Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Content: 

1. I am planning to interview my former 7th and 8th grade math teacher. I have been helping her for three years now. I want to interview her because I personally think that she is a great teacher and she has good techniques regarding teaching. She has always been able to get the students' attention if they dont like math, she has a way of making math interesting. Aside from being a math teacher she is also a private tutor and has taught many other subjects. She is going to be my mentor throughout this senior project.

2. Some additional questions are:
    -How can you help a student that doesnt like math so that they can be able to understand certain topics?
    -What is the most difficult thing about your job?
    -Do you have any helpful advice about dealing with problematic students?
    -How can you create a lesson that will adapt to the students' different learning capacities?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. My senior project is about teaching Math to Middle School students.
2. iPoly Citizen: In order to show growth as an iPoly citizen I will continue to keep a good attendance like I have for the past years. I will also try to help students in lower grades if they need help with homework or if they simply have any questions about projects that they are or will be doing. I am also now part of the senior class ASB, which means that I will try my best to organize fun activities so that everyone in the school will be able to participate.
    Effective Learner: As a senior I want to be able to make time every night to study new lessons so that I can be prepared for test or pop quizzes, that way I wont procrastinate by studying the night before. I also want to take better notes in every class so that I can be able to go back to certain lessons that I didnt completely understand so that I can try to figure it out by myself instead of depending on others to help me.
    Effective User of Technology: In order to become an effective user of technology I want to ask my peers who are experts in technology to help me with some of the things that I havent learned how to do. I will also check the blog and my email daily for any new information that the teachers have for us. I also intend to get familiarized with this website and I want to show improvement in each one of my blog posts.
    Effective Communicator: I have always been very shy around people, ever since I was in kindergarten. I like to communicate with my friends, but when it comes to talking to the whole class I get paranoid. One of the reasons why I joined the senior ASB was to be able to speak up for myself. I want to be able to give out announcements in front of the class without getting nervous. I am hoping that by the end of the year I can show my peers that I can be a good leader by hearing their opinions and sharing them with the other ASB members. I no longer want to be "the shy girl that never talks", I want to be able to talk to people with ease.

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal:  

1. (Know) Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties
Summer Mentorship Log 2. Contact Name & Number  
     Sabrina Ortega 
     (909)837-9310
3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.    
     -Do teachers have to go through any programs in order to renew their teaching credentials?
     -Are there any specific methods for teaching children since they all have a different learning capacity?
     -How can a teacher make a lesson fun yet educational at the smae time?

Interpretive:

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

  The most important thing that I gained from this experience was that I got to work with students and I was able to observe how they all learn differently. I was also able to participate in the classroom helping students with their homework or creating lesson plans for teachers. Aside from working with students in the classroom I was also able to attend some meetings where all the teachers get together with the principal in order to discuss any progress that has been made. 

Applied:

   
5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.
  I had already thought about doing this for my senior project because I want to be a teacher. This experience helped me decide on my topic because I enjoyed what I did and I would like to continue doing this kind of volunteer work throughout the year.