Piano Tutoring
Hello all. I am introducing my second lead project!
Project time table: 5/22/11 - 6/12/11
Milestone dates: 5/27/11, 6/5/11, 6/12/11
Advisor: Giao T.
______________________________________________________
*Describe what I see as the end result of my project. What will it look/feel like? How does my project align with our mission ond goals as a class?
What I would like to do in this project is to help kids in my community improve in their piano skills by giving them a piano help session. This could mean helping them on their theory and pieces for their recital, performances, or talent shows. I would especially like to offer this to those I know who only could provide lessons for their kids on a minimal basis due to financial reasons. To me, it is my chance to use my talent to give back and help others. It is something I enjoy and have a passion for.
I know as a kid, while going through piano lessons, I went through a hard time where I needed extra help at home with practicing my pieces. I was fortunate to have a close uncle who helped me out and helped me improve tremendously. Now I want other kids to have the opportunity too.
*What are the obstacles and or challenges that you are anticcipatng when working on your project?
♪ I need to find an easy way for the student to understand what I'm trying to bring out in their piece
♪ sometimes getting the student to focus could be a challenge (as seen in my previous project)
♪ I need to explain my thinking on how they could improve their piece in a clear manner
♪ getting the student to play it with their feelings (dynamics, technique, phrasing, etc..)
*What are the milestones I am going to meet?
by 5/27/11 - I would like to ask various people if they would like me to help out and schedule the lessons by then.
by 6/5/11 - I would like to have part of the lessons done by this time.
by 6/12/11 - Finish all the lessons
*How will I ensure that I reach my project milestones on the dates listed above? How do I think I will overcome these foreseen obstacle?
I will ensure I reach my project milestones by not procrastinating and keeping a planner/schedule so I could keep track of everything. I would also start as early as I can and not wait until the last minute to fulfill my milestones.
I think I will overcome the foreseen obstacles by just realizing ahead what is going to stand a challenge. since I do not know what the student will be like, not much is in my control right now. I could gather any books or resources I might need to refer to now. Once I have scheduled a student, perhaps I could ask them their musical background so I know what I may want to teach them or help them with.
*What materials am I going to need to be successful in my project?
Well, I just need a piano. And I have taken piano for about 12 years now. I may need some theory books to help me when a student needs to understand theory.
*How many people will need to help me in my project?
I will be able to do this myself with the supervision of my advisor.
*What is my plan to hold myself accountable for the success of the project?
My plan is to stay on top of everything. I am going to start finding people and planning out lessons as soon as I can. Futhermore, I need to make sure beforehand that all of the materials I need are with me so that I am prepared as well. After each lesson, I would also blog about it so I could be updated.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Update on the Math Club @ state
I just wanted to update everyone on the math club! Well they are over in Moses Lake tonight getting ready for the big day tomorrow! Four students, chosen by the highest test scores, were able to represent the St. Bernadette 5th Grade Math Club at the Masters state competition. They are Rachel P., Dylan H., Nathan H., and Jack H. Congratulations to these kids for their work and dedication! I will let you know how they do!
Goodbye Math Club Tutoring!
Hey everyone! Well I'm here to announce that I am finished for the year with math club tutoring sessions. I will miss them and miss seeing the kids but it was a great experience for me. This was a project I did on my own.
At first, I envisioned this project to give me the chance to help math club students out so they could improve and have to time to do their homework and ask questions. I noticed that at the beginning of the year, many kids did not turn in their homework due to circumstances such as "I didn't have time" or "It was too hard and I didn't know what to do". Some students were not able to receive help from their parents either. I wanted to change all of this. I wanted to get the kids excited, help them improve so they would enjoy being there. It was my chance to give back to the school where so many other patient teachers have helped me out through my early years of school. In terms of what was going to happen in the session itself, I wanted it to be homework time, ask questions time, challenge time, and time to have fun. I also wanted to have conferences with each student to see how far they are in their math material.
Looking back now, the session was a bigger challenge than I thought. One hour was not enough for me to fit in everything I wanted to do with the kids. I needed more time... The kids were really squirmish since it was Friday afternoon. It was also really hard to keep them under control. I thought 5th graders would be different and they would pay attention but I really went wrong there. I wasn't able to conference with the students like I had originally planned, which was a big disappointment. Furthermore, the help these students needed was way more than just a few minutes with me on a certain problem they needed help on. What they really needed was a whole session for individual help, but I couldn't provide that for them. A lot more kids also showed up to the session than I had thought. it really shows how dedicated they were to learning math and willing to get help which really made my day.
Although I did have a challenge for myself, there was a lot of great moments that I will treasure. I felt the kids did improve in learning certain concepts and trying to figure out challenge problems. During many of the sessions, I was able to go over previous tests and visit the problems that posed a challenged to the kids. I walked them through step by step and got them involved as well. I didn't just stand up there and say "here this is how you do it" and showed them. Instead, I made them think it out and try to figure it out on their own as I guided them through the problem. As Mr. Kumakura says it, don't spoon feed the kids! let them think cause that is how they truly learn! Thank you Mr. K!
