1. What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project?Why?
For my block presentation, besides the obvious (making time!), I was honestly really proud of how put together my PowerPoint was. I had lots of compliments about how it really flowed and how the transitions were great. I was also really proud of my activity and how everyone was engaged in building their marshmallow sculptures.
As for my senior project, I was most proud of my independent components, both my first and second, just because they provided me with so much information that it made me comfortable to giving other people information on Early Childhood Education. My first independent component where I did extra hours at my mentorship allowed me to spend more time with an expert in the field and just see how a regular day goes for them. My second one allowed me to apply all I have learned from research and collaborate with another fellow iPoly student, Ingrid Nicole Mata, and that helped me explore more on my own, independently.
2.
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?
AE P AP CR NC
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
AE P AP CR NC
3. What worked for you in your senior project?
What really helped me was that I was never short on research material. It was tricky to find very recent articles but anything that wasn't necessarily recent I could ask my mentor, or one of the other teachers at my mentorship. So if I had to pick one main thing that really worked for me in my senior topic was my mentorship and my mentor, Ms.Chami.
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
Honestly, I can't really think of much that didn't work in my favor for senior project. If I could travel back in time I probably would do everything the same with the exception of being more prepared. Being prepared and knowing my topic by heart is definitely something I would've worked on; not because I didn't know my topic well enough but mostly to help me have more confidence on what I was talking about.
5. How has senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
At the very beginning I didn't really think my senior project would have a huge impact on myself or my future career choice, I just made the connection that it helped me practice working with younger children and learning how they worked.
However, today at the very end of my presentation when a girl asked me, "Why did you choose early childhood education as your topic?" I had to think fast because I've been working on this project all year long so I thought I was going to respond with the usual "It intrigued me." but I didn't. I realized that I choose it because it has always been a viable career option for me. Just because of my personality and because I really enjoyed working with younger children; they have so much potential for the future. So this project subconsciously helped me realize a back-up plan in case med school doesn't work out (fingers crossed) and it does cross along the same lines of child development. If all goes well, however, I already have some basic knowledge on how children develop mentally, physically, and emotionally all thanks to my senior topic.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Blog 22: Mentorship
LITERAL
INTERPRETIVE
(a) What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
On a personal standpoint from my time at the Montessori Academy of Chino, I definitely grew a lot. I developed more self-confidence in myself, because when you are around children for long periods of time, in their eyes you can do no wrong and that was a real ego boost and I learned how to just be myself, and to me that was on of the most important things I gained.
On an academic level I learned how to determine my priorities and manage my time accordingly; I had to set a schedule for myself and be reliable because my mentor would expect me to come a certain day to help her out.
APPLIED
(a) How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
Going to my mentorship and helping out helped me answer my EQ because I got to see both sides of my essential question at the same time. My essential question talks about how something a child develops in preschool helps a child in kindergarten. To most this seems very tedious and difficult but since I volunteered at a Montessori school, where the grade levels are mixed, I was able to see exactly how preschool children were learning and how kindergartners who have already learned the material, applied it to their work.
Another benefit to having volunteered at my mentorship was that they were a very hands on, let the children explore, type of school so in the case of my essential question where I was wondering what skill was most useful to a child I got to see what they used more and how it affected them.
(a) Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
Updated on the right hand side.
(b) Contact Name and Mentorship Place
Chami Jayasinghe from the Montessori Academy of Chino.INTERPRETIVE
(a) What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
On a personal standpoint from my time at the Montessori Academy of Chino, I definitely grew a lot. I developed more self-confidence in myself, because when you are around children for long periods of time, in their eyes you can do no wrong and that was a real ego boost and I learned how to just be myself, and to me that was on of the most important things I gained.
On an academic level I learned how to determine my priorities and manage my time accordingly; I had to set a schedule for myself and be reliable because my mentor would expect me to come a certain day to help her out.
APPLIED
(a) How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
Going to my mentorship and helping out helped me answer my EQ because I got to see both sides of my essential question at the same time. My essential question talks about how something a child develops in preschool helps a child in kindergarten. To most this seems very tedious and difficult but since I volunteered at a Montessori school, where the grade levels are mixed, I was able to see exactly how preschool children were learning and how kindergartners who have already learned the material, applied it to their work.
