Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I'm proud of the fact that I completed the entire senior project, and I'm also really proud of the fact that I finished the entire hour long presentation, I really liked how my presentation went because I didn't get nervous and I was able to engage my audience into my presentation and I feel as though i made it somewhat fun and enjoyable for my audience. 
(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

 P      I believe i deserve a P because I met all the requirements on the grading rubric.  I engaged my audience, i showed my research to my answers, and i was able to support my answers.  

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

    P    I believe I deserve a P because I did all the  work needed meeting all the needed requirements. 
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
 My mentorship and mentor worked really helped me a lot throughout my entire senior project and really drove me into looking at what i want to do in my future. 
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
I was really close to not making time so i would go back and try making my presentation longer, and also to talk slower and not speed through my presentation.  
(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
Senior project really helped me see into the future of what it would look like if i were to become a kindergarten teacher, it showed me that working in kindergarten may not be something i would do in the future, i would rather work with older students. 

Blog 23: Exit Interview

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?
     My essential question is "How can a kindergarten teacher be effective?" My first answer is classroom control , my second answer is communication, and my third answer is organization and planning. My best answer is classroom control, it plays a major role in how a kindergarten classroom is ran and it effects how the school year can go. 
 (2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
    During an interview with my mentor we discussed the most important thing when running a classroom full of young and small students a teacher should be capable of keeping full classroom control. To ensure that students are safe and effectively learning.
 (3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
   While i was working at my mentorship it was very difficult for me in the beginning trying to get the students to follow my instructions, they didn't seem to take me to seriously. I talked to my mentor about it and she explained to me that it may be my tone of voice so when i went home i looked it up and found articles that discussed how students will listen and take teachers more serious when they have a deeper or more strict tone. (4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
 The most significant source I used to find this answer was definitely mentorship alongside with my  mentor. At mentorship I was able to experience how to keep classroom control while observing and also while I worked with the students i realized  how important it was to keep them in control and not let them get out of hand. Another important source was a blog by "We are teachers" that gives examples and talks about how classroom control effects a learning environment for students. 

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

(A) “I, Brandy Govea , affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 40 hours of work.”(B) The main source i used in my independent component was my Mentor Mrs.Aguirre, she is a kindergarten teacher at Edgewood Academy. (C) Independent Component Hours 
(D) For my independent component 2 i made a Unit Plan alongside with my mentor, I helped my mentor come up with a unit that connects to common core standards and that helps the class be more project based.  (E) My mentor Mrs.Aguirre explained to me that we had to come up with a project for the students that  had to focus on geometrical shapes and buildings because that is what they were learning in the core class. So with the help of my mentor we decided that we were going to have the students make buildings you would find on a college campus, since the school really likes to encourage college in the students future, from boxes, because they are geometrical shapes. I made a list with the students about different types of career paths they wanted to take in their future. The students learned about different buildings at colleges such as : natural sciences building, agricultural building, and psychological and behavioral building etc. After they learned about the different buildings, I worked with them to fill out a worksheet that explained what they wished to be when they grew up, and what building they would study at. After that, we worked with the students to create a college campus out of the boxes and made them choose where 
(F)Working on this independent component, and being so hands-on in the classroom made me realize how important all three of my answers are for my essential question (How can a kindergarten teacher be effective?) . 1. Patience, it took a lot of patience to be working with the students because at times i would want to rush through the work they were doing because it was easy to me but i had to slow down and realize that they were just learning it. 2. Classroom control while working with the students as we were making the different buildings it was very easy for the class to be able to get out of hand so, me and my mentor really had to watch and stay cautious with all the students. 3. Organization, throughout the course of working on the unit plan and unit i realized how important it was to be staying on track and to be very organized. 

