Blog 10: Seinor Project Update

1) What are you currently doing in your independent component?

• I am currently working to complete my independent component. My independent component is currently working at the hippotherapy center where I have been doing my mentorship.  I plan to exceed my 50 hours of mentorship so I can also count it for my individual component.

(2) What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior project? The piece of research should be something you reviewed in November. Please explain what you learned and where are you going next because of this piece of research.

• A piece of research that was very valuable to me was the AHA Approved Curriculum Level 1 Article that I found on the American Hippotherapy Association website.  It was very helpful because it helped me understand what hippotherapists have to go through to become certified.  I will now continue to research the different criteria needed to become certified.  I will also use the American Hippotherapy Association website to help further my knowledge.

(3) Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did. For example, a photo of something you working on for your independent component or your notes from the video you watched.

• My computer would not let me post a picture onto my blog. But the article is part of my research so it will be in my research binder for proof

Blog 5B: Science Fair Proposal

1. Topic: Horses

2. The problem behind my experiment is that children come in to the clinic unrelaxed and stressed out due to their everyday challenges and environments.

3. If a child's heart rate gets measured both before and after a hippotherapy session, then the child's heart rate will decrease due to the relaxation that the horse brings to the patient.

4. I will perform this experiment by selecting 22 individuals taking hippotherapy. From there, I will measure their heart rates before they get on the horse and after they have ridden the horse for a full hippotherapy session. If possible I will also measure their heart rates while on the horse. I will then evaluate and conclude my experiment. In doing this experiment, I hope to prove that a horse really does help in the therapy process by providing relaxation with the patients. I hope to prove that the patient's heart rate is greater before the hippotherapy session and the heart rate decreases after the hippotherapy session is complete.

5. Behavioral Science

Blog 9: Working EQ & Possible Answers

(1) My working EQ that I used in my 10 minute presentation was, "What are the benefits of equine assisted therapy?"
(2) I have decided to not revise my EQ at this time.
(3) Some possible answers for my EQ are:

• Equine assisted therapy can benefit the patient by improving their balance, posture, helping them sit up better, and even walking better.
• Equine assisted therapy is also beneficiary because it can combine three therapies into one. Hippotherapy can be a combination of occupational therapy, physical therapy, and even speech/language therapy.

Rough Draft of Presentation 1

Amber's 10 minute presentation rough draft

Blog 7

(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.

• For my independent study component, I plan on practicing my riding on my horse. My aunt and cousin will help me on what I need to improve on; such as posture while riding, etc.

(2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

• I plan to ride for a couple hours at a time. That way it will take me about 10-15 days to complete my 30 hours. 

(3) How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?

• My independent study component relates to my working EQ because in order for me to help others ride a horse, I need to improve my riding skills as well.

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

Background Questions:

What training do you need to go into horse therapy for children?

What is most important to know or keep in mind when working?

What are some benefits of your job?

How long did it take you to get where you are in your job today?

What struggles did you have in trying to find a job?

What is difficult about your job?

Can you give me some details and backround of what your job entails?

Do you enjoy your job? Why?

Working EQ

The Pentagon:
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happened as a result of what you have completed so far?

       A Positive thing that has happened to me as a result of what I have completed so far is I have expanded my knowledge of my topic. Also, with the help of my interview with Vicky Smith, I have learned where I can look into for my next interviews.

(2) EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

 

       One thing that has helped me improve my understanding of my topic is my interview with Vicky Smith.  She helped me understand what to expect if I decide to become a horse trainer.  She also gave me other resources to refer to so I can truly understand what my topic entails.

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

 

       One thing that has worked for me so far in my senior project is the willingness of people to help me with what I need.  I have found people that I can interview and hopefully one of them will be able to be my mentor.

 

(4) What hasn't worked so far?

 

       One thing that hasn't worked so well for me in my senior project is the amount of research I am able to find.  There is tons of research on my topic. But the problem is that it is mostly the same information over and over.  Also, a lot of the information I find is irrelevent to what I need. 

(5) Finding Value: Based on your experience so far,

• What possible question or questions come to mind regarding what you would like to study this year (don't list questions about the instructions relating to the senior project)?

