Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

I am most proud of the activity because I felt that engaged many people and it was interesting to see what others had to say. I honestly felt like a lot of people learned new things and that was my main objective. I feel that a lot of students left with new information and have new perspectives on Latino Education. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     I would give myself an AE because I felt that I met the standards that were required and wet beyond. I felt like I did not just do a presentation, but a lecture kinda of thing, which made others think. I did not just present information, but I made it relatable and useful information. 

For my overall senior project I would also give myself an AE because the quality of my research, and product of different components were great. I feel like I have worked very hard on my senior project not for the grade, but because I am passionate about my project. I feel like I deserve the recognition for my work. I always tried to go beyond what was needed whether it was on my independent component, service learning, etc. I always tried to find the best. 

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

My senior project topic worked for me because it was something that I could connect to and made it a delight to research. If I would have done my senior project on a hobby or something like that I feel like it would have been a struggle to research and present on it. I loved my senior project topic because it allowed me freedom to explore different areas and is something that I was able to apply!  

(4) What didn’t work for you in your senior project?

I would have preferred to have much more time with my 2 hr house to actually prep for the presentation. I feel like we only met a couple times, but if I actually asked people about it I would have not stressed out. 

(5) Finding Value

The senior project has been helpful because it has prepared me and allowed me to see that I am capable of speaking for 2 hours. I never thought that it would be possible, but it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I actually feel that I could have talked for so much more if I really wanted to. It has also helped me understand how I could efficiently organize different things through the working bib, and senior towers. I feel like I am able to organize my thoughts better. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to do a senior project and research something that I was passionate about. Because of my senior project I have been able to organize and communicate with others effectively. 

2-Hour Presentation

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Answer #3

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students that attend higher educational institutions

Answer 3: If Latinos are politically informed and vote, then the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions will increase. 

Source and Evidence: 

• Latino Education and Advocacy Days Summit
• Many Latinos are not registered to vote even though they are able to, this was said by George Ramirez. The only way that we can make change is by making change through politics!
• Look Who Is Voting. Youtube
• This video shows who is actually voting and shows video of politicians who made some sort of racist comment. The fact is that people who vote tend to be white and have certain views that may go against the benefits that Latinos have. Latinos should realize that they have power to make change.
• Election 2012: Predicting the Latino Vote
• In the election of 2012 it is clear that the Latino vote will make some sort impact, but no one is sure how much of an impact it will make. The fact is that Latinos do have power but they do not take that power into their own hands.

Room Creativity

(1) How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?

I believe that I will have a limited space to work with so I plan on keeping it simple. I would like to borrow flags of colleges and place them around the class room. I also planning on findings flags and placing them on tables that will be arranged in groups. I feel that for my activities there will be a lot of discussion so for the seating chart I want them to be in a group, but at the same time I want them to pay attention to me. Perhaps I may set up the room in a huge oval like shape since that could work best. 

(2) What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2?

I really want to show them this: http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map  maybe for my sponge activity and I feel that they will be able to be fully engaged if I ask them to see the difference between cities like Pomona and Claremont. I want them to focus on the racial make up and see if there are any patterns. 

I know that for my second answer's activity I definitely want to show them these videos. It will tie perfectly into the topic of stereotypes and I will like to discuss on some of their first thoughts when watching this video was. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLESDleDgXY

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12CrpigM9Vs

Answer 2

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students that pursue higher educational institutions? 

Answer 2: A best way to increase the number of Latino/a students who pursue higher educational institutions is by understanding and embracing their Latino/a culture in order to reject forms of oppression found in our society that limit their academic success. 

Evidence and Sources: 

• Santizo, Madelene. "Es El Momento: Factors that influence Latino/a academic achievement." Science Fair
• I found that there was a higher number of students who had a 3.0-4.0 GPA who felt that it was very true that they feel bad when others joke about Latinos or put them down, compared to those who have a 1.0-2.99. This shows that those who don't reject stereotypes   have lower GPAs because they subconsciously accept these messages and conform to them - limiting their abilities. 
• Gladwell, Malcom. "Blink." 
• Experiment in which African Americans were asked to identify their ethnicity on a test and did poorly, while those who were not asked did well. What this shows is that when people's minds have to subconsciously accept that they are African Americans and makes them feel like they are going to do worse. 