Another benefit to having volunteered at my mentorship was that they were a very hands on, let the children explore, type of school so in the case of my essential question where I was wondering what skill was most useful to a child I got to see what they used more and how it affected them.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Blog 21: Exit Interview
1. What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?
"Fine Motor Development and Early School Performance." Fine Motor Development and Early School Performance (n.d.): n. pag. Fingergym. Fingergym Fine Motor Skills | School Readiness Program. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.fingergym.info/downloads/Finemotordevpp1-4.pdf>.
o The article I found helped me realize how important and impactful fine motor development is
My essential question is, what is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten? My three answers to this question are:
o Fine motor skills
o Executive function skills
o Social-emotional skills
After much research and investigating I came to the conclusion that the answer which best suits my essential question, and the kids in their development, is fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the foundation for many of the activities, lessons, and daily functions of a child's life. They allow a child to explore and understand the world around them because they can manipulate objects around them and communicate with their movements.
o Fine motor skills
o Executive function skills
o Social-emotional skills
After much research and investigating I came to the conclusion that the answer which best suits my essential question, and the kids in their development, is fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the foundation for many of the activities, lessons, and daily functions of a child's life. They allow a child to explore and understand the world around them because they can manipulate objects around them and communicate with their movements.
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
When I first came across fine motor skills and learnt what they meant and how they had a strong influence on how children continued to progress in school I thought that it was important but I had to know more before settling on it. So I continued to look at different skills that had a major role in a child's academic achievements and it all came back to a child knowing how to work with their hands; mentoring at a Montessori school where a lot of their activities are hands-on, I realized just how much they affected a child. At this point I knew it was a very strong answer and it had lots of information to back it up on why it was so essential for a child to have, so I decided that this would be my best answer.
3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
I think the most problematic problem I had was finding good research on how fine motor skills, or any of my skills for that matter, really affected a child's academics. I had to learn how to search very specific phrases so that my research wouldn't repeat; a lot of the articles/websites I would find would basically state the same thing: what the skill was, what it does, how teachers can help strengthen them. While this information was great and everything it didn't tell me how it would affect a child's education if they weren't developed properly or how a child would succeed if they had that particular skill. But like I said by looking up specific terms and phrases my research then became much more specific and really helped me understand the skill.
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
Gibbs, Jeanne. "4: A Perspective on Children's Development." Reaching All by Creating Tribes Learning Communities. Windsor, CA: CenterSource Systems, LLC, 2006. 36-46. Print.
o This was one of the very first books I ever used to actually understand how exactly children
learn. This particular section in the book talks about the stages of development in children and
youth and has charts supporting evidence.The author herself has The author has spent her career
studying and implementing systemic processes and programs to support children's
development.
o This was one of the very first books I ever used to actually understand how exactly children
learn. This particular section in the book talks about the stages of development in children and
youth and has charts supporting evidence.The author herself has The author has spent her career
studying and implementing systemic processes and programs to support children's
development.
"Fine Motor Development and Early School Performance." Fine Motor Development and Early School Performance (n.d.): n. pag. Fingergym. Fingergym Fine Motor Skills | School Readiness Program. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.fingergym.info/downloads/Finemotordevpp1-4.pdf>.
o The article I found helped me realize how important and impactful fine motor development is
for a child. It talks about what fine motor skills are, how they develop and what specific motor
skills children should develop to get ready for formal school.
skills children should develop to get ready for formal school.
Monday, April 27, 2015
April Extra Post
Throughout this entire project I found it very interesting and helpful in finding something that I like to do. However, nothing I've really done this year, senior project wise, has made me as proud as my independent component 2 did.
With the help of a fellow senior, Ingrid Nicole Mata, we built a blog where we gathered and collected information on our topics and it really helped me embrace my topic with all the regular posts I had to do. So as we are now nearing the end of the year I can truly say that this is one of the products that I am most proud of and worked hard to pull off this month.
Now onto May with all the fun of senior presentations!
With the help of a fellow senior, Ingrid Nicole Mata, we built a blog where we gathered and collected information on our topics and it really helped me embrace my topic with all the regular posts I had to do. So as we are now nearing the end of the year I can truly say that this is one of the products that I am most proud of and worked hard to pull off this month.
Now onto May with all the fun of senior presentations!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Blog 19: Independent Component 2
(a) I, Alexis Crisanto, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 hours
and 45 minutes of work.
(b) During my component the person who really helped me through it was my fellow collaborator,
Ingrid Nicole Mata. We would get together discuss our topics, what we planned to do for our blog
and overall just bounced ideas and thoughts off one another.
(c) Hours have been updated.
(d) During my independent component 2, Ingrid and I created a wonderful blog and a pinterest where
we collected information and ideas based on what professionals have gathered themselves or what
they've personally done with children in their classrooms. We also met on various occasions at
school to just discuss what we will each be writing for a blog post or what we would like to
accomplish for this project. I also did some individual research for my posts' that are on our
conjoined blog. This really helped me because outside of research check I wasn't really doing any
intense research on my own.
