Mentorship 3/21/13

A pentagon on my 2 hour lesson plan:

Positive statement:
Lately, I have felt discouraged about teaching, not being able to get much help from chemistry teachers in my community. I tried very hard to get mentorship at local high schools (and some not so local ones), but none of them wanted to be liable for having another teenager to look out for. Luckily, I was able to mentor with Paul Hubbard through a homeschool group. He gave me an opportunity to teach a lesson to his students.

EQ answers:
Throughout my interviews, teachers consistently said that the best way to assess the scientific understanding of the class is during lectures. Students either get it or they don't. With 10 students enrolled in Hubbard's class, it was easy to look at everyone's face during the lecture. I got to see if they understood what I was saying by their interactions within the class. As a teacher with a small class, it is easy to involve the students with the lecture and get them to talk with you. You can require the students to talk with you, and, in the end, get them to solve the problems. You check understanding by their involvement and what they say in class.

What worked:
The students afterwards went up to me, and they actually thanked me which was a very nice feeling. Besides that, I knew what I was doing for the most part. Being at iPoly has certainly helped my presentation skills that teaching a two hour class wasn't that intimidating. It also gave me a new perspective for my two hour presentation at school. Mr. Hubbard also gave me feedback on the lesson which did help me.

What didn't work:
I got very nervous because that was the first time I ever got to really have a hands on approach with his class. I think my nerves got the best of me, which made me talk faster and get more flustered.

Finding value:
This presentation, although it wasn't really a part of my project yet, has helped me with my two hour lesson because it has given me hope to be able to actually get through the presentation. Given the opportunity to teach a class has also given me an outlook of how my future as a teacher may look. After the class, I was excited and happy that I could actually pull it off.

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

First Junior:
1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?
Garett Sobes- East House
2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
"Water reclamation because it involves chemical engineering. Chemistry just seems interesting to me (which totally made him the best junior ever, yes, I have to brag), or the heat treat industry for mechanical engineering."

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
"One of my friend's dads works in a water reclamation company, and he can refer me to one of the employers who does the chemistry part of the job to mentor with."

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
"I am looking forward to seeing them because it is a way to get into the real world. I want to see something with chemical engineering or mechanical engineering hopefully."


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)?
Garett: Is it easier than junior year?
Me: No, I won't lie. Junior year was pretty easy, but senior year they (the teachers) expect the same amount of work done by yourself. So if you like working alone, it's about the same difficulty level as junior year. I mean don't get me wrong in class you will have groups and for model assembly you will get a city group, but you a lot of the year is you having to be accountable and being on top of your stuff.
Garett: Okay. That is probably better for me anyway with all the group procrastination this year. 
Me: Procrastination will not necessarily kill you this year; it just will make you suffer. Luckily, the teachers try to prevent you from doing it as much as possible which is good.

Second Junior:
1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?
Wesley Wu- South House

2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
"I want to do something in electrical engineering or very similar to that because I am kind of interested in it and my math isn't too bad."

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
"My dad has connections with architecture firms that I can work with, or I might work to find an electrical engineer. I haven't decided yet."

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
"I want to see Andy's architecture one. I am hoping to get more prepared for next year by the end of it."

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)?
Wesley: No, not really, Mr. Purther already talked to us about it.
Me: Well, if you ever think of one later in the year or next year, you are free to ask. 

Blog 22: Final 3-Column Chart

Click Here

• I checked several times, and it seems like nothing got cut off. If something is missing (or the sentence looks unfinished); it really is. I'm sorry.

Blog 21: Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) “I, Rachel Wampler, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.” (My class will end in June, but I only have 24 hours at the moment. I will change my blog by May 1, 2013 to have over 30 hours.)
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component

Ms. Opotowsky- Rates
McMurry et al.: Chemistry, 6th Ed. (Pearson Prentice Hall)

(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours) 

Sheet 2

(d) Explanation of what you completed.    

I am taking a college level chemistry class at Cal Poly Pomona. In CHM 121, it is simply a review (with a less time) of high school chemistry with a lot more challenging problems and different perspectives for it. Besides the lecture, I am enrolled in an Aleks program that we are assigned weekly homework from. After the homework, we are given quizzes to reflect on our success in the class. I started with a knowledge of 67% and within the sum of 9 days, I have gained a 6% increase in knowledge. (Things not actually taught in class.)

INTERPRETIVE 
I go to class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:00-4:50. I am in a class with college level students, and actually have been asked for assistance in the class. We are expected to work in groups of ten students, and although I try to stay quiet in the group, they expect me to check the answers for everyone's work. Little do they know that I am not one of them. During the other days of the week, we are given homework to complete a set amount of percentage in Aleks, sadly you are not permitted to go too far ahead of the class either. We are also told to finish up to a certain lesson in the program at the end of the week, and so far, I have been given little to no homework to complete. We also have had three quizzes during the class (about simple problems and memorizing polyatomic ions and acids) which I have done exceedingly well in to my current knowledge. 

My class information at Cal Poly.

My Aleks class information. 

My last online quiz scores. I didn't have an account previously, but the teacher excused it because it was admissions fault.

These are my calendars for all of my homework for the semester.  

This is my current pie chart for Aleks. (I really need to start learning Simple reactions, but I will get there)

This is my total time on Aleks with how many topics I attempted and got through.

These are a few pages from one of my notebooks that I use to take notes specifically during class. Currently I have used 15 pages from the notebook within the first three chapters.

APPLIED
The first day in class, my teacher said, and I quote, (yes I wrote it down), "chemistry is an English class, a math class, and an invisible science class." These thirteen words are my three answers. She started off her class by saying she will prove to us as her students the ways chemistry uses language skills (Answer 2) and mathematical comprehension (Answer 1). Unfortunately, I was unable to get a laboratory that would work with the class to answer my third answer exactly, but she gives us homework to do things like researching animations of labs and write about them for credit. This class is really helping me reach a deeper understanding of my topic because after all the research, a hands on experience as a student again, will, in my opinion, make me a better teacher.

Blog 20: Three Column Chart

Click here

Mentorship 3/14/2013

Madison and Xander stir their solutions.

By dunking a vial of soda into freezing and boiled water,
the students observed the carbonation fleeing from the drink.

Mr. Hubbard demonstrates the "fun" that students can have with
dry ice and warm water.

Randomly, Mr. Hubbard places the bucket filled with dry ice
on a students desk and lets it fog up the work space.

Mr. Hubbard observes as the students play with the carbon dioxide.

Rachael traps the gas and notes how it clouds up, waiting to be released.

Students prepare to do their labs alone. They are required to use their
books and materials supplied and figure out the lab with the instructions
given. 

Blog 19: Senior Project and ESLRs

1.  What ESLR have you excelled in most in your senior project? 
With my senior project alone, I believe I have excelled in mainly my Effective Communicator ESLR because in about two weeks, I will be presenting a hour and a half long lecture on "The Gas Phase" to my mentor and his class on March 21, 2013. I am extremely nervous, but I believe this will help me with my later life's goals to become a teacher and my two hour presentation. 

The book in which I have to teach
module 12: The Gas Phase from.

Sadly though, I really won't have solid evidence, in my opinion, of me communicating to the class so I will say that I am excelling in being an Effective Learner as well because I have to study concepts, that weren't taught to us, to teach them the curriculum in their text book as well as my extra blogs about chemistry facts that I want to either base one of my 2 hour activities off of or just know them for future endeavors. 
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