Student Surveys - Post project reflection

Name: Michael Phuong

Project Name: Student survey of elective classes

Group Members: Michael Phuong, Jonathan Adams, Anthea Phuong

The goal of this project was to create a resource/guide that would help better inform students about elective courses that they can take here at Aviation High school. The project was fairly straightforward but we did have some difficulties finding time to create the surveys because of end of year projects and AP tests. We also had some difficulty since some teachers couldn't find time to give the surveys out to their students. All of these problems were resolved by having patience and doing things a little bit at a time. The day we gave out the surveys, we were able to collect most of the surveys except from 1 or 2 classes. We decided not to go to required elective courses that have different teachers (such as Spanish) since those classes tend to always be busy and each teacher also has their own unique style of teaching which can't be seen through a survey. Those decisions should be made by individual students communicating with the teacher or other students and deciding what kind of teacher they would learn best from. I envisioned the final product to be a kind of list which would rank ALL the elective classes. We decided to change this since we didn't want to hurt any of the teachers since it's very bad for a class to be listed at the very bottom of a category since it doesn't necessarily mean that the class is bad, just that it wasn't liked as much as other classes.
In the future, I'd like to expand this to include many more classes as Aviation grows and it opens up more flexible schedules and opportunities for our students. 

Student Surveys - Blog 2

Milestone 2: Have the survey completed and results compiled


It was fairly easy to get tot his milestone. We sometimes had difficulty since some of the teachers had difficulty getting the surveys taken but we checked in until they were completed. The results were fairly simple to compile. We found some interesting results that weren't expected at all as well. Our team split up all the survey forms and tallied the results. All of those results were then compiled in an Excel spreadsheet. We will print out a master form and place the digital copy somewhere that is easy to access for everyone.

Two students taking the survey

A student taking the survey

Student Surveys - Blog 1

Milestone 1: June 9, 2011-Have the survey sheet made and 400 copies created

By this date, we had a fairly effective survey sheet made. It addressed all the key points we wanted to know about and it was fairly well laid out. The copies were a bit of a nuisance as we debated whether to have each of us print out a third of the total copies we will need. We decided to go to a print shop and have 400 copies made as it was faster, easier, and most likely cheaper. We had some trouble putting together the survey because of time constraints caused by other projects and AP testing but we were able to reach this milestone without too much difficulty.

A group member posing with the completed forms

The completed survey forms

AP Chemistry prep class - Post-project Reflection

Name: Michael Phuong

Project Name: Chemistry review packet for Chemistry students that need review or incoming Chemistry students that want to get ahead

Group Members: Michael Phuong, Jonathan Adams

The changed project went off without a hitch but it was annoying to change the project at such a late date. However, many of the preparations in place for the AP Chemistry prep class were able to be switched and to be used in the review packet. I felt that this project isn't as helpful as an AP Chemistry prep class would be but since AP Chemistry is officially cancelled for the next school year, we had to change the project. The Chemistry packet was fairly straightforward and simple to put together. We basically typed out the notes that Mr. Shiroma had given us. This review packet also is intended for use by those who have already taken the course so practice problems aren't included. The packet is simply meant to help refresh the memory of those that have taken the course so generalized notations are included in the packet but not practice problems.
For the next projects in the future, I'd like to be able to not have to change projects. I would also like to help in an actual course and follow through with the original project idea as that is much more helpful to everyone. Especially to the people who will be directing the course because, many times, you learn a lot more from teaching than you do from just learning.

AP Chemistry prep class - Blog 2

June 15, 2011: Have the Chemistry packet completed

The Chemistry packet was completed on time. Similar to the Algebra test helper project, we also were stressed on time and had some gaps in the Chemistry packet. Eventually, those holes were plugged and we now have a completed version. We didn't have much difficulty reaching this milestone beyond having a slight lack of time. The fact that AP Chemistry may be cancelled caused some issues in our planning since our original project was to create an AP Chemistry prep class.