INTERPRETIVE
As I mentioned previously through many trials and errors, and lots of blog construction, Ingrid and myself created a blog where we talked about articles we found, ideas we hoped to recreate, and activities we found. We did one but unfortunately weren't able to get it on camera because of technical issues but we did learn from the experience nonetheless. Below are the pictures of our creation from The Alexis and Ingrid Show!
 |
| [Before] |
|
| [After] |
 |
| All official with our Gmail! |
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| First post! |
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| One of my first research based posts. |
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| Helped me figure out my final lesson activity! |
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| Where we spent count less hours looking for pins. |
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| We have a total of two random fans! |
APPLIED
Being able to share ideas and discuss each other's different experience when dealing with children was such a great experience. I learned all she had from her mentorship and I'd like to think that she got the same from me. Being able to have someone there with whom you share similar topics is amazing. When we would discuss what we would be writing for our next blog post we would talk about our answers to our own EQs, how we came up with them, why we choose them and just spend time sharing information. It has helped me "own" my answers in a way because I've discussed them with her for such a long time that I feel more at ease answering questions about my topic, essential question, and my answers as well as experiences I've had at my mentorship.
In my last independent component I observed my mentor and as much as I gained knowledge about how she taught and how she gathered information herself it was totally different doing it myself and posting about it regularly and finding new information. This component helped me answer my EQ, what is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten, by helping me look for research, outside of my research checks, that validated my reasons behind choosing the answers for my essential question which where: fine motor skills, executive function skills, and social-emotional skills.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
March Extra Post
Spring is here, which means SPRING BREAK!
However, before we get to have fun we have to focus and work. For my independent component 2 I have promised to do a blog that provides information and fun. There will be weekly posts either about research we've -Ingrid and I- found or crafts we want to do.
To post that up though we need an actual blog!
That's what we've been working on, establishing the account, coming up with specific ideas on when, how, and what we'll post; after much hassle our blog is finally up!
A link to the blog can be found on the right side of my blog under independent component. Posts will officially begin in April!
However, before we get to have fun we have to focus and work. For my independent component 2 I have promised to do a blog that provides information and fun. There will be weekly posts either about research we've -Ingrid and I- found or crafts we want to do.
To post that up though we need an actual blog!
 |
| (BEFORE) |
 |
| (AFTER...still under minor construction) |
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Blog 18: Fourth Interview Preparation
Fourth Interview Questions
Content: Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. The focus of your questions should be on your answer to your EQ. They cannot be about the background of the person
Content: Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. The focus of your questions should be on your answer to your EQ. They cannot be about the background of the person
- EQ: What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?
- Why does preschool make a difference in your opinion?
- Do all children need preschool?
- What is a high-quality child program in your opinion?
- What have been the most formative experiences you've had in your work with young children and families?
- What kinds of varied learning activities have you planned/implemented this year and why?
- What affects a child's developmental process?
- How is a child's mind best stimulated?
- What do you think about fine motor skills? How do you use them, if at all?
- How do you think a child's executive function skills help them?
- Have you seen a child's emotional issues have an impact on the way they learn? How?
- What role does play have in a child's development?
- Do you have communication with your kid's parents? How does this play a role?
- In your opinion when are children most involved? Why?
- How do you organize your classroom? Why do you organize it in this way?
- What part of being an early childhood teacher gives you the most satisfaction?
- What part of doing this work is the most difficult for you?
- How might you use an individual child's assessment to develop curriculum in your class?
- How do the children influence your methods of teaching?
- What is the most essential thing you need to do every day with the kids?
- Which teaching method do you prefer, Montessori, Traditional, or other? Why?
Monday, March 2, 2015
Blog 17: Answer 3
1. What is your EQ?
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel
academically in kindergarten?
2. What is your third answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Another important skill a child develops in preschool that is a predictor of success in school are
emotional skills. While it may not be something that is often talked about I believe that now in the
new age that we are in children are already influenced by those around them, so it is only logical
that children learn to control their emotions at an early age.
3. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
o It helps a child's ability to control their outbursts
- I've noticed at my mentorship that the kids who struggle with their emotions, for example
keeping their anger in check when someone has taken something from them affects the way
they complete their school work because they are so focused on that emotion they don't focus
or pay attention to anything else.
o Good emotional skills help children become more emotionally sophisticated and confident
-"My 10-year-old son recently shared a secret with me. He had used some of his allowance to
buy Pokemon trading cards, which he called "way, way expensive." He didn't even like the
cards, he admitted to me. But trading them was a way for him to build and keep some
friendships in school with his classmates who collected the cards. His willingness to use his
growing social sophistication and empathy to work on friendships shows how important
emotional skills are for children in elementary school."-Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D.
o Increases social competence
- As I mentioned previously a child's ability to be able to control their emotions affects the way
they interact with those around them. If a child is happy they are more likely to share their
ideas, thoughts, or feelings with people opposed to a child who may be more sheltered
will have a harder time expressing themselves which may affect their ability to communicate
and perform in school.
