December Month Post

So for this month when I went and volunteered to Ms. De La Peña class I noticed that on one of her walls she had the Candy-land theme of snow. Below is the picture of the "snow" themed wall. The kids were being extra nice and not trying to get the color orange or else "Santa" might not bring them presents. Next to the "Snowflake Wall" is the "path" and the Students clips as to how they were behaving in class. If the children got "Reflecting" and "Thinking About it" it meant that they were talking while the teacher was talking, they didn't follow directions or that they were distracting their peers from learning.

November Month Post

So, I have gone and volunteered with Ms. De La Pena and the last time I went before break was Friday. Ms. De La Pena had me doing the children's folders. I would pick their folder in alphabetical order of course, and then organize the contents in the folder in the order that she wanted them. It was all the picture classwork, then all the math classwork, and then all of the spelling test according to the easiest words spelled to the hardest. There are about 30 children in her classroom, so it took me a while.  For right now all that I have been doing in her class is just organizing especially because for the month of December they only have two weeks of school too so, she would rather get ahead in all the "paperwork" for the month of January. So, I will be doing a lot of printing, stapling and stacks of paper so all she would have to do is pass out the worksheets.

Blog #9: EQ

1. I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ. 

2. "A.", "B.", and "C." does not meet the criteria for the rule of three for a EQ because  it ask the most important factor. Basically stating to name the most important factor to weight loss, securing a conviction, and the best hairstyle to the client to us. These three questions start with "What is the most important factor in…" , and the phrasing(format) of the questions asks to name one thing not several and identify the best out of those. Theses questions do not provide a stance. Basically for these three questions the person will just be reciting facts to provide a "backbone" to their answer but won't argue why it is the best answer out of others that may seem like a good candidate.  "D."  does meet the requirements for the rule of three it gives the person the basis to say how many ways there are to treat chronic pain and explain them and then conclude as to which this person thinks is the best. It also starts with "How can a …" rather than "What is the…".

3.  Working EQ: What is the best way for an elementary school teacher to run a classroom that will maximize the students' successor the coming academic year?

October Month Post

For this month for my mentorship with Ms. De La Peña, I helped the little kids with mostly their writing.This time about two-three children we on the "Outstanding" that had gotten their little rubber "gum ball" balls. When you're a good student you get a good teacher's comment, but if you are on pink- Parent Contact the teacher writes a bad comment on why you were on pink and what you did that got you there.

When you are on "Outstanding" you manage to get a  little                                                                                                       rubber gum ball ball as you're prize for being a good student.

Blog #8: Research and Working EQ

1. My working EQ as of right now is: what is the best way to teach children in a learning environment for them (the children) to understand/be ready in time for the next year?
2. What is the best way to teach children in a learning environment for them (the children) to understand/be ready in time for the next year?

•  Be able to encourage students to participate in classroom activities that help the children in a fun educated way; by playing certain activities that require children to use their brain while making it as interesting as if it were only a game 
• learn what is the best way to teach this years class by meeting the needs of the class and helping and encouraging students to be active in asking questions 
• Have the children work in groups or pairs in order for the children to be able to express their ideas of a solution to the problem and having feedback given to them by their; they will be able to find a solution suitable to them by working in pairs and groups
• having a "prize" for out-of-the-box thinking awarded to those students and have them explain to their classmates in their how they came to that specific conclusion;not "punishing" in a negative way (comments, or calling out the child )not participating in the class and thinking but encouraging them through positive statements that will boost their self-confidence/ self-esteem 
• having catchy phrase in which to ensure your classes attention and by awarding effective response to those who listen or pay attention
3. The most import source that I have used that has helped me come up with my working EQ is my mentor. My mentor- Ms. De La Peña - has been able to answer questions I have regarding certain things I have researched about. She has been able to verify what is most effective by showing in her classroom what she does, and why she does that. She has helped me come to concrete results on what is the most effective solutions she uses for her classroom. 
4. My mentor is Ms. De La Peña. I volunteer with her at E. Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School where I have been her T.A. for about 4 years and helping her organize and setting up the classroom. My EQ focuses more on what is the best way to teach 1st graders, because they are eager to learn and how can you effectively teach all the necessary material to these children in one year.There are many possible answers to this question and I am using my experience to solidify what I believe is the best answers for these questions. 

Blog #7 :Independent Component 1 Approval

1. What I plan to do for the 30 hours needed to complete this component is mostly volunteering and doing other interviews with the staff of Cortez as uses of resources. For the 30 hours I will mostly be working with my mentor, Ms. De La Peña in being her TA. I have had prior experience and as her TA I will make copies and help her create or look for activities for the children to do . As her TA I will also help her, as I already have with activities in entertaining or helping the children with work that she has, doing testing with some of them and doing the regular routine of the class (name of month, pledge of allegiance, day, time tables money count ext.) and much more
2. I plan on showing evidence of completing the 30 hours for this component by taking pictures of the work the children do, and of course asking the teacher and the school if I am allowed to take pictures with the kids. I will use photographs,artwork  ect. that I will do to show the children how they have to do thiers to meet the requirements for this component.
3. Helping and conducting more interviews will help me explore my topic more in-depth by helping me clarify certain points and to change or better improve my EQ. This will help me by also giving me, providing or elaborating on possible answers to my EQ.