A student highlighting key basics of Chemistry included in the packet

The Chemistry packet

Chemistry packet

AP Chemistry prep class - Blog 1

June 1: N/a Project change

The project has been changed to Chemistry review packet. Next year, there is a strong possibility that AP Chemistry will be cancelled and so an AP Chemistry preparation course wouldn't benefit anyone at this point. We will be changing the project accordingly and a Chemistry review packet is a resource that any Chemistry student will be able to access. Incoming Chemistry students would be able to look at the packet to see what they already know, possibly learn a few things prior to class so that Mr. Shiroma's normal Chemistry course may progress even faster.

Helper Project 2 - Post project Reflection

Name: Michael Phuong

Project Name: Algebra test for incoming Calculus students

Group Members: Mr. Joshi, Michael Phuong, Jonathan Adams

This was a project that I found very important. I had taken Calculus this year, so I understood that the most difficult part of Calculus wasn't the Calculus, it was the Algebra to do simplifications. In order to make a good test, I made sure to speak with current Pre-Calculus students regarding what they had learned so far. I changed my test so that it wasn't too difficult, that the students would actually be able to complete the test so long as they remember how to do the things. I mostly based my test off of things that I knew the Calculus students would have to deal with such as using "fancy 1's" and logarithmic changes.
Initially, I had imagined that the final product would be a multiple choice test. After taking a look at this year's algebra test, I realized that a multiple choice test wasn't necessary unless it was a very difficult test. The main fear I had about this project would be that students who take the test won't recognize that this test is a chance for them to assess their skills, not a chance for them to cheat. Due to this fear, I was concerned about the types of questions I was writing so that students would not be tempted to cheat. Afterwards, I realized that the students who do resort to cheating are the ones who won't be successful in the class and so it is a decision that the test-takers are to make.
There were also a few obstacles that came up during the project. We already had many other projects going on during this time period so we were mostly focusing on doing Chemistry or AP Composition work. We weren't quite as focused on the test and so some of the questions were very simple or bad. These "bad" questions were changed later and they are now much more difficult than their initial counterparts.

For the next projects I will do, I would like to do something similar to this except for other classes. Specifically for the Chemistry project, I would like to take a more active role in determining what should go in the Chemistry review packet. I'd also like to have a hand in the distribution of the resource.

Helper Project 2 - Blog 2

Milestone 2: Have the test completed June 14

I had a little difficulty making this milestone on time. After other projects, I took the time to update the algebra test and added questions that tested the Pre-calc students' knowledge of logarithms. Today we also took a look at the algebra test that Mr. Joshi had given out this year. And we found that key areas that we are testing on our Algebra test are key things that Pre-Calculus students are having some difficulty with.
This will be the final edition that will be submitted to Mr. Joshi but eventually, I hope more problems will be added and Mr. Joshi will have a larger test bank of questions to pull from when constructing review packets for incoming Calculus students.

A student going through the final edition of the algebra test

Helper Project 1 - Post-Project Reflection

Name: Michael Phuong

Project Name: Music theory for kids

Group Members: Daryl Phuong, Michael Phuong

This project was very interesting to me and also very personal. I wanted to get students more involved with piano but it was difficult when they lacked the basic knowledge to understand the music and why composers choose certain chords, use dissonance, or do other seemingly strange things in music. All the students that participated became much better at piano after this project. After this project, I had imagined that the students wouldn't immediately have a very large effect but it seems that over the course of the project, many of the students also improved their playing skill as well. Many of them also became much more appreciative of music. Some really large problems came from students that were very distracted. When a student already knew what the project leader was teaching, that student would almost always begin to distract other students. These students may have been disruptions but, usually techniques similar to actual teachers, we were able to refocus many of these students by sending them outside of the room or other, similar punishments. For my next project, I'd like to continue taking an active role in the logistics of the project but I would also like to have a hand in the actual production part of the project. The other 3 of my leadership projects all focus around producing things, a study guide, a test, and a survey. For these next projects, I hope that I will be able to do more logistically, but also be able to produce something that is helpful to other students in the future.

Helper Project 2 - Blog 1

Milestone 1: Checking in and going through the test rough drafts with Mr. Joshi. June 1

Mr. Joshi checked in with us and although I hadn't written down any questions, I already had ideas of what I was going to do. As I began creating the answers, however, I found that it was much more difficult than I could imagine. It seemed that all the "obvious mistakes" were harder to find and make as I've had more experience with math. I was able to use mistakes I normally make as a basis for some of the misleading answers but that was mostly a swapped sign or something similar. There are also many tricks that can be found in Calculus but as this test is for algebra review, it was much more difficult to come up with answers and questions since we're limited in what we can address.

