Blog #3!

Formative assessment has to do with measurements and conclusions made during the course of a learning program. An example of a formative assessment is an ungraded pop quiz after the second learning session to get an idea of how the learners are doing.

Summative assessments are assessments made at the end of a learning program. These are the final judgements about the achievements of the learners. An example of a summative assessment is a final exam at the end of a class.

Criterion-referenced assessments are designed to see if a learner has reached a set level of competence. This is the preferred method. These are like tests designed to compare the knowledge of a group of people, like an EMT test.

Norm-referenced assessments are used when there is no agreement on what a person must know, such as studying literature in English class.

Self-referenced assessments are used when the student has a personal goal. The indicator of success is the learner's own opinion.

Self-directed learning is done by people who are capable of postformal thought. In other words, they prefer a learning environment where they control what is learned and how they learn it. They constantly want feedback and see their educators as colleagues instead of authority figures.

Blog #2

Role playing can be pretty fun. For me it is a useful way to learn. What I do is chair fly. I'm sure most of us have done it at least once. With a student, I could role play by chair flying a situation with him or her. I could have them go through checklists, simulate emergency procedures, and practice those in-flight maneuvers. Hopefully they won't feel silly doing this because I believe it is a very effective way to learn and improve skills in the airplane. The first time I chair flew, I demonstrated a great power off stall to James and he was impressed. It felt good!

Now for the four categories of instructional methods.

First you have instructor-centered methods. The teacher is the one responsible for getting the information to the students. They can do this through lecturing, questioning, and demonstrations.

Then you have interactive methods. Here there is communication going on between the instructor and the students. Learning is made easier by involving the student and having them participate and collaborate in the lesson. This can be done through class discussions, discussion groups, group projects, and peer teaching. Discussion groups seem to be the most common at Westminster. I would use these in a small class. Say there are many categories of a subject to go over, I could split the class into small groups and have them each summarize and present one of the subjects. This way, the students would be more involved and the learning process would be enhanced. Also, all the subjects would get covered and the students' attentions will not go away so easily.

You also have individualized learning methods. This is the assumption that all individuals learn at different paces. It focuses on the needs of each student and that feedback enhances the learning process. This seems to be a more one-on-one kind of learning environment. This can be good for the student because he or she is always getting feedback and learning at hir or her own pace.

And finally, you have experiential learning methods. This is a more hands on kind of learning. You cannot learn to fly an airplane by staying on the ground. you have to get out there!

The instructor can choose any of these methods depending on the amount of students being taught at once and the personalities of the students. It is up to the instructor to choose the method in which to teach.

Adult learners have had a lot more time to become who they are today. They have had experiences that shape all their beliefs. There are also differences in the ways that men and women learn. It is important to avoid stereotyping in order to not discourage the students.

Also, when it comes to adult learners, basically they learn slower. When we are growing up, our brains are like sponges, taking in new information as it comes to us. Let's just say I'm glad I was taught Spanish at an early age, or I would be very disappointed that half my family speaks it and I couldn't. It would be very hard to learn Spanish, or any language, at my age.

So basically, if I get an adult student, I know that the pace will likely be slower than that of a younger student with a spongy brain.

Constructivist vs. Positivist

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm really not that big on philosophy. I don't believe that there's any reason to dive so extremely deep into things and question absolutely everything about the world around us.

I read a story once about a philosophy professor's final exam. The professor put a chair at the front of the classroom and the exam consisted of one question: "Does the chair exist?"

That kind of stuff just grinds my gears. I see the chair at the front of the room. You put it there. Of course it exists! End of story. And of course, I would have failed that exam simply because I didn't go further into it.

That being said, Epistomology is one of those philosophy branches that seeks to define what knowledge really is. Sigh... Ok. If I know that 2+2 is 4, then that's that in my opinion. Why should anybody waste their time to figure out what it means if I "know" that simple math problem. And yes, I know it goes to much deeper knowledge than a simple math equation, but it's the same basic idea.

Anyway, there's some big differences between constructivists and positivists. A positivist believes that knowledge is simply having factual information in memory. They don't go too deeply into it. A constructivist is more of that philosopher. They don't believe that knowledge is something that a person haves. They believe that having a really deep understanding of material is knowledge. Going back to the simple math problem, a positivist would believe that what I have there is knowledge. A constructivist would ask me if I truly had a deep understanding of the math problem. (Which in this case I do. I can picture having two sheep and getting two more sheep. Now I have four sheep! Yay!)

I'm pretty sure I identify more with a positivist attitude. I like to have information and remember it for a long time. I enjoy the most simple meanings of what I learn. I like simply "knowing". But as much as I hate to admit it, there's nothing wrong with questioning what you really know. In college, it's not all about regurgitating information on paper during a test, but really coming out of it with an education, and being a better, more well-rounded person. It's about having that constructivist attitude. While I'm not quite at that point, because it's still frustrating to me, I believe I'll probably have to make myself go there.

When it comes to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, I can tell you which one I'm not: Auditory.
Ok, if anyone I know tells me that they are an auditory learner, I'll probably think they're lying. Yeah, I know those people are out there somewhere, but I find it hard to grasp that people can simply hear something and then understand it.

I believe that I am both a visual and kinesthetic learner. I like pictures, and actually going out and doing what I am taught. I mean, obviously I can't learn to fly an airplane without ever stepping in one.

From the article, I took that it's very important to make sure that the student has a clear understanding of the material, no matter how he or she learned it. If I ever get one of those auditory learners, I'm probably going to really make sure that they can tell me about the material in their own words so I know they got it. The same goes with the other two types of learners. And of course, I got that it's important to teach a student in the best way that they can take in the information. Like I said earlier, I like pictures, and I always tell my instructors to draw stuff out, especially systems. I now understand that what I am doing is simply requesting that I'm taught by the modality that I learn best with. In the future, I'll make sure to find out what modality my students go by, and I will cater to that and teach them in that manner.

