Introduction, Overview, and Rationale

This portfolio was developed with the intention of showcasing to prospective employers

the skills and readiness that the teacher candidate has developed throughout the Masters of

Science in Elementary Education at Medaille College. The purpose of this portfolio is to provide

you with a better understanding of all that I have learned and what I have been preparing for, to

ultimately teach in a classroom environment. This portfolio will showcase my best teaching

practices, pedagogy, and my philosophy of education along with my ability to plan, instruct, and

assess students in ways that are engaging and purposeful which define me as an effective

educator.

This portfolio focuses on six distinct sections that will be individually described in detail.

These sections include the teacher candidate introduction to the elementary portfolio project,

teacher candidate background experiences, teacher candidate artifacts, alignment to curriculum

and professional standards, teacher candidate reflection, and the teacher candidate interview

video. Each of these sections will be discussed in depth allowing me to showcase the

development, planning, instruction, and assessment abilities throughout my educational and

professional experience. The artifacts that will follow in section three will outline the various

lessons and activities completed throughout my time at Medaille College along with standards

and expectations relating to New York State and Ontario. Artifacts such as lesson plans to parent

newsletters and to classroom management tools, each of these various elements will portray the

effectiveness of my skills and readiness for the classroom setting.

The field of education and being an educator is a commitment to continuous learning and

developing professionally. I believe that my past experiences have prepared me to tackle this
next stage in my professional development. My previous roles as an Educational Assistant and

Child and Youth Worker have provided much insight to the field of education. Both of these

roles have allowed me to directly work with children and youth in various capacities by teaching

them and learning with them. I have been challenged in ways I did not think were possible and I

have achieved many things that I could have only hoped for. I have worked with students of

various abilities and am beyond grateful for my many experiences in various schools and grade

levels. I am also grateful and blessed to have worked with many teachers that have become my

mentors throughout this journey I am on. My resume reflects my experiences, willingness, and

eagerness to continue to learn and grow both professionally and personally.

Education has changed from what I remember it being growing up. Now, more than ever,

inclusion and acceptance are evidenced and hold the utmost importance. As educators, we will

be working with students with varying needs and abilities. We must create a positive and an

inclusive learning environment where we have differentiated learning and where

accommodations can be made for students so they can thrive. We cannot progress in the teaching

world if we believe that each student is the same and learns in the same manner. If we do this,

then we are setting our students up for failure and our failure as educators. I want to be the type

of educator that is passionate, who learns and works alongside my peers, encourages my students

to reach their goals and potential, allow my students to be explorers, and so much more. I want to

create a classroom that is diverse, not only in cultures but in needs and abilities and strengths and

weaknesses. I want to grow and learn alongside my students. Throughout this portfolio, you will

see how ready and excited I am to embark on this next chapter of my life.

Portfolio Section Development

 As mentioned above, there are six different sections throughout this portfolio that each

focus on a particular aspect. Section One, Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary

Portfolio Project focuses on introducing the portfolio itself along with background information

about the candidate and willingness to learn, teach, grow, and theories and theorists that I believe

have influenced the field of education. Theories and theorists are very important not only for

their contribution to the field of education but also their practices that are still utilized in

classrooms today. From observation and experience within the classroom setting, without proper

routines, structures, and classroom management, teaching itself can become quite challenging.

The theorists that will be discussed in this section focus on the child and their school

environment and have created and implemented many strategies that can help teachers in today’s

classrooms.

In section two, Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, the focus is placed directly

on the teacher candidate and the journey that was had to get to this point. The main components

of this particular section include an introduction of the section, educational and work related

experiences, school observations and classroom application, philosophy of education,

development of resume. Through this section, you will be able to gain a better understanding of

my experiences and how they have led me down the education path.

In section three, Teacher Candidate Artifacts, the focus is on the work I have completed

throughout my educational experience at Medaille College showcasing my many skills I have

gained. It is here that you will see my ability to create lesson plans that can be modified and

accommodated to the various needs and abilities of my students. I have created lessons and

presentations using various forms of technology and have created classroom management tools

that will be of use one day in my future classroom. The artifacts that have been chosen for the
portfolio encompass my best work while at Medaille College and connect to the numerous

theories and practices that I have learned throughout the program. Completing these artifacts has

made me aware of features that need to be considered and mindful of when becoming an

effective teacher.

In section four, Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards, focuses on

curriculum and professional standards that need to be abided by as a teacher. This section will

demonstrate my ability to develop, implement, and facilitate curriculum material to professional

standards and expectations laid out in my artifacts discussed in section three of this portfolio

project. This section will touch on New York State Common Core, New York State Learning

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

Ontario Ethical Standards, InTASC, ISTE, and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the

Department of Education Claims and CAEP Standards. This section also encompasses the

learner and their learning environment along with content, assessment, planning for instruction,

instructional practices, and professional responsibility as educators.

In section five, Teacher Candidate Reflection, focuses on the teacher candidates

experiences and reflection. This section will highlight my experience with creating this portfolio

and the overall teacher education program at Medaille College. It will also shine light on the

various experiences, observations, and lessons I have learned and acquired and how I personally

have met the Medaille College Department of Education Claims and CAEP Standards. The main

piece within this section is my overall reflection which will discuss my readiness to become a

teacher and the knowledge and skills I have gained to become an effective teacher. This will

provide a better understanding of how all of my experiences that led me to this point in my life
have shaped me as an individual as well as how my philosophy of education has developed over

time.