4. What printed source supports your answer?
Foxman, Paul. "Chapter 1/What Is Anxiety?" The Worried Child: Recognizing Anxiety in Children
and Helping Them Heal. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 2004. 8-21. Print.
o This book/chapter got me thinking about how emotions play a role in how a child takes in their
environment and how they show their feelings. It talks about anxiety, what it is and how it
affects children emotionally, mentally, and academically.
5. Tie this together with a concluding thought.
Every child is unique. Some children are cheerful and adaptable while others are moody and easily
distressed. Emotion and behavior are based on the child’s temperament and developmental stage.
Which is why they must develop good emotional skills early on to carry into the future.
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel
academically in kindergarten?
2. What is your third answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Another important skill a child develops in preschool that is a predictor of success in school are
emotional skills. While it may not be something that is often talked about I believe that now in the
new age that we are in children are already influenced by those around them, so it is only logical
that children learn to control their emotions at an early age.
3. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
o It helps a child's ability to control their outbursts
- I've noticed at my mentorship that the kids who struggle with their emotions, for example
keeping their anger in check when someone has taken something from them affects the way
they complete their school work because they are so focused on that emotion they don't focus
or pay attention to anything else.
o Good emotional skills help children become more emotionally sophisticated and confident
-"My 10-year-old son recently shared a secret with me. He had used some of his allowance to
buy Pokemon trading cards, which he called "way, way expensive." He didn't even like the
cards, he admitted to me. But trading them was a way for him to build and keep some
friendships in school with his classmates who collected the cards. His willingness to use his
growing social sophistication and empathy to work on friendships shows how important
emotional skills are for children in elementary school."-Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D.
o Increases social competence
- As I mentioned previously a child's ability to be able to control their emotions affects the way
they interact with those around them. If a child is happy they are more likely to share their
ideas, thoughts, or feelings with people opposed to a child who may be more sheltered
will have a harder time expressing themselves which may affect their ability to communicate
and perform in school.
4. What printed source supports your answer?
Foxman, Paul. "Chapter 1/What Is Anxiety?" The Worried Child: Recognizing Anxiety in Children
and Helping Them Heal. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 2004. 8-21. Print.
o This book/chapter got me thinking about how emotions play a role in how a child takes in their
environment and how they show their feelings. It talks about anxiety, what it is and how it
affects children emotionally, mentally, and academically.
5. Tie this together with a concluding thought.
Every child is unique. Some children are cheerful and adaptable while others are moody and easily
distressed. Emotion and behavior are based on the child’s temperament and developmental stage.
Which is why they must develop good emotional skills early on to carry into the future.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
February Extra Post
For my independent component 2 I wanted to make videos and create a blog where I would have different activities, crafts, etc. up for others to look at and since that was approved (yay!) I began looking into what people with existing vlogs did to sort of get a better idea for what exactly I wanted to do.
So March craft ideas are a great time to work within a specific theme, especially for younger kids, so this artist/educator, among her many videos, talks and shows what teachers or even parents can do with their kids. This is definitely something I would do, have a video where I am making some sort of craft every two weeks, along with keeping up with my activities/craft blog. How exciting!
So March craft ideas are a great time to work within a specific theme, especially for younger kids, so this artist/educator, among her many videos, talks and shows what teachers or even parents can do with their kids. This is definitely something I would do, have a video where I am making some sort of craft every two weeks, along with keeping up with my activities/craft blog. How exciting!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Blog 16: Answer 2
1. What is your EQ?
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel
academically in kindergarten?
2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them excel academically are
fine motor skills; they are a collective skills and activities that involve using the hands and fingers,
there are several explanations as to why fine motor skills might predict academic achievement:
common neuronal wiring, experience, and direct classroom benefit.
3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Another important skill a child develops in preschool that is a predictor of success in school are
executive function skills; an umbrella term for the management (regulation, control) of cognitive
process, including working memory, reasoning, task flexibility, and problem solving as well as
planning and execution.
4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
o It helps a child's ability to self-regulate
- I noticed at my mentorship that the kids who had good reasoning skills had an easier time
controlling their emotions and behavior, so they had an advantage when it came to focusing on
tasks.
o Good executive skills have a long term affect
- A study done in 2008 has proven that poor executive function is associated with high dropout
rates, drug use and crime.
o Positive behaviors are developed
- A Montessori belief is that children need to be able to develop positive behaviors by themselves
but with adult help. At my mentorship Ms. Chami does this by promoting teamwork and leader-
ship among the older and younger kids in the classroom.
5. What printed source supports your answer?
Spiegel, Alix. "Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills." NPR. NPR, 08 Feb. 2008. Web. 08 Jan.
2015. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514>
o Talks about the psychological aspects of letting children play and how it builds self-regulation
skills.