I love those moments where the students would be like "Ohhhhhh! I get it now! oops I thought it was this way instead" or when their faces light up and a light bulb just switched on in the heads. Those moments, priceless. It gave me a good feeling inside knowing that I am able to help these students one step at a time.
As a leader, I still have a lot to work on. I need to really know how to work with others to grasp their attention. I need to inspire and get other excited about what I'm doing. Most of all, I think I need to learn patience. Patience is truly important. I know as a leader, I want everything to be done. But reality is, everything takes time and I have to be more patient with those I work with.
All in all, one word I would describe learning experience as "wow". This project has opened my eyes to so many new dimensions of leadership that I hadn't really thought of before. I didn't know kids could be so hard to handle! Why don't teachers get paid more?! Because let me tell all of you, being a teacher is NOT easy!! It is very tiring and hectic. I truly have more appreciation for my teachers now. Through this project I was able to get a glimpse of what being a teacher is like. Except my experience is way way way less than what a real teacher has to go through! Imagine dealing with kindergarteners, 5th graders, or even worse... teenagers! Not for just an hour, for a whole day! Thank you Mrs. Fitz for being patient with us students!
At first, I envisioned this project to give me the chance to help math club students out so they could improve and have to time to do their homework and ask questions. I noticed that at the beginning of the year, many kids did not turn in their homework due to circumstances such as "I didn't have time" or "It was too hard and I didn't know what to do". Some students were not able to receive help from their parents either. I wanted to change all of this. I wanted to get the kids excited, help them improve so they would enjoy being there. It was my chance to give back to the school where so many other patient teachers have helped me out through my early years of school. In terms of what was going to happen in the session itself, I wanted it to be homework time, ask questions time, challenge time, and time to have fun. I also wanted to have conferences with each student to see how far they are in their math material.
Looking back now, the session was a bigger challenge than I thought. One hour was not enough for me to fit in everything I wanted to do with the kids. I needed more time... The kids were really squirmish since it was Friday afternoon. It was also really hard to keep them under control. I thought 5th graders would be different and they would pay attention but I really went wrong there. I wasn't able to conference with the students like I had originally planned, which was a big disappointment. Furthermore, the help these students needed was way more than just a few minutes with me on a certain problem they needed help on. What they really needed was a whole session for individual help, but I couldn't provide that for them. A lot more kids also showed up to the session than I had thought. it really shows how dedicated they were to learning math and willing to get help which really made my day.
Although I did have a challenge for myself, there was a lot of great moments that I will treasure. I felt the kids did improve in learning certain concepts and trying to figure out challenge problems. During many of the sessions, I was able to go over previous tests and visit the problems that posed a challenged to the kids. I walked them through step by step and got them involved as well. I didn't just stand up there and say "here this is how you do it" and showed them. Instead, I made them think it out and try to figure it out on their own as I guided them through the problem. As Mr. Kumakura says it, don't spoon feed the kids! let them think cause that is how they truly learn! Thank you Mr. K!
I love those moments where the students would be like "Ohhhhhh! I get it now! oops I thought it was this way instead" or when their faces light up and a light bulb just switched on in the heads. Those moments, priceless. It gave me a good feeling inside knowing that I am able to help these students one step at a time.
As a leader, I still have a lot to work on. I need to really know how to work with others to grasp their attention. I need to inspire and get other excited about what I'm doing. Most of all, I think I need to learn patience. Patience is truly important. I know as a leader, I want everything to be done. But reality is, everything takes time and I have to be more patient with those I work with.
All in all, one word I would describe learning experience as "wow". This project has opened my eyes to so many new dimensions of leadership that I hadn't really thought of before. I didn't know kids could be so hard to handle! Why don't teachers get paid more?! Because let me tell all of you, being a teacher is NOT easy!! It is very tiring and hectic. I truly have more appreciation for my teachers now. Through this project I was able to get a glimpse of what being a teacher is like. Except my experience is way way way less than what a real teacher has to go through! Imagine dealing with kindergarteners, 5th graders, or even worse... teenagers! Not for just an hour, for a whole day! Thank you Mrs. Fitz for being patient with us students!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Help #1: Campus-Clean Up Reflection
On Friday, May 6th, I helped out with Rangsey's Campus Clean up. We all were assigned a room to clean. There were I believe about five people there. I got to clean Mr. Hoehne's room and a little bit of Dr. Katims's room :D . We cleaned desktop, computer areas, swept the floor, and wiped the boards. I had a great time even though it was cleaning :P
Just looking at the tabletops I was like "what happened here?!". I could see that many of the tables were written on with pencil and pen. Sometimes scrubbing the table didn't help :/
Cleaning the rooms, it felt good inside knowing that i'm helping the teachers and students. It's the happy feeling when you get to help others in some small way. I know I always like it when the classrooms I go to are clean and neat.
