Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

IT'S DONE I'M SO HAPPY

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am most proud of the fact that I was able to make time, almost 10 minutes over in fact. Presenting in general did not make me worry, it was the fact that I had to have 30 minutes of quality research time. I had plenty of information to talk for that half hour, but when I present I have a habit of talking fast, tripping over my words, and skipping over information due to all the pressure. I was worried that I would do those things and not make time in the end. I noticed that when I was talking about my first answer, I was talking pretty quickly, so when it came to my second and third answers I calmed down, breathed, and did better. Still fast I'll admit, but not as much as before. 

I am also proud of my second activity, Name Bingo. When I revealed to the class what the activity would be almost everyone in the room got excited. During the process of it all they were all very enthusiastic yet focused. I had a good time and so did the students, which really took the pressure off. 

(2) Questions to Consider

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

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

I'm stuck between giving myself a P or an AE. I felt that I made the requirements on the component contract, making my presentation worthy of a P. But after presenting and talking with seniors and juniors I heard comments like "This is the best presentation I've seen so far," "Wow you never made it boring," or "I really enjoyed your hook and activities, they were so fun," I realized that I did better than okay. I engaged my audience well throughout my presentation, my two activities better explained how preschoolers/kindergartners learn and were still very fun, and I also gave out awards to those who would answer my questions, which really kept the students involved. After reflecting I feel that I deserve a more than a P. I feel like my presentation is worthy of a an AE.

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

AE      P         AP       CR       NC

I think I deserve a P overall in my senior project. Besides my presentation, nothing was extraordinary or anything like that. I completed all the work I needed to do and I did this on time. The only thing that was late was my IC#2 out of plain forgetfulness. Not my proudest moment, but I feel as though the fact that I've always done my work with proficiency on time, it should make up for that. 

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

The incentives I had. Throughout my presentation I would ask my audience questions about what I talked about and when they answered correctly I would hand them an award with their name that said "Congratulations!" and "You're out of this world!" This really excited them and made a good portion of the class raise their hands when I asked a question. It kept them involved during my presentation, which I'm glad I did. While watching presentations I liked when presenters let their audience get involved, and not just in the activity. This incentive made them pay attention to what I had to say and them constantly participating. 

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

As much as my audience and I liked the Bingo activity, I felt that too much time was spent on it. A lot of the names and numbers I would call would not always be on the card. So that was a bit of a time waster. It was not as well executed as I would have liked it to be. 

(5) Finding Value

Working with kids is something that I want to do. Senior Project was a good way of letting myself get hands on experience and seeing if this is really what I wanted to do. After completing it, I now know that I would still very much like to work with kids, but not at the preschool age. I have found that I'm not as patient as a preschool teacher should be, so a different and older age would be best for me. I have realized that I would very much like to go into the education field; senior project solidified that for me. 

Exit Interview

1. What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is: What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten. My three answers are social skills, motor skills, and letter and alphanumeric skills. In my opinion, the best answer is social skills. I consider this the best answer because of the large emphasis there has been on cooperation and collaboration for young kids in school. This is also my best answer because social skills aren't as easy to pick up on. Children need to be around a group of people to help develop this skills. Unlike motor and alphanumeric skills, it cannot be learned at home as easily. The best way to teach and learn it is a school environment when they are surrounded by others like themselves. 

2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I first came to this answer by research. When gathering research for assignments, I noticed that social skills were highly stressed in the sources that I read. It was later confirmed to me during my Interview 3 with Bonnie Avalos. After asking her my EQ, she responded with social skills without a second thought. In her transitional kindergarten class, a grade meant to prepare students for kindergarten, she tries to teach them as many skills as possible, the biggest among those being social skills. 

3. What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

When researching about social skills, I noticed that the information seemed to get repetitive. Though there were some minor differences that did help, a big problem for me was knowing that I was not getting anywhere further with my answer. I was able to resolve this by simply talking with other teachers about why they think social skills are so vitally important to a preschooler. They gave me lots of personal examples that explained to me why they were so important and how it applies to students.

4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

One of my most significant sources I used to answer my essential question was Bonnie Avalos. She was able to explain to me why social skills were imperative to the life of a preschooler entering kindergarten and also helped my find my third answer. Whenever I had a question she was always there to answer. I probably wouldn't have gotten here without her. My other most significant source was Renee Ambrovitz. A source I found online, Ambrovitz proved to be an excellent source through her many years as a childhood educator and the detailed articles she would write online for her viewers. Ambrovitz goes in depth with each topic she writes about which I found to be incredibly helpful to my project. 