A student going through the Algebra test

Helper Project 1 - Blog 3

Students should be able to identify and name chords by April 15th

This particular milestone was reached much more easily than the prior milestones. After the major hurdles of intervals and the circle of 5ths, students are applying the knowledge they now know and using it to help them identify chords. For example, major and minor chords were mostly demonstrated. Major chords consist of a major third stacked with a minor third and minor chords consist of a minor third stacked with a major third. Those thirds are types of intervals and are a pattern in chords. If a student is able to identify the intervals, they generally are able to identify the chords. They are also able to identify the color of a chord through intervals. If there are only 3rds in the chord, this would mean that the chord is in root position. If there is a 4th in the chord, it is in 1st or second inversion. 

Identifying keys, a major part of being able to name chords

Students hard to work practicing how to identify/name chords

Students playin a game that the teacher utilized, having two people compete to see who can name the chords fastest

Example of find keys and how to use them to find the notes in a chord

A student showing off his work

Helper Project 1 - Blog 2

Students should be able to identify and name intervals by March 15th
 

Again, as with the first milestone, the majority of the students get it. Some students are still struggling to name their notes but mostly all the students are doing just fine. Over the period between the first milestone and this one, I have worked individually with a few students. The students that already understand this material have worked with me. I personally helped prepare Emilio for a much higher level theory exam, level 7. This requires some more in depth knowledge and I aided him in preparing. His brother is struggling to focus in class. The teacher, Daryl, attempts to get students to focus through voicing his dissatisfaction. This seems to work much of the time but some students are still very hyper. These few students are normally told to go outside of the room and calm down but sometimes I work with these students and tell them what they need to do and what they should be able to do. Daryl also ensures that students stay on track by forcing them to practice a skill that's being taught in front of the class. This mostly guarantees that students will be paying attention as some of them don't want to be called on and some students don't fully understand the material.




Example of multiple names of interavls

Using the circle of 5ths to help find intervals

More examples of intervals

Helper Project 1- Blog 1

 Students should have a solid knowledge of the Circle of 5ths by February 15th
 

Most of the students already understand the Circle of 5ths and are able to use it effectively for other parts of theory. Some students that jumped into the class also understood much more than is necessary and will most likely drop the class, students like Emilio. Some problems arose with some students not being able to name their notes. It seems that some of the students actually struggled and had to relearn their written notes since they had been playing music through playing the notes that sound right with the few notes that they are able to identify.

Students hard at work



Students enjoying themselves while learning about the circle of 5ths

The Circle of 5ths

Helper Project-2

I will be helping the Calculus teacher, Mr. Joshi, to create an Algebra review test in preparation for the AP Calculus AB course. This is a very necessary project since much of the time in Calculus, the easy part of the math is the Calculus portion and the simpilification (i.e. the Algebra) tends to be where everyone makes their mistakes. I will be helping out along with another student, Jonathan Adams. Both of us are responsible for about 25 multiple choice Algebra problems. This requires us to be able to identify common mistakes made by students and putting those answers as decoys on the multiple choice. We will try to have problems addressing all algebraic skills such as factoring, solving for zeros (roots), solving for x, plugging in values, triginometry, and other techniques used for simplification.

Team Member Outline:
Name: Michael Phuong
Project Leader name: Mr. Joshi
Project name: Algebra review test
Group Contact information: Not necessary
Project milestone dates:
Have all test questions prepared by 6 June 2011
Have the test compiled by 9 June 2011

What is the objective of this project?
To help future Calculus students assess their knowledge of algebra and to give them a chance to see whether or not they are able to handle Calculus as an AP course.

How does your project align with our mission and goals as a class?
This project will help students understand what they actually are able to do so that they are able to assess what they must spend more time on and what they are able to minimize time on reviewing in preparation for the course.

What is your role in the project?
 I am collaborating with another helper, Jonathan Adams, in creating a test. We each will produce 25 multiple choice questions.

