Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The elementary portfolio is giving me the opportunity to reflect upon my work in this
program as well as in the workplace. I will be able to use this portfolio as a representation of
who I am as an educator and what skills I possess that make me a competent teacher. During my
interviews I will refer to my portfolio as it will serve as a good resource for my potential
employers.
The purpose of my portfolio is to have a place where all my work can be referenced. I
will only be including work that is important to me and reflective of who I am as an educator.
The portfolio will provide examples of how I have been able to grow as an educator. As well as
how I have been able to utilize the skills and knowledge gained through this program and use
them throughout my practice. Before commencing this portfolio, I sat back and reflected on my
own experiences as a student. Although my childhood was a happy one, I did have a few years
in school where I was not happy and succeeding as I should be. These teachers had a profound
impact on my development and self-esteem. Even though some of the teachers who taught me
were not very encouraging and sometimes hard on me, I never allowed them to dampen my
spirits and I was always striving to prove them wrong. It was not until I was much older that I
gained a love for teaching. I always wanted to make sure I could provide a safe, warm and
welcoming classroom for my students and no matter how they struggled I would always be there
through this experience I have been able to watch students grow and develop. The Kindergarten
program allows students to explore on their own and lessons are developed based off of the
students interest. I have always liked this idea, as students are more engaged and willing to learn
if it is something that they are interested in. Why not build off that interest? It give educators
flexibility to change around the program and helps you as an educator to get to know your
students by asking open-ended questions. I will continue to use this model in the future.
There are six sections to this portfolio. They are as follows, teacher candidate
professional standards, a reflection and lastly a video interview. This portfolio will also outline
some other competencies required to be an effective educator such as, the ability to plan, have
had the opportunity to complete courses that have prepared me with the competencies required to
be an effective educator. I have created numerous lesson plans in different subjects such as
math, science and literacy. This has taught me to ensure that I am creating plans that are grade
appropriate and that I am always including modifications for my students who are on an IEP or
have other special needs. This should be second nature however including it in your lesson plans
guarantees that all students needs are being met. Not only do you need to have effective lesson
plans, you need to create a welcoming environment for your students. They should feel as
though they are represented in the classroom and that they are set up for success. You may never
fully know or understand where a student is coming from, but you can always make sure when
they come to your classroom, they are supported and cared for.
Assessments are a big part of the learning journey. I am currently enrolled in a course
through Medaille that is teaching me how to conduct effective assessments and evaluations. You
want to create assessments that are aligned with the learning outcomes. A lot of students become
anxious when they are being tested or assessed. You need to take that into consideration as there
scores may not accurately reflect their knowledge. One competencies I am really working on as
I know it is becoming widely used in today’s classrooms is being able to use technology. Almost
every interview I attend, I will be asked how I incorporate technology in the classroom. I must
admit I have not always been that great with technology as it was not that popular when I was
growing up. However, I have learned so much through the technology course I completed at
Medaille. I was so impressed by all the apps accessible to create interactive lesson plans and
assessments. Students are always using technology in some form at school or at home. By using
technology in the classroom, students will be excited and engaged in the learning.
Portfolio Development
The portfolio outlines and showcases six sections. Section one: Teacher Candidate
Portfolio Project Introduction. The introduction section introduces the teaching candidate. This
section highlights the importance and purpose of the portfolio. I will outline the important
competencies required to be an effective teacher. Also, the major sections of the portfolio are
introduced and their connections to best practices. Lastly, I will make connections to
Section two: Teacher Candidate Background Experience. This section will outline my
education and work related experiences. I will be making connections to my work in education
current and past. Throughout this section I will showcase classroom experiences and how I
applied what I learned during my time at Medaille. This will be connected to my resume and my
Diploma in Early Childhood Education. My time spent earning my Diploma in Early Childhood
Education has provided me with the foundational skills and knowledge in child development. I
will also discuss my experience working in a Kindergarten classroom. This has prepared me for
what it would be like working as a teacher. Adding my philosophy of education which touches
on Montessori and her believe that classroom materials should come from the nature. This is
Section three: Teacher Candidate Artifact Guidelines includes pedagogical evidence. This
section will contain artifacts which will act as evidence of my learning and capabilities as an
educator. I will include a lesson plan, showing that I am able to create appropriate and inclusive
lessons. I will also be including a lesson plan for my technology class. This particular lesson
plan has links to external websites and worksheets. It proves that I am learning and ready to use
Section four: Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards will prove that I am
able to align the curriculum and standards in my lessons. There are certain responsibilities of a
teacher and expectations one must follow. Every lesson plan created for Medaille includes the
standard for the grade and subject matter. The artifacts that I am including in this portfolio will
provide evidence for this. This section will include a chart and will address some of the
following curriculum and professional standards: New York State P-12 Common Core, New
York State Learning Standards, and the Ontario Curriculum Expectations. This section provides
evidence of my pedagogy, best practices, subject matter knowledge and ability to be a caring,
this portfolio. The overall reflection will focus on my experiences throughout the program, my
experience working on this portfolio and how all this experience has helped me become ready to
be a teacher. Reflecting is very important. I reflect every day. My teaching partner and I
discuss how the day went and what things went well and what we could improve on. That could
include the lessons for the day, the way the day flowed and how the tone of the classroom felt.
