Blog 26: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

 I am most proud of the effort, commitment, and activities because I did put a lot of thought into my activities and showing connection between my answers, activities, and my essential question. I felt like I did a good job and showing the connection and helping the class understand my topic, essential question, and answers very well.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

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b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

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

What worked for me was learning the content and putting together the project because I knew my topic so well, and had a lot of experience with it, so I felt really confident. The dedication, commitment, and work I put into it worked for me as well because although it was a lot of work, I liked my topic a lot over all, and was able to enjoy it more then anything.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

What did not work for me was the lack of time, I wish I had more time to explain my topic. And I also wished I could have explained my answers better and used more visuals. I dont feel as if I did bad, but I do feel that more use of visual for my answers one and two, and a better explanation for my answers would have made it easier to understand sooner. So I would change my power point a bit to hit more specific aspects of my answers and use more visuals to better understand the content sooner.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?  Be specific and use examples. 

My senior project has been helpful to me in my future endeavors by helping me realize the potential I have, and how much knowledge I have gained. My projected help me discover my product, which was having more patients and having better problem solving skills. I feel that this project helped me in unbelievable ways, and taught me how to be a better facilitator and take charge in what I do. Also, I learned what commitment and dedication really mean, and in the future I feel that everything I have learned throughout this none month long project, will always be remember and used in my future struggles. I feel as if I can accomplish a lot, and feel confident in myself at preforming difficult task which is a big help to achieve my future goals of going to college and being successful in my career. My independent Component Two proved to me what my product is, and put me to the test because of all the difficult problems I had to face. I learned about how I solve my own problems and realized better ways to solve those problems because of this project. I feel that this is the best example of how my senior project was helpful, and how it will be helpful to my future endeavors. 

Mentors Response To Project

I talked to my mentor about how my project went, and he was satisfied but felt I could have explained certain things better in my answers. I did leave out some parts and could have talked about it to better explain my answer. I feel as if I should have spent more time talking about my answers and so did my mentor. But the information was there overall because I choose good activities that where able to show my answers he thinks. My mentors are very proud of me because I was able to enlighten people about woodworking and helped them see what craftsman/ woodworking really is and how difficult it can be. Over all they both think I did well and was able to pick up on woodworking very easily and quickly. They recommended that if I ever do want to pursue woodworking that I do start young, and try to get as many customers, contacts, and connections as I can now that I am young so that I can do better in the future. They also told me that I should do the best work I can and to MAKE SURE I take on how ever many projects I can at once. They told me it was better to be honest and put off a project to the side then give the customer my word and not complete it. Sure I may loose a customer but at least I am able to be honest in the work that I do and focus on someone else's furniture and do it right. My mentors thought I should have used more examples and showed off the wood that I brought more, and also bring other visuals for my other two answers so that the class could understand.

After Goals

I plan on continuing to pursue woodworking as a hobby not a career. I do plan on making furniture for people, or giving advice, or even making props. Maybe I can do it as a side job, but I feel as if I have found a new talent, or skill? And I will try to better myself by trying to learn more about woodworking and have more experience because I think it can come in handy later on in life. I still plan to give my house teacher a bookshelf and the ramp I owe her. I also would like to take on the challenge of making other things at home for myself. If I am able to make something why not make it as suppose to buying it? My senior topic really taught me a lot about myself, and so did my presentation because I was able to teach other people about something that I do like and enjoy. It felt good seeing that they enjoyed what I have taught them and that I was able to enlighten them about my project and what I do. I didnt expect so much enthusiasm from my peers, but in the end, my presentation made me want to continue to have an interest in my project. So I do plan to have an interest in woodworking, and remember this project because of what it taught me and how much dedication I had to this project.

