Senior Projet Reflection

(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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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?

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. 

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.

Independent Component 1

• Literal: 
• (a) I, Isabel Vazquez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. 
• (b) The people who helped me complete my independent component were my mentor Peter Rainville and Valeria de La Peña. They are both teachers who work at Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School. 
• (c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours) Post it next to your mentorship log. 
• (d) In my independent component I was able to do a variety of things. First of all in my mentor's 6th grade class I was able to help students with a iMovie project that they were working on for Math and I also helped with others in-class assignments. In Ms. de La Peña's 1st grade classroom I helped those students who were behind with their work or who were struggling. I also tested some of them on their vocabulary, but I mostly helped the teacher by organizing the student's work and putting them in folders. 
• Interpretive:

• I was able to obtain a picture of the log that I keep in Cortez which indicates the time I go in and the time I get out but it only shows from January until now. 
• 
  
• Applied: 
• The independent component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better because when I used to do community service at Cortez with other teachers I didn't work with the students as much. I would usually help the teachers by organizing papers, grading, or doing copies. However, now I was able to interact with the students and observe the different personalities and attitudes of the students and how the level of enthusiasm changes from elementary to middle school. For example, in the first grade classroom all the students are always participating and they are really eager to learn new things. In the 6th grade classroom, the students have to be called on so they can participate and most students are always off task and they whine about everything. I was able to observe the needs of those 
• 
  

Third Interview Questions

1. In your opinion, do teachers focus more on students who struggle or students who are doing good?
2. Do you believe that the current state standards help you create creative and etertaining lesson plans?
3. What techniques do you use to keep your students engaged?
4. What would you consider the hardest thing about being a teacher?
5. Do you meet with other teachers reagularly to share ideas or to discuss new lesson plans?
6. Do the students know what the goals and objectives of the classroom are?
7. How do you incorporate real-life situations into your lessons?
8. If you could change anything about your job what would it be and why?
9. How do you deal with students who refuse to do their work and don't listen to the instructions?
10. Many agree that education is taking a step backwards, do you agree with this statement?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

Content:

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
       I am doing my mentorhsip at Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School. 
2.   Who is your contact?
       My mentor is Peter Rainville, a 6th grade math teacher 
3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?  
       I have done about 20 hours and 20 minutes of mentorship.  
4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.
      At first I helped the ladies in the office by stapling papers ad makig copies and then when I went to my mentor's classroom I helped some students who were working on a project. They were making math videos using iMovie. 
5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.  

Senior Project, The Holiday

Content:
1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?
    I tried contacting my mentor through email so that I could ask if I could come in and get some hours done this week, but unfortunately he didn't get back to me because he is a teacher and he probably wanted to enjoy his break. 

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
    I learned that I should obtain more information from my mentor so that I can stay in touch with him for whatever I need. 

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
    I would talk to my mentor because even though I've only seen him a couple of times he has given me useful information and he is a really good teacher from what I have observed so far. 

Independent Component Advancements

I recently talked to my mentor Mr. Rainville and I explained to him my independent component. He offered to help right away. He said that I could start tutoring students after school twice a week so that way I can help them improve their grades and I can gain more experience working with students. He is going to evaluate students to determine which ones are currently struggling with Math. Then he is going to inform parents that their children will begin to get tutoring twice a week afterschool. I am excited to begin tutoring them because aside from doing it as part of my independent component I am also going to be able to observe the different learning styles and behaviors of the students. I am also a bit nervous because this will be a new experience for me, I've tutored students before but I would just tutor one student at a time and now I will be tutoring a group of students in middle school. Usually students in middle school are hard to work with since they are entering their adolescence and sometimes show no interest in school work. This will definately be a challenge, but I feel that I will be able to accomplish this without any hardships.