Section six: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video is a 10-15 minute screencast
video. This video will help prepare me for a real interview. During this interview I will make
connections to my work and discuss my experiences in the workplace and in graduate school.
The viewer will see that I am dressed professionally and well prepared for a teaching career.
Throughout the Masters program we have been exposed to many theories, theorists and
experts in the field of education. Theories, theorist and experts are important to learn as they
provide foundational information to the development of learning. A few theorist that I feel
closely match my philosophy are Maria Montessori, Friedrich Frobel, John Locke and Johann
Pestalozzi. Each one of these theorist have a concept that I feel as though I would include in my
Maria Montessori believes that “there should be emphasis on the school as part of the
community and the need for parent participation and support” (Ornstein et. al, 2011, p.123). I
agree, the community in which the school is located should play a vital role. Community is an
extension of the school. For example, if the school is located in a low economic neighborhood,
then the community could provide after school programs. This will give students a place to go
after school to get help with their homework and or to provide a safe place for the children to
hang out until their parents or guardians come home. Parents should also have involvement. If
parents show an interest in their children and their school work then the child might show some
pride in their work. Parents can also volunteer within the school and or classrooms. In a
Montessori classroom, the teacher provides children with an environment and materials that will
help them learn necessary skills through their personal interactions with their environment
(Ornstein et. al, 2011, p.122). I believe that much of the students learning should be hands on
and outside materials should be incorporated as much as possible. Being outside allows children
to get in touch with nature. The fresh air is great for your health and there is a lot to be learned.
If you find it difficult and or challenging to get outside, learning can also start in the classroom
and then be connected to the outside world to provide real life examples. Montessori is a firm
believer in this notion. Her schools provided learners with outside materials to be incorporated
When planning your lessons you should always try to get outside whenever possible. If
you cannot, then learning materials can be brought into a classroom. Rocks and sticks are great
tools for math problems. This is an example of how Froebel's’ kindergarten classroom would be
organized. He had “materials that children could shape and use in design and construction
activities, for example, clay, sand, cardboard and sticks could be manipulated and shaped into
castles, cities and mountains” (Ornstein et. al, 2011, p.112). Sometimes learning can happen
organically or “through experience, externally through the senses, and internally through
reflection “as stated by John Locke, who also agrees that learning is active. It is happening all
Pestalozzi “believed that children should learn gradually, not hurried, and should
understand what they are studying before moving on to the next lesson” (Ornstein et. al, 2011,
p.108). Pestalozzi “emphasized the right of children to be taught by caring teachers in a safe
environment”(Ornstein et. al, 2011, p.106). The role of the teacher in a classroom is to be
caring, supportive and to be a good role model. This coincides with Pestalozzi’s view on the role
of a teacher. He states that school should be a safe place with caring teachers (Ornstein et. al,
2011, p.106). If children know that they are cared for they will thrive in their environment.
I will continue to learn more about the different theories, theorist and experts in the field
Conclusion
in the field of education. Each section serves as evidence of all the hard work and dedication I
put into this program. Section one and two discusses why I choose the field of education and my
education and experiences as well as my philosophy of education. I will touch briefly on how I
incorporate Maria Montessori, Friedrich Froebel, John Locke and Johann Pestalozzi in my
teachings. Section three will provide proof of work I have completed which will prove that I am
a competent teacher. In Section four, lesson plans will show how I was able to align them to the
curriculum and professional standards. I will provide a well written and thought out reflection
on my experience creating the portfolio and the masters program. Lastly, after watching the