Educational Psychology Course Contract

Contract Plan for Educational Psychology EDSC 3000

Karin Petty

Goals for Educational Psychology (EDSC 3000)

1.       Get 80% or higher on all exams

2.       Get 90% or higher on all assignments/discussions

3.       To finish this course one week ahead of schedule

Weekly Preparation Plan

                I had read an article a few weeks ago that talked about creating a system online and on paper to help you stay organized. This semester I decided to test this system out to see if it would help me stay on top of my assignments. To start I have added everything in the schedule and syllabus to Google Calendar so that I can see how it aligns with my other classes. The calendar can be found by clicking here. Once that calendar was in place I then put the same information into my personal daily planner. Every Sunday I will sit down with the Google Calendar and make adjustments as needed.  During this review I will also glance ahead to see if any major projects are coming up, like papers, to see if I need to start preparing for them in the upcoming week. Based off of that calendar I will create my daily to-do lists to my personal daily planner. The personal daily planner will be on me at all times and as I complete a task I can cross it off. Throughout the week I will work off of the daily planner and rearrange things as needed. 

                For this course I have set aside an hour a day Monday through Friday and then two hours on Saturday and Sunday. Before each study session I will review any notes or study guides that I have worked on to refresh myself of where I left off the night before. For the last 20 minutes of the session I will go back and review my check marks (see study strategy) to review the material just in case I missed anything.

Study Strategies

                One of my challenges is that I tend to skim textbooks, especially if I feel it gets boring or I lose my train of thought. One strategy I will work on is reading every single word of text as well as putting a check mark on the page when I notice I am losing my train of thought.  A few other strategies that I will be using is creating an outline of the subject and creating my own tests for the subject matter.

                The last strategy I will implement is making sure I have a set study time and place and stick to it. In the past I have always studied in the family room and I noticed I get distracted by the TV or whatever else is going on that night. For the hour each night I am studying for this course I will be in my office. I have spoken with my family and we all agreed on a plan to allow me to study every night at the same time. My husband knows that if anyone calls or need anything I am unavailable.

When I need help….

I have outlined the steps I will take for this course when I need help:

1.       I will use the internet as a resource. If I do not understand the subject I will Google it, find videos, and examples to help me understand it better.

2.       If Google does not work I will turn to family and friends to see if they can explain it better.

3.       If family and friends do not work I will turn to my class mates

4.       If my classmates cannot help me or if I am still confused I will set up a meeting with my professor.

Summary

I will reach my goals in this course by: 1) following my weekly plan and schedule 2) implementing and following through on my study strategies 3) admitting I need help and follow the steps that I have outlined.