6. What other source supports your answer?
Information gathered from my interview 3 with a Kindergarten teacher from Sultana Elementary
school in Ontario.
7. Tie this together with a concluding thought.
The reason I believe that executive function skills are essential in a child's early learning stage is
because in a rush to give children every advantage, our culture has unwittingly compromised one
of the activities that helps children most.
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel
academically in kindergarten?
2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them excel academically are
fine motor skills; they are a collective skills and activities that involve using the hands and fingers,
there are several explanations as to why fine motor skills might predict academic achievement:
common neuronal wiring, experience, and direct classroom benefit.
3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
Another important skill a child develops in preschool that is a predictor of success in school are
executive function skills; an umbrella term for the management (regulation, control) of cognitive
process, including working memory, reasoning, task flexibility, and problem solving as well as
planning and execution.
4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
o It helps a child's ability to self-regulate
- I noticed at my mentorship that the kids who had good reasoning skills had an easier time
controlling their emotions and behavior, so they had an advantage when it came to focusing on
tasks.
o Good executive skills have a long term affect
- A study done in 2008 has proven that poor executive function is associated with high dropout
rates, drug use and crime.
o Positive behaviors are developed
- A Montessori belief is that children need to be able to develop positive behaviors by themselves
but with adult help. At my mentorship Ms. Chami does this by promoting teamwork and leader-
ship among the older and younger kids in the classroom.
5. What printed source supports your answer?
Spiegel, Alix. "Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills." NPR. NPR, 08 Feb. 2008. Web. 08 Jan.
2015. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514>
o Talks about the psychological aspects of letting children play and how it builds self-regulation
skills.
6. What other source supports your answer?
Information gathered from my interview 3 with a Kindergarten teacher from Sultana Elementary
school in Ontario.
7. Tie this together with a concluding thought.
The reason I believe that executive function skills are essential in a child's early learning stage is
because in a rush to give children every advantage, our culture has unwittingly compromised one
of the activities that helps children most.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval
The Independent Component 2 is an opportunity for you to add dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research. The goal of the component is for you to explore your answers in more depth. Please answer the following questions.
1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For my previous independent component I did 30 extra hours of mentorship because I believed
that to truly understand my topic I had to observe the kids in their natural environment and that
proved to be very useful to me. However, I wasn't able to implement my own ideas for activities
because the kids are in school and they have their academic material they must get through, which
unfortunately didn't allow me to explore my topic. So for my independent component 2 I want to
be able to do so but with myself as a subject.
If approved I want to collaborate with a fellow I-poly senior [shout-out to Ingrid Mata] who has a
topic similar to mine and make videos and create a blog where we make activities, crafts,etc., for
others to follow. This way we get to share ideas, bring them to life, and maybe even help teachers
out there in the world who need inspiration!
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
As I mentioned we would create a blog- we would post a link to each of our individual
blogs- and share new ideas for activities, post up videos, discuss topics of interest related to either
of our specific answers. We would also post pictures of things we have completed and the process
of completing them.
3. Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This component will help me explore my own topic in that I will be in control of what I want to do;
prove or disprove any of my possible answers for my essential question, what is the most
important skill a child develops in preschool that best helps them excel academically in
kindergarten? I will also have someone who will help me think of possible ideas for my own
presentation and I will hopefully provide new ideas for her too.
4. Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.
Done. :)
1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For my previous independent component I did 30 extra hours of mentorship because I believed
that to truly understand my topic I had to observe the kids in their natural environment and that
proved to be very useful to me. However, I wasn't able to implement my own ideas for activities
because the kids are in school and they have their academic material they must get through, which
unfortunately didn't allow me to explore my topic. So for my independent component 2 I want to
be able to do so but with myself as a subject.
If approved I want to collaborate with a fellow I-poly senior [shout-out to Ingrid Mata] who has a
topic similar to mine and make videos and create a blog where we make activities, crafts,etc., for
others to follow. This way we get to share ideas, bring them to life, and maybe even help teachers
out there in the world who need inspiration!
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
As I mentioned we would create a blog- we would post a link to each of our individual
blogs- and share new ideas for activities, post up videos, discuss topics of interest related to either
of our specific answers. We would also post pictures of things we have completed and the process
of completing them.
 |
| This is an actual blog of a teacher who discusses and gives details of what she does to help her children learn certain subjects while also posting activities for others to do for themselves. This is something we would try to simulate. |
This component will help me explore my own topic in that I will be in control of what I want to do;
prove or disprove any of my possible answers for my essential question, what is the most
important skill a child develops in preschool that best helps them excel academically in
kindergarten? I will also have someone who will help me think of possible ideas for my own
presentation and I will hopefully provide new ideas for her too.
4. Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.
Done. :)
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Blog 14: Independent Component 1
LITERAL
(a) I, Alexis Crisanto, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours
of work.
