Section One:

Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

Education is a beautiful key to unlocking the potential within each child; awakening a

curiosity that may lead to great discovery and inspiring a passion for life-long learning. I am

excited to be taking the steps toward becoming an educator and am humbled by the great

responsibility that entails. My passion to teach is driven by a desire to provide each one of my

students with an unwavering constant and encouragement, propelled by a genuine love for the

much-valued future generation.

Throughout this portfolio, I seek to demonstrate my preparedness to become a

professional educator through a profound compilation of personal experiences and artifacts

produced throughout my time at Medaille College that highlight my character and values,

knowledge, and abilities in the classroom. I intend to reveal my competencies in the areas

planning, instruction, and assessments, as well as differentiation, accommodation, and

modification, culturally responsive teaching, classroom management, professional collaboration,

curriculum and professional standards, and professional development. The artifacts provided will

recognize my knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop plans for teaching and learning. The

planning aspects found within the portfolio artifacts will demonstrate considerations of the

learners, subject matter, objectives, standards, motivation strategies, and classroom management,

providing evidence of my caring characteristics while planning. Effective instruction is one of

the most important aspects of teaching as one actually carries out the art of teaching and guides

students in learning to their potential. I am confident that my encouraging presence, respect for
others, experience in fostering positive rapport with students, and consistency in the classroom

will contribute to my effectiveness in the classroom. Assessment is also a large part of proficient

pedagogy; the artifacts in this portfolio will identify how I am able to use various methods and

strategies of assessment providing accurate and appropriate feedback on the progress of the

learners toward the instructional objectives. I also believe that assessment results speak

magnitudes of the teacher’s effectiveness and allows for reflection and growth.

Portfolio Development

This portfolio contains six sections that assist in emphasizing my preparedness to enter

the classroom. Section one, the Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio

Projects, in which you are currently reading, provides an overview and rationale of the intended

purposes of the portfolio project, providing some insight to my passion for education. It also

includes a breakdown of the different sections found within the portfolio, along with their

significance in being included. Within the introductory section, I will also highlight a few

theorists that have been influential in the field of education as well as in forming my own

philosophy on education and development of best practices.

Section two of the portfolio, Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, allows me to

introduce myself through providing my personal background, along with educational and work-

related experiences that have helped shape me, uncovering what led me to pursue a degree in

professional education. This section will include the experiences that will assist me in my future

role as a classroom teacher, containing classroom observations and best practices in classroom

applications. It will also contain my personal philosophy of education founded on my personal

beliefs and perceptions concerning the diverse aspects of education. Finally, this section will
include my resume highlighting my educational background and relevant work experiences that

demonstrate my professionalism as a prospective educator.

Section three of the portfolio, Teacher Candidate Artifacts, is the pedagogical evidence

section of my portfolio. It is here that material evidence supporting my claims to have developed

the proficiencies and knowledge needed to be equipped to teach in the elementary classroom is

presented. The artifacts presented will showcase my abilities to plan, instruct, assess, integrate

technology, differentiate, develop lessons reflecting culturally responsive teaching, classroom

management plans, content knowledge, and overall, my teaching effectiveness, aptitude, and

readiness to be a caring educator. Each artifact will be accompanied by a rationale connecting

best practices, as well as curriculum and professional standards.

Section four, Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards, emphasizes the

importance of curriculum and professional standards and my ability to connect them to daily

tasks and responsibilities that are expected of an elementary teacher. This will include a graphic

organizer that displays the different standards connected to each of the artifacts provided in

section three. Curriculum and professional standards that will be stressed are: the New York

State P-12 Common Core Standards, New York State Learning Standards, Ontario Curriculum

Expectations, New York State Code of Ethics for Educators, Ontario Ethical Standards,

Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards, International

Society for Technology Education for Teachers and Students (ISTE) standards, Council for

Exceptional Children (CEC), the Department of Education (DOE) Claims, and the Council for

the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Standards.

Section five, Teacher Candidate Reflection, is the part of the portfolio that demonstrates

my skills and ability to reflect. Reflection is an important part of being an effective educator,
being able to look back on your lessons or activities to see where the strengths were, as well as

where changes may need to be made in order to reach the rest of the students. This section will

include my reflection on the overall experiences I have acquired in developing the project and

my experiences; reflecting on the process, collection of materials, research, specific artifacts, and

the organization of the content. In the section, I will also reflect on my readiness to become a

teacher, identifying areas of strength that are indicators of my preparedness, persuading the

reader that I am equipped to teach.

Section Six, Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video, will include a screencast video

of an interview simulation where I will answer specific questions that may be asked at a job

interview. The video will provide a better understanding of who I am as a person and as a future

educator, demonstrating my passion for education and caring nature, while being able to connect

the questions to the teacher competencies and artifacts found within this portfolio determining

my readiness to teach.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Throughout the portfolio I will refer to several theories by experts in the field of

education whom have influenced my understanding on education and best practices and have

contributed greatly to pedagogy as a whole. The theorists I will be focusing on are Johann

Pestalozzi, who revolutionized education helping shape the modern education of today; Robert J.

Marzano, and his theories on classroom management; Howard Gardner, and his theory on

Multiple Intelligence; John Dewey, and his theory on experiential learning; and Jean Piaget, and

his theory on cognitive development that has impacted our understanding in educational

practices and development.

