power it has. This is also the only section I stayed awake for, so that probably played a hand in it sticking out too. Haha!! Happy Holidays, Mrs. Matherson!!! : )
ReplyDeleteOh! As for improving the class, I think u should do more activities with the lesson because I personally learned better that way. Powerpoints get long and tedious and it usually goes in one ear and out the other so I would think more activities would help, but that's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhile in AP government lots of things stood out to me and were interesting while I was actually focused. I enjoyed learning about the different types of election. I also found it interesting to talk and discuss about why voters vote the way they do. As far as like which elections the majority of people vote for and why some people just do not vote. I also learned a lot about Political Action Committees, and I guess that's because I had to teach it. That was pretty interesting learning where campaign money comes from. I had never even really thought about all those posters and t-shirts costings money. :) I have to agree with Paris on doing more like interactive activities to improve the class. If I'm engaged in some sort of activities then it doesn't give me the chance to "nod off". PowerPoint's start to sound monotonous after a while if I am not very interested in the subject. It's like I hear it, but I'm not really listening.
ReplyDeleteOh and I also learned that I do not like Government; but I think I would've taken well to economics if we had more time.
ReplyDeleteWell first of all let me say I'm extremley sorry for this being so late I've been tied up with family and what not and I totally forgot about this. Secondly, I learned that government can be very interesting; however, its not something that I could see myself studying and getting involved in on a doctorate level for the rest of my life. Actually, I really believe that I would've done a lot better in Economics and it caught my attention more so than government. I wish we could've learn more of it. Hope you have a great Holiday break and see you when ever time permits next semester!! That is after the exam...... :-( .....o yea where do I get the answers for this study guide????
ReplyDeleteWell, I thought I was done with this class but I see that I have another blog to do...sorry didn't know this was here.
ReplyDeleteI learned a large amount about government. I also learned that I hate government and that they are taking our money, and some of it was used for frivolous things. I must say that I really enjoyed our small economics section. It showed me how our economy was structured. What stood out to me the most how much money went into campaigns. In my opinion they waist too much money on campaigns. There is nothing i would change about the class, I love the fact that we could debate and share our opinions in class.
@ Ben Martin yea I agree with you on the point of it not being as complicated as people make it out to be. It can get complicated at times but that's only because people are not all the same; therefore, creating controversy.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for Facebook otherwise I'd never have thought about this again. This semester I learned that the government is alot more personal than I first believed. The people who are officials are normal people doing some of the hardest jobs. I learned to be more thoughtful when criticizing the country I live in because it's really not bad. I also learned I hate doing stuff online and honestly think I got more out of 10th grade when we had to copy notes by hand. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI've learned many useful things in this class. On top of the different political things I learned, I have also found the time and patience to watch the news. I found that even though my classmates and I have very different views, we can still come together and have mature conversation and debates, which are always my favorite thing to do in class. I feel we learn more about ourselves and how to treat others respectfully while gaining new understanding on different topics.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the freedom to take notes or not. I like having them online so that I can study at home and pay attention to what you were saying in class. Although i'm not going to lie, this was the single most difficult class I have ever taken, I have learned a god bit on the workings of our government.
I've learned to enjoy news, NPR to be specific. I've also learned that I will never understand everything about government. I'd have to say that I learned most about congress. This course was difficult to say the least. I know it will benefit me in college though. You everyone to buckle down sometimes and thats good. I can't say that the class needs any changing. I really enjoyed it and learned a bunch at the same time. I feel like the class prepared me to be a voting citizen and I'm very glad I stuck through it.
ReplyDelete