Perhaps I should consider applying this cleaning method to my own room D:
I encourage all of you who are viewing my blog to do a small act of kindness or service this week! Help a teacher or a parent out by offering to run an errand or washing the dishes after dinner. I guarantee it will not only make the person you helped out happy but you as well.
Just looking at the tabletops I was like "what happened here?!". I could see that many of the tables were written on with pencil and pen. Sometimes scrubbing the table didn't help :/
Cleaning the rooms, it felt good inside knowing that i'm helping the teachers and students. It's the happy feeling when you get to help others in some small way. I know I always like it when the classrooms I go to are clean and neat.
Perhaps I should consider applying this cleaning method to my own room D:
I encourage all of you who are viewing my blog to do a small act of kindness or service this week! Help a teacher or a parent out by offering to run an errand or washing the dishes after dinner. I guarantee it will not only make the person you helped out happy but you as well.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Campus Clean Up, Milestone reached
Today I was able to go around to most of the clubs with Rangsey and gather fellow students who were interested in helping out. This milestone was reached and we were able to speak to the majority of the clubs. Clubs with AP students were not spoken to because of AP testing on the week of the clean up. We were able to get an average of a couple recruits from each club. Not very many people were interested in attending though. :( or they had other plans that afternoon.
The project is still on though! There are enough people to help out with the contribution of Interact Club and several students from Leadership.
Thanks to all those who signed up!
The project is still on though! There are enough people to help out with the contribution of Interact Club and several students from Leadership.
Thanks to all those who signed up!
Help #1 Campus Clean Up: Milestones
I am helping Rangsey T. with her lead project Campus Clean up. I will be helping her talk to people and classes about the campus clean up. The project will allow students to earn 1 hour of community service along with helping different teachers straighten up their rooms.
Thursday, 4/28/11 : Go around to different clubs and inform people and get down their contact info if interested
4/28/11 - 5/5/11: sometime in this time frame, reminder emails will be sent out to those who signed up (this will be done by Rangsey)
Friday, 5/6/11: Day of the clean up. I will be helping Rangsey assign students to various rooms and help clean as well.
Thursday, 4/28/11 : Go around to different clubs and inform people and get down their contact info if interested
4/28/11 - 5/5/11: sometime in this time frame, reminder emails will be sent out to those who signed up (this will be done by Rangsey)
Friday, 5/6/11: Day of the clean up. I will be helping Rangsey assign students to various rooms and help clean as well.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Goals for Math Club Tutoring
The tutor sessions have gotten better since they started. The kids are being more attentive now but I would still like them to improve on paying attention. With the last competition success, there is a lot to be done!
Goals for myself as the tutor:
* learn to be patient: Being patient is hard especially when it is the end of Friday and everyone just wants to go home.
* Be productive and effective: I am only able to work with the kids for an hour but I want to be able to help them as much as possible. This must involve everyone's cooperation though.
* grow better as a tutor: This is a pretty broad goal. To break it down more here are some things I want to do:
- be able to explain problems better so the kids are able to grasp the material and understand more easily
- get everyone involved. I'm trying to get everyone involved in trying to help solve problems to make sure everyone is on the same page.
- be able to give more one on one time. With so many kids in the session, finding time to help everyone with a one-on-one conference is harder than i thought.
These goals are not exactly easy to reach within a day. Over time, I believe I will be closer to achieving these goals once I try different strategies to see which works best in teaching a class like this.
Goals for the Math Club:
* Grasp the material better
*PAY MORE ATTENTION: this definitely is a big one. It is friday and I know everyone can't wait to get to the weekend. But hold on! If youre at the tutor session, then you need to listen up because you need help.
* Learn to work with each other
* be more experienced with math competition problems
* put in the effort to practice, practice, practice. It will help!
Goals for myself as the tutor:
* learn to be patient: Being patient is hard especially when it is the end of Friday and everyone just wants to go home.
* Be productive and effective: I am only able to work with the kids for an hour but I want to be able to help them as much as possible. This must involve everyone's cooperation though.
* grow better as a tutor: This is a pretty broad goal. To break it down more here are some things I want to do:
- be able to explain problems better so the kids are able to grasp the material and understand more easily
- get everyone involved. I'm trying to get everyone involved in trying to help solve problems to make sure everyone is on the same page.
- be able to give more one on one time. With so many kids in the session, finding time to help everyone with a one-on-one conference is harder than i thought.
These goals are not exactly easy to reach within a day. Over time, I believe I will be closer to achieving these goals once I try different strategies to see which works best in teaching a class like this.
Goals for the Math Club:
* Grasp the material better
*PAY MORE ATTENTION: this definitely is a big one. It is friday and I know everyone can't wait to get to the weekend. But hold on! If youre at the tutor session, then you need to listen up because you need help.
* Learn to work with each other
* be more experienced with math competition problems
* put in the effort to practice, practice, practice. It will help!
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