In section six, Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video, there will be a 10-15 minute

video using Screen-o-Matic and the Weebly website with answers to specific questions that

could appear in a professional teaching interview that I will answer. Within the video, I will

present connections to the artifacts in my portfolio along with standards, teacher skills, strategies,

and professional dispositions. The intended purpose is not only to showcase my learned

experiences but to demonstrate my technology skills as technology continues to grow and

become prevalent within today’s classroom and school environments. This will also provide an

opportunity to demonstrate my communication and speaking skills and present to you as the

viewer, my professionalism and readiness to be in the classroom.

Theories, Theorists, and Experts in the Field of Education

The field of education has been heavily influenced by many scholars and their work that

to this day still holds a significant value. Throughout the duration of this program, we have

learned about many individuals who have impacted the education system by providing

knowledge, skills, and strategies that can be implemented in the classroom and school setting.

Some of the theorists that have stood out to me personally are Harry Wong, B.F. Skinner,

Howard Gardner, Lev Vygotsky, and Jean Piaget. Each of these scholars changed the way that

educators look at children in regards to development, socialization, and intellectual growth.

Harry Wong is a theorist that focused greatly on a well-managed classroom and overall

classroom management. Classroom management is defined as “all of the things that a teacher

does to organize students, space, time, and materials so that learning can take place” (Wong, n.d.,
1). Wong focuses on incorporating student involvement and cooperation within the classroom so

the learning environment is productive and positive. I believe these are important features to

focus on when teaching, whether you are new or experienced. Wong emphasized classroom

procedures and how crucial they can be for the classroom environment including such tasks as

quieting the class, how entrance and dismissal work for the class, how students seek assistance,

etc. (Wong, n.d., 5). By having structure and routines in place, it will ultimately make the time

teaching and learning more effective for the teacher and students.

B.F. Skinner was a behaviourist who developed the theory of operant conditioning.

Operant conditioning is a method involving rewards and punishments for behaviour and

associates individual behaviour and consequences (McLeod, 2018). I have seen firsthand the

benefits to this method within the classroom setting. When students work well, they receive an

incentive and when students misbehave, they do not receive a reward. It is human nature that

when we tend to do well in something and see the benefits, we want to continue doing well and

when we aren’t we do not reap the benefits. However, each class is going to be different because

what may have worked one year for a teacher, may not work for another year and different class.

Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983 placing emphasis

on the fact that I.Q. is too limited to study intelligence and that people have multiple

intelligences (Cherry, 2018). Gardner believes there are 8 types of intelligences including visual-

spatial, linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Each of these intelligences has strengths and characteristics all

very distinct and specific. In the classroom setting teachers should be developing and facilitating

lessons that allow students to access other abilities using other intelligences.
 Lev Vygotsky was a developmental psychologist who created the sociocultural theory of

child development. Vygotsky believed that children learn their behaviours and habits through

their cultural and interpersonal experiences (GoodTherapy, 2007). Through this Vygotsky

developed the concept of zone of proximal development and scaffolding. This notion is based on

the fact that children will learn to do a task with assistance but over time, learn more along the

way so they are able to increase their knowledge and ability further independently. I believe as

educators, we will help instill knowledge and skills in our students so they are able and capable

to continue to learn more. Students will be able to better learn when they are taught concepts,

work through tasks together, and ultimately being able to complete those tasks on their own,

which will build their knowledge and skills.

Jean Piaget focused his clinical research on development and determined four stages. The

four stages of development involve the sensorimotor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete

operational stage, and the formal operational stage. All of these stages are characterized by a

different level of development and cognition as students move through the various educational

levels into early adulthood. Classrooms are filled with diverse learners and all types of learning

and developmental stages need to be considered by the teacher. Piaget also utilized the theory of

constructivism stating that children’s knowledge base grows based on schemas (McLeod, 2015).

This can include what the students previously knew or they categorize information into new

schemas. Some of the guiding principles developed by Piaget involve encouraging children to

explore and experiment in their environments, and creating individualized instruction so the

child can learn at their own level of readiness (Ornstein, Levine, Vocke, & Gutek, 2017). This

allows students a more hands on approach to their learning which allows for better understanding

of content.
Conclusion

The field of education and teaching in today’s world has changed drastically over the

years. There are so many aspects to teaching that must be considered such as individual needs

and abilities of students, technology within the classroom, diverse learning environment, among

so many other features. Children deserve to learn in an environment that is safe, respectful, and

academically and socially engaging. It is the teacher’s responsibility to create and teach lessons

that cater to the needs of all students. The teacher must keep in mind that not every student learns

in the same way or can process material in the same manner. There needs to be time and energy

spent on helping students achieve their potential. In order to effectively teach, there needs to be

good classroom management with practical routines and structure for students and teachers to

follow within the classroom environment. The theorists mentioned in this portfolio have all

contributed to my development as a future educator because they have developed methods and

theories that are beneficial to students and classroom setting. I would like to end this section of

my portfolio with the famous quote by Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful

weapon which you can use to change the world” (Strauss, 2013). I hope that this portfolio will

demonstrate my abilities and skills in regards to teaching and I sincerely hope that you enjoy the

remainder of my portfolio.