How are you and your group going to hold each other accountable for work getting done throughout the project?
We will check in periodically with Mr. Joshi and check each other's incorrect multiple choice answers to make sure that those answers are reasonably incorrect and not completely wrong.

What do you see as being the largest obstacle in your way to success? What do you see as being an obstacle for your group?
Procrastinating and forgetting that we are on this project. This is a large obstacle for both me as an individual and for the group.

What is the plan for overcoming these obstacles?
We will make sure to check in and remind each other about the project so that we will complete the questions on time and that they will be of decent quality instead of rushing at the last moment and producing very poor and low quality work.

21 April 2011
We spoke to Joshi and he agreed to allow us to help. He also gave us some tips on how to put together the multiple choice questions.

Helper project-1

I am helping with a Senior project. This project involves teaching young pianists musical theory. I am essentially a secretary for the person in charge and I take notes on the teaching sessions as well as take photos. I also help to clarify points to individual students and I also teach students who won't learn anything from the session. This class is once a week over the course of a few months in preparation for a theory exam. The main point of this class, however, is to better prepare young pianists for piano lessons by helping them solidify their knowledge of chords, scales, and intervals. By having a better understanding of these things, these young pianists will be able to improve their playing ability.

Team Member Outline:
Name: Michael Phuong
Project Leader Name: Daryl Phuong
Project Name: Music theory for kids
Project Milestone dates: Students should have a solid knowledge of the Circle of 5ths by February 15th
     Students should be able to identify and name intervals by March 15th
     Students should be able to identify and name chords by April 15th
 

What is the objective of this project?
To help students in their piano lessons by first improving their knowledge of musical theory

How does your project align withour mission and goals as a class?
We are helping students learn to be able to apply their knowledge in a way that is more similar to what they are expected to be able to do in high school and in college versus telling students to memorize certain questions that is typical of an elementary school or sometimes a middle school course.

What is your role going to be in the project?
I will be taking notes at each session regarding what is taught, which students fully understand the concepts, which students are struggling, and examples that are provided. I will also be in charge of tutoring students that are lagging behind the main class and in some cases preparing more advanced students for more difficult material.

How are you and your group going to hold each other accountable for work getting done throughout the project?
We will have meetings after each theory session and check to see that my notes are accurate and to talk about how to accomadate struggling students and how to challenge the students that already understand the concepts.

What do you see as being th elargest obstacle in your way to success? What do you see as being an obstacle for your group?
My short temper may get in my way to succeed since I'll have to deal with younger students. As a group, students that refuse to learn and are constantly messing around during class will probably cause troubles for the project.

What is the plan for overcoming these obstacles?
I will make sure that I am calm and utilize other anger management techniques in order to prevent myself from exploding during class. To deal with the disruptive students, we will send them out of the classroom setting or put them aside from the main group and force them to study alone with my assistance in order to make sure that they stay focused.

Student Surveys

OVERVIEW:
After hearing the complaints by students about not getting the class they wanted or getting a class that wasn't what they expected, we have decided to help students choose their classes through a rating system which will be conducted through student surveys. Students have also been complaining about normal courses vs. AP courses and whether or not they can handle the work load. A few have noted that AP courses tend to have a lighter work load but students have to be much more proactive about studying. The fact is that few students know about the differences between AP and normal courses and they tend to avoid AP courses because they assume that AP courses have a much larger work load which they can not balance with their other activities. The surveys will contain a rating system of 1-10 regarding the interest level of the class, difficulty, work load, and fun. There will also be a box for more specific comments by students. Surveys targetted towards Freshmen and Sophomores will be issued for just the elective courses they may take since they have little choice in the courses that they take.

