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!

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL

(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!

First post!

One of my first research based posts.

Helped me figure out my final lesson activity!

Where we spent count less hours looking for pins.

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.

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!

(BEFORE)

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!

(AFTER...still under minor construction)

A link to the blog can be found on the right side of my blog under independent component. Posts will officially begin in April!

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

1. EQ: What is the most important skill a child develops in preschool that helps them best excel academically in kindergarten?
2. Why does preschool make a difference in your opinion? 
3. Do all children need preschool?
4. What is a high-quality child program in your opinion?
5. What have been the most formative experiences you've had in your work with young children and families? 
6. What kinds of varied learning activities have you planned/implemented this year and why?
7. What affects a child's developmental process?
8. How is a child's mind best stimulated?
9. What do you think about fine motor skills? How do you use them, if at all?
10. How do you think a child's executive function skills help them?
11. Have you seen a child's emotional issues have an impact on the way they learn? How?
12. What role does play have in a child's development? 
13. Do you have communication with your kid's parents? How does this play a role?
14. In your opinion when are children most involved? Why?
15. How do you organize your classroom? Why do you organize it in this way?
16. What part of being an early childhood teacher gives you the most satisfaction? 
17. What part of doing this work is the most difficult for you? 
18. How might you use an individual child's assessment to develop curriculum in your class? 
19. How do the children influence your methods of teaching?
20. What is the most essential thing you need to do every day with the kids? 
21. Which teaching method do you prefer, Montessori, Traditional, or other? Why?

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. 

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!

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.