Extra Blog Post: November

11/28/2013

My favorite part of mentorship this month was helping the kids make turkeys out of colored construction paper. I prepared all of the materials for the students and handed them in to the teacher. The students also had to make Pilgrims or Native Americans; one half of the class did one character and the other half did the second. After Thanksgiving Break we will be putting them up on the classroom wall. Thanksgiving cards were also made by the students for their parents/family. Christmas will also be somewhat similar to this.

EQ

Content:

1. I reviewed the Rule of Three for writing an EQ.
Essential Question
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic. An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria.
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

- Yes; you can argue of many different ways of losing weight in healthy ways, it is also very specific and it is evident that research is required in order to find out different answers to the EQ.

 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

-  Yes; you can come up with various answers for this EQ and it is also to the  point and specific.This is something that can be researched.

 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

- Yes; also to the point/wording makes sense, it relates to everyone for the most part.

 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

- No; not very understandable 

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

- What is most important to helping an autistic child in life's everyday challenges?  

Extra Blog Post (October)

When I went to go get my interview done with Ms. Alvarez, I took a closer look at her teaching methods and compared them to Ms. De La Pena's. Ms. De La Pena's class is more group based while Ms. Alvarez has more of an independent feel.

I also noticed how some teachers may lose their temper at some point. It is evident that elementary school teachers tend to lose their temper more compared to high school teachers and college professors. So when I went to elementary I remember a lot of yelling and mad teachers telling a student what to do or what they did wrong. At Cal Poly I've only seen a professor lose their temper twice due to the lack of students coming in way too late for class. During my years at iPoly since freshmen year till now, I've seen a teacher lose their temper about six times (with different teachers).

Therefore, studying these behaviors I've now come to a conclusion that teaching takes a whole lot of patience. 

My topic has changed a bit though so I won't be looking into teaching any longer. My focus will be either on Autism or Dyslexia. 

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:

1. What is your working EQ?

 - What does a school psychologist do in order to help a student advance in schoolwork?

2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.

- Having a general idea of what the subjects are in the students grade level in order to get a better feeling on how to help with their schoolwork.

3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

- In the book Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons it talks about how students tend to have different levels of knowledge; making sure to touch base on how to understand each subject.

4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you're doing relate to your working EQ?  

- Volunteering at Cortez Magnet for the moment. Working face-to-face with the kids.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

Content:

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• Collaborate more in the classroom. (grading, reading to the students, organize lessons, etc.)

2. Discussion how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• Pictures that show me working in the classroom. 

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• I will be able to get more experience in the classroom.

4. Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your mentorship log and call it the independent component 1 log.

Extra Post for September

This month I worked at the L.A. County Fair and I worked at...

It helped me improve my social skills a little more and also working with other people. My job was to run for a cashier (I'd bring the order to the cashier) and then some days I'd be cashier myself. Sometimes I'd have to work until 12 AM and I'd work from Friday's to Sunday's. 

I've had different experiences with customers...

• Many of them were picky with their food.
• One of them called me their cousin (even though we weren't related)
• A drunk couple...
• A lady gave me a Taiwan/Hong Kong coin.
• It was hard to understand people with really heavy accents.
• Some were really friendly and some had the biggest attitude I've ever seen... 

So now that the fair is over it was sad saying goodbye to the people I had gotten close to when working with them. They were really fun and interesting people, I even remembered one of them from primary school.

Second Interview Questions

Content:
The purpose of the second interview is to justify your mentor as an expert in the field. Thus, you will be asking at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?

- Ms. Smith, she works at Cortez Magnet. (but technically right now I don't have an actual mentor now that my topic isn't really teaching)

2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?

- When did you decide to become a teacher and why?
- What are some problems that you have faced in the past when teaching and how were you able to overcome them?
- What course were required in college in order for you to become a teacher?
- What would you consider your style of teaching?
- What is a lesson plan you are most proud of and why?

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

Content:   

Using what you have done so far, answer the following 5 questions (be specific and use examples).

The Pentagon:

(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

- I got to work with a teacher I've been knowing for five years now.

(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

- One of my pieces of research () has shown me how a teacher should know how to use psychology when it is needed. For example, when I was doing mentorship hours at Cortez a student started crying because she forgot her folder and so the teacher would just use kind and reassuring words but she also made sure the student knew not to forget her materials for class. 

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

- Being able to have a close bond with the people at the school I'm doing my mentorship at.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?  

- I wanted to get a mentorship at an health organization that worked with psychologists but finding one where I could get mentorship was hard. As for finding forensic science based field (I needed to pay a lot of money in order to get into the Forensic Academy).

