Section One:

Teacher Candidate Introduction To The Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview, & Rationale

My name is Brandon Porga and this portfolio is being developed to highlight my

competencies developed, and experiences that have happened on my journey to becoming a

qualified teaching candidate. My goal is to showcase my professionalism, experiences and make

a positive first impression on potential employers which include you, the reader. From the start

of the MSED program at Medaille I knew that completing this program would allow me to add

many tools and resources that I can bring to my future classroom. As I create this portfolio, I

now have confirmed my initial thoughts by looking through all the work I have done. This

portfolio is important to my life as a future teacher because it includes many of the necessary

tools and skills I have developed. I can use this portfolio to present myself in an interview, and

for future reference when generating lesson plans and other classroom materials. This portfolio

will also present my accomplishments that I have achieved throughout the program on my way

to becoming prepared to teach in the field of education.

Creating this portfolio allows me to present myself in an organized fashion while

highlighting and presenting my work during my time at Medaille in the MSED program.

Presenting my work will show the reader my abilities in the classroom. These abilities can

include planning, assessment, and instruction. These are seen as the three main primary

competencies. I also have experience in providing equal opportunities for students who are on an

IEP or 504 plan while meeting their required needs. Planning is an essential part of teaching

because it is a well thought out process. I picture it similar to baking a cake. When baking a cake

you need a recipe, if you follow the recipe it will produce a delicious cake. When teaching, we
need to plan because it is our recipe for success. We can follow this plan by providing students

the greatest opportunity to succeed. My planning experience is highlighted through my lesson

plans that will be included in the artifacts section of this portfolio. These will also show my

ability to plan and create opportunities for students on an IEP or 504 plan. Assessment is also an

important part of teaching because from assessments we can make the necessary adjustments in

order to lead the student to success. This portfolio will exhibit my best teaching practices which

make me an effective educator. This includes learning motivation through anticipatory sets and

brain gym exercises, my ability to provide a variety of assessments to students through

differentiation, my technology experience through use of iPads and software systems,

accommodating for diverse learners, classroom management skills that promote a healthy and

successful learning environment, my ability to be a leader and effective role model, as well as

my familiarity with the NYS and Ontario Curriculum Standards.

The completion of the portfolio should display my ability to be a prepared and effective

teaching candidate. I look forward to showcasing my abilities and prove my readiness for the

education profession. This portfolio will be broken down into six sections. The first is an

introduction which will highlight the overall importance and reasoning for this portfolio. It will

include the various sections that will follow the introduction. Part two will talk about my

background experience. It will discuss the educational related situations I have been in.

Experience is important because learning takes place and real situations occur. Section three will

include the artifacts. This section will provide evidence for my ability to posses teaching

competencies such as planning, assessment, and instruction. Section four will discuss curriculum

and professional standards. It is important to follow curriculum and stick to standards that best

suit the students. Section five focuses on reflection. Here, I will have a chance to reflect on my
journey and relate it how I have developed into a prepared teaching candidate. Section six will be

a video I create. In this video I will be able to answer potential interview questions and showcase

my technology skills. Each of these previously mentioned sections will be explained and

expanded on.

Portfolio Section Development

There are six sections that make up the elementary portfolio as part of completion of

MSED. Section One: Teacher Candidate Portfolio Project Introduction, Section Two: Teacher

Candidate Background Experience, Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts, Section Four:

Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards, Section Five: Teacher Candidate

Reflection, and Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video. These sections also contain

various sub sections which will be highlighted throughout the paper. Each section will have an

introduction to introduce the importance of the section, followed by a conclusion which will

summarize the section tying it all together.

Section One: Teacher Candidate Portfolio Introduction; The first section of this portfolio

is the introduction section. In the introduction I will highlight the important context of the

portfolio. The following subsections are included in section one: Portfolio Overview and

Rationale, Portfolio Development, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education, and

Conclusion. This is an important section because it sets the tone and standard for the remainder

of the portfolio. I will highlight my abilities and experiences throughout the introduction. These

will prove my readiness to teach in the field of education.

Section 2: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences; This section will talk about my

experiences related to the field of education, my resume, and my philosophy of education. One

of the major things I believe in is equity over equality. This means we treat and teach each
student the way they need to be treated, rather than treating each student the same. I have had

quite a bit of education related experience. It starts by coaching many minor sports teams. I enjoy

hockey and lacrosse. I have been involved with these sports since I was 4 years old and continue

to be involved with them to this day. This shows my dedication and passion towards something I

believe in. Coaching sports has allowed me to develop as both a human being and an educator. I

have learned how to work with children in certain situations. I also have been in many schools

over the past couple of years. I am fortunate enough that a local school allowed me to do

volunteer work prior to my beginning of teachers college. During this experience I was able to

assist the teacher in lesson plan development and implementation. These are two major topics

when it comes to being a teacher. I also was able to work with the new technologies in the

classroom. These include SMART boards, power point presentations, and educational iPads.

During my time at Medaille I was placed in classrooms at Maple West, and Hamlin Park School

which also helped me develop as a teacher. These experiences have definitely allowed me to

grow as an educator by providing me with unique and authentic situations.