Debrief

I think the hardest part about my project is helping people understand the art aspect of my topic. It is hard to view woodworking as an art form to some people because they are not familiar with it because the art is very unique. I think I was able to explain my topic pretty well, some parts could have been better then others. After my presentation, I thought about some things I could have done better, and those things where elaborate more on my mentorship, and differentiate my answers so that it is more clear. I dont feel as if I did bad, but then again I feel like some of the class did not really understand what I was talking about at some parts. As for the activities I think they really related to my answers, and my essential question. The students found relationship I think, and the activity helped define and clear up my answers. The class really enjoyed the activities and liked doing hands on type of things. I was surprised to see the class very involved, and was glad to see that they content was taught to them through the activities. I do feel that people know understand woodworking better, and may perhaps respect what woodworkers do. There is a lot more to it then just making something out of wood, and using it as furniture. For my first activity the class was very excited to see how the material reacted to temperature, they really enjoyed it. For my second activity they where also involved in trying to put together the joinery. It was a short but good activity to help define my second answer Joinery. And the last activity they had a lot of fun with as well, applying finishing is always fun. It was an easy clean up and I had help from some students. The only thing that threw me off was the interruption and the lock down at school because it really made me loose my train of thought.

Product

For my product I have learned problem solving skills. I believe that the skills I learned will help me to become more involved in my community and help me face bigger challenges. It also helps me so I can become a better facilitator in a team environment. I learned patients and problem solving skills and I feel that they are helping me and are becoming a habit after doing my presentation. I never realized how important my product could be or how much my topic could teach me about myself, and my capabilities. I plan to use my newfound skills as much as I can throughout my college experience and feel very prepared, and very confident about attending to college knowing I know how to solve very difficult problems. My mentors, sources, and independent component all helped me with my product and I feel very excited about knowing how prepared I am to face difficult problems in the future. I am also confident in my patients, and my learning abilities because of my product and what I discovered about myself, and the work that I do. I originally thought my product had to be something physical, but it turned out that it was not. My product is meant to help me in the future so that I can succeed and do the best that I can, and use my full potential. After learning and going through a nine month process of doing a project, I feel as if I can do a lot more and give good presentations.

Preparation

In order to prepare for my 2 hour, I made the room have a certain feel to it, well at least I tried by bringing in different types of wood like in a real wood shop. It is important to portray a certain feeling so that the students can get a feel of what the environment will feel like, I also left scented wood on the table so that it can smell a certain way. There is a lot of room because in woodworking you need a lot of room to be able to work. Also, I put them in groups of four because there is a lot of work involved for the activities and not all may want to really participates in some activities. It is a lot of hands on work and each activity requires them to understand each of my answers. The clean up process will be very simple because they will throw everything away at the end or keep it if they want to. It wont be really messy and the desks can be put back to how they where very easily.

Best Answer

My best answer was materials because it allows the woodworker to really work with his furniture to be able to get the people to feel a certain way. Also because compared ot my other two answers, materials has the biggest role. There are so many different types of wood, and although my other two answers are very important, this answer is the best because in order to create something aesthetic, you need to have a good building material to do it. Weather it is a soft wood or hard wood what ever is best to create your furniture to be able to portray a certain feeling, environment, or create a certain atmosphere. Also, wood is not the only material you can use, theres also other things such as glass, rocks, plants, grass, you can add on to the furniture with that but the main thing is making it out of wood. A woodworker should know his materials in order to be able to both give the best possible furniture piece to the customer with the color, texture, and purpose to them. It will also determine how furniture piece is built and how it is supported and how long it last.

Best Answer LIA

L: Some facts about my best answer materials would have to be that there are different kinda of woods that you can use. Each has a specific color, and each also has certain characteristics. They have many colors, textures, grains and react different to temperature. Some are more harder or dense compared to others which makes them a better wood to make certain things with.
I: My most important source for this answer would have to be a book by George Nakashima and my mentor Paul Yanes because they helped me understand this answer and this aspect of woodworking.
A: This supports my foundation because a woodworker must understand what is most important to consider to create an aesthetic piece of furniture in both the art aspect of woodworking and also the career aspect of woodworking. It is important to consider materials because it plays the biggest role, and helps create an atmosphere and environment in the room such as happiness, comfit, and other feels. It is all done by the type of wood you use and the colors.