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

IC 2 is complete! :D

LITERAL
(a) I, Kimberly Ramos, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 44 hours of work.

(b) The teacher I had been working with, Bonnie, helped me a lot throughout my IC, along with articles "Gross Motor Development"  and "Fine Motor Development" by Renee Ambrovitz. These articles helped me expand by knowledge on motor development by providing specific details and examples. 

(c) IC 2 hours log updated. 

(d) For my IC 2, I volunteered in a transitional kindergarten classroom. This new, implemented grade is meant to help prepare kids with the proper skills needed for kindergarten, which is perfect in regards to my EQ. In the time I spent volunteering, a big part was mainly office work, so copying, laminating, cutting, etc. That was mainly after class was dismissed. After school I would also help clean and organize the classroom. When class was in session, I would mainly observe, hand out materials, and talk to/help students around the classroom. 
  
(e) My component demonstrates 30 hours of work because I volunteered for that amount of time and more. In the time that I volunteered, I got a taste of what it's like to play teacher and see how students are learning throughout the year. I found my component to be extremely significant, more than the first component. For my first, I worked in a preschool classroom, which only gave me background information. For this one, I worked in a TK classroom, which helps me figure out the most important skills needed for kindergarten. I was able to talk to other teachers and visit their classrooms to get a feel of different teaching/learning styles. Due to liability issues, for my evidence, I was not able to get any photos of the students, so I did what I could. I got a picture of the classroom, an activity the students did, and some work they completed. 

The classroom after a long time of cleaning. Kids are really messy.

We read Green Eggs and Ham during reading time and followed up with a writing assignment of the book.

Another writing assignment the kids worked on 

This is a sight word concentration game that Bonnie had the students play.

(f) My EQ is what is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten. For my IC 2, that's exactly what the teacher's focused on. Preparing their students for kindergarten. Watching what they teach and how kids respond to it, it's kind of difficult to see what exactly their teaching. From the outside, it doesn't seem like they're teaching anything. It looks like they are just handing kids some art materials and seeing what they do from there or singing a song with them to enjoy themselves. I had to ask the teacher what exactly they were learning in order to see more into it. When I was answered with motor skills, I could see how handing them that crayon or paint brush helped with their grip and helped move and control the small muscles in their hand. When I was answered with number skills I could see how that game of bingo helped them with recognizing numbers and understanding their significance. There was a lot I couldn't see from just observing, so I did what I had to do and reflect from there. 

Blog 21 - Interview 4 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?

The stress of social skills. I knew they were important to a child's kindergarten education, but I never realized how important it actually is. It's a teacher's number one priority skill to teach. Because of the recent emphasis on group work, children need this skill for not only kindergarten, but future grades too.
   
2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

I'll have a lot more to talk about that will help me in regards to my EQ. I would say I learned the most from this interview. Even with things I thought I knew about, there was so much more about them. Because of the greater knowledge I now have, I think it will help me on my final presentation with not only my time, but sounding like more of an expert in my topic. 

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Cp1MQ-kQXrt5-TTDyR3qqKJSZCICYt8DUZD1rFVcaw/edit?usp=sharing

Sound: https://soundcloud.com/kimramos56/interview-4

Fourth Interview Questions

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan to interview a family friend, Bonnie. She is a transitional kindergarten teacher, which I  find to be very helpful for my EQ. Her job is to help kids by preparing them for kindergarten, which is what my EQ is about. 

2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

1. What is a way you think helps preschoolers enter kindergarten better prepared? 
2. What is transitional kindergarten?
3. How is transitional kindergarten beneficial to a young child’s life?
4. How important would you say is preschool and transitional kindergarten is a kid’s life?
5. What is taught in a transitional kindergarten classroom? 
6. What should children know when entering kindergarten? 
7. What do you think they should know when entering kindergarten?
8. In what ways kindergartners tend to struggle during the school year? 
9. How can transitional kindergarten help the kids who struggle?
10. Do struggles that kindergartners face affect their academic 
performance? 

11. Do those struggles affect their social interactions with teaches and 
students? 
12. How would you suggest a preschooler best prepare for kindergarten so that they can
      be successful in the kindergarten year?
13. In what ways would you suggest parents get involved to help their child prepare for
      kindergarten?
14. What do you think is the most important skill a child can take to kindergarten with
      them?
15. How would you go about effectively teaching students the essential skills needed for
      kindergarten?
16. As a teacher for transitional kindergarten, what are some goals you have for your
      students?
17. Besides working/volunteering in classrooms, how else might I find an answer to my
      EQ?
18. Are there any books that you recommend that would help me answer my EQ? 
19. What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her 
students to best
      prepare them for kindergarten?
20. What is an experience that you would say highlights being a transitional kindergarten
      teacher?

