Senior Project Reflection

1)      Positive Statement:  I am most proud of my service learning for my senior project.  I feel like I’ve dedicated a lot of time for my service learning, and I feel like my work there was significant.  I loved helping and working with the struggling learners in Mrs. Naccara’s first grade class.  Also, I felt good about my work with Ms. Horwitz students on the Read it! Read it.  I did not only test them, but encouraged them to work hard and be prepared.  I also help those who get a little more frustrated with reading the sight words and give them whatever they need to study.

22)       A.  I would give myself a P+.  I should have kept a better track of time with my presentation overall, so I’d be able to have the class finish the last activity, but I do feel like I met all the requirements. 

B.  For my senior project overall, I’d give myself a P+ because of my independent component one being a little late and having more trouble with it.  However, I feel like I did work really hard in that component and I continued to go help Ms Underwood’s kindergarten class after I finished.  I feel like I tried my hardest in every other component within the senior project.

33)      What worked for me was my topic in general.  I was able to find research and service learning on it.  Most importantly, I really enjoyed working on my senior project since it was such an interesting, fun topic for me, but what worked for me the most was my service learning.  I went above the required hours and gained a lot of work experience with students.  

44)      What didn’t work for me in my senior project was my independent component one, only because I didn’t gather the required amount of hours by the due date.  Though, it was a great experience (observing and helping a kindergarten class) and helped me a lot with getting my answers and getting examples to work with.

55)  If I ever want to work in other schools after high school or different programs to help children, I'd have more experience that can help me easily transition and apply new techniques that I've learned through my senior project.  I've also made connections through my senior project; so, if I ever need recommendations I know who to go to.  

2- Hour Presentation

Here is the link to my 2- Hr template:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1juGpliv4J2PhO6Ht654AjgneVM2HmnqtDXjeNw-EETc/edit

Service Learning

1) Literal:

Here is the link to my Service Learning Hours Log (also found on the side of my blog):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AufLznWoxxvGdHM2dGdfcTBVclNWQ2hidHNWSmYtamc

Total Hours: 72 and 50 minutes  (14 hours and 35 minutes also part of Independent Component 1)

Description:  I work with small groups (usually struggling learners, ELL students) in Mrs.  Nacarra's first grade classroom.  If they require help with a certain assignment or need catching up, I help them in doing so.  I work on Read it! Read it! with Ms.  Horwitz students (program on reading sight words).  Thus, I help the teachers when they need assisstance in anything else, whether it's with their students or correcting tests. 

Contact Name and Number: Mrs. Nacarra & Ms. Horwitz (first grade teachers),  (909) 397-4670

Interpretive:

The most important thing I've gained from this experience is knowledge on how to work with children (specifically Kindergarteners and First graders).  Through my experience, I've learned many behavioral aspects on children and why they may behave in school a certain way.  I see that they want to have fun, but they are also willing to learn if you incorportate the correct methods/techniques.  It's made me realize that it doesn't just require patience to work with children. 

Applied:

My experience in service learning has helped me get people to interview, people who helped me receive answers I have now and inputted their personal experience with those methods.  Also, when I observe the first grade classrooms, I can see the teaching methods/techniques I've researched in action.  Through my service learning, I now have examples of how certain methods work or are applied to the lesson. 

Helping 2013

Interviewee:  Salvador Gutierrez
Interviewer:  Diana Gutierrez

Q:  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

A:  I want to play soccer.  Why? because I love soccer.  I was playing since I was eight years young, and it runs in the family. 

Feedback:  I believe you have to fill out some paperwork by May this year if you want to do a sport.  You can check up on that with one of the senior teachers.

Q:  What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?  You also have to do 50 hours during the school year.

A:  Working with an expert.  I just don't know what expert yet.

Feedback:  I think you can do your service learning with a coach you've worked with before or find some connections.

Q:  What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

A:  Effort.  Quality work.  Games and activities, where they interact with the audience.

Feedback:  Observe the room and when you watch the presentation start getting ideas of what you probably want to do for your senior project.  You may discover a new topic you'd want to work on.

Q:  What questions do you have about senior project?