It would be best to use this in my presentation or was best, because I wanted to show relationship between what I learned in my core classes, and my senior project and tried applying it to my presentation. I think I did the job, and got my point across but it could have been more detailed in some parts. Over all I feel confident in my best answer because of how it is explained and feel that my whole project does flow together. 

Mentorship

I was able to complete about 205 hours of mentorship. I wanted to dedicate a post to my mentors because they helped me out a lot. They gave me really good sources and aided me through my 9 month senior project. My two mentors where Paul Yanes and David Wade. They stuck with me the whole way and helped me every way of the step, they helped me enough to be able to do it on my own almost. I had gone through many mentors, and went to interviews to see if I can get mentorship but I was unsuccessful at serval places such as; Hile Studios, Mentorship with John and Jim Ipikagen, mentorship with William Ng, Jeff Grainger Studio, S&T Woodworks, Eaton Designs, and a few other places. My mentor Paul Yanes was part of a community of woodworkers in the LA area and he sent out a request to see if any woodworkers would be able to offer mentorship. Very few replied, and the ones who did where very far, except for David Wade. David Wade was very familiar with helping students. He has given many classes and is a very experienced woodworker. He took me in and allowed me to use his whole shop to make what ever furniture I needed. He aided me in tough questions and decisions I had to make. He taught me the Career aspect of woodworking, and helped me understand my EQ and different ways to see woodworking, a hobby point of view, and a career point of view. It was very helpful and he really did his best to help me prepare for my presentation. 

My mentor Paul Yanes also helped me a lot and helped me realize that woodworking is not just carpentry, or architecture, but it is also art. He helped me find my best answer and was my most convenient mentor because he lived with me hah. I did not treat me as a son, he taught me and treated me like an apprentice, there where times where it was hard and frustrating both mentally and physically. The late nights we spent perfecting techniques, and the amount of knowledge he helped me discover myself. He never once did anything for me, or even gave me a straight forward answer. He helped me discover my product, and led me to other important sources. Such as a book by George Nakashima that helped me understand the life style of a woodworker and my third and best answer.

Activities Explanation For 2- Hour

I have been working on my activities and my senior project is coming to an end. I realize how much i have learned with my activities and really feel that they express my topic, and my answers. They really relate to my EQ because for one, each activity does have to do with my answers and woodworking in a unique way. My answers are Finishing, Joinery, and Materials. In my activities the class will understand what each answers means in woodworking, and how it related to my topic, and most important EQ. My first activity will be my third and best answer, materials. I will make groups of four, and give each group two pieces of wood. This wood is really messed up and dented. The activity will be to understand your material, and see how it reacts and to understand that your material is indeed the most important thing for a woodworker to consider to make an aesthetic piece of furniture because it contains the color, the design, it plays the biggest role in woodworking. The class will have a cup of water, two rag, two dented piece of wood, and an iron. The purpose of this activity is to understand your material and how it reacts under temperature change, and to understand the biology of wood itself. The objective will be to remove the dents from the wood using water and an iron to steam the water. After the class has done so I will have them share out why the dents rose and disappeared and explain the process to understand how important the material in woodworking is and how many variables come with the material. 

 The second activity will be about my second answer, Joinery. The class will be given the same two pieces of wood from the last activity, and that is all. The objective will be to understand joinery and how it works, what it is used for, its importance, and the relationship to my EQ. Joinery is what binds and holds the wood together, and it gives it the strength to stay up. Joinery has a unique design around the edges where the two pieces are joined. Joinery also allows the piece to function and be of use, it also helps it last and gives it strength. The class will gain understanding of this, and realize that joinery is something to consider in woodworking to make an aesthetic piece of furniture because it provides a different set of "aesthetics", which is function. Function is sometimes more appealing, and more aesthetically pleasing then the physical appearance and look. SO the class will have two different pieces of wood given to them in activity one. They will then select one member to find the piece of wood that matches their piece of wood and try to join the wood together. Once they have joined it together, they will discuss with their groups what they think this joinery will be for, its strength and its weakness, and discuss the pattern they see alone the edges. I will then call one a few students and ask them what they think about the joinery, what it can be used for and what it cant be used for in regards to woodworking. For example, if one has a half blind dove tail, I will ask them if they think the joinery is strong, if they like the design, and where it can be used in woodworking (for example, to make a chair, or box).