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts; The artifacts I include will highlight my

effectiveness in the major teaching competencies. The artifacts will be discussed in terms of

relation and importance to the portfolio, and curriculum/professional standards. Each of the

artifacts will show that I can plan, assess, instruct, use technology, motivate my classroom,

engage my classroom, accommodate, and more. This is a crucial part of the portfolio because it

provides evidence for the claims I make for myself. I believe that I am capable of providing my

students with an enjoyable learning experience that will lead to success. I have included lesson

plans because it will show my ability to plan for the students. Planning is a major part of

teaching because it will allow me to stay organized and on track. This ultimately will provide a
good learning experience for the students. The lesson plans also showcase my ability to model

and present information to the students. Another artifact is an assessment project because it

shows my experience with assessment. This is important because assessing students allows me to

make decisions when moving forward. These decisions will be beneficial and important to the

learning success of the student. I include a couple of "Brain Gym" exercises. These are exercises

that can be completed in a minute or two. They are fun ways to stay active in the classroom.

Students sometimes will need a break during a lesson. These exercises will provide a break and

promote a healthy lifestyle. All of these artifacts showcase my readiness to teach in the field of

education.

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards; Curriculum

alignment and professional standards are major pieces in the field of education. It is important

that I promote a healthy learning environment for the students in my classroom. The lesson's I

create will align to the standards of the student and the curriculum plan that is required. My

teaching also aligns with the best interest of the student. This section will highlight my ability to

align standards to formal lessons, and discuss the professional standard course I have completed.

These include Title IX, and DASA which both deal with providing a safe learning environment

for students that is free of discrimination and harassment. I have also completed both the Child

Abuse, and Violence (SAVE) workshops. In my lesson plans, I have aligned the content with the

NYS-Common Core Standards. This shows my ability to focus on specific grade level

information that is required. In these lessons I also follow the appropriate guidelines and

requirements for students who have an IEP or 504 plan.

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection; This section will demonstrate my skills and

abilities when it comes to reflection. This section will include my readiness to reflect when
necessary to embrace changes and make adjustments to provide the best teaching practices.

Connections to TEAC/CAEP claims will also be highlighted in this section. Reflecting is an

essential skill as it provides the opportunity to both embrace, and potentially acknowledge an

event that has occurred.

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video; This section is where I will

explore and answer potential interview questions. I will be able to showcase the artifacts I have

included throughout this portfolio while making connections to their important and relevance in

an education setting. This video also allows me to display my technological skills which are

useful in the classroom. The video once again provides a reflection and recap to the time and

effort that went into the creation of the portfolio. My readiness for an education profession will

be showcased.

Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

The MSED program at Medaille College has created the artifacts you as the reader will

see in section three of this portfolio. The information from this artifacts has stemmed from

various researches in the field of education, as well as the educators at Medaille College.

Theorists or experts that I have found important and beneficial are Lev Vygotsky, John Dewey,

Howard Gardner, and Robert Marzano. I feel that these experts and their theories have made an

impact on my overall teaching philosophies in a positive fashion. It is interesting to notice how

far we have come, while many of these theories are still relevant after many years. Although

some of the theorists opinions can differ, I take important information from each of them to

ensure I provide an educational environment for all students.

Lev Vygotsky and his theory of the zone of proximal development focuses on the

learning of a child through various zones. When in the zone of proximal development the
appropriate amount of assistance from an educator will promote the student to complete the task.

It is noted that students learn best when surrounded with guidance and encouragement.

Vygotsky’s ZPD reflects a cultural process of assistance through cooperation and collaboration

(Levykh, 2008). I see the zone of proximal development being used through my field experience.

Students are encouraged and learn best from appropriate guidance. I also tie the gradual release

of responsibility to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

John Dewey is another theorist who I find influential. His views on learning by doing

give the students an authentic experience to learn from. It is important to give students the

opportunity to experience the materials we are teaching to them. This will give students the

chance to work with the material and learn through their experiences. John Dewey revolutionized

the field of education (Gordon, 2016). I see John Dewey and his views when it comes to students

and hands on learning. An example of this is when students plan seeds to a flower and watch it

grow. Students learn and realize that the flower needs water and nutrients. The hands on

approach will be beneficial to the students because they have a real life experience to learn from.

Howard Gardner and his multiple intelligence theory has played a role in my

development as an education professional. Gardner explains that there are many different types

of learners. It is the responsibility of educators to provide the students with the opportunity to

learn. Teachers, therefore, should think of all intelligences as equally important (Timmins,

1996). I see Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences by structuring presentations in a variety of

ways to ensure I provide the opportunity to each student to obtain material and learn from it. This

can be done in forms of songs, images, text, role playing, and videos.

Robert Marzano discusses the key to classroom management and ways to have an impact

on student achievement. Classroom management is important based on the dynamic and overall
environment because it effects the comfort level of the students. In turn, the comfort level can

have an impact on their success. We found that the quality of teacher-student relationships is the

keystone for all other aspects of classroom management (Marzano, 2003). He lists things such as

establishing expectations, goals, interests, and behaviours as was to provide a positive

environment. I see Marzano in my teaching because I use his findings to help promote a positive

learning environment. I feel that classroom management is essential to being a good educator. I

aim to continue to use the findings of Marzano and other tools in order to provide the best

learning for environment for all students.

Conclusion

Section One of the MSED Elementary Portfolio Project is a guide to highlight what to

expect throughout the remainder of this portfolio. You will find references to competencies such

as planning, assessment, instruction, and technology. It is essential to align these competencies

with the required curriculum and professional standards to promote a learning environment that

puts an emphasis on health and safety. There have been many educational experts who have had

an impact on my overall teaching philosophy and best practices that will be highlighted through

this portfolio. Ultimately, this portfolio is to provide a capstone of the journey towards becoming

a certified education professional. This journey focuses on the background experiences, artifacts,

and reflections that contribute to my readiness to teach in the field of education. The next section

will focus on my background experiences. These experiences have shaped my views and

philosophy when it comes to education. The experience I have is extensive and will be discussed

in further detail.