(5) Finding Value: 

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)

- How can psychology be used in an educational foundation? 

•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.

- My mentorship will be at Cortez Elementary School although I would've really liked to have gotten in a forensic field. My mentor is a 3rd grade teacher named Mrs. Smith.  

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Content:

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
    - I plan to interview a 1st grade teacher (not my mentor). I'm doing this so I can get different viewpoints on how adults deal with children and what it is she has to teach them.

2. You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask? Ask open-ended questions.

1.) Tell me about your students. What are some problems that you have faced when teaching the students and how do you overcome those problems?  
2.) When did you decide to become a teacher and why?
3.) What is a lesson plan you are most proud of and why? 
4.) As a teacher would you be responsible to deal with psychological problems concerning the student(s)? Give me an example of how you would handle a peer conflict.
5.) Describe how your academic training and work related experiences qualified you for a teaching position.

Additional Questions:

- Is your outside life affected in some way by your career path as an educator? If so how?
- Exactly how much should a teacher bond with their students? Why?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

Content (Directions): Answer the following 2 questions.

1.  List your topic here: Elementary Education

2.  What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs? 

As an I-Poly Citizen I plan to use my community service hours and mentorship hours effectively. My knowledge would be applied to any service I would be performing. I have been involved with a lot of community service, I would like to say that I currently have more than 200 hours of service all in a variety of locations.I am good at being polite so when it comes to respecting I would know how to behave towards others. Although I don't have much problem with this but I will try my best to turn in everything on time. Getting along with the I-Poly community is one of the things I would like to work on, especially working together with my House when it comes to competitions.

When it comes to being an Effective Learner, I want to be more knowledgeable. For example, constantly getting good marks on exams and assignments. My goal this year is to get Proficient in all of my courses. Time this year is very valuable, every minute counts and there is no time for sudden distractions. 

As an Effective User of Technology checking my blog everyday is an important part of senior year, because if I miss something then that's when things start going downhill. I also check my email almost everyday as it is also essential to my senior year. Like if I were to get an email from the Senior Class President because I had to bring something for my house for a competition between houses, if I didn't check it then my house would lose a point etc. I would like to learn how to use technology more as to presentations, not just old fashion powerpoints or prezi's, but other creative things.

As an Effective Communicator I am good at listening and respecting others. I respect my peers and I hope they feel the same that way we can all collaborate as a whole without any problems. My listening skills were always good but I don't just want them to be good, I want them to be great. Though one of the things I do want to do is to verbally communicate better. When doing summer mentorship I learned how to communicate with children in various ways but I would like to communicate better with adults. 

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

Content: Answer the following 5 questions.  Remember to link the log of your mentorship hours using google docs (drive). 

Literal: 

1. (Know) Using google doc (drive) link a log of specific hours and a description of your duties.
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoHTOS-Y5X-KdHozNUhiQ1dJMkJvdU9nODlGQ0ZvNEE&usp=sharing

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?
- Cortez Magnet, (909) 397-4750  

 3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.    
- Are there any specific laws I would have to follow in an educational environment?
- How stressful is the toll on 1st grade teachers?

 Interpretive

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
- Learning how to understand the young mind of a child. To me it's important because I've always wanted to learn how to deal with them.

Applied

5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.
- It showed me how to deal with children that have very different personalities. This was the closest thing I could find for what I had wanted, which was treating adults with the "Peter Pan Syndrome"; it is when a grown adult has the mind of a child.

2013 2-Hour Presentation Reflections

I learned about many different careers that I haven't even heard of, and that helped a lot to what I'm interested in. 

1. Presentations I viewed:
Consultation Pharmacist - Gina T.
Special Needs Behavioral Consultant - Clara A.
Real Estate - Teo C.
Web Design - Xavier A.
Forensic Photography - Nicole D.
Dance Choreography - Valerie N.
Film Directing - Amanda M.
Scope Surgery - Taylor M.
Deaf Culture - Rachel H.
Mexican Folk Art - Gohan Q.
Molecular Biology - Alissa M.
Foley Art - Evan M.
Teaching Algebra - Jesus A.
Violin - Alexa C.

2. Questions regarding the senior project:
 - In order to graduate, do we really need to reach 30 min minimum?  

3. The most important part:
 - Coming up with a really good essential question, and being able to answer it in the most specific, valuable way possible.
 - Actually knowing you're topic  

4. My topic:
 - I'm considering doing Forensic Anthropology; I've always been interested in getting into a criminology field and also learning about different people that come from different backgrounds. 

I do have other options I would like to try out though. 

Summer Mentorship Component