(b) My mentor, Chami Jayasinghe from the Montessori Academy of Chino, really helped me
throughout the entire process just by being patient and by telling me about possible articles
and books that would help me. An article that really helped me answer my EQ was the one
written by Timothy Curby and Abby Carlson, "Fine Motor Skills and Academic Achievement".
(c) Hours have been updated.
(d) During my independent component I observed my mentor's classroom and did small tasks for her.
Which included: preparing activities for her for another day, grading papers, occasionally helping
out the kids when they needed it, and mostly just asking questions myself. I spent a lot of my
time jotting down possible ideas for activities/crafts to do relating to my EQ, what is the
most important skill a child develops in preschool that best helps them excel academically in
kindergarten? I also did some independent work at home by spending time looking at other
teacher's blogs and creating a board on Pinterest which led me to links about activities that work
specifically to improve a child's fine motor skills-which was my first answer-among other things,
like ways to best arrange a classroom to promote academic stimulation, developmental charts,
helpful websites, etc.
INTERPRETIVE
As I mentioned I observed Ms. Chami's classroom for my independent component and it was such an essential part of my research and gaining knowledge about early childhood education. I was not able to take pictures of the children working because it would require me getting permission from all of their parents and the Director didn't feel very comfortable with that, however I did take pictures of work they've done. Since they go to a Montessori school a lot of their work revolves around it being very independent, with help if needed, but for the most part they were working by themselves and since the classroom had ages from 4-6 the older children helped the younger ones, which helped strengthen their skills. By watching them from my little corner I was able to observe how they used their gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, etc., and like I mentioned before that was how I was able to come up with my first answer to my essential question. The opportunity of going to mentorship for an extra 35 hours really helped me gain insight to the developmental process of a child because I was not only able to see how the children actually interact in a classroom but I was also given the opportunity to have a first hand experience in their learning processes/methods.
APPLIED
My topic is Early Childhood Education, when I had first proposed the idea of doing an extra 30 hours on top of my 50 for my independent component, I honestly saw it as an easy way to get the hours out of the way but along the way I realized that the component on it's own really helped me gain a deeper understanding on my topic by having a professional available to me multiple times a week and it also gave me the chance to explore my topic in my own way. For example, I created a Pinterest board which helped me combine something I enjoy doing, pinning, with doing school work. It helped me explore a possible career in my own way which I think was the whole purpose of the component.
(a) I, Alexis Crisanto, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours
of work.
(b) My mentor, Chami Jayasinghe from the Montessori Academy of Chino, really helped me
throughout the entire process just by being patient and by telling me about possible articles
and books that would help me. An article that really helped me answer my EQ was the one
written by Timothy Curby and Abby Carlson, "Fine Motor Skills and Academic Achievement".
 |
| This article I found really helpful because it talks about the influence that fine motor skills have on early education and it also helped me come up with my activity for my second lesson. |
(d) During my independent component I observed my mentor's classroom and did small tasks for her.
Which included: preparing activities for her for another day, grading papers, occasionally helping
out the kids when they needed it, and mostly just asking questions myself. I spent a lot of my
time jotting down possible ideas for activities/crafts to do relating to my EQ, what is the
most important skill a child develops in preschool that best helps them excel academically in
kindergarten? I also did some independent work at home by spending time looking at other
teacher's blogs and creating a board on Pinterest which led me to links about activities that work
specifically to improve a child's fine motor skills-which was my first answer-among other things,
like ways to best arrange a classroom to promote academic stimulation, developmental charts,
helpful websites, etc.
INTERPRETIVE
As I mentioned I observed Ms. Chami's classroom for my independent component and it was such an essential part of my research and gaining knowledge about early childhood education. I was not able to take pictures of the children working because it would require me getting permission from all of their parents and the Director didn't feel very comfortable with that, however I did take pictures of work they've done. Since they go to a Montessori school a lot of their work revolves around it being very independent, with help if needed, but for the most part they were working by themselves and since the classroom had ages from 4-6 the older children helped the younger ones, which helped strengthen their skills. By watching them from my little corner I was able to observe how they used their gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, etc., and like I mentioned before that was how I was able to come up with my first answer to my essential question. The opportunity of going to mentorship for an extra 35 hours really helped me gain insight to the developmental process of a child because I was not only able to see how the children actually interact in a classroom but I was also given the opportunity to have a first hand experience in their learning processes/methods.
 |
| One of the first spelling tests I graded and she was just off by one. :( |
 |
| Getting cotton ball fluff off of kids is really hard especially when the glue has dried! |
.JPG) |
| Another almost completely right paper :( she got really good at writing her ones though :) |
 |
| I remember Ms. Mary, Ms. Chami's assistant teacher, was so sad to take down her scarecrow, she worked so hard. |
 |
| I got to make my own ornament and I brought it home to my mom! |
APPLIED
My topic is Early Childhood Education, when I had first proposed the idea of doing an extra 30 hours on top of my 50 for my independent component, I honestly saw it as an easy way to get the hours out of the way but along the way I realized that the component on it's own really helped me gain a deeper understanding on my topic by having a professional available to me multiple times a week and it also gave me the chance to explore my topic in my own way. For example, I created a Pinterest board which helped me combine something I enjoy doing, pinning, with doing school work. It helped me explore a possible career in my own way which I think was the whole purpose of the component.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
January Extra Post
Answer two quest
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?
