MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Jennifer Lynne Davids

June 8, 2017

An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of

Medaille College

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Education

Jennifer Davids
___________________________
Student Name
Medaille College Graduate Student

Dr. Mebratu
______________________________
Faculty Advisors Name with Title
Project Director
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT !2
Table of Contents

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project.. 3-8

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences 9-20

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts... 22-84

Artifact #1: Weebly Website . 22-30

Artifact #2: Cyber Safety Presentation 31-37

Artifact #3: Violence & Abuse Workshop Certification38-41

Artifact #4: Grade 2 Mathematics Arrays Lesson Plan. 42-50

Artifact #5: Assessing Student Literacy Case Study 49-55

Artifact #6: Grade 4 Determining Importance Literacy Lesson Plan 56-64

Artifact #7: Pecha Kucha Presentation 65-77

Artifact #8: Field Work Reflection . 78-83

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards 84-92

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection ...93-100

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ..101-105

References .106-107
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Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of

learning (Brad Henry, n.d.). An educator often has a mosaic of responsibilities and roles

throughout each and every day of their career. These responsibilities range from imparting

knowledge and teaching curriculum to navigating the intricacies of the education system itself.

An educator must use their wide range of knowledge to help each individual child, their specific

needs as well as develop a love of learning. Although the learning of a teacher is never done, I

feel that I have gained the necessary knowledge and framework to begin my journey as an educa-

tor. Throughout my time at Medaille College I have learned what it means to truly be a good

teacher. As said by Brad Henry, a good teacher is much more then someone who can deliver the

assigned curriculum. Over the last year, I have developed my skills in the many different compe-

tencies needed to be a successful teacher. These competencies include planning, instruction, as-

sessment, technology, learner accommodations, culturally responsive teaching and diversity,

classroom management, professional collaboration, curriculum standards, professional standards

as well as professional development. It is my intention that this portfolio will highlight my

unique abilities and qualities as a teacher as well as all of the learning that I have done surround-

ing these competencies. Each section will focus on specific areas of teaching as well as my pro-

ficiencies within those areas. Throughout the portfolio you will learn how my background and

experiences have helped to lead me into the teaching world as well as how my time at Medaille

has helped to shape me as an educator. The ultimate goal of this portfolio as well as my career in

teaching is to make an impact. I hope to make a lasting impression on both students and col-

leagues with my passion and dedication to education. I am constantly working to better myself

professionally and personally to become more engaging, motivating and effective as a classroom
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT !4
teacher. I am confident that this portfolio will give evidence of my preparedness and my eager-

ness to inspire, ignite the imagination and install a love of learning for my future students.

Portfolio Development

This portfolio has been organized into six distinct sections in order to showcase my work

and efforts thus far as a teacher candidate. Each section will focus a great deal on who I am an

individual, how I teach and how I will continue to grow and develop as an educator.

Section One, Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project, will

introduce the major components of the portfolio. Each section and its importance will be high-

lighted. Focus will be put on the best practices, theories, and experts in the field of education, all

of which played a vital role in shaping my philosophy and pedagogy of instruction.

Section Two, Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, outlines my unique back-

ground experiences that have brought me to the education world. Both my education, work and

volunteer experiences will be used to highlight this journey. I hope to illustrate my understanding

of best practices, theorists and experts whos knowledge has helped to shape my philosophy and

style of instruction. Both my resume and Philosophy of Education will be introduced in this sec-

tion as a way of solidifying my background experiences and how these experiences have helped

to drive and mold me into the individual I am today.

Section Three, Teacher Candidate Artefacts, will focus on pieces of evidence that will

demonstrate my knowledge of subject matter, pedagogy, best teaching practices and skill, pro-

fessional dispositions and my overall attitude towards education. This section will provide con-

crete examples, explanations and reflections of my lesson plans, assessment tools, classroom

management strategies, technology presentations as well as others artefacts that highlight by

abilities and disposition. All of the artefacts included in this section are thoughtfully picked to

showcase my best work and diversity of material and abilities.

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Section Four, Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards, highlights my knowl-

edge of state standards and curriculum. In this section I will contest the artefacts from Section

Three to the curriculum and professional standards of both New York and Ontario as well as dis-

cuss their importance based on each artefact. In particular, this section will take a closer look at

the Ontario Curriculum, the New York State Learning Standards, the codes of Ethics for Educa-

tors and the International Society for Technology Education for Teachers and Students (ISTE).