Activities with the Children

So I have been volunteering, well mentoring with a 1st grade teacher. The kids are so cute. I however, do most of the activities with the children; I act as a TA. I do laminate posters and pages, print out worksheets, print and make copies of activities worksheets. During major holidays we spend a part of the day doing the holiday theme. For Halloween the kids will probably be coloring in a pumpkin and cutting out- I will need to help them with using the scissors. The kids will also probably get little goody bags when it is Halloween. Like the kids I have my own little clip that shows how I've been doing- and I'm on the best there is. However I don't get the "gum ball", the little rubber ball (as all the other children do) from the candy machine. It is very fun and helpful for me that I volunteer with my mentor and she answers all or any questions I have. As I do my Individual Component 1 , I will start to post up images of what I do in the classroom. 

Blog #6

 Questions to ask:

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?
2. Why did you choose to become a elementary school teacher?
3. What college/ university did you receive your teaching credentials? Why did you choose that college/university?
4. Why did you choose to teach children in elementary school?
5. I have read through my research on teaching that many learn how to be a good teacher or did learn from others because of past experience. Did you learn how to be a good teacher through working as a student teacher in a classroom or did you just know the tricks too being a god teacher?
6. Have you learned certain "tricks" to teaching from experience or have you been taught them?
7. What are some that you know and use on a daily basis with your kids (1st graders)?
8. How effectively do they work?
9. What would you say is the best way to teach children the materials they need in order to advance to 2nd grade?
10. How do you maintain the children's attention while giving them the necessary information?
11. How to you tailor your teaching to your students?
12. Do you tailor your teaching to every class specifically?

Blog #5 : Project Reflection & Working EQ

1.The most positive thing that has happened so far is being able to work with my mentor and the children and being able to add that to my experience where I can take away from it something important, valuable to me.

2. I pick my interview. My interview with my mentor has helped understand why my mentor has become a teacher and in a sense has helped me narrow down my topic so I can search in my research very specific things.  I understand where and what I want to do with my topic and it has also helped me understand my topic and has helped me improve my research. My mentor in the interview answered many questions regarding the "mentally" of the children that I read in my research.

3. The biggest thing that has worked so far for me is having the mentor and being able to ask her questions regarding teaching and children. She has been instrumental and she has explained and given her opinions to me that have helped me better understand and grasp my senior topic.

4. My research, I try to be as specific as possible and even general when searching for my research articles. However, all of the articles are very similar or say and repeat the same things. It is hdd for me to find different or new information sometimes. 

5. A potential question I would like to study is : What is the best way to teach children in a learning environment for them (the children)  to understand / be ready in time for the next year?

6. For the mentorship, since I am already volunteering I plan to understand how and why the teacher does certain things to capture the children's attention and to understand how the teacher knows what to do with wanting the children to do something or wanting their attention. 

Senior Topic Finalized

         So , I have not come to a concrete conclusion as to what exactly my senior topic is going to be. I know I wanted a mentorship and senior topic where I could work with children. So originally I was going to choose 1st grade teacher, however as I started to do research and read the articles I gathered which were mostly about early literacy. So how children think, comprehend and basically how their minds "cope" with the information given to them. I found this interesting so I might do something like how children (youths) learn and understand how to read, write and the other basics. I learned that if a child is frequently absent during 1st grade a lot that they are more limey to drop out of school in the later years. I asked this question specifically in my interview with Ms. De La Pena. She responded that this was correct because in the 1st grade is where most or all of the children learn the basics or " foundation" that their later skills will be developed on and if they miss a critical part then they won't comprehend  something later in their life in school. Then they will drop out of school because they were not fully equipped with the necessary tools to succeed in their later school years.

Blog #4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

Well, I have already had my interview with my mentor- Ms. De La Pena. I asked questions of why she became a teacher and asked her question using the information I got from my first three articles. I interviewed her just because she is my mentor and she could help guide me to the right people and help me by giving me tips on what I may want to ask other interviewers. She answered a lot of my questions with a good length of explanation and that was really good- for me.

2. You have to ask 5 questions. 

Since I have already done my interview I asked her:

Why did you become a teacher? 

Did you want to pursue something else or did you know you wanted to be a teacher?

In a article I recently read, the article stated that "good praise" is bad? Did you think that this is true?