A:  Do we have to take our experts to the presentation?  Do we have to have one expert or can we work with various people?  Does it have to be a professional soccer player?

Feedback:  No.  You don't have to take your expert (s) to the presentation.  You want to start thinking of possible experts to work with right now to be ready for the summer.  Start thinking of what exactly you will be doing for your service learning.  You don't have to work with a profession soccer player, I  believe.  Usually, people work with one expert (mainly one).  Think of other options, just in case this doesn't work out.

Independent Component 2

Here is my Independent Component 2 hours log (starts on Feb):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AufLznWoxxvGdERXM0d5MXlQejdmdzl0VHhuOVBSMFE

Here are pictures of some notes and one of the magazines I took notes on for my Independent Component 2:

Literal:

a) I, Diana Gutierrez, affirm that I completed my Independent Component which represents 30 hours of work.

b)  I completed 30 hours of reading, from magazines Ms.  Underwood (teacher from Independent Component 1) let me borrow and from a book called Methods for Effective Teaching.  I took notes on every section that I read, anything that I found helpful to my senior project and/or EQ.

Interpretive:

It took an average amount of 40 minutes to an 1 hour of reading and taking notes for about two months.  It's about 30+ pages of notes/research all together.  It was very useful since it was a book made for future teachers to study off of and prepare them for their careers (I checked out this book at the Cal Poly Pomona library), and so, had a lot of information from lesson planning, to grouping strategies, and handling misbehavior.  The magazines had various information on current issues within education, such as poverty affecting the academic performances of numerous students, start at a young age too, and colorblindess (not accepting diversity within classrooms).  I read about many issues/facts that I hadn't read before in my previous research.

Applied:

It definitely helped explain in greater detail all of my answers, since it talked about all the teaching methods I have as my answers; I got this information from Methods for Effective Teaching.  I read about different examples on how teachers may apply certain teaching methods within the class, and examples I probably hadn't seen in my service learning or first independent component.  Both the book and magazines talked about struggling and at- risk students.  There was information on the reasons why they may be in that position, especially at such a young age, and why certain teaching methods prove to be more effective with at- risk students (which my EQ is about teaching methods that can help increae academic gain of at-risk students in first grade).  The book actually helped me get my third answer and deepened my understanding towards that method, which was Direct Instruction.

Answer #3

EQ: What is the best teaching method to increase the academic gain of at-risk students in first grade?

Ans 3: Total Physical Response is a strategy (teaching method) that best helps increase the acadmeic gain of at-risk students in first grade.

Evidence: 

• In my third interview Ms.  Underwood explained that she commonly uses TPR because it helps with student engagement and allows them to interact with the content.  She said it works really well with ELL students, and a great amount of at- risk students are ELL students (Mrs.  Hansen [4th interview], Mrs.  Nacarra [Service Learnng]). 
• In my independent component, I not only get to work with students, but also observe the class.  I got to observe Ms.  Underwood use TPR with her students in order to teach addition.  It really helped the struggling students catch up with the other students.  What she did was have the students from two lines, sitting down.  She sat on  a chair and held a small white board where she wrote the addition problems.  When she turned the white board, the two students in the front must stand up if they know the answer, and the first one to stand and get the answer right went to the back of the line.  I noticed that the students were struggling did not know how to add (or use their fingers) or they were just doing it at a slower pace.  However, with the teacher's encouragement, high energy of the game, and the multiple opportunities it offered to win a game, the struggling students started to catch on and got a chance to get at the level of the rest of the students.
• "TPR teaching method can facilitate long term lessons retention and make it fun for children to learn and develop their academic abilities."

Sources:

• Underwood, Sherry.  Personal Interview interview.  17, Jan. 2012. &  Hansen, Melissa.  Personal Interview interview.  17, April. 2012.
• Independent Component, Ms.  Underwood.
• Kiarie, David. "First Grade Teaching Methods - Total Physical Response (TPR)." Suite101.com. 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://david-kiarie.suite101.com/first-grade-teaching-tricks-total-physical-response-tpr-method-a353305>.

3- Column Chart

Link to my 3- Column Chart:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AufLznWoxxvGdFBuN1UyZUtqUEJ3UTQ2Sm9fanFnRXc