The new year is finally here, 2015, and along with that many new challenges and experiences are awaiting. We [seniors] have faced our first challenge of the year and have finally finished second lesson presentations and are now just that much closer to our actual 2-hour!
Putting aside all the stress and anxiety of our second presentation I actually really enjoyed the whole process of finding my first answer for my EQ: Fine motor skills are the collective skills and activities that involve using the hands and fingers, which are a predictor of achievement involving common neuronal wiring, experience-dependent learning, and direct classroom learning.
So now that I explored a type of physical skill I now want to learn more about a emotional/social skill that may affect a child's ability to communicate with others that may have an impact in the way the succeed academically in later years.
What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?
The new year is finally here, 2015, and along with that many new challenges and experiences are awaiting. We [seniors] have faced our first challenge of the year and have finally finished second lesson presentations and are now just that much closer to our actual 2-hour!
Putting aside all the stress and anxiety of our second presentation I actually really enjoyed the whole process of finding my first answer for my EQ: Fine motor skills are the collective skills and activities that involve using the hands and fingers, which are a predictor of achievement involving common neuronal wiring, experience-dependent learning, and direct classroom learning.
So now that I explored a type of physical skill I now want to learn more about a emotional/social skill that may affect a child's ability to communicate with others that may have an impact in the way the succeed academically in later years.
 |
| In my last research check I found this article that helps parents understand their child's issues with social skills and what can be affected because of that.
This is something I really want to know more about and I hope will be a second answer to my essential question. In the meantime I will be looking up some books that discuss what a lack of social skills can do to a child academically and the long term effects.
|
Monday, January 26, 2015
Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection
1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
I am most proud of the way my PowerPoint was organized and about how I was able to engage my audience with the small prizes I had. I think that when you have something available for your audience it not only makes them pay attention to what you're saying but it also gives you a little ease of mind when you know people are at least looking at your information.
2.
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?
AE P AP CR NC
b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I think I deserve to at least be considered for a P because I turned in my lesson plan on time,
my materials and equipment were ready to go, my EQ was clearly visible on my PowerPoint,
I cleaned up after my presentation, and I do believe I at least made 20 minutes.
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
I think what really worked for me was my activity because not only was my audience engaged but I felt a little more confident afterwards because I took that pause.
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
I know that I probably rushed through my research and didn't say all I wanted to say about it. If I could go back in time I would have taken a deep breath and just focus on what I was going to say because I was fine when I was going to talk but just for a small second I freaked out when I looked out into the "crowd" and I feel like that threw me off.
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
I think my answer 2 will have something to do with social development in young children. Social development, like fine motor skills, have a subconscious affect on a child and the way they view academics because if a child is more open to people they have an easier time asking for help compared to a child who may be more shy.
I am most proud of the way my PowerPoint was organized and about how I was able to engage my audience with the small prizes I had. I think that when you have something available for your audience it not only makes them pay attention to what you're saying but it also gives you a little ease of mind when you know people are at least looking at your information.
2.
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?
AE P AP CR NC
b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I think I deserve to at least be considered for a P because I turned in my lesson plan on time,
my materials and equipment were ready to go, my EQ was clearly visible on my PowerPoint,
I cleaned up after my presentation, and I do believe I at least made 20 minutes.
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
I think what really worked for me was my activity because not only was my audience engaged but I felt a little more confident afterwards because I took that pause.
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
I know that I probably rushed through my research and didn't say all I wanted to say about it. If I could go back in time I would have taken a deep breath and just focus on what I was going to say because I was fine when I was going to talk but just for a small second I freaked out when I looked out into the "crowd" and I feel like that threw me off.
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
I think my answer 2 will have something to do with social development in young children. Social development, like fine motor skills, have a subconscious affect on a child and the way they view academics because if a child is more open to people they have an easier time asking for help compared to a child who may be more shy.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Blog 12: Mentorship 10 hours check
1. Where are you doing your mentorship?
I am doing my mentorship at the Montessori Academy of Chino.
2. Who is your contact?
My contact there is Ms. Chami, who is my mentor.
3. How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?
Unfortunately I have only completed 11 hours for my mentorship. I am thinking of instead of
going once a week (Mondays) I will start to go both Monday and Friday for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.