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For the 30 hours required for independent component 2, I will be creating a lesson plan revolved around the Project Based learning the kindergarten class is getting into learning. For my first independent component I tried teaching a lesson but do to so much going on at my mentorship I couldn't teach , I have talked to my mentor and she said this time and now that the class is starting project based learning I can guide students and teach a lesson and give them an activity to work on , so I will basically be taking over the classroom for just a little while and with the supervision of my mentor.
2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
In in order to show proof of what I did for my independent components 2 I can ask my mentor to record just a segment of me teaching / giving instructions and I can also show pictures of what the students have been working on and the different activities I have been working on with the students.
3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This competent is gonna give me an oversight of what it's like to actually be a kindergarten teacher , it's gonna let me further understand what it would feel like to be an actual teacher for the students . I can test out some of my senior project essential question answers. Such as classroom management; I can test out different methods of keeping classroom management and see how well students behave. 4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.
Done 

Independent Component 1

• LITERAL

• (a)  I, Brandy Govea, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 36 hours and 45 minutes of work.

• (b) Source: Gullo, Dominic F. "Teaching and Learning in the Kindergarten Year."Naeyc.org. N.p., 9 June 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/Play/Ktodayplay.pdf>.

• (c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours.
• Independent Component Hours

• (d) Throughout the course of working on my component 1, I worked with the kindergarten students practice their alphabet, their reading, and with counting. I assessed the students to check up on them and see where and how far students have come to learn throughout the course of half a year in kindergarten.     

• INTERPRETIVE 

• Throughout the 30 hours of work i helped students practice their alphabet, practice reading, and practice vocabulary words. I also assessed students with packets from the Bassett Unified School district which is the district in charge of the elementary school where I am doing my mentorship at. While assessing students i got to see how far they've come and how much they learned from before they started kindergarten, when they began kindergarten to now which is half way through the year.  
   This is one of the few worksheets i made. It states what student had worked and practiced the words and exactly what words they had practiced at home.
   Here i am working with one student on the vocabulary words which we call slight words. He had practiced off of the worksheets i had created and sent home to parents. 
   These are the words that i assess the students on for the assessments that show how far students have gotten from the beginning. On the bottom is where we keep track of how far students have gotten since the last time they were assessed. 
  
  
  
  
  
   Here are pictures of me assessing two different students on their vocabulary words just ensuring they are moving forward and learning more from when they first started kindergarten. 

• APPLIED

• The independent component helped me get a better feel at what its really like to be a kindergarten teacher. I got to work with the students both 1 on 1, and me with the entire classroom made up of 24 students (with the assistance and guidance of my mentor.)  I got to experience first hand what my topic was about and got a real feel to being a kindergarten teacher which was pretty cool, and i really enjoyed the whole experience. 

Lesson 2 Reflection

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
 I'm very proud that i made time, i was very nervous i would fall short on time. I really liked how successful my activity for lesson two was. 
2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?
             P         
     b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
  I think I deserve a P because I did everything on the list for P consideration. I had everything turned in on time and I made the 20 minute mark with 10 mins of quality research. 
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
 My hook and  activity both worked out very well. I think I talked and went over a lot of information about my topic successfully.  
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
 I think I just talked really fast so I would go back and talk slower, I also forgot to talk about some things while I was up there so I in order to improve the lesson I'm gonna write it on my  presentation.  
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
My second answer will most likely be organization, teachers must be very well organized in their classrooms in order to know what to do with a  classroom full of students to make sure every students is learning and isn't confused.   

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
I am doing my mentorship at an elementary school called Edgewood Acacdemy, working with students in a classroom in the kindergarten department.
2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
My contact is Mrs. Aguirre, she is an expert in my topic of teaching kindergarten because she been a kindergarten for many years. 
3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
 I have 25 hours completed during the first semester.
4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

 At my mentorship i worked alongside with my mentor running and creating different activities with the kindergarten classroom in both the entire class together and also in smaller groups. I have worked with all the students helping with the alphabet , reading, writing, math, and vocabulary words. 

Blog 12: Holiday Project update

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?
Over the break I worked on filling out my hours log , and i also worked on finding more resources and research. During the break as well i came into contact with my mentor and planned out new activities and new jobs that i will be doing when i go to mentorship.
2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
The most important thing i have learned throughout working this whole first semester was patience. In order to work well with the younger students a lot of patience is required. I learned this and experienced it first hand throughout doing my mentorship hours.
3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?
 I plan on talking to a different teacher, I think im going to try talking to an elementary school teacher, possibly a first grade teacher tat can give an input on how students come from kindergarten, how te first grade is similar or how its different from kindergarten. I want to see if the teachers use any similar methods to how the students are taught. 

