Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1) What are you currently doing in your independent component?

I am getting more involved in the programs at the De Anza Teen Center that have more kids in them. I will soon be taking pictures and I've been planning questions to ask them regarding how the programs impact them.

2) What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior project?  The piece of research should be something you reviewed in November.  Please explain what you learned and where are you going next because of this piece of research.

I recently read an article about a city that was having difficulties regarding youth violence so they built recreation centers and started after school programs and saw crime rates go down. With this information I'll have a better understanding on how to build my questions I'll ask the kids.


3) Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did.  For example, a photo of something you working on for your independent component or your notes from the video you watched. 

This is a calendar of events from the De Anza Teen Action Committee (TAC), a program where kids can volunteer in city events and much more.

Blog 5b: Science Fair proposal

1. What is your topic?
Parks and Recreation
2. What is the driving problem behind your experiment and the quote by an expert to support that problem? (Expert citation must be MLA format.)
The driving problem in my topic is misbehaving children.
“The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience, but on having students behave appropriately because they know it’s the right thing to do and because they can understand how their actions affect other people”
-Carlette J. Hardin
Hardin, Carlette J. "Education 2.0." Education 2.0. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. 
3. What is your hypothesis? (Must be in If-Then form.)
If kids are male and on the free or reduced lunch program while participating in an after school program, then  they are less likely to be well behaved throughout the day.
4. Write a paragraph summary of how you will perform the experiment.  Include the tools you plan on using.
For my experiment, I will be at the De Anza Teen Center for multiple weeks. I will be taking note of all the kids that misbehave throughout the day and asking the kids that misbehave whether or not they are on the free or reduced lunch program.
5. Select one of the following Project Categories for your experiment:
Animal Biology & Physiology
************************Behavioral/Social Science************************
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chemistry
Earth/Space Science
Pharmacology
Physics
Plant Biology & Physiology
Ecology & Environmental Management
Engineering Research & Applications
Mathematics & Computer Science

Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

(1) What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

What is the most beneficial way to run an after school program for youth?

(2) Did you decide to revise your working EQ after your presentation? 

What is the most beneficial way to work with kids in an after school program?

(3) What are possible answers to your current working EQ? 

Being patient, using positive reinforcement, being strict, or being understanding of them and their different backgrounds

Blog 8: Rough Draft of Presentation One

10 minute presentation

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

CONTENT:(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.

For my independent component, I plan on volunteering at the De Anza Teen Center. There I will interview kids on how the center affects them and where they think they'd be without the center. I will also be helping with clubs, programs, and events held at the center.

(2)Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

I believe I will meet the 30 hour requirement very easily. There is always a program going on at the center and I've already been getting on average 15 hours a week. There are also all kinds of kids that attend the facility which will give me the opportunity to interview many of them.

(3)How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?  

My essential question has to do with the effects of the center on the kids. So by interviewing the kids I will be able to get a better understanding of this. So i believe this component will benefit me greatly.

Blog 6: Second Interview

Questions:

1) Do you have a passion for the field you're working in?

2) Do you have any other kind of experience in this field besides working at this center?

3) What kind of training did you have to take to become an employee here?

4) Where there any kinds of classes necessary?

5) What would you say are the pros and cons of working at this center?

6) How long have you been working here?

7) Would you ever recommend this job?

8) Is this the job you always wanted to do? If not what was it and how did you end up here?

Blog 4: Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1) Positive Statement:

One positive thing that happened so far while doing my mentorship at the De Anza Teen Center was that I know that when I finish my senior project I can get hired at the teen center doing something I really enjoy.

2) EQ Content:

One piece of information I found through my research was that has helped my understanding on my topic is a site that described how some rec-centers prevent youth violence and even gave an example of one.

3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

So far getting my mentorship hours has been easy, the center is very close to me and when I go there is always something to do.

4) What hasn't worked so far?

Finding good articles for the research checks hasn't been the easiest. Even in one of the articles stated that rec-centers don't have very many informational sources behind them.

5) Finding value: based on your experience so far,

One question I have regarding what I would like to study this year is what is the process that people go to when trying to get a new sport or event started at the centers?

