Think about and describe this challenging learning experience. Analyze this experience from a developmental perspective using concepts you learn in this course, and explain how you would handle that challenging learning experience at your current age, again from a developmental perspective using concepts from this course.

Some basic information
You will also be required to write a 2- to 3-page reflection paper that evaluates your own development. Specifically, you will write about a time when you had to handle some kind of challenge in learning something at school during your childhood.

For this reflection paper, you will need to
1. Think about and describe this challenging learning experience,
2. Analyze this experience from a developmental perspective using concepts you learn in this course, and
3. Explain how you would handle that challenging learning experience at your current age, again from a developmental perspective using concepts from this course.

Your final reflection paper will be 2-3 double-spaced pages. To help you write this paper, you will receive a template for an outline, which you will fill out with details; this outline—worth up to 25 points—will be submitted two weeks prior to the final paper’s deadline, and you will receive feedback from me. The final version of this paper—which should include revisions based on my feedback on your outline—is worth 75 points.
No direct quotes of any sources are to be used in the paper, and when your paper is uploaded on Canvas, your paper must have a TurnItIn similarity index that is less than 25%. Any paper with a similarity index greater than 25% will receive an automatic 0. A detailed scoring rubric is on Canvas.
On the due dates indicated in the schedule below, the outline and the final version of the paper must be submitted on Canvas. The outline and the final version of the reflection paper will be penalized 10% for each day that it is late. No papers will be accepted for credit more than 3 days beyond the due date, unless you have made prior arrangements with me.

Your first step will be to think about a time when you had to handle some kind of challenge in learning something at school during your childhood.
Here are some real-life examples you can consider:
• When you were learning to write the alphabet, were there letters that were just really hard to remember how to write?
o For example, remembering which direction the letter S went in? Or remembering how many horizontal lines were in the letter E?
• If you moved to a different country during childhood and had to learn a new language, did you face challenges in learning the new language?
• When you had to learn about fractions and decimals in math, did you have a hard time understanding how fractions were related to whole numbers?
• When you started to see letters—like x and y—in math problems were you incredibly confused?
• In P.E./gym class, did you face challenges in learning how to do certain exercises?
o For example, learning how to climb a rope? Or how to do a long-jump? Or how to dribble a soccer ball or basketball ball?

STEP 2: DESCRIBE THAT CHALLENGING LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Once you have identified a challenging learning experience from your childhood, describe that experience. In describing your experience, make sure to answer the following questions:
• When did the experience happen? How old were you when this happened?
• Why was the experience challenging? In what ways was it challenging?
• Did you ever overcome the challenge? If so, how? If not, why?

Here’s my example (this covers Steps 1 & 2):
When I was in high school, I took Spanish as a foreign language, and I had an incredibly challenging time learning Spanish subjunctives in my junior year of high school. I really struggled throughout that whole year to understand Spanish subjunctives, and—as silly as this may sound—I was really frustrated by this. I had always loved learning grammar and languages, so it was emotionally difficult for me to acknowledge that I was struggling to learn something, especially because all of my friends seemed to understand subjunctives with ease! It wasn’t until after my final exam in that class that Spanish subjunctives finally clicked because I had finally figured out what the English equivalent of Spanish subjunctives were.

STEP 4: ANALYZE YOUR EXPERIENCE USING THOSE DEVELOPMENTAL CONCEPTS
Now that you have identified developmental concepts that are related to your challenging learning experience, analyze your challenging learning experience by using those three developmental concepts that you identified in Step 3.
In analyzing your experience from a developmental perspective, make sure to talk about all three developmental concepts and answer the following questions:
• Given when in development your experience occurred, why do you think you handled the challenge in the way that you did?
• For each of the three developmental concepts you identified, why do you think that those concepts contributed to the challenging experience?
o For example, did any of those developmental concepts help you overcome the challenge? Or did any of those developmental concepts hinder you from overcoming the challenge?

In my example, I might talk about how adolescent social comparison got in the way of trying to overcome my learning challenge. If I had spent less time comparing myself to my friends—and instead, asked them for help—I might have learned Spanish subjunctives sooner!

STEP 6: START THE WRITING PROCESS BY FILLING IN THE OUTLINE BELOW
Now you’re ready to start the writing process! The outline below will get you started on the outline worksheet that you need to turn in. (This outline is also provided as its own document on Canvas.) Although you are encouraged to tailor your paper to your particular perspectives, the following outline/structure will provide a framework for your paper:

I. Paragraph 1: Introduction
a. In 4-5 sentences, introduce your challenging learning experience
i. When did this happen? How old were you?
ii. What did you struggle to learn?
iii. Why was it challenging?
iv. Did you overcome the challenge?
1. If so, how?
2. If not, why?

b. The last sentence of this paragraph will be your thesis statement (i.e., the focus of your paper)
i. What is your paper going to be about?
ii. State what the three developmental concepts you will discuss are
iii. Write your thesis statement

II. Paragraph 2: Analysis of your experience using [developmental concept 1]
a. Define [developmental concept 1]
b. Explain how [developmental concept 1] is related to your challenging learning experience
i. Be specific about how this concept contributed to your challenging experience

III. Paragraph 3: Analysis of your experience using [developmental concept 2]
a. Define [developmental concept 2]
b. Explain how [developmental concept 2] is related to your challenging learning experience
i. Be specific about how this concept contributed to your challenging experience

a. Define [developmental concept 3]
b. Explain how [developmental concept 3] is related to your challenging learning experience
i. Be specific about how this concept contributed to your challenging experience
V. Paragraph 5: Analysis of how you would handle the experience now
a. Identify what developmental stage you are currently in (i.e., emerging adulthood, adulthood, late adulthood)
b. For [developmental concept 1], explain how this concept will have changed with age since the time you had your challenging learning experience
c. For [developmental concept 2], explain how this concept will have changed with age since the time you had your challenging learning experience
d. For [developmental concept 3], explain how this concept will have changed with age since the time you had your challenging learning experience
e. Explain how your own development will have changed the way that you would handle the challenging experience now

VI. Paragraph 6: Conclusion
a. Provide a one-paragraph summary that restates the main points of your paper
NOTE: You do not need to have headings for your sections, or any kind of reference page (because your only source should be your textbook).

Other notes
A good paper will:
• Be about 3, double-spaced pages (each paragraph should be about half of a double- spaced page)
• Be free from grammatical and spelling errors (Use Grammarly!!!!!)
• Not use any quotes (unless you’re quoting yourself or your own thoughts)
• Have an organization and flow that generally follows the outline above

Some General Writing Tips:
• Do not confuse “affect” (verb: e.g., corporal punishment affects children) with “effect” (noun: e.g., the effect of corporal punishment on children)
• Make sure that every single sentence makes sense. If you don’t understand what you are trying to say, the reader won’t either. Always err on the side of writing shorter, simpler sentences if you think that a sentence doesn’t make sense.
• Watch the length of your paragraphs. They should not be too short or too long. If they last for a page or more, they are too long.