Jocelyn Barajas Barajas 1

21 May 2019

Problem Solving Graphic Organizer

The title of my first interdisciplinary assignment was “Hepatitis C”. My group and I

completed this assignment during my first semester of freshman year. I presented on December

of 2015. In this IDP assignment, we were asked to research the topic “Hepatitis C”. We had to

define the topic, include the symptoms, state the prevention, and the treatment. We gathered this

information and presented a PowerPoint to a panel. In addition, we also had to present a creative

element, which was a song that helped explained our topic. This IDP fits the problem solving

category because we had to create a call to action in case of a Hepatitis C outbreak in our

community. Our action plan stated that in case of a Hepatitis C outbreak, we would spread

pamphlets which would inform our community on the outbreak. We would advise them to get
tested, and if diagnosed, seek treatment. All positive test results for Hepatitis C would be

reported to the Department of Public Health in hopes to find patient zero.

The title of my second interdisciplinary project was Lead Toxicity which was completed

my junior year, and presented Fall of 2017.The objective of this assignment was to determine if

the type of soil used on a plant affected its growth. Our hypothesis stated that the home soil plant

would grow at a slower rate in comparison to the organic soil because of the lead present in the

home soil. We sent our home soil to get tested, which would help support or refute our

hypothesis. Once we received our results, we presented a call to action to a freshmen class at our

school. The purpose of our call to action was to inform and persuade the students to take

action.We wanted the students to spread this important information on lead toxicity to their

families and friends. In addition, we gathered all our information and presented a final

PowerPoint to a panel of teachers and professionals. This IDP on lead toxicity fits the problem

solving category because we created and presented a call to action plan to a freshman class. This

action plan informed and motivated students to take action on an issue that is affecting low

income communities, such as Huntington Park. Before presenting the PowerPoint, we had the
freshmen fill out a pre-survey to see how well they were informed on lead toxicity. Our results

exemplified that they were unaware of this issue. After we presented our PowerPoint, we had the

freshmen do a post-survey that proved their knowledge gained from our presentation.

The Student Learning Outcomes that I met in both assignments were a willing

collaborator, a critical thinker, and a effective communicator. I was a willing collaborator in

both assignments because in the IDP titled “Hepatitis C,” I willingly volunteered to complete the

“Community Engagement” section that my peers did not want to complete. I also helped join all

my teammate’s parts into one presentation. In the IDP titled “Lead Toxicity,” I willingly took

the role of helping create a letter to Ms. Martinez, explaining the purpose of our call to action

and asking permission to present it to her freshmen class. I was also an effective communicator

in both IDP’s, which was present in the way in which I articulate my ideas according to the

audience. For example, in the “Lead Toxicity” call to action part of the IDP, I had to simplify the

language in order to make it easier for the underclassmen to understand. This was different when

presenting the IDP on “Hepatitis C” and “Lead Toxicity” to a panel composed of teachers and

professionals. Presenting to a panel required me to articulate my ideas utilizing advanced

vocabulary. In both IDP’s I was a critical thinker by using the knowledge gained and coming up

with effective solutions to improve our community. My group and I also had to think of possible

ways to present the issues and decide which would have created more impact. For example, the

“Hepatitis C” IDP action plan required me to analyze possible solutions for a problem and decide

which worked best. In the “Lead Toxicity” IDP, I was a critical thinker by effectively analyzing

the plant growth scatterplot and utilizing it to support the hypothesis.

 Comparing both IDP’s, an area of growth that I saw within myself would be my

presentation skills. The first IDP I presented, I felt less confident. I sped through my slides

because I was nervous. This made it difficult for the audience to understand what I was saying.

Another area in which I noticed improvement was in my use of vocabulary. My vocabulary

expanded. I was able to articulate my ideas more effectively. Lastly, I improved my presentation

skills because I no longer had to present while looking at my slides. My confidence while

presenting improved. However, I think an area in which I need to improve would be being able

to pick myself up after a mistake. In previous presentations, when I made a mistake, I felt like it

was all over. However, I am working on improving this because I know there is no such thing as

a perfect presentation. It is about being able to come back after making a mistake. Another area

of improvement would be the speed of my presentation. Although I have improved on this, there

is more room for improvement. Lastly, I need to work on calming my nerves before a

presentation. Sometimes, my nerves cause me to stutter when presenting. I can use skills I have

learned from IDP’s in the future. For example, communication skills will come in handy because

I will need to further articulate ideas even with people I might not feel comfortable with. I think

IDP’s have strongly prepared and helped me feel confident presenting my work.