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.