Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

  In a lot of ways, the culmination of this portfolio is similar to a reflection. I say this

because it creates the opportunity for me to be reflective about what it is I have done and will do

as an educator. Furthermore, this portfolio is an opportunity to document the practices I would

like to preserve to highlight and refer back to the knowledge, opportunities, and experiences I

have gained, and for you, the reader, to be able to see what it is I have learned about different

pedagogical practices and the kind of teacher I plan on being. I will draw on my influences and

experiences from my academia and graduate studies at Medaille College, as well as my hands-on

experience working alongside seasoned teachers and instructors that have helped form a

foundation for the methods and tools necessary to be an effective teacher. A lot of what I have

taken away from my time at Medaille, and my time observing other teachers can be summed up

in this quote from Clay P. Bedford - “You can teach student’s a lesson for a day; but if you can

teach them to learn by creating curiosity, they will continue the learning process for as long as

they live.” All of these environments have contributed to the development of the philosophies

and artifacts found in this educational portfolio that show the necessary skills I possess to be a

confident and professional educator. These artifacts will display my readiness in planning,

instruction, assessment, student motivation, engagement, and accommodations for students of all

learning needs, and my overall preparedness to teach in the field of education. 

Portfolio Overview and Rationale

This portfolio is a demonstration of the work that I have completed during my

educational experience in the Masters of Science in Elementary Education program at Medaille

life, so far that has led me to pursue a teaching career. You will also examine several different

artifacts; a collection of assignments and projects I have completed, which displays my ability as

an aspiring educator to plan, instruct and assess, as well as my ability to use various forms of

technology in the classroom. An effective educator is one who can help his or her students reach

their full learning potential while promoting the student's uniqueness and diversity as a person.

Part of the promotion of a child's diversity and uniqueness is being able to provide learner

motivation and engagement and accommodations for each student in a safe learning

environment. This involves understanding that teaching begins with the learner and that

educators need to be aware of different learning needs and developmental patterns of each

student. Furthermore, I believe an effective educator moves beyond the curriculum and lesson

plans by integrating important social, emotional, and overall life skills into daily lessons and

activities. In this portfolio, I will discuss some of the best teaching strategies and practices that

exemplify the qualities of the effective teacher I have described above and hope to be. As well, I

have chosen specific assignments and projects for my artifacts that highlight these qualities in

my work and practices as a teacher candidate thus far, and exemplify my enthusiasm, passion,

and capabilities as an educator.

Portfolio Development

This portfolio is made up of six major sections, each of which has several subsections

that aim to show my learning, hard work, experiences, and achievements towards being an

educator. In this first section, as you have been reading, my overall portfolio is introduced, and

you have further been introduced to the purpose and importance of this portfolio project. This

first section also addresses the teacher competencies I possess, my pedagogy, philosophies, and
makes connections to important teaching methods like planning, instruction, assessment, and

technology. Furthermore, connections to theorists, theories, and experts in the field of education

I have learned about and that have influenced my beliefs, values, and pedagogy as an educator

will also be discussed in this section. The next section includes a more detailed introduction of

who I am, my background, and my goals for this portfolio project. It will also outline my

philosophy of education and will display my resume and curriculum vitae. Section three will

present the pedagogical evidence of the skills and knowledge I have, which is needed in an

elementary classroom. It will demonstrate my competencies in the area of planning, instruction,

content knowledge, best practices, professional dispositions, and attitudes essential to becoming

a professional teacher. Specific artifacts you will see include lesson plans and learning segments

I have developed for several different subjects, as well as different plans of assessment, the

integration of technology, and accommodations for students of different learning needs. Section

four presents my knowledge and ability to align curriculum and professional standards to my

work as an educator. New York State P-12 Common Core, New York State Learning Standards,

and Ontario Curriculum expectations will be discussed in detail as it connects and aligns with the

artifacts I have chosen for this portfolio. This section will show the importance of curriculum and

professional standards and how they can be seen in each of the artifacts contained in this

portfolio. Section five will present a reflection of the overall experiences I have acquired in

developing this portfolio and writing my experiences. Being able to reflect on experiences is an

essential habit and characteristic of an effective educator. The reflection will outline the

collection of materials, planning, specific research materials, artifacts, and the organization of the

content in this portfolio. I will also reflect on my experiences during my time at Medaille

College, the Department of Education, as well as a reflection of my overall readiness in

interview will showcase my work and will be a simulation of an interview where I answer

specific questions that may be asked at a future job interview for a teaching position. My

objective throughout all of the sections of this portfolio is that you learn more about me as an

educator, and about the skills and abilities, I have developed to be a prepared and effective

educator.       