Blog 11- Lesson 1 reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
 I am proud at how well my hook activity was, because i got everyone's attention and i was able to keep it for the time being that I was presenting. 
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
CR because I was still missing some of the information that should have been stated/said in the presentation, and I was also missing my conclusion. I believe i could have done way better for this presentation. 
3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
I definitely need to rehearse and practice the lesson more and find strategies to relax because I got to nervous during the presentation , I also blanked out so I should write extra key points in case i find myself running out of things to say. I also want to add more about mentorship in my next lesson. I need to find methods to relax myself to ensure that I don't get too nervous next time. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)
 My mentorship time is being spent at an elementary school in the kindergarten section. I am working with a teacher named Mrs.Aguirre, i work with the students on different little lessons and i am helping teaching them how to read and basic math concepts. I do believe the work and things i do at mentorship are meaningful to my senior project topic.
2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

I started off with a  different mentor but that mentor was too far and i was finding it very challenging to work with that person, so i decided to look for a teacher closer to me so i went to my old elementary school and i talked with the office first and they told me to talk to the teacher Mrs.Aguirre because she was more likely to help me. Once i went to her classroom i just told her about Ipoly and the senior project and i asked if she would help me out by being my mentor and she agreed.

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship /with this person

I feel very comfortable with my mentor at this point, all the time ive spent at mentorship has brought us closer together and we kind of formed with cool bond with each other. 

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

I believe the whole interview went well, we made the interview into a sort of conversation so it wasn't too formal and it wasn't awkward or anything. Something that could be improved is maybe having more follow up questions for the questions i already have.  

Second Interview questions 4 and 5 voice audio.

Blog-9- Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
            I do currently have a mentor, she is a kindergarten teacher at Edgewood Elementary. I've been working with her for a couple of weeks now. I have scheduled my interview for next Tuesday October 27th.  
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.  
         The two most promising areas i have found is teaching methods and classroom management, i've also come across many articles about effective teaching methods with common core standards for kindergarten classrooms. 
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
        The source i want to try to focus on within the next month is to try to find more book about common core so i get more ideas and help for what i want to do for my independent component lesson. The library is probably the most likely place i will be able to easily access the books i need to find. 4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.
        What are the most efficient and effective methods to teaching a kindergarten class and keeping classroom control?
    

Blog-8 Independent Component 1 proposal

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

   For my first independent component I am planning to do a lesson plan with the kindergarten students, and then i want to do different activities with the students based on what they should be learning in school such as writing reading and counting. 

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

   In order to get evidence i was planning to get a separate log that will record how long each activity with the students is and the lesson, then discuss with my mentor the privacy of being able to record certain sections of my activities and lesson. . 

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

   This independent component will give me a taste of what it would be like to actually be a kindergarten teacher and run a classroom for a little while. This would also give me some insight on how to teach a class and create a lesson plan efficient enough for all the students to understand and be engaged. 

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

Blog 7- Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

   My mentor is Ms. Aguirre , she works at Edgewood Academy in La Puente. She is a kindergarten teacher and she has been for a couple of years now. I feel as though she is some what of an expert in my topic because she works in the kindergarten workplace.

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

1. What has been the most challenging experience while being a kindergarten teacher?
2. Was it a difficult time switching over from teaching older students to younger students? 
3. Do you think being a kindergarten teacher changed you as a person in any way? 
4. What was it like going into the teaching profession did you expect anything different from it? 
5. Is there anything about the education system that you wish you could change? 