My last and final activity will be the longest. It will be based on my first answer Finishing. The class will have the same two wood pieces from activity two, and will be given gloves, shellac finishing, wax finishing, two cheese cloths for the finishing, and two types of sand paper with different grain. The objective of this activity is to understand my first answer, by showing how finishing is applied and its purpose. First, the team will sand each piece of wood until it is smooth, round the edges off, and prepare the wood to go through the final process a wood worker puts their piece through, finishing. After they have sanded the two pieces, I will show them how to apply finishing to the two pieces of wood using both wax, and shellac. This will give the wood a different look, and will show how it makes the wood look aesthetically pleasing and draw attention. 

2 Hour Lesson Plan Template

2 Hour Lesson Plan Template

Blog 25: Mentorship

LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

·     Mentorship Log Hours

·     Paul Yanes Cell Number:(626)-383-6323, Work Number: 1(213)-798-582, Email: Paulyanes@mac.com

·     David Wade Cell/Work Number: (714)-801-5517, Email:david@davidowade.com

    Interpretive

     The most important thing I have gained from this experience is problem solving skills, viewing things differently, and being patient because of what this project required me to do and how my mentors taught me. I had to face many problems that really frustrated me and I could not think of a way to over come those problems because of the frustration and stress. This projected presented problems on a whole over level for me when I was making my furniture. My mentors helped me with this problem by showing me how to over come situations like the one sI had faced and taught me the best problem solving skills I have ever learned. They had to teach me these skills because in woodworking, every project is a problem weather its how to make joinery, or which wood to use based on its characteristics so it suits your projected. It was very challenging and I am grateful for this experience because I now have better problem solving skills then I did nine months ago. I also learned how to be patient and how to plan ahead of time which also helped a lot. I was inpatient at times and that led to more problems because I would mess up by cutting a piece the wrong way, or maybe I had cut it too short because I was not patient enough. I needed to plan a head of time to because I was bad at estimating how much time a project would take me. With my new problem solving skills, I learned skills that helped me AVOID problems in the first place, such as taking possible problems and variables into consideration so that I will have plenty of time to do the work I need to do to the best of my abilities.

   Applied

  Everything that I have done with my mentorship hours have helped me answer my EQ because I explored each of my answers. My answers where basic things in woodworking, finishing, joinery, and materials. Those are the main things in woodworking because you must always finish your piece to preserve it, you join the furniture together with joinery, and you use different wood materials to make your furniture. I explored each answer and was able to fully understand what each of my answers meant and how well they answered my essential question which was "what is most important for a woodworker to consider in creating an aesthetic piece of furniture?". Finishing was a good answer, and my mentorship helped me understand why it was such a good answer. Because of the many different types of finishes, they change they have the ability to change the color and texture of the wood which changes the aesthetics of the furniture piece. In my mentorship I explored my second answer Joinery. My mentorship really helped me with this answer because I gained the understanding of realizing that joinery is a whole different type of aesthetics. Joinery provided the ability for the furniture piece to function. To some people, the function of the furniture (which comes from the joinery) was more aesthetic then the appearance of the furniture. My mentor had told me that some people prefer personality over looks, joinery/ function over appearance. Joinery itself plays a role in the aesthetics of the furniture to a certain extent. For my third answer, my mentor had asked me what I always take into consideration in woodworking. The answer was not clear to me, but once I started my independent component two and did research, I realized that the wood itself, the material, is what every woodworker takes into consideration. I was able to back up my third and best answer because of my mentorship, my mentor had taught me about the different materials in woodworking, and about the characteristics about those materials. I experimented with different wood materials and saw their weakness and their strengths because of my mentorship. My mentorship provided solid experience and evidence for each of my answer which is how my mentorship helped me answer my EQ, by helping me have hands on experience and studying my answers and going into depth about how each answer is an answer to my essential question, and the relationship between each answer and my essential question.