             What does it take to be a great and well known horse trainer? 

• What is your end goal this year with your senior project (don't say get a good grade or gain knowledge, put specific things you want to accomplish in your senior project this year)

             My end goal is to end the school year with not only knowledge of my topic, but also to spend more time with my horse and apply the knowledge that I was given.  I will use the knowledge in my every day life with my horse.  Who knows? Maybe I might even get an internship or job out of it.

• Who would you like to talk to next? Why?

             I don't know a specific person I would like to talk to next, but I do know I want to talk to either an Equine Veterinarian or a Ferrier.  They would help me widen my knowledge of my topic and also help me narrow down what I want to focus on since my topic has so many different things.

Blog 5A: Problem Statement

1)My topic is Horses

2) A problem in my topic is people don't know the benefits of warming your horse up before a competition or show.  Once I know the benefits of a warm up, I will apply it to my horse when i show or am in a competition.

3) Another problem in my topic is riders overwork their horses, resulting in injuries for the horse and sometimes even the rider.  When I solve this problem, I will make sure to not overwork my horse and educate people in my 4-H club through a presentation.

4) A third problem in my topic is that people don't know how to properly treat a horse with an injury (An example is wraping a horses leg improperly). When a horse is improperly treated, it will likely cause greater harm than good.  When I solve this problem, I will apply this to my horse and also present the information to my 4-H club through a presentation.

Interview preparation

1. I plan to interview Debbie Hilak or Vicki Smith. I have known Debbie for about five years and she always seems to be of help to me. I am sure she will answer all of my questions and give me tips on what activities I can do and places I can go involving my senior project. I have known Vicki for about two years now and I am also sure she will answer all of my questions with no hassle

2. Some additional questions I can ask are:

•  How did you get interested in your profession?
• How long would you say it took you to get to where you are in your job today?
• What does an average day look like for you?
• Do you enjoy doing what you do? Why?
• Do you have any interesting stories or facts about your job?

Topic Choice

a) My topic is horses. I chose this because I feel it is a unique topic in our senior class. I enjoy working with horses and learning new things about them.

Ipoly Citizen: I plan to take riding lessons. This relates to me improving as an iPoly citizen because in order to take lessons, I need to schedule and be on time to lessons and I need to be respectful to all community members, especifically my riding instructor

Effective Communicator: I plan to take riding lessons. This will make me more effective as a learner because it requires me to listen effectively. I will also use communicaton skills because in order to have a successful lesson, I will need to ask questions and the trainer will also ask me questions to make sure I understand what they are teaching me.

Effective Learner: I plan to learn new information about horses. This will make me more effective as a learner because I will assume responsibility for my own learning by researching new information about horses that I didn't know prior. It also gives me personal creativity because there are many different ways I can learn about horses. For example, I can take riding lessons, research on the computer, and make the information presentable so I can inform others on what I've learned.

Effective User of Technology: I plan to continuously use a computer to research my infromation on the topic. I will also research different types of technology used for horses.  This will make me a more effective user of technology because I will be working with technology and also learning about new technologies.

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal(know)

• Mentorship Log and Description
• Contact Name and Number:
• Teri Marino
• (909)322-2183

What Questions Were Raised?

• How much time do capitol workers spend in Sacramento?
• How much time do capitol workers spend in their home towns?
• What does it take for a bill to become a law?
• What is the average age of a politician? And what is the age at which politicians first start out?

Interpretive: What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

• The thing I gained most from this experience is knowledge of our California Government. This is because the conference's objective was to teach delegates about the Government. More specifically, I learned what it took for a bill to become a law, what each position or government office does, and I also learned what Senate and Assembly members do.

Applied: How did what you did help you choose a topic?

• Quite frankly, my summer mentorship has nothing to do with my senior topic.  When I started out, I had the intention to do my senior project on politics. This is why my summer mentorship was on politics.  As I got to thinking more into my senior project for the school year, I thought I might enjoy something more than politics.  It's not that I don't like politics, I just feel it's not for me.  My senior project will be on horses. This is because I enjoy horses. I figured if I have to do a senior project, I will be better off with a topic that I thoroughly enjoy.