Do you think that there are teachers who just have a "natural born" ability or do they learn how to run a classroom?

Do you think there is such thing as good teachers? Bad teachers? Why?
Are children who are absent a lot in 1st grade more likely to drop out of school later on? Why? How did you know this or find out?
Where did you get your teaching credentials? Why that school and not another one?

Blog 3: Education with Children (1st grade) and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

Topic: Education with Children (1st grade)

I-poly Citizen:   I plan form new friendships with my peers that I may have never talked to. I would like to show that I am part the 2014 class by participating in senior ASB captivities and helping out with the committees. I would like to involve myself more with the whole senior class by participating in activities such a PowderPuff to bond.

Effective Leaner:  I hope to ask for help when I know I need it before hand if I am struggling with a concept or don't understand a project component. I hope to be able to help my peers if they want it when I am sure of my understanding of the concept they are struggling with.

Effective User of Technology: Technology has been an important part throughout my years at I-Poly, so I hope I am good with it but if I don't understand something I hope I can ask someone who can help me better understand it. I hope that with my knowledge of technology I can get better research , more specific research for me to be able to use throughout the year on my components.

Effective Communicator:  When working with children who are 1st graders , I think who have to be able to communicate well with them for them to understand you.  I hope my communication skills get better throughout the year because I may need improvement in being a more effective communicator. I hope my peers will be able to help me so that I can be a more effective communicator than I was in the beginning of the year.

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal:

1. 41 hours-  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Auz9cIzNVSjXdFZiU0Jab041TGt1QVlCblRqR2I2Q2c&usp=sharing
2.  Ms. De La Pena  (1st Grade Teacher) - E. Cortez Mathematics and Science Magnet School

        E-mail:  valeria.delapena@pusd.org   (She teaches so it is more effective to reach her through email.)

Questions raised because of internship:

1.  How can one be an effective teacher and maintain the children's attention?
2.  How can one maintain the children's attention while making sure that they are still learning the necessary materials/education?
3.  How can the skills attained from teaching students and maintaining their attention transfer into other jobs?

 

Interpretive:

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

   I gained from this experience how much work and effort teachers put into welcoming new first graders into their new classrooms while making sure that they are comfortable and will not cry. 

I also realized that children do lose their focus so as a teacher you have to maintain the concept interesting and have activities so they do have hands on experience instead of just listening. As well you have to make sure that the children get i tune with a routine so as the year progresses you can have a set schedule that they can follow. 

Applied:

1. How did what you did help you choose a topic?

   I have done all of my volunteer hours at Cortez so far. I have known Ms. De La Pena  since I was in 8th grade because I was picked to be her T.A. to help the children doing arts and crafts.I do enjoy working with children especially the first graders because they are attentive and are actively participating in the classroom. I have understood with volunteering as much as I have with Ms. De La Pena that for the student to be prepared in the end of the year to go on to second grade that the children need to have a good teacher who can effectively teach all of the necessary materials while keeping the children interested through hands on activities. Volunteering with Ms. D La Pena I have become use to how a first grade classroom is run , that I think was what made me choose having Ms. De La Pena as a possible mentor. I think the topic that I will choose will either be how to be a good 1st grade teacher or how a teacher can effectively maintain the children's attention on what they have to learn.

1. The presentations I saw were: Domestic Violence, Disease Prevention, Singing Professionally, Radio Production, Voice Acting, Parks and Recreation, Solar Cup Compitetion, Theatrical Performance, Suicidal Youth, Independent Short Films, Wedding Planning  Law Enforcement and Play Therapy. The names of the people presenting their topics according to the order the the presentations seen is : Taryn, Jazmin, Jamilex, Alfonso, Deanna, Isaiah, Jesse, Daniella, Marissa, Yesenia, Sydney, Jared, and Demerus.
2. Is every one who is part of your graduating class presenting? Are you selected by the teachers, topic, or randomly? Who do you present to if you do not present to the juniors and your peers?

3. I think the most important part of the senior project is being confident about the topic you choose to do during the duration of the year and that you have to be passionate about it. Many of the students that I had gone to the presentations did not seem confident in what they have been learning and they are not energetic or passionate about their topic, so in turn the audience gets bored too easily. 
4. I am considering doing Wedding Planning as my senior year topic. I choose this because many of my close friends know that I have been looking at colleges for the medical field since middle school since I have known what I have wanted to do. My friends gave me the advice that I should do something fun and creative for my senior year topic because medical school is what I will be focused on for the rest of my life. My friends have told me that if I wanted I could do both  the wedding planning as my senior year topic, and volunteering at a hospital or Kaiser just in case I wanted to show my commitment and on-going interest in the medical field as a compromise to both. However, if I don't get Wedding Planning another topic that interested me was Play Therapy because I have volunteered with working with children where I have gotten my hours so far and I just love little kids.