Blog 19: Third Answer

1. EQ 

What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten? 

2. Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*

The most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten is alphanumeric skills. 

3. 3 details to support the answer

• Being able to recognize the letters of the alphabet and numbers is an expectation in
   itself for entry level kindergartners, whether they attended a preschool program
   or not. 

• Children will need to know the basic mathematical number concepts that their
   kindergarten teacher will requires according to Common Core Standards.

• Reading and writing activities are heavily implemented in a kindergarten education so 
   it's imperative that entry level kindergartners know these skills so that they don't fall 
   behind in class.
4. The research source(s) to support your details and answer

• Source #34

Abramovitz, Renee. "Classroom Expectations." Schoolsparks.com. SchoolSparks, 2014. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. <http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/classroom-expectations> 

• Source # 55

Abramovitz, Renee. "Math and Number Awareness." Schoolsparks.com. SchoolSparks, 2012. Web. 2 Mar. 2016. <http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/math-number-awareness> 


5. Concluding Sentence

Children who enter kindergarten without awareness of letters and numbers will experience difficulty in the school year. Children are expected to recognize them upon entrance to kindergarten. If they don't come in with alphanumerical skills, either time is taken away from lessons to teach them, or children will struggle as these lessons are taught.

Blog 18 - Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?

What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten? 

2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

The most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten are social skills.

3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

The most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten are motor skills.

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

◦ Learning fine motor skills will improve kids' abilities to coordinate the small muscles in
   their hands and fingers. This helps them in assignments such as writing, drawing,
   painting, etc.  
◦ Improving upon fine motor skills also helps when it comes to pencil grip. Coming into
   kindergarten a child will be expected to have a dominant hand and to be able to write
   their name, basic words, and numbers. 
◦ Learning gross motor skills will improve a child's ability to move the larger muscles in
   the arms, legs, and torso. This helps with the physical activities they'll engage in when
   they are in kindergarten.

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

Research Check #16, Source #48 

Pica, Rae. "Why Motor Skills Matter." Naeyc.org. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Jul. 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200807/BTJLearningLeapsBounds.pdf>

6. What other source supports your answer?

Research Check #15, Source #43:

Abramovitz, Renee. "Gross Motor Development." Schoolsparks.com. SchoolSparks, Dec. 2014. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. <http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/gross-motor> 

Research Check #15, Source #44: 

Abramovitz, Renee. "Fine Motor Development." Schoolsparks.com. SchoolSparks, Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/fine-motor> 

7. Tie this together with a concluding thought.

Knowing or not knowing motor skills when entering kindergarten will have a significant impact on a child. A lot of the activities kids will engage in rely upon their motor skills. A child with these skills will breeze through, whereas a child without will experience some difficulty throughout the year as he picks up on the skill. 

Blog 17 - Interview 3 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

I would say that the most important thing I learned from my interview was what skills are most important to bring into kindergarten. My interviewee, Bonnie, had mentioned that social skills are one of the most essential skills a child entering kindergarten can have. This was one of my answers to my EQ, and though I've researched on this for a while, I was able to get more insight on it. I also learned that coming into kindergarten knowing the letters of the alphabet and numbers has great significance as well. 
 
2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

I'm definitely a lot more comfortable during interviews now. At first, I treated it like it was just that, an interview. Not a conversation. I would ask my questions, maybe a few follow up questions, say thank you, and leave. It's a lot different now. I still, of course, ask my questions, but now I'm not nervous asking those follow ups and actually enjoy the conversation. After the interview, I stay a little longer to chat, whether it be about my senior topic or just anything. I go into my interviews now to have conversation, not just listen to what the person has to say. 

Audio:

https://soundcloud.com/kimramos56/interview-3

Transcript: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pZvpXe0ZT0wnBc2amTtXhhSNfsRdV5b0Ouxt6ewH8eE/edit?usp=sharing

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

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

I plan on volunteering for 30 hours. Instead of volunteering in a preschool classroom like I did on my first independent component, I plan on working these hours in a transitional kindergarten classroom instead to further my knowledge. 

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

I will post a log of my hours and also photos of my experience. These photos however, will not be able to show the students (unless you can't see their faces) due to confidentiality and liability issues. So, these photos can consist of the classroom and students' work. 