Project Outline:
Describe what you see as the end result of your project. What will it look/feel like? How does your project align with our mission and goals as a class?
We will have a compiled list of comments and the top 2 highest average classes of each category. This project will help improve the community of AHS as it will help students be much more informed about their classes and students will have less to complain about their elective classes. Students will be able to better anticipate what they will be in for in a certain class so they'll be able to make better decisions about classes based on their workloads in and out of schools.
What are the obstacles and or challenges that you are anticipating when working on your project?
I expect that we will have challenges in the form of finding a time for all the teacher's to take the survey but we will solve this by ensuring that teachers are given a few days to give the survey to the students so they can work it into their schedule or give it to their students to take at home.
What are the milestones that you are going to meet? Be detailed.
We will have to reach milestones such as making sure we have a good outline for the surveys. Having a time period set for when the surveys should be taken and when they should be completed by. We will also have another milestone for when we should finish compiling the surveys' data.
How will you ensure that you reach your project milestones on the dates listed above? How do you think you will overcome these foreseen obstacles?
We will plan ahead and make sure we meet with people in charge so that we can ensure that all the milestones are met. If there are unforeseen obstacles we will first try to resolve it among ourselves but if that fails we will go to meet with our mentor.
What materials are you going to need to successfully carry out your project?
We will need a lot of paper, cooperation with teachers, a computer, and a printer.
What things besides materials are you going to need to be successful in your project? (examples: people or special training)
We will need to have cooperation with teachers and also we will have to talk to or see examples of what people have done to compile data neatly and in an attractive way.
How many people will need to help you in your project? What do you see their roles being? Be specific.
I have a partner for this project and he will be helping to design the surveys, printing, proof read, and compile data. We will  have one other helper. She will be helping us to compile that data, print, and proof read. She will also take part in helping to make the data compilation look nicer and cleaner.
What is your plan to hold yourself and your group accountable for the success of the project?
To hold myself and my group accountable we will have meetings and talk with each other about what we have done so far and what we need to accomplish next.

21 April 2011
We spoke to Gudor and he agreed to be our mentor for this project. He also gave us ideas about the distribution and how the data we gather will be presented to the students. He also alerted us to concerns about teachers feeling uncomfortable because they don't want students to say that their class are not enjoyable or aren't very educational.

AP Chemistry prep class

*EDIT* This project was changed from an AP Chemistry Prep class to an Chemistry prep/review packet

Mr. Shiroma has been complaining about how his students in AP Chemistry had procrastinated over the summer and also about how some students don't have a solid foundation of normal Chemistry. Also, some students are afraid to take the course because they don't know what to expect. Conversely, there are also those students that take the class thinking they can handle it but, in reality, they can't as they are then. This prep class will solidify normal Chemistry knowledge and also help people do the work that is required over the summer prior to taking AP Chemistry. The prep class will also help inform students about what they should expect from the course. I will co-lead this project with Jonathan. Our advisor will be Mr. Shiroma.

Project Outline:
Describe what you see as the end result of your project. What will it look/feel like? How does your project align with our mission and goals as a class?
It will be a packet outlining the basics of regular Chemistry for the course. It will be useful in helping students that are confused with some basic parts of Chemistry.What are the obstacles and or challenges that you are anticipating when working on your project?
We will most likely experience challenges from having to choose what will be necessary for the packet but especially the phrasing that we use for the packet.What are the milestones that you are going to meet? Be detailed.
We will have a milestone for when we discussed the change in the project with Mr. Shiroma and another milestone when we have the packet complete and submitted to Mr. Shiroma.
How will you ensure that you reach your project milestones on the dates listed above? How do you think you will overcome these foreseen obstacles?
We will plan ahead and make sure we meet with people in charge so that we can ensure that all the milestones are met. If there are unforeseen obstacles we will first try to resolve it among ourselves but if that fails we will go to meet with our mentor.
What materials are you going to need to successfully carry out your project?
We will need a lot of paper, cooperation with teachers, a computer, and a printer.
What things besides materials are you going to need to be successful in your project? (examples: people or special training)
We will need to have cooperation with teachers and also we will have to talk to or see examples of what people have done to create great study guides.
How many people will need to help you in your project? What do you see their roles being? Be specific.
I have a partner for this project who will help to edit the packet and figure out the phrasing and making sure all the necessary information is there.
What is your plan to hold yourself and your group accountable for the success of the project?
To hold myself and my group accountable we will have meetings and talk with each other about what we have done so far and what we need to accomplish next.

25 April 2011
We spoke to Mr. Shiroma and he agreed to be our advisor for this project. He will provide us materials and use of his room after school in June for the prep class to take place.

1 June 2011
We decided to switch to a Chemistry Review Packet project since the AP Chemistry class may be cancelled next year.