Blog 24: Exit Interview Questions

"I didn't realize how much I did, what I accomplished, what I took for granted and how it all came together."

Content:  

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

My essential question is "What is most important for a woodworker to consider in creating an aesthetic piece of furniture?". My best answer is the material, in other words, the type of wood a woodworker uses. I chose this answer because the furniture design itself is expressed by the wood with colors, texture, grain patterns, and sometimes even the density/strength of the wood which plays a big role in making it aesthetically pleasing. After this nine month process, the material is always something I have considered, along with my mentors.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I had to take a very frustrating process by having to analyze the all the different things  woodworker would take into consideration. With the help of my mentors I narrowed down my answer to three; finishing, joinery, and material. I then came across a book by George Nakashima that revealed to me what my best answer may possibly be. Once I had an idea, I spend most of my time studying different woods to be able to support my best answer.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

One of the biggest problems I faced was choosing my top three answers because there are several crucial aspects of woodworking that must be considered. I solved this problem by researching those answers and by using my past experience with woodworking to understand which ones would be my answers. Another problem was working efficiently because I had to really learn how to properly work so I can be efficient and accurate when making the actual furniture. My mentor and experience helped me solve this problem because he reminded me of the important basic things I had learned when I was younger and taught me how to be an efficient woodworker. My last problem was finding mentorship, I had to use my father as a mentor at first for a month or two. But he helped me fins another mentor by talking to his friends and this woodworking blog that he joined. They where able to get the word out to different woodworkers in my area and asked if any where willing to mentor me for my senior project. Luckily I ended up finding two mentors.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

My first most important source was my mentor Paul Yanes because of his experience and knowledge that he shared with me. Although he is my father, he certainly in no way treated me like a son during this project, only as an apprentice. He taught me everything I know and helped me gain life long skills that I can use from woodworking. He also introduced me to his 'woodworking bible', which is my second best source. The book is called "The Soul Of A Tree, A Woodworkers Reflection" by George Nakashima. This book was indeed an amazing book that described in detail every aspect of woodworking. From the wood to the woodworker themselves, it helped me find my best answer, and showed me how my senior project was indeed a type of art and how a woodworker is not just a carpenter, or an architect, but an artist as well.

(5) What is your product and why?

My product was gaining skills that I can use the rest of my life. I learned patience, how to work efficiently, and most impotently, how to find different ways to solve one problem. I ran into so many walls during my senior project when practicing technique and making a furniture piece. I simply could not figure out how to overcome certain obstacles. My mentor was able to show me that at times, I need to be patient, efficient, think, and be intelligent about how to solve my problems. He showed me how to make jigs (fixtures or templates) in order to overcome these problems of perhaps; not being able to cut a certain angle, or making sure all the dimensions are accurate. What ever the problem may be, I learned how to face the problems the proper way, the intelligent way and most efficient will help me through out my life.

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

 Your goal:  Be positive and helpful

Content:

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?

Junior Rico from South House.

2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

Junior plans to do his senior project on auto mechanics (more specifically how an engine block works) because he is interested in anything with moving parts.

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?

Junior already has a mentor in whom he will do his ten hours with during the summer. He will be learning from his mentor about engines and expanding his knowledge on his senior topic.

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

Junior hopes to see anything with moving parts and that has to do with mechanics during the senior presentation.

5.  What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?

I told him he should talk to Pitman about engines because she is familiar with how they work and to get ideas from her for his science fair project.

Blog 22: Final 3- Column Chart

Content: Final 3- Column Chart