Daniela Pedroza

Problem Solving

For the very first Interdisciplinary Project, my group’s topic was Staphylococcus

Infection also known as Staph infection and it was completed December 2015. The project

involved presenting information about what the infection was, its causes, treatment, prevention,

myths, body effects, community effects, policy, problems with policy, and background to a

panelist that consisted of students, and teachers. We were assigned to come up with a creative

element as an example of someone getting the infection. This IDP fits the problem-solving

category because my group and I presented a solution to prevent and treat Staphylococcus

Infection.

For our last Interdisciplinary Project, my group’s topic was Led and was completed April

2018. In this project, we were assigned to test the soil. My group and I had to get home soil and

organic soil and water it with Arrowhead water. We had to test how long it would take the plant

to grow in the different types of soil and which soil contained the most lead. The purpose of this

project was to inform our community about the dangers of lead and how it can affect people in

our community. This IDP fit the problem-solving category because we were able to come up

with a solution on how to inform our community on lead and find out what action is being taken

to diminish the amount of lead in our soil.

For both Interdisciplinary Projects, the SLO that we met were effective communicators

and active citizens because we were able to inform others about certain issues in our community.

In my first Interdisciplinary Project, my group and I were effective communicators because we

presented to a group of panelist educating them on Staphylococcus Infection and what we can do

to prevent it from spreading in our community. In my last IDP, my group and I were active
citizens because we presented to Vernon City Hall and informed them about the dangers of lead

in our community and what we can do to address the issue. Lastly, when we presented our

project the day of IDP, my group and I were able to explain and inform to a group of panelist on

how we tested our soil for lead and managed to try and make a change in our community.

From my first Interdisciplinary Project to my last, I was able to develop a lot of

confidence, time management, and collaboration skills. One area I improved in the most was the

presentation part because in my first IDP I was very nervous and scared to present, however, in

my last one I was more confident and spoke without stuttering. I was also able to grow as a

student by becoming more responsible and not procrastinate as much as I did in my first IDP. I

learned how to analysis information in a way that others can understand what I am trying to

explain. I developed more communication skills because I was able to share my ideas with my

group without being shy. I also managed to communicate well with my group members if they

were not completing their part of the project. I also gained more knowledge academically

because I am now able to identify if a source is credible and if the information, I am being given

is correct. I also learned how to analyze data from different resources to gather more information

and be able come to a conclusion. An area that I still need to improve on is using my critical

thinking skills because I have difficulty trying to figure out and understanding the reasons to

certain outcome. I can use the skills I learned from my experience with Interdisciplinary Projects

in the future because I will have the acquired skills to work well with other people, be able to

communicate properly, and come to agreements.