Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

Being able to share the information that I have learn makes me proud because I was able to demonstrate to other the importance of my topic. I am really happy because my peers were actually paying attention through my presentation. I felt proud how my presentation end up everyone contributed to help me. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

  The assessment that I would give myself would be a P.  

          

I would give myself P. 

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

Overall my senior project I think I deserve an AE because I worked hard the entire year. I ended up doing many hours to the community in order to get my senior project done, also I try so hard to get a good grade.  

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

What worked for me was research checks, and my mentorship. I think that this was the things that help me through my senior project because by doing this I got the change to get a better understanding of my topic. Mentorship help me a lot because is a place where you can actually experience and see on what you are dedicating this entire year. 

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

Something that I would have done differently to improve my senior project is to volunteer at a kindergarten classroom. I would like experience what a kindergarten classroom looks like and I think this would be helpful to see the difference between preschool to kindergarten and from kindergarten to 1 and 2 grade. 

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples. 

My senior project has helped me in my future endeavors by providing me with the skills to get along with a child. To be able to get other trust and communicate with others. When I started to volunteer at the center I didn't know how to start a conversation with a child, now I gain the skill to not just communicate with child but also with adults. For me this year has helped me to gain the communication skills with others. 

Senior Project Update

http://www.colorincolorado.org/families/school/helpyourkids

This Article helped me with my third and best answer. Is easy to understand and to follow, this article is for parent to know how to do things to provide a better future for their child education and successful life.

This book is one of my favorite source throughout the entire year because it had apply information about my answers, even though is a book for parents it helped me to get a better understanding of my answers. 

Senior Project Update

For my science experiment component, I did it at the preschool I volunteer in. Children needed to trace the alphabet and the words you see in the picture above. This helped me to get data from the children in order to know if preschool really helps the child with fine motor skills.

Senior Project Update

This video is the one that i'm showing for my 2 hr presentation. This will be my Sponge activity to show understanding of my topic.

Senior Project Update

Playing with the children at Cal Poly Pomona Children Center. 

Senior Project Update

This video is awesome, it explain very well my topic. 

Mentorship

 Literal 

Service Learning Log

Melissa Terrazas

Email: mterrazas@csupomona.edu

Phone: (909) 869-2284

Interpretive

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

•   The most important thing that I have gained from this experience is being able to gain trust not only from the children but also from teachers, staff, and parents. This is very important for me because if I wouldn’t gain the trust from these persons, I wouldn’t be able to make it through. I realize that earn trust from others is not easy, is earn by time and how you are with them.

   

Applied

     How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.

•  By volunteering there I was able to get a mentor, which helped me through my entire senior project. I also had the helped of others teachers, they were very helpful in any doubts I had. I did all my interviews with professional teachers that work there. Every question that I doubt with they helped me answer it. By interacting with the children I had the change to experience their reaction toward different activities. I paid a lot of attention to their reactions because while playing they are developing skills. By the help of my mentor and the teachers I arrive to my answers, which are by aiding in a child’s development of fine motor skills, by increasing a child’s social competence, and by providing resources to parents that will create lifelong habits at home.

Exit Interview Questions

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

• My essential question is “How can preschool best help a child to succeed in early elementary school?: My best answer is by providing resources to parents that will create lifelong habits at home. This is my best answer because parents have all the control of their children. When parents get involved in their child’s education they perform better at school. Also, this answer is most vital to my essential question because when parent participate at their child school they began to know the teacher well. parents who participate on school activities are more likely that they get involve in their child’s education.

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

• I arrive to my best answer by my mentor, Aracelle. I asked her, "what is the most important resource for a child to succeed in early elementary school?"

She respond, “children needs their legal guardian to succeed.” Children need the role model of their parents. When parents cares about their children education they are willing to find a teachers help and help them at home by providing different activities.  

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

• One of the problems that I faced was researching , for me was a problem when I didn't had a specific question. At the beginning I started to research on early childhood education many things appear but I wasn't getting to an specific point. When I finally had my final Essential Question it was easier for me to get the information needed. Having a question was more simple for me to research in order to get answers. Another trouble that I had, was my science experiment I had to test children with fine motor skills. For me, this became a trouble because it was hard to obtain more than 15 children to test. It was hard because everytime I go to volunteer they are in nap time and when they wake up, many parents comes to pick their child. I started to do this early because I knew that I was going to face this problem. Something that I did to resolved this problem was that I told my mentor and she helped me to talk with some of the parents, if they could wait a little longer. I explained to them and they did help me.

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

• My mentor, Aracelle was one of the most significant source that help me, because Mrs. Aracelle allowed me to interact with the children and to look at many different's aspects that the children learn. By providing different activities the children learn and develop many skills. One of the most important thing that she help me with was to gaining the child trust, this is very important in order for the child to be willing to participate with you. Mrs. Aracelle also help me to answer many specific questions I had. Another significant source would be Roni C.Leiderman, Ph.D. and Wendy S. Masi, Ph.D. “Let’s Play and Learn Together”. Although this book is for parent it contains a lot of information that the child's develops through play.  This book is very informative and easy to follow the steps.

(5) What is your product and why?

• My product is gaining the child’s trust. By gaining the children trust is much easier for a child to learn and this help to build relationship between the child and the teacher or the child and the provider. In the beginning of my mentorship for me was difficult to interact with the children because they didn’t want to talk to me. I tried to interact with them at many different times and they would feel secure and just ran away from me. By the time they knew me and is fun for them and I to play together. My independent component 2 I volunteer at an elementary school with 1st and 2nd graders. They also seem uncomfortable about me being around them. By the time they knew me and they interacted with me. When a child trust  you they began to build communication skills because they feel confident and secure about being around that person.

2014 Interview

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?

   Isabel Vasquez from North House

2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

         Elementary teacher is something that I am interested in, and I think this is what I like as a major.

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?

         I have been volunteering at the elementary that I went to; I would like to continue there because they know me well and I know the school well.

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

         I want to see examples of what senior project really is and to get ideas from it. I also want to experience something interesting and I hope to see good presentation that I can learn from.

5.  What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?

   Does everyone have to have a different topic? Not really because if someone want a topic as yours, you are not going to be fighting for it. The teachers will work with you to create a different question from the other person. Is not going to be the same as you research there is a lot of information and many different ways to go through the topic.

Note the question and what you told them.

     
   I advise you to not be scared yes there is a lot of work but everyone can get it done. Something that I can tell you are to start early on everything is the best way to not be stressed. Find a good mentor that is willing to help you throughout the year.  

Final 3 Column Chart

3 Column Chart