PCATD

Hobbs in: 1941.2

Hobbs out: 1941.6

Total: .4

What I took from the class

First of all, I'd like to point out that the class was great and I took a lot of information from it.

The first bit of information I'd like to share that I learned was just how much there is involved with an engine failure in a twin. There is a lot more to it than I thought! First off, I used to think that an engine failure in a twin aircraft was not too big of a deal. I always knew twins were supposed to be able to fly on one engine, and I thought losing one engine meant just getting it to the ground. No big deal. But nope, I was surprised to learn that losing an engine means losing 80 to 90% of your performance!

I also couldn't believe just how little climb you get from just one engine, if any. Here in SLC during the summer, we might as well kiss any hopes and dreams of single engine climb rates goodbye, and embrace the reality of trying to sink as little as possible. I also couldn't believe there were so many procedures to follow, depending on when the engine was lost. For example, losing the engine on the ground, after lift off with gear down, after lift off with gear in transit or up, below or above vmc, etc etc. It was mindblowing to me.

I also learned a lot about the effects of conventional or counter-rotating props on twins. It was surprising to learn that most twin aircraft are just conventional. I thought it was crazy to find that out after learning all the benefits of counter-rotating props that airliners would still use conventional style. But hey, I guess cost plays a big roll in the industry. At least our Seminole has counter-rotating props!

Honestly, I enjoyed everything about the class except for the time... I'm not dissing on when you prefer classes to be held or anything, Julie, it's just my personal preference to avoid 8AM classes whenever I can. The only reason it's a big deal for me is because Tuesdays and Thursdays were the only days I had to get up that early, and it messed with the rest of my life in terms of sleep! Also, sometimes the homework pile did get a bit high. That's also not a big deal, seeing as we are college students and should expect it, but when all that hw is due the day of a big test (for multi!) and it cuts into the time I could be studying for the test, it could get a bit frustrating.

Otherwise, I enjoyed everything about the classes. I enjoyed the games of Jeapordy with all our weird teams names... ( Gryffindor, jonas brothers, wombats, airplanes, burritos...)

I especially enjoyed the class where we jumped in the Frasca and practiced engine out procedures. I thought it was really helpful to experience what we were being taught and see how we would react in those situations. Granted, we knew it was happening, but it was still awesome to see what happens to the airplane performance.

As for blogging, it's nothing new to me, so I'm not quite sure what to say. I guess it was cool to have a different kind of assignment! I feel like I can be myself more when doing these assignments and not have to be so formal.

And on a final note, I'd like to point out that even though it's late and I'm aware of that, I still will try to get an observation flight done. I think it will be really helpful to see a multi engine flight before I actually go on one. I'm kind of a visual person.

Over and out.

Aspen Arrival

I won't lie, I've been in a situation before where I have been on the fence about flying or not flying. I was suffering with "get there itis" when I was planning my long cross country for stage 4. When I was at flight ops, the weather seemed to be fine, but I noticed a storm cell pushing up into Colorado from New Mexico. If I left at a certain time, I might have beat the cell to the airport. That is what got me nervous. If I had gone, I may have beat the cell but only in best case scenario. What if something delayed me on the ground or in the air on the way? The storm would have beaten me, and I would have been in a bad situation. I was at flight ops for about half an hour deciding my go or no-go. I decided I would be cutting it too close, and postponed the flight for later.

Unfortunately, pressure got to the pilot flying into Aspen. He was basically demanded by "the boss" to fly into Aspen and only Aspen on their own time. Pressured to keep his job, the pilot decided to go for it, even though he would be landing extremely close to the cerfew and in deteriorating weather conditions.

On the way to Aspen, the pilot had many clues about what the conditions at Aspen were like. He knew they were deteriorating, and he heard two airplanes before him execute missed approaches. This should have been a clue that something was not right.

Also, the weather was right at minimums and continuing to get worse. This was a sticky situation.

Not only that, but the approach to land should have never been issued in the first place, as it was illegal to circle into Aspen at night. This was unfortunately the fault of the tower.

So with all these circumstances and "get there itis", everybody on board that airplane unfortunately lost their lives that night. The very sad part is that the alternate airport showed excellent weather and they could have landed there no problem.

The pilot should have put safety first and diverted to the alternate airport. This way, everybody could have kept their lives. Sure, "the boss" would have been pissed, but at least he would have been alive. Life goes on. Dinners are missed sometimes.

If I was in this situation, I know it would have been hard to execute authority as pilot in command and stand up to the boss. When it all comes down to it though, I would have had no choice but to fly into the alternate airport instead in the name of safety. Yes, I would have been in trouble, but I would have been alive.

Salt Lake 2 Departure

Can we do the SL 2 Departure in the current weather in a Seminole?

The current weather calls for:

Field Elevation Temperature - 18
Temperature at 7800 - 14
Temperature at 8300 - 13

Seminole Climb Performance, Max Gross Weight:

Two engines Operating:
Field Elevation - 900 fpm
7800 feet - 650 fpm
8300 feet - 550 fpm

One engine Operating:
Field Elevation - 0 fpm

For runway 17, we need a minimum climb of 400 feet per NM at 8300 feet, so we can do the SL 2 for runway 17.

For runway 35, we need a minimum climb of 260 feet per NM at 7800 feet, so we can do the SL2 for 35 as well.

However, we can't do the departure on one engine. In fact, with a max climb of 0 fpm, we can't do much of anything except land...