 Johann Pestalozzi was very influential in the early development of modern education and

has had a great influence on my understanding of the role of the classroom and of the teacher. He

emphasized the importance of education developing the “Head, Heart, and Hands”, encouraging

formative education or holistic education and that the teacher needs to be aware of each child’s

individuality and respond to their emotions lovingly; authority based on love, not fear.

(Pestalozzi/Brühlmeier, 2018). He believed in a child-centered approach to teaching and active

participation in learning. He believed that education should utilize the senses and begin with

natural objects surrounding the child. (Pestalozzi/Brühlmeier, 2018). All of these theories I find

extremely relevant in education today and believe that the teacher needs to be a loving and caring

constant in the lives of the children, and that students will learn best by actively participating in

their learning, opposed to teacher-centered lessons.

Robert J. Marzano, has played a large role in developing research-based theories on

classroom management. Classroom management is vital for an effective classroom conducive to

learning, ensuring that the students understand that class expectations, procedures, and routines.

Marzano states that there are four main components of effective classroom management: 1)

Rules and Procedures, 2) Disciplinary Interventions, 3) Teacher-Student Relationships, and 4)

Mental Set. (Marzano, 2003, p. 13). In order to maintain order in the classroom, the teacher must

have a good relationship with the student; “If a teacher has good relationship with students, then

students more readily accept the rules and procedures and the disciplinary actions that follow

their violations. Without the foundation of a good relationship, students commonly resist rules

and procedures along with the consequent disciplinary actions.” (Marzano, 2003, p. 41). When

Marzano refers to the “Mental Set”, he is talking about being mindful of what is going on in your

classroom and with your students; I am sure that my observational and caring nature will drive
my mindfulness in the classroom. (Marzano, 2003, p. 65). The next take-away from Marzano is

that students should be included in in establishing a set of rules for the class, holding themselves

accountable for following the rules and procedures as they took part in developing them.

(Marzano, 2003, p. 77). Marzano holds many ideas and research-based evidence of classroom

management techniques that work in the classroom, therefore I his influence will be evident

throughout the portfolio.

Howard Gardner, has influenced the educational practice and my own person views on

instruction. His theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) states that not all people have the same

form of intelligence, meaning that different people will learn in different ways, or excel in

different areas. The types of intelligences are spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, linguistic,

logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. (Gardner, 2011). As a

prospective teacher, it is important to understand your different learners and to consider varying

instruction and activities in order to reach all of your learners. I will consider Gardner’s theory

on MI while guiding my own classes through their learning.

John Dewey, is who the movement of experiential learning is accredited to. This is the

idea that students will learn more by actually doing and actively participating in their own

learning. Dewey states that “the fundamental unity of the newer philosophy is found in the idea

that there is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and

education” (Dewey, 1938, pp. 19-20). This is such an important aspect I have adapted in my own

philosophy of education and will implement in my future classrooms; to have the students

participate in hands on learning and by exposing them to different experiences in order to allow

them to learn.
 Finally, Jean Piaget’s theory on cognitive development has been extremely

influential in the field of child development and the field of education. Piaget developed a blueprint

of 4 stages of cognitive development; the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and

formal operational stages. He stated that some children may pass through these stages at a faster

pace, but that no stage could be skipped as each stage is marked with new intellectual abilities and

a more complex understanding. Beginning the sensorimotor stage (infants) with learning to

recognize objects, and developing motor skills, and the early stages of speech, to the preoperational

stage (toddler-age 7) in which language matures and memory and imagination develop, to the

concrete operational stage (ages 7-11) where children demonstrate logical concrete reasoning, and

are aware of external events and differences, to the final stage of formal operational (11+) where

students can ponder abstract relationships and concepts. (Piaget, 1970). Depending on what stage

the child is at cognitively, will impact the way they should be instructed. If a child if showing

cognitive or intellectual delays, they cannot be expected to learn at the same rate or level as their

peers and may require additional supports. These are all significant aspects to consider as an

educator as we guide the students through their learning.

Conclusion

This portfolio project is more than just a requirement for the completion of my Masters in

Education degree, it provokes the reflection on everything that I have learned in connection to

the desired and required teacher competencies for effective teaching. The portfolio also creates a

working platform demonstrating my abilities to plan, instruct, and assess, as well as other areas

of competencies I have mastered throughout my studies. The goal of this project is to provide

evidence of my skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values through the presentation of subject matter

and pedagogical evidence informed by research and education that demonstrate my readiness to
become a professional educator. This portfolio will include six sections relevant to the project

goals; an introduction containing an outline of the portfolio; a section containing my educational

and professional background and experiences; a section containing a compilation of artifacts

demonstrating the knowledge acquired throughout the course of the program, developing a

rationale for each, connecting them to the teacher competencies; a section including a graphic

organizer that depicts my abilities to align the artifacts to curriculum and professional standards;

a section including my personal reflection on the development of this portfolio, as well as the

experiences I have had during my studies; and finally, a section including a video containing a

mock interview where I will answer questions that may come up while interviewing for a

teaching position. In this introductory section, I have also included some information

highlighting the key theorists and ideas that have heavily influenced my understanding on who

the teacher is, child development and needs, classroom management, and instruction. This

portfolio will help you to understand the type of teacher I will be, and also allows me to evaluate

my own learning and how far I have come.