TRANSITION into IATS test, and how positive images impact a person

• Alicia, Gina. LA PLAZA - Independent Component. Advisor
• There is so much Latino/a culture especially in California that people are unaware of. By going to museums or researching you can learn a lot about Latino culture. Look into Latino/Chicano/Hispanic leaders and what they have accomplished serve as inspiration. Knowing where you came from allows you to understand who you are and motivates you to take advantage of opportunities your ancestors never had. 

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

 20 Minute Lesson Plan

Answer 1

EQ: What is the best way to increase the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions? 

(1) What is answer 1 to your EQ? Be specific in your answer and write it like a thesis statement.


If community members inform Latino/a students about resources like enrichment programs at an early age, then the number of Latino/a students who attend higher educational institutions will increase. 


(2) What possible evidence do you have to support this answer?

• College Board is a not for profit organization that supervises the SAT, SAT II, etc. and even they see the need to increase the number of Latinos/as in college. Written by professors in CSU Sacramento and UC Davis Professor it entails the step by step process for Latinos/as to attend college. They believe that a relationship must be fostered with Latino parents, communities, and schools by:

1. a two-way communication process;

2. support of the child, family, and the school;

3. a process to learn about each other, and how to work

together;

4. sharing teaching responsibilities; and

5. collaborating in decision making and advocacy. School

and community partners should engage these techniques

in daily practices.

• My own experience by having my 6th grade teacher inform me about a non-profit organization, Uncommon Good, helped me learn about the college process. Now for my service learning I am working with them and I am able to inform elementary students about the program, and get them excited about going to college! It really helped me a lot, and honestly I would have no clue what I would do without a program like this. 
• The Influence of Academic Support on Latino Adolescents' Academic Motivation is an article that looks for the major influences of academic motivation on Latino/a students. It found that for boys the dad was seen as a more significant role model and for girls the mother was seen as a more significant role model. However, for both genders the teachers were equally important. This is important because it shows how each one can impact the lives of the students. The community has to equally be active in the lives of the students in order to motivate them to pursue college. 

(3) What source(s) did you find this evidence and/or answer?

• Carlos Nevares and Timo Rico. Latino Education: A senthesis of Recurring Recommendations in P-16 Education. 2007. College Board. http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/Latino-Education-A-Synthesis.pdf. 
• Service Learning with Carlos Carrillo (program coordinator) from Uncommon Good.
• Alfaro, Edna C., Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor, and Mayra Y. Bámaca. "The Influence of Academic Support on Latino Adolescents' Academic Motivation." Family Relations55.3 (2006): 279-91. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.

Presentation Reflection

1.  In what way did the first interview affect your presentation?  Please explain, be specific and use an example.


The interview had affected my presentation because I had learned the difference between Chicano Psychology and Chicano Sociology. I had planned on speaking about the Chicanos in general, but I learned that sociology tends to look more at the history of the Chicano as a whole, while psych. focuses on the Chicano as one identity. I'm still unsure of what I may lean towards, but for my presentation I talked about the Chicano in the 40's and included both history and identity issues. However, I may not focus so much on the past of the modern Chicano when doing my 2 hour presentation; I'm still unsure. 

2.  What you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?


I thought that my board was quite large enough to be seen and even though it was simply pictures I thought it as creative. I feel like I included a lot of information and hopefully taught people some new things. I liked my bubble diagram and if there were more time I could have showed the audience the difference between what they knew and what they learned. I was planning on dressing like a pachuca and i think that would have stood out, but since we were supposed to announce the dance I decided not to. 


3.  What was the most challenging to do and why?
My throat was dry so it was really hard to speak, and I felt myself getting nervous. It was also very hard to say everything that I wanted in just 5 minutes, so I had to rush when I was talking and that didn't help my throat. I wish I could have had more time to include everything that I wanted to say and to also properly do the activity on the board that I wanted to do. 

Senior Project Presentation 1

Objective:
Students will be learning a brief event in history of Chicanos, which are the Zoot Suit Riots. 


Procedure: 

1. Intro - Ask questions to audience like if they are familiar with the Zoot Suit Riots. 
2. Give facts (refer to visual) about the Zoot Suit Riots and then explain how this is tied into my senior project. Explain how history has impacted the lives of Chicano/Latinos today. 
3. Explain why I'm even bother teaching about this subject and clarify why I am interested in my senior project. 

Check for Understanding:

I'm going to ask thought provoking questions that should allow me to analyze whether they have learned anything at all. 

Resources/Materials: 

Poster Board

• Visual of a man wearing a zoot suit 
• Other pictures of that period- maybe of the Sleepy Lagoon case