(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am really proud of the fact that I was able to talk to an audience about my project for 30 minutes. I was feeling really nervous before the presentation but once I started presenting I felt pretty confident about myself.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?
P
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
P
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I had two really good mentors, Valeria de la Peña and Peter Rainville, who were willing to help me with whatever I needed and they are really good teachers who have helped students show alot of improvement and they were able to share their techniques with me.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I would have done all the extra blogs because I would forget to do them and that affects your grade in the long run.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
This project was been extremely helpful because I was able to do a nine month project on something that I am going to do in the future. I was able to work with students and see the diversity of cultures and learning styles that there is in a classroom. I also learned about new things that teachers around the U.S. are using to keep their students engaged. For example, I learned about the Common Core Standards and how they are better than the standards that the state requires from teachers.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Mentorship
Content:
Literal
Log of specific hours with a total and description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
Contact: Valeria de la Peña
Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
The most important thing I learned from this experience was not being afraid to speak up or to ask an expert in their field for help. In the beginning, I would be scared of asking my mentor for help or advice but I have gained more confidence and have asked for help and he is always willing to answer my questions and never hesitates to help me out.
Applied
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
My mentorhip at Cortez really helped me answer my essential question because I got to interact with the students and really get to know about them. I was able to see their progress and I was also able to observe their strengths and weaknesses. I applied some of the techniques that I learned through the research that I found and saw that they were very effective when it came to teaching math. I was also able to see how eventhough a student may be struggling in a subject, they can excel in another. You have to know what your students are good at so that you can have them help others and know where they are struggling so that you can spend more time with them.
Literal
Log of specific hours with a total and description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
Contact: Valeria de la Peña
Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
The most important thing I learned from this experience was not being afraid to speak up or to ask an expert in their field for help. In the beginning, I would be scared of asking my mentor for help or advice but I have gained more confidence and have asked for help and he is always willing to answer my questions and never hesitates to help me out.
Applied
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
My mentorhip at Cortez really helped me answer my essential question because I got to interact with the students and really get to know about them. I was able to see their progress and I was also able to observe their strengths and weaknesses. I applied some of the techniques that I learned through the research that I found and saw that they were very effective when it came to teaching math. I was also able to see how eventhough a student may be struggling in a subject, they can excel in another. You have to know what your students are good at so that you can have them help others and know where they are struggling so that you can spend more time with them.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Exit Interview
Content:
1) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?
My essential question is "What is the best way for a middle school math teacher to maximize a female student's score on the California State Test?". My first answer is building strong relationshiops by learning about their culture. My second answer is creating personalized curricula that meets the student's needs. My final answer is incorporating real world applications to the lessons to keep them interested in the subject. My best answer is using real world applications in lessons because I found various articles and studies, such as the Keeping Science and Math Alive in Middle School article, that supports this claim.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I tried to compare which one of my answers had the most valid research that could support my argument. I looked at some author's opinions and research conducted by educational organizations and found that most agree that real world applications are vital when learning math. I also saw that this technique was widely used at my mentorship.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
Some of the problems that I faced where that recently my mentor Mr. Rainville and the other 6th grade teachers decided to switch the subjects they taught because they were about to begin testing and they needed to review many things with their students. When I would go to his classroom he would be reviewing Language Arts instead of Math. Fortunately, the other teacher who helped me complete my component, Ms. De la Peña, helped me. Whenever she would be teaching math I would have to walk around helping students who were falling behind. I also helped her design a STEM project where te students will apply what they have learned.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
One of my most significant sources was my mentor, Mr. Rainville, who during my 4th interview reassured me that the answers I had thought about were right. He explained the importance of each and how he applies them in his classroom. Another importan source was a study done by Microsoft Corporation. This research study helped me decide what my first answer was going to be.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Independent Component 2
Content:
LITERAL
(a) I, Isabel Vazquez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) The two persons who helped me complete my independent component were Valeria de la Peña and Peter Rainville.
(c) Digital spreadsheet
(d) During my volunteering at Cortez Magnet I helped the teachers in various ways. In Mr. Rainville's classroom I would help the students when they had classwork and I would walk around the classroom asking if they needed help or whenever they had to work in groups I would sit at one of the tables and participate in their conversations and give them feedback on their work. In Ms. De la Peña's class I did more work. I graded student's tests and quizzes, organized her books by reading level, put the students' work in their folders, and helped the students who were behind with their work. I also helped her transfer some files on to each of the student's computers that they were going to use to create a history powerpoint. Additionally, I helped her create a new STEM project for the students in which they were given a list of materials that they can use in order to create a parachute and they have to try to keep the parachute up in the air for the longest possible time at a given distance.
INTERPRETIVE
In order to show proof of my 30 hours of work I took a picture of a log that I keep in the office at Cortez which I use to sign in and out everyday I go. I also took a few pictures of the books that I organized and of the easter egg hunt that we did in the classroom.
APPLIED
This component helped me answer my essential question because I was able to see the students' math skills and designed a project that was not hard to do and which would entertain the students. They were all eager to do the project and were sharing with other students what materials they were going to use so that their parachute was the best.
LITERAL
(a) I, Isabel Vazquez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) The two persons who helped me complete my independent component were Valeria de la Peña and Peter Rainville.
