Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

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

I believe that the preparation I put into my final presentation allowed me to have a very successful 2-hour. I spent hours refining my powerpoint and my activities and practiced my presentation all the way through four times prior. I believe that I really took it upon myself to make this one of the best presentations I have ever done at iPoly; the presentation where I could showcase all of the skills I learned throughout my four years here. I got many compliments and accommodations from my peers which told me that I did my best, and I am extremely happy with the conclusion of my presentations at iPoly. 

(2) Questions to Consider

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

AE

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

AE

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

My mentorship really worked for me. I was able to get real hands-on and real world experience in my topic which solidified the importance of STEM education to me. My mentorship provided me with an outlet to test out my answers, and relay all of my research into real life. 

(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?

If I had a time machine, I would go back and choose to pursue teaching as a senior topic from the beginning. I started off with many problems with my senior project, and didn't find a stable project until halfway through the year. With that being said, I really only found my current topic because I started off pursuing engineering. The chances are, if I had started my project originally with teaching, I wouldn't have fallen into STEM; which is something I find that I truly enjoy and see the importance of. So, in the end, even though I experienced a few stressful months and had to start my project over halfway through, I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

(5) Finding Value

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

As I mentioned previously, I started my project pursuing engineering. I chose to pursue a topic in Engineering because I believed I wanted to pursue a career in it, and the senior project could provide me with a strong knowledge-base and provide me with connections that could have helped me, should I have chosen that path. Because of this experience, due to interviews I conducted and research I found, I found out that I did not wish to pursue engineering as a career after all; it wasn't for me. Without this experience, I most likely would have gone to college wishing to pursue a degree in engineering, and would have found out later on that it wasn't for me. 

Supplements to your Children's Education!

Pick a standard from the link below. 
Explore the websites below, (or feel free to come up with your own!), and find both a place and an activity that you can do as a parent to supplement that standard. Be prepared to provide an explanation for your chosen supplements. 
Do this five times! :)

Standards: California Science Standards!

Places to take your Child:
Whale Watching

Griffith Observatory

Mt. Sac Planetarium

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Tanaka Farms Irvine U Pick

Desert View Tower San Diego

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Balboa

Arboretum

Fullerton Arboretum and Gardens

Living Coast Nature Center  

Sea Life Aquarium

Great Park Balloon Ride

La Brea Tar Pits – Page Museum   

Dana Point Ocean Institute

The New Children’s Museum San Diego

Nix Nature Center Laguna Canyon

San Diego Botanical Gardens

Discovery Science Center

California Science Center 

Grand Canyon   

Bryce  

Yosemite  

Geysers  

Yellowstone  

Redwood Forest

Train Rides

Palm Springs Tram

Getty Center Los Angeles

Malibu Creek State Park 

Glen Oaks Apple-Picking and Pumpkin Patch   

San Diego Zoo 

Newport Bay Conservancy

Kidspace Children's Museum

Skirball Cultural Center
Aquarium of the Pacific

At-Home Activities to do with your Child:

Science Experiments!

Fun Brain

Science Bob

Science Fun
Kid Spot

Preparation for the end!

I've been working for hours on end the past few nights, getting ready for my two-hour presentation. Just last night I got all of my materials for my first activity, and decided to try and test it out with some of my friends from my house to see how it worked. My activity is creating a parachute to demonstrate how hands-on learning works.

I first paired up Teo with Kendall, and Gabriel with Jocelyn. I then gave them a brief explanation of my first answer, a bit of my second, and set them on their task. With a box of materials, a plastic bag, and ten minutes on the clock, they were told to create a parachute that would float from the second story. Both teams began to make their parachutes in different ways, which is what I both expected and hoped for. After ten minutes had gone off, we went outside and tested out our parachutes.

Once we were done testing out a parachutes, I brought them inside, and debriefed. I asked them what worked, and they said the materials given definitely worked for the activity, and what didn't work, which they claimed was mostly just design flaws. I asked them whether a lesson in aerodynamics and air resistance would have helped them to create their parachutes, which demonstrates the apparent need for a strong education. I then asked them how they could see the connection to hands-on learning; how the activity got them to utilize hands-on learning characteristics. 

Testing out my activity really helped me to get me prepared for my presentation. Looking forward to it!

Blog 25: Mentorship

Literal 

•  Link to Mentorship Log
• Roberta Negrette (909)971-8203

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

The most important thing I gained from my experiences mentoring at Ekstrand Elementary school was the feedback and excitement I recieved from the students I worked with. Every time I would walk into the classroom, children would exclaim, "Mr. Joseph!" and I would continue to be barraged with questions if we were going to be doing more science expirements; or what we would be talking about; or what else new I would be teaching them about. The excitement these students showed me day-in and day-out revealed to me the true potential we have for a strong STEM workforce in the very near future. 
Mentoring at Ekstrand and getting real-world experience related to STEM truly helped me to solidify the entirety of my project in my mind. Forming my EQ around a real STEM issue and finding solutions to that issue that I tested out in the classroom helped me to understand that my project was real; and that I was helping a real cause. 