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

    My mentorship is working very well concerning my senior project, its given me very useful resources about my topic. The teacher and students i work with have made my senior project so enjoyable and its been a great experience overall so far.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

     At first i was having a very difficult time with my mentorship because my mentor kept pushing back our meeting and set days for me to come in so eventually i just had to go out to find a different mentor. Something i could use help and assistance with is my time management skills for the senior project concerning my senior project. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

 I learned so many interesting and new facts while doing this interview. The person i interviewed was Ms. Aguirre from Edgewood Academy . She explained to me the importance on how to successfully run a classroom. She gave me an insight on what its like to be a kindergarten teacher. Ms. Aguirre taught me that even though patience is a given for teaching a kinder class you also need a lot of class control and she says that helpers come in handy especially with the younger students because they like being active.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

   Additional resources that I received were books that were recommended and also some websites that could come in to use. The book i was recommended was "Common Core standards in diverse classrooms". Ms. Aguirre says that this book is very helpful and insightful for teacher of grades. I looked into a few of the website recommended and they held really useful information. Contacts that were given to me were other teachers one preschool and then elementary teachers as a resource to see how the children succeed over the years and to see how much they improve.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

My interviewee is qualified because she is a kindergarten teacher and my topic is teaching  kindergarten.  She knows what its like because she works in the field of teaching which is what i'm looking into. 

Interview 1

Blog 4- House Advisory Prep. 1

Throughout the course of the whole senior project I would like to learn about the most efficient methods to teaching in a kindergarten classroom such as how to keep all the students focused and involved in the lessons and most importantly on how to ensure that all the students successfully learn throughout the school year. I also want to get the whole experience of being in the position  of a kindergarten teacher, I want to see if i have what it takes to work in education with younger children such as the patience and teaching skills.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?
         For the interview I plan to interview a kindergarten teacher. The kindergarten teacher is my mentor and is qualified to teach younger students and that's what I want my topic to be about. My mentor is a reliable source for my interview because she works with teaching and working with the kindergarten students and that's what i want to look into as well for my senior topic 

2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?
        What made you decide to go into the teaching field ?
        What grade did you want to teach when you decided to be a teacher ? Why?
        What is the most efficient method in teaching younger children to ensure that every child is understanding the curriculum ?

Blog 2- Summer Mentorship

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.
  My mentor this summer is Claudia Deleon from Diamond point elementary. Her phone number is (909) 706-8817.
2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice ?   
  I choose Mrs. Deleon as a qualified mentor because I want my topic to focus on younger children in education and Mrs. Deleon is a kindergarten teacher.
3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.
  What is the most effective way to keep every student's attention? , What's the best way for teachers to ensure they teach every student the lesson?, How do kindergarteners attitudes and school habits change throughout the school year?
4. What is the most important thing you learned from this experience? Why?
   The most important thing I learned was that it takes a lot of patience to work with the kids, and some kids take much more time and need more attention than others .
5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.
 I want my senior topic to be on education with younger kids and what the most efficient way to teach them . My Mentorship showed me that it's going to be a little more difficult with younger children and that it takes so much for teachers to keep every child's attention and be able to successfully teach and get the lesson across to all students.

 Senior Project Hours

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

1.  What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

       Teaching Kindergarten by Daniela Diaz, Preschool Special Education by Ilse Gutierrez, and Teaching Elementary by Daisy Torres. I found these three presentations very helpful because they all relate to the topic I was thinking about doing for my senior project. The presentations ave me an insight into what my senior year can look like and it also gave me some ideas on what I could use as my essential question for my senior project. 

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

        During senior and junior interviews the seniors I was paired with helped me a lot, calming me and telling me that senior presentation isn't as scary or bad as it is made out to be. They recommended to always stay on top of our work such as the research notebooks and mentor ship hours, and they also said it got easier when you didn't leave a whole pile of work left for the end.  

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

      The two topics I was thinking about doing were: social work and teaching. After looking further into both of those topics i discovered i was more intrigued in teaching and it was also be very difficult to do anything in the field of social work due to confidentiality reasons.  So for my senior project I would like to look into teaching because it is a career path I have always wanted to find out more about. 

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

       " What are important factors contributed in efficiently teaching a kindergarten classroom?" 

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

          For my summer mentorship hours I was going to begin working with a teacher towards the middle of the summer and help her set up her classroom for the following year and also help set up a schedule for what curriculum would be taught over the school year.