(c) Digital spreadsheet
(d) During my volunteering at Cortez Magnet I helped the teachers in various ways. In Mr. Rainville's classroom I would help the students when they had classwork and I would walk around the classroom asking if they needed help or whenever they had to work in groups I would sit at one of the tables and participate in their conversations and give them feedback on their work. In Ms. De la Peña's class I did more work. I graded student's tests and quizzes, organized her books by reading level, put the students' work in their folders, and helped the students who were behind with their work. I also helped her transfer some files on to each of the student's computers that they were going to use to create a history powerpoint. Additionally, I helped her create a new STEM project for the students in which they were given a list of materials that they can use in order to create a parachute and they have to try to keep the parachute up in the air for the longest possible time at a given distance.
INTERPRETIVE
In order to show proof of my 30 hours of work I took a picture of a log that I keep in the office at Cortez which I use to sign in and out everyday I go. I also took a few pictures of the books that I organized and of the easter egg hunt that we did in the classroom.
APPLIED
This component helped me answer my essential question because I was able to see the students' math skills and designed a project that was not hard to do and which would entertain the students. They were all eager to do the project and were sharing with other students what materials they were going to use so that their parachute was the best.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Fourth Interview Questions
Content:
1. What is the difference between curricula and curriculum?
2. In your opinion, how can a teacher best help a struggling student?
3. Do you believe that teachers get trained properly?
4. Is this what you expected it would be like to teach?
5. In what ways would you make students more interested in math?
6. My EQ is what is the best way for a middle school math teacher to maximize a female student's score on the California State Test, what would you do?
7. Do you believe that today's society encourages males to excel in math rather than girls?
8. If so, how can this discrimination stop?
9. How do you meet each one of your students needs?
10. Do students retain more information through lessons with visuals or by going over a lesson various times.
11. How would you define Common Core?
12. Would you rather continue to use the State Standards as a guide for your lessons or would you start using Common Core?
13. What is the biggest difference between Common Core and State Standards?
14. Do you agree that in order to help a student a teacher must first learn about the student's culture in order to see what learning styles the student may have?
15. Currently, how are students in your class doing in math?
16. Do you create lesson plans in advanced or do you start creating them once you see that the students are progressing?
17. What is the most helpful advice you can give a new teacher?
18. What books do you think would help me obtain more knowledge of my topic?
19. Education is a very broad term, what specifically can I do research on to generate more answers to my EQ?
20. Aside from testing, how can you ensure that your students are learning what you are teaching?
1. What is the difference between curricula and curriculum?
2. In your opinion, how can a teacher best help a struggling student?
3. Do you believe that teachers get trained properly?
4. Is this what you expected it would be like to teach?
5. In what ways would you make students more interested in math?
6. My EQ is what is the best way for a middle school math teacher to maximize a female student's score on the California State Test, what would you do?
7. Do you believe that today's society encourages males to excel in math rather than girls?
8. If so, how can this discrimination stop?
9. How do you meet each one of your students needs?
10. Do students retain more information through lessons with visuals or by going over a lesson various times.
11. How would you define Common Core?
12. Would you rather continue to use the State Standards as a guide for your lessons or would you start using Common Core?
13. What is the biggest difference between Common Core and State Standards?
14. Do you agree that in order to help a student a teacher must first learn about the student's culture in order to see what learning styles the student may have?
15. Currently, how are students in your class doing in math?
16. Do you create lesson plans in advanced or do you start creating them once you see that the students are progressing?
17. What is the most helpful advice you can give a new teacher?
18. What books do you think would help me obtain more knowledge of my topic?
19. Education is a very broad term, what specifically can I do research on to generate more answers to my EQ?
20. Aside from testing, how can you ensure that your students are learning what you are teaching?
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Advisory Meeting #2
Content:
What is the best way for a middle school math teacher to maximize a female student's score on the California Math Test?
Answer #2: A teacher can help a struggling student by creating a lesson plan that meet the student's needs.
-Students have different studying methods. Ex. designing a study guide for the student
-What does the student want to achieve? Ex. Personal goals and objectives
-Most struggling students need to go over lessons so they dont fall behind. Ex. Tutoring
Teachers should see what the students needs are and adapt to them by creating a personalized lesson plan based on their needs.
-Most struggling students need to go over lessons so they dont fall behind. Ex. Tutoring
Teachers should see what the students needs are and adapt to them by creating a personalized lesson plan based on their needs.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Independent Component 2 Approval
1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For my 30 hours I will be tutoring a group of 6th grade students who are currently struggling with math. I talked to my mentor and he said that he would look at the student's grades and he would give me a list of names of those who have the lowest grades in math. Parents will be notified that their children will be receiving tutoring afterschool, hopefully I can tutor them twice a week.
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will take a picture of the log that I have at Cortez where I have to record the time I go in and the time I go out.
3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This will help me explore my topic more in depth because now I will interact with the students more and I will have to create lesson plans and study guides so that they can improve their grades. I will have to dedicate alot of time to this because I am going to have to see each student's strenghts and weaknesses and I am going to have to adapt to each one of them.
4. Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.
For my 30 hours I will be tutoring a group of 6th grade students who are currently struggling with math. I talked to my mentor and he said that he would look at the student's grades and he would give me a list of names of those who have the lowest grades in math. Parents will be notified that their children will be receiving tutoring afterschool, hopefully I can tutor them twice a week.
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will take a picture of the log that I have at Cortez where I have to record the time I go in and the time I go out.
3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This will help me explore my topic more in depth because now I will interact with the students more and I will have to create lesson plans and study guides so that they can improve their grades. I will have to dedicate alot of time to this because I am going to have to see each student's strenghts and weaknesses and I am going to have to adapt to each one of them.
4. Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.
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