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

As I mentioned previously, I formed my EQ around the issue that there are simply not enough students pursuing STEM careers after college. I then dedicated my project to finding solutions to this issue; finding ways to get kids interested in STEM so that they might pursue STEM later on. Throughout the year, I discovered several ways to get kids interested; from hands-on learning, to a strong educational foundation, to parental encouragement. Mentoring at Ekstrand, and having an extremely close relationship with my mentor, allowed me to "test out" these answers. Throughout my mentorship, I was able to work closely with the students; often participating with them in science experiments and STEM activities. I was able to see that hands-on learning is truly a great way to get kids interested in STEM. I was also able to see that a strong education can get kids interested in STEM. I feel that without the opportunity to experience these encounters first-hand, my project, and my answers, would not be as strong, nor would I feel as confident in them. 

Blog 24: Exit Interview Questions

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?
What is the best way to get elementary school children to voice an interest in STEM careers? 
My best answer to my essential question is by ensuring that young students have a strong educational foundation in the core subjects of STEM: science and math. By giving children this quality education, the knowledge they have will help to generate curiosity and confidence in those subjects, which will eventually turn into interest and passion for STEM. Without this fundamental knowledge of science and math, they will be unable to exploit the curiosity within and will not likely wish to pursue a career in a subject they do not feel confident in or enjoy. 

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

My research led me to discover all three of my answers; some I found plenty of information for, and some I had to search for. My previous two answers, hands-on learning and parental encouragement, as ways to get children interested in STEM, I felt weren't completely necessary. I felt as though these answers were merely supplements, if you will. But a quality education; a strong knowledge of STEM is necessary. This knowledge is what can make or break STEM and future STEM careers for our youth. I felt that this is what set apart my best answer from my other two; without a proper education, hands-on learning and parental encouragement merely assist the process in voicing an interest in STEM careers.

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

At the beginning of the year, I experienced a variety of issues with my project. I had issues finding a stable mentor, which therefore affected my mentorship hours. I had an extremely difficult time narrowing down an EQ, which gave me too general of research. Feeling worried about the direction of my entire project, I decided to ask the senior team for a topic change. This change allowed me to pursue my original project idea, teaching, with a twist of engineering. From that, my new project, STEM, was born. In changing my project, I was able to find a stable mentor, my own third grade teacher, a steady place of mentorship, my old elementary school, and an outlet for plenty of helpful research, and a place to get real-world experience. 

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

My first most significant source to answer my essential question was an article called, "Hands-on is minds-on" by Samantha Cleaver from Scholastic. This article essentially helped me to solidify my answer of Hands-On learning. It provides numerous examples and plentiful amounts of evidence of how effective and essential hands-on learning is to young children, and how it can be used most effectively. 
My second most significant source was an article by Diana Epstein and Raegen Miller, through the Center for American Progress. This article helped me to come up with my best answer, which is by providing a strong educational foundation in the subjects of STEM. This article pointed out many flaws with science and math education and the way teachers feel about it, that I was previously unaware of. It also pointed out that many teachers don't feel confident enough in their own education to teach science and math in their classrooms, which results in a mediocre education for our youth. This article helped me to find the most important issue with STEM education, and has led me to find ways to combat it. 

(5) What is your product and why?
The product of my senior project is that I know now that I do not wish to pursue a career in teaching. While I have certainly enjoyed the experiences I've shared with the many kids from my elementary school, I don't feel that it is for me. I have seen the 'behind-the-scenes' action of what it means to be a teacher; from grading, to parents, to misbehaving kids, to testing, etc., and I don't feel like the pros outweigh the cons in my book. I have considered a possibility in getting my credentials to become a substitute teacher for a few part time jobs here and there, since I do enjoy spending time in the classroom every now and then, however, full-time teaching is certainly not for me; and my senior project has allowed me to see that. 

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?
Jackie Boyd, from East House. 
2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
Skiing, or ski patrol because I am already volunteering with ski patrol. And I really like to ski. 
Here, I told Jackie that it is important to choose something that you will continue to enjoy throughout the year. 
3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
Well, I already did my required hours. I previously spoke to Purther, and he said that it was possible to do them in your second semester junior year. So I did it with ski patrol. 
Here, I asked that she was familiar with the place, and she was sure that the place would work for mentorship, and she said it would. She claimed to already have a mentor in mind. 
4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
Well, I know about the senior project, but I don't know about all of the components that go into it, so i'm a little curious to see those and how those work. And to just see how everything goes. 
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?

• How hard is senior year? 
• It's not too hard. If you stay on top of it, you'll do fine. If you do what is expected of you when it's due, you'll do fine. Sometimes it does get a little hectic, but it's all very do-able, managing between homework, and senior project stuff, and senior year stuff. So I wouldn't say hard, but maybe a little hectic. 
• Would you say senior year is the hardest year? 
• I would say yes. Because of the severity of the amount of things going on at once, and the things you have to accomplish, I believe it is the hardest of the 4 years. 

Blog 22: Final 3-Column Chart

Final 3-Column Chart