Research and Working EQ

Content:
1. What is your working EQ?
   My working EQ is "What are the best techniques one can use when teaching math in middle school?"
2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.
-One should observe the different learning styles and try to accomodate to each style by incorporating fun activities such as games or hands-on activites as well as using real-world applications.
-Children suffer deeply when their natural way of thinking, absorbing, and processing information is criticized, mocked, or ignored. Never tell a student that they are wrong and scold them.
-Help students make interpretations and to be able to generalize and recognize generalizations since math is about thinking and reasoning.
3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?
  All of the articles that I have found have helped me greatly because I have learned about the different learning styles of children and about how you must be optimistic when working with children. I have also learned about teachers' education and how some math teachers believe that they weren't prepared enough to work in classrooms with high poverty and minority groups.
4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
  I am currently volunteering at Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School, I have been helping for 4 years now. Thanks to this experience I have been able to work with students and teachers. I have observed how not all students have the same enthusiasm when it comes to learning new concepts. All this time that I've spent with the teachers has helped me learn different techniques and strategies that you can use when dealing with students who don't behave good or who don't want to cooperate.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Content:
1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
   For my 30 hours, I am planning to volunteer more at Cortez Magnet in Mr. Rainville's 6th grade Math class. I want to help him create lesson plans for the class and I want to be able to tutor students who are struggling with certain topics so that I can gain more experience working with middle schoolers. I will also be grading papers and making copies. I will basically be a teacher's assistant for my independent component.
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence/
  In order to show evidence of my 30 hours I will have to ask the school if I am allowed to take pictures of the classroom. I will also try to take pictures of the work that students do and of the type of work that I have to grade. I will also try to obtain pictures that show me helping the students.
3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
  My individual component will help me to build a better relationship with the students. I will be able to observe the different learning techniques that can be used when teaching. I will also be able to obtain information about the students' behaviors and their growth throughout the time. This information will be beneficial when trying to answer my EQ.

Volunteering at a School

         I have really enjoyed volunteering at Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School because all of the staff and the students are really nice and they are always so enthusiastic and ready to learn. I also feel very comfortable there because I attended 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at this school and I am very familiarized with all the teachers and staff. They all know me very well and have been very nice to me and are always offering to help with whatever I need.  I have been volunteering there since freshmen year and I have helped all grade levels from kindergarten to 8th grade.
        When I volunteer I help teachers by making copies, laminating posters, helping children cut out things and pasting. We also help students who are struggling with certain topics such as vocabulary, reading comprehension, adding, subtracting, or with science. Students already know me and arent shy to ask me when they need help.

Second Interview Questions

Content:
1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?
   My mentor is Peter Rainville, a 6th grade math teacher. He works at Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School and has taught there for about 7 years, since the school opened in 2006.

2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?
  -For how long have you been teaching now?
  -Where and when did you obtain your teaching credentials?
  -How many years did you spend in college in order to become a fully-credentialed teacher?
  -What hardships did you face during your first years as a teacher?
  -What degree(s) do you have?

Blog 5 Project Reflection & Working EQ

Content:

Positive Statement:
1. Many positive things have happened as a result of what I have completed so far. I have been able to meet new people who have Lot of knowledge and who are willing to share their knowledge with me. They are willing to let me follow their footsteps and this has allowed me to gain a lot of experience.
EQ Content:
2. One of the articles that helped me improve the understanding of my topic was an article named "Top 10 Teaching Tips for Middle School Math" by Scott Laidlaw. This article provides teachers with useful information and techniques about teaching math. For example, I learned that you should be aware that not all students like studying math and you can't force them to like the subject you just have to do your best and try to apply the lesson that you are teaching to a real world situation.
3. So far I've been able to find people who are willing to be my mentors. I have been in contact with a professor from Cal Poly who teaches math teachers and I will probably interview her later on in the year.
4. One of the things that I have been struggling with is that their isn't many articles that talk about teaching math to middle school students. Most appear to be about general teaching or elementary schools.
5. Finding Value:
    - One of the questions I would like to study is "What are the most important strategies when    teaching a math class to middle school students?"
    - For my mentorship I am planning to continue to volunteer at Cortez Magnet School but I am also going to see if I can volunteer at other middle schools so I can continue to meet and get familiarized with more math teachers.

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.