The only difference from what I did in the summer and what I do now is that I am no longer in the
front office answering phones and what not. I am now in the classroom helping out the kids
with their work, helping Ms.Mary with grading, and running small errands for Ms.Chami.
I am doing my mentorship at the Montessori Academy of Chino.
2. Who is your contact?
My contact there is Ms. Chami, who is my mentor.
3. How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?
Unfortunately I have only completed 11 hours for my mentorship. I am thinking of instead of
going once a week (Mondays) I will start to go both Monday and Friday for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.
The only difference from what I did in the summer and what I do now is that I am no longer in the
front office answering phones and what not. I am now in the classroom helping out the kids
with their work, helping Ms.Mary with grading, and running small errands for Ms.Chami.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Blog 11: 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?
As I previously mentioned in my December blog post, I mentor at a daycare/school and they were also on break, so I didn't get the opportunity to spend time with the kids. However, my mentor, Ms. Chami and I were talking about coming up with activities to present to the children. So, I scoured the internet, and Pinterest, to find stuff that both benefits the kids and lets them have fun and then I will show what I found to my mentor and we will see what we are going to do with them.
2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why? What was the source of what you learned?
Well my essential question is, "what is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?", so began to think about how a child, or person in general, gains a new skill. I believe we learn something new either by seeing and/or doing. In my opinion, and from what I've seen at my mentorship, a child best learns when they are interacting with something new. So when I was looking up different activities I came across this link which explains what an activity in a Montessori learning curriculum is.
Another thing I learned from my mini activity research, is another solid piece to help me come up with an answer to my EQ, which is that fine motor skills are the most important. I found that information on this link; it also has various activities for a child to do. I read that many children have weak fine motor skills and in effort to improve upon those skills a teacher talks about different things you could teach the child to strengthen those skills.
3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
If I was going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for my EQ, I would most likely talk to my mentor's assistant, Ms. Mary, because she gets to observe the children who are preschoolers/transitional kindergarteners/some kindergarteners for a full school day, five times a week. She knows what a child lacks when they get to the kindergarten level and how to help them and she also gets to help improve the skills of the preschoolers before they get to kindergarten.
As I previously mentioned in my December blog post, I mentor at a daycare/school and they were also on break, so I didn't get the opportunity to spend time with the kids. However, my mentor, Ms. Chami and I were talking about coming up with activities to present to the children. So, I scoured the internet, and Pinterest, to find stuff that both benefits the kids and lets them have fun and then I will show what I found to my mentor and we will see what we are going to do with them.
2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why? What was the source of what you learned?
Well my essential question is, "what is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?", so began to think about how a child, or person in general, gains a new skill. I believe we learn something new either by seeing and/or doing. In my opinion, and from what I've seen at my mentorship, a child best learns when they are interacting with something new. So when I was looking up different activities I came across this link which explains what an activity in a Montessori learning curriculum is.
Another thing I learned from my mini activity research, is another solid piece to help me come up with an answer to my EQ, which is that fine motor skills are the most important. I found that information on this link; it also has various activities for a child to do. I read that many children have weak fine motor skills and in effort to improve upon those skills a teacher talks about different things you could teach the child to strengthen those skills.
3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
If I was going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for my EQ, I would most likely talk to my mentor's assistant, Ms. Mary, because she gets to observe the children who are preschoolers/transitional kindergarteners/some kindergarteners for a full school day, five times a week. She knows what a child lacks when they get to the kindergarten level and how to help them and she also gets to help improve the skills of the preschoolers before they get to kindergarten.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
December Extra Post
The new year is finally here! A new year brings resolutions and new goals, in regards to my senior project there is a lot I hope to accomplish. I wasn't able to go to my mentorship these past two weeks because it is a school and like us a break was given. However, I have been talking with my mentor over the phone and we have been talking about possible things to do for the kids this upcoming year which I am looking forward to.
My essential question talks about what a child needs to learn in preschool -skill wise- in order to succeed in kindergarten which is the start of their education for years to come. So I've been looking at possible crafts and assignments to have the children do to focus on specific skills: motor, reading, vocabulary, writing, etc.
My essential question talks about what a child needs to learn in preschool -skill wise- in order to succeed in kindergarten which is the start of their education for years to come. So I've been looking at possible crafts and assignments to have the children do to focus on specific skills: motor, reading, vocabulary, writing, etc.
 |
| I found this very useful link that shows me a variety of activities a child can do that primarily focuses on their motor skills. |
When my mentorship resumes a normal school day my mentor and I will be going over some of the activities I found and will be, hopefully, doing it soon with pictures to come.
In the meantime I will be enjoying the rest of my break, with Netflix, a nice fire, and my warm pjs :).
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
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