Theories, Theorists, and Experts in the Field of Education

An important component of section one of my portfolio is identifying and making

connections to several theorists that have influenced and inspired the development of my

educational theories and pedagogy as an educator. Experts in the field such as John Dewey, Lev

Vygotsky, and Robert Marzano have influenced the ideas and teaching methods I would like to

practice as an educator. These theorists' contributions to the field of education have influenced

my teaching practices and have influenced my values as an educator. As you will later see, the

artifacts I have chosen for this portfolio are structured around some of the theories and methods

of these educational experts.

Firstly, John Dewey has been an educational theorist that has been studied throughout my

entire time at Medaille College. John Dewey believes that children learn best when they interact

with their environments and when they are actively involved with the school curriculum

(Wheeler 2020). Furthermore, Dewey wrote about experiential and interactive learning that

became the basis for inquiry-based learning in the classroom (Wheeler 2020). John Dewey

discussed the importance that "education is not this sort of preparation. It is tied to growth, which

in turn signifies a constant reorganizing or reconstructing of experience" (Boisvert, p. 104). This

speaks to my values as an educator because as important as it is to prepare for each lesson or

needs, student's schema, and a student's developmental patterns. Dewey also believed and argued

that for education to be as effective as possible, students should be given opportunities that link

present content to previous experiences and knowledge (Wheeler 2020). This is important

because it links concepts that students are learning to past and present. This also relates to

relating concepts like math to several other subjects such as art, or history. Ultimately, John

Dewey believed that teachers should not only be instructors but also facilitators so that students

have the opportunities to actively and independently discover for themselves (Wheeler 2020).

One of the foundations of Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Social Development (1962) that has

influenced my teaching as an educator thus far is Constructivism. Constructivist learning is when

students develop knowledge through critical thinking and problem-solving. Students make

connections to new information as they relate it to their prior knowledge and experiences. This

idea is also known as the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The zone of proximal

development is the range of tasks a student can perform with assistance to being able to perform

them independently. Through learning about Vygotsky and the ZPD, I have also learned about

the closely related teaching practice of scaffolding. Scaffolding “refers to the way the adult

guides the child’s learning via focused questions and positive interactions” (Balaban, p. 52). As

an educator, it is important to change the level of support for students based on their level of

performance. Giving more support when the child is having difficulty with a particular concept,

or less when the child can do it independently is the essence of scaffolding and necessary

practice in the classroom.

Just as we scaffold and teach in different ways to accommodate all learners and levels of

development, we should also be prepared to provide a variety of assessments for our students
based on their individual learning needs. Robert Marzano writes a lot about different forms of

assessment based on student needs, as well as the differences and effectiveness of both formative

and summative assessments. He writes, "at a basic level, classroom assessment is a form of

feedback to students regarding their progress, and it stands to reason that feedback will enhance

learning" (Marzano, p. 5). Feedback, and giving effective feedback is an essential part of being

an educator to properly guide students learning. As educators, we need to give students different

forms of assessments to assess student learning in different ways. According to Marzano,

"classroom assessments should be formative in nature, and formative classroom assessments

should be frequent" (Marzano, p. 3). Formative assessments involve informal assessments to

discover what students know while they are still in the process of learning something. Asking

students for a thumbs up or down after giving them information or instruction, or having students

complete a "turn and talk" with their partner about an aspect of the lesson are examples of

formative assessments. Robert Marzano also discusses the importance of the frequency of

assessments because “systematic use of classroom assessments – weekly or even more frequently

– can have a strong positive effect on student achievement” (Marzano, p.10). In this portfolio,

you will see examples of different types, and frequent assessments I perform throughout a lesson

to assess student understanding and student achievement.

Conclusion

Section One of this portfolio highlighted some of the qualities I possess as an educator, as

well as the education, theories, theorists, and foundations that have influenced my pedagogical

practices and values as an educator. Furthermore, section one serves as an introduction to what is

to be found beyond its pages about the work I have completed and the skills I have gained in my
studies towards becoming an educator. This portfolio alludes to the personal and professional

qualities and dispositions I possess as a teacher candidate. Throughout the rest of this portfolio,

you will find artifacts and references to educational competencies such as planning, instructing,

assessing, using technology, and connecting State and Province education standards to my

lessons and educational practices. This portfolio is ultimately a reflection of my journey as an

aspiring educator.

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