Section Five, Teacher Candidate Reflection, will focus on my reflection as a student of

Medaille, as a teacher candidate and as an educator. This section will demonstrate my ability to

reflect on my lessons and personal practices to have helped and will continue to help better my-

self as an educator. Reflection has been shown to be a vital part of teaching as well as for the

improvement of teachers. It is important for individuals to be able to personally reflect in order

to better themselves for the sake of their students. This section will demonstrate my ability to do

so.

Section Six, Teacher Candidate Interview Video, is the final section of the portfolio. This

section will include a video simulation of a teacher interview. The video will show myself an-

swering questions that demonstrate how I am able to connect all of my gained knowledge and

experiences from Medaille College and apply it in an interview setting. I will prove that I can

professionally and eloquently present myself while attesting to my knowledge and skillset. The

video can be seen as a summary of my portfolio that provides a recap of the strategies and skills

that I am utilizing on my journey to become an effective educator. It is the final piece of my port-

folio that will emphasize my preparation and readiness to enter the profession world of educa-

tion.
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Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

There are many individuals that have influenced the field of education greatly throughout

history. Several individuals have played a large role in impacting my philosophies and view on

teaching. In particular Howard Gardiner and his identification of the seven district intelligences,

and B.F. Skinner and his theory of behaviourism and positive reinforcement are two theorists that

have greatly affected my views as a teacher candidate. Additionally, experts in the field of educa-

tion such as Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell and Lucy Caulkins have also assisted me immensely

in my journey particularly in literacy education.

One of the major contributors to the field of education was Howard Gardiner. He pio-

neered the way educators can instruct each individual student to best suit their needs. Gardiner

proposed that, students posses different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform

and understand in different ways (tecweb.org). This identification or discovery as so ground

breaking because these differences, challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone

can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to

test student learning (tecweb.org). Gardiner has influenced my preparation as well as imple-

mentation of lessons and units, making sure to incorporate activities and resources that appeal to

the different learning styles of my students. The importance of knowing your students and how

to deliver curriculum most effectively to each child is one of the major points that the theory of

multiple intelligences has shown me.

B.F. Skinner is another theorist that has impacted my views on instruction and classroom

management significantly. Without classroom management, classroom community and respect it

can be very difficult for a teacher to complete and deliver a lesson effectively. Skinners pro-

grammed instruction education model included several principles that I have adopted into my

own teaching practices. The first principle states that leaners should be active in that, instructors
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are asking questions to confirm learners comprehension (Pappas, 2014). Without engaging with

students and asking them questions it becomes very difficult to gage their level of understanding

of the given material. As educators we need to constantly and consistently be asking questions

that help assess students understanding. Skinner also focused on immediate feedback for students

as well as examining them on small chunks of information. Skinner noted that, learners should

feel like they are making progress (Pappas, 2014). Their success in knowledge will encourage

them to continue with learning and provide enjoyment. It is up to the teacher of the classroom to

make sure that they different principles are implemented in order to engage and foster students

learning.

Finally, there are experts in the field of education that have impacted my teaching style

and knowledge of curriculum delivery. These experts include Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell and

Lucy Caulkins. All of these individuals have made significant contributions to the world of liter-

acy education and instruction. Fountas and Pinnell created and pioneered resources such as their

benchmark reading assessment systems, leveled literacy intervention systems and the continuum

of literacy learning, all based on research and practical work with teachers. As literacy it woven

through all of the different subjects within the curriculum it is important to have a strong grasp

on literacy development and instruction for students. All of the programs and educational re-

sources developed by Fountas and Pinnell have given me tangible resources to refer to when it

comes to effective literacy instruction. Lucy Calkins is another expert in the field of literacy that

has created fantastic resources to help guide teachers and literacy instructors. Calkins has pub-

lished works that help mentor teacher candidates such as myself through their own literacy in-

struction program. The education and learning of a dedicated teacher is never complete, and with

experts such as these women teachers are able to continue to learn and become better educators

as a result.
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Conclusion

Being an educator requires a unique set of qualities. One needs to be patient, versatile,

caring, driven, passionate and enthusiastic among many other things. It is my hope that through-

out my portfolio it is clear that I am possess these innate qualities. I have worked hard to learn,

observe and embrace the ideas and practices of the previously mentioned renowned theorists and

experts. I hope that throughout my portfolio it is evident that these individuals have impacted my

teaching style and philosophies.

My background and experiences have taught me to be open to change and adapt to un-

known situations. The artefacts within my portfolio will illustrate my creativity, dedication to

growth as well as my passion for teaching. I am confident in my skill set and am ready to make

an impact on my students. I hope to help students reach their full potential and be a strong sup-

port system not only in their learning but in their everyday lives while in my classroom.

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