Week One Reflection
I started working with TAFT in middle school and have continued all the way through high school. The reason I decided to work with Peninsula Bridge is to continue working with similar motivated and underprivileged students that want to better and enhance their skills. I have found that the students at the Menlo sight have been similar.
Our class focused this week on percentages. In order to fully understand percentages, the students learned how to translate a percent to a fraction to a decimal. All of the students have grasped the fact that percents are simply an amount out of one hundred. However, many had trouble with connecting the three together. It was important for me to help understand the learning styles of each student to cater to their needs. Without creating a strong foundation, a strong math understanding cannot be obtained. For instance, Jonathon had trouble translating a fraction to a decimal. After multiple attempts to explain it in the most helpful way, I realized that he was a visual learner. Therefore, we divided the small number by one hundred on the side to prove why the answer written was correct. Because he did not simply memorize how to do it, but understood it, he will be able to apply the knowledge he has obtained to harder problems. Overall, I have noticed that a lot of students are afraid of the math class so far because they are afraid of getting the answer wrong. However, if we truly teach them how to understand the material instead of memorize, they will gain confidence.
A consistent highlight for me this week was spending time with my family group. I have two shy boys, one shy girl, and one outgoing girl. It has been my goal to break their shells and really get to know them. I have accomplished this goal with two of the three shy ones. When three of the kids in my group had to finish their pretest during lunch, I had a one on one lunch with Jose. While it was awkward for him at first, overtime he became more and more comfortable and opened up. He has continued to open up through our TA vs. student basketball games, and through the embark labs that he is really engaged in. I have found that common interests are very important to him. Valeria did not want to socialize with others, and would want to spend the whole hour long lunches eating incredibly slowly and talking to me instead of playing with others. I tried to break this habit by having an “extended family” lunch to see how she interacted with others. The interaction was limited. So, I routinely would urge her to play foursquare with a big group and me. Eventually, she gave in and has become friends with all the girls that play the game at any possible time. It is really rewarding to see how the kids have grown as students and people just after one week.
Week Two Reflection
Overall, the second week has been a fantastic one for both the kids and myself. However, with the second week came deeper issues.
In class, we focused on more complex and challenging problems. The kids learned about compound interest, markups, markdowns, and tax. Most of the week was spent calculating different amounts to solidify and prove their understanding. While some of the kids got it immediately, it was apparent that some of the students were far behind the rest of the class. While Leonardo and Josue finished a double sided worksheet in fifteen minutes, others took fifteen minutes to finish only part of question one. Because most of the math TAs were working on problem rewrites this week, it was the job of myself and one other TA to help the entirety of the three classes. It was very difficult to balance my time between all of the students, especially between the students that were still having trouble with last week’s material. If they are still unable to turn a fraction into a decimal in their head, all that is to come in the future of the course will be incredibly difficult. I have been trying to keep a positive attitude, review the material in different ways with the students, ask guiding questions, and inform Mr. Lau if there is an issue.
As the material has gotten harder, some of the students have been more engaged, while others have become roudier. Many students are truly engaged in their work and pay attention at all times. Out of the three classes, I have interacted with every student, and their are no students that are unengaged. However, there are a few that get very frustrated and shut down, cutting off the possibility to learn and absorb. It is very hard to reach them intellectually when this happens. Another issue that I have faced is students becoming a little too comfortable with each other. Some of the boys at one table were tickling each other instead of working, and more boys have been chattier with their table partners. While the class is not taught in a fun or engaging way, the TAs and the teacher need to make the class more engaging and fun, so that kind of behavior will not continue.
Outside of the classroom, the students I have interacted have been doing great. Inside of my family group, Jose and Abraham have continued to open up. This has created a stronger connection between the group as a whole. Overall, they have been more open to questioning about themselves and their life outside of Bridge. The kids have started to respect one another. For instance, Valeria and Sophia praised Abraham and Jose for being the only two students in their wellness class to do their homework. Other students have become more respectful of one another from sports and activities. For instance, Dede started out pretty aggressive at the beginning of the program. However, by playing foursquare every day, she has become nicer and more understanding towards the other girls. Another way the girls have come together is through the game of volleyball. Whenever any of the TAs in the gym see a girl sitting alone we always invite them to play. Because none of the kids are good at the game, everyone feels comfortable playing and making a fool of herself because none of the other kids will judge them.