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

My EQ is, "What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them students for kindergarten?" I feel that in order to help better my answers for this question, I will need a hands on approach. So, volunteering in a transitional kindergarten classroom will help me see what it is like in a real classroom. Research and interviews do help with exploring answers, but I feel that the best way to answer my question is to get out there, observe, and gain experience. 

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

Done

Independent Component 1

Independent component is done! 

• LITERAL
  (a) Write: “I, Kimberly Ramos, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
  (b) My independent component involved me coming into the classroom and completing extra hours, so there isn't a source that I can site that helped me complete it. Everything I did to complete it was done by physically being there in the classroom. If anything you can email my mentor Bonnie at bonnie.e.avalos@gmail.com to confirm that I have done my 30 hours worth of work. 
• (c) Blog updated. 
• (d) Over the course of 2 and a half weeks, I came into the classroom whenever I could for about 3-4 hours a day. For the first week I would mainly observe what the children were doing in class and just clean. After that first week I became more involved in the classroom and began helping out the kids with assignments and problems here and there. I had more of a presence in the classroom and got more comfortable with the kids and they got more comfortable with me. I did a lot of cleaning and office work (like making copies). 
• INTERPRETIVE 
  My work was extremely significant in regards to my project because it really gave me the idea of what it's like to play teacher and student. It let me know about what typical things you see in a classroom and how children learn and act. It demonstrates 30 hours of work because thats the amount of time I took to help out in the class. You can access my log, which shows 30 hours or work, here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F1AFBqeQn_IbC2zvGoswvhPwuPLNCh15sebWG3NPYWk/edit?usp=sharing
• APPLIED
  This component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better by getting a fuller understanding of how the typical day in preschool is. Even though I was only there for the second half of the day, I know how the first half went through discussion with my mentor. The day was separated into sections which included music, arts and crafts, reading, writing, play, nap time, story time, circle time, etc. The routine really helps out the kids by making learning easier and getting the students to feel more comfortable. 

Lesson 2 Reflection

Me after finishing my presentation.

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of making time. I witnessed some of my peers falling short on time and it made me worried about not making it myself. I feared that out of nervousness I would talk too fast and be under time. Fortunately, I was able to keep calm, speak at a normal rate, and make time at the end. Once I realized that keeping up with the clock wasn't an obstacle anymore, I became more confident in myself and my presentation.

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 on my presentation for Lesson 2 because I met all the requirements necessary to earn a P. I feel that I worked to the best of my ability and for that I would give myself a P. 

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

I think what really worked in my Lesson 2 Presentation was talking talk about experiences from mentorship. That was able to grab a better hold of the audience's attention and keep them engaged. It also gave me a bit of comfort being up in front of the class knowing that my audience was interested in what I had to say. 

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

What didn't work as well as I could have liked it to be was my activity debrief. I said what I wanted to say but I completely forgot to make the class present on what they did/learned in the activity. So if I could go back, I would change that little detail that way my audience could get a better understanding of my activity. 

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

At the moment, I feel that my answer #2 will be that the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten are fine motor skills. But that answer could change after completing more hours and working on my independent component 2. 

Blog 14: Third Interview Preparation

What is the most important skill a preschool teacher can teach her students to best prepare them for kindergarten?

1. Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan on interviewing a family friend, Bonnie Avalos, for this next interview. She holds a master's degree and has been in the field for over 20 years. Not only has she taught preschool, but kindergarten too. This helps me get better insight on my EQ.

2. Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 

I have scheduled this interview for Monday February 15 at around 3:00 PM. 

3. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

Besides working in a preschool and kindergarten classroom, how else might I find an answer to my EQ? What makes that justifiable? 

4. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

How would you go about effectively teaching your students the essential skills needed for kindergarten? How do you ensure that each and every child will understand the material?

5. Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 

In what ways have you seen kindergartners struggle in your years of teaching? Do these struggles affect their relationships with their classmates or their academic performance? What do you expect kindergartners to know when they enter your classroom?

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?

There's not much you can do over break when your topic regards school. The same time you're on break, so is everyone else. Hours were definitely off the list, so instead I just did some new research on my topic to restrict myself from falling back and to learn new things. 
2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

I would say the most important thing I learned over break is that is that in order to see your students succeed and improve at school, you have to be very observant of them by paying attention to their actions, behaviors, and personalities.

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?

For my third interview, I plan on talking to a family friend. She has been teaching preschool for over ten years now. Her experience in the field draws my attention towards her.