My year end goal by the end of this project is to be able to be hired as a coordinator of recreation (above staff) so I can suggest certain sports and plan events throughout the city and help my community.

I would like to interview a supervisor next, considering they have the most experience in the field and I can learn the most from them.

Blog 5a: Problem Statement

Topic: 

Working at a Recreation Center

Problem #1

One problem at the recreation center I get my mentorship at is the kids are sometimes very rowdy. They don't always listen to the staff and are always making things difficult with their behavior. If I were to find a way to keep these kids out of the center, I would recommend whatever process I used to the other recreation centers in my community.

Problem #2

Another problem the recreation center faces is that the kids don't learn from the consequences they get. Many times after being kicked out of the center for a day they are back the next day doing the same things. Once again if i were to find a right consequence for misbehavior i would recommend it to the other recreation centers in the community.

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

Content

Who do you plan to interview? Why?

I plan to interview Candice Smith because she is my mentor and has many years in the field. She has also worked at many other recreation centers and city buildings.

You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions would you ask?

I would ask what is the most fun event you have been a part of at the center? What is the craziest thing to happen at the center while you were on the job? Lastly I would ask What is the worst thing to ever happen at the center while you were there?

Blog 2: Topic Choice

My Topic Choice and Why:

The topic i have chosen for my senior project is working at a recreation center. I have chosen this topic because I have always enjoyed going to the local recreation center, i love sports, and i enjoy working with kids. Other than that, I wanted this topic because I want to be an active member of my community. This topic will also give me an opportunity to learn valuable skills if i ever decide to work in an office or center.

B: What I Hope to Accomplish This Year Through This Topic (ESLR's)

iPoly Citiczen: I plan to use the patience I am learning through this topic to improve iPoly's atmosphere and become a more productive student on campus.

Effective Communicator: I plan on welcoming kids to the center and making their experience more enjoyable. This will make me more effective as a communicator because in order to do so i will need to have patience to help them with what they want to do and i will also be helping with other city events held at the center as well despite how overwhelming it may become.

Effective Learner: I plan on learning not only how to run and work the center from the staff members there, but learn of the other cultures within the community that attend the center. This will make me a more effective learner because not only will I learn how to do the job, but learn other parts of the community I live in.

Effective User of Technology: I plan on learning how to use the necessary computers and computer programs to effectively make sign in sheets, flyers, waivers, and other documents that will be useful for community members. This will make me an effective user of technology because I will learn how to use programs that are useful in the field.

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Mentorship

Literal (Know):

10 Hour Mentorship Log

Wednesday, 8/1/12 5:30pm-6:30pm (1 hour)
Tuesday, 8/7/12 5:00pm-9:00pm (4hours)
Wednesday, 8/15/12 5:30pm-6:30pm (1 hour)
Saturday, 8/25/12  7:30am-3:30pm (8 hours)

Duties:

My duties include monitoring the children and teens that go to the center, preparing games that are played in the gym, collecting equipment when everyone is done, helping with other activities, working events held at the center, going to the meetings for up and coming events, reporting misbehavior, and making sure everyone has a pleasant time.

Contact: 

Candice Smith (909) 395-2393 csmith@ci.ontario.ca.us

Literal (Need to Know):

     -What is needed to keep the kids coming back to the community center?
     -What is the best way to prevent problems at the community center?
     -How many kids will pass through in a day?
     -How much compromise will there need to be when selecting a game for the kids to play?
     -How many events will be held throughout my time at the center?
     -How many different kinds of people will go to the center regularly?

Interpretive:

The most important thing that I've gained from this experience is patience, before i started this program I would get upset at people who were slow to learn and mad at people who wouldn't function with everyone else. After having to teach kids games and keep everyone calm to not get mad if they were losing taught me that patience is a very important skill in most jobs. This makes me happy that i picked this topic for my project and eager to learn more.

Applied

My time at the De Anza Community Center helped me decide on my topic because I've learned so much through my public service at the center that I'm sure in a year I will learn much more in the year to come.