Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

The previous four sections of the Elementary Portfolio Project gave me the opportunity to
introduce to you, my competencies within the field of education, paying special attention to my
success as a future educator. The areas of competencies discussed included planning, instruction,
assessment, technology, differentiation teaching practices, culturally responsive teaching and
diversity, classroom management, professional collaboration, professional and curriculum
standards, as well as professional development. The next section, section five section, is divided
in four sections: the introduction, the portfolio/teacher education learning experiences, the
readiness to become a teacher, and the conclusion where I will reflect on the previous sections,
taking into consideration the Elementary Portfolio Project and my time at Medaille College.
You will be able to see references to the professional standards of the Teacher Education
Accreditation Council/Council for Accreditation for Educator Preparation (TEAC/CAEP)
Claims. The purpose of these claims it to demonstrate my ability to meet the needs of diverse
learners through effective pedagogy competence, my knowledge of subject matter within my
certification area, best teaching practices, and my ability to present myself as a nurturing
educator.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

My journey towards teaching and Medaille College was not a smooth one but instead a
long and sometimes bumpy excursion, but it was definitely worth the ride. I had always felt that
teaching was my calling and when looking back, I realized that the connection to teaching and
education was always present. As early as a young child there has been a love for education that
extended to my experiences in school, both at the elementary/secondary level as well as at the
postsecondary level. Whether it was being a caregiver, soccer coach, volunteer, or a mother of
three wonderful children, I took it upon myself to be supportive and strived to provide the best
experiences possible. When I am teaching, it feels right and it is truly where I feel I belong. The
experiences as a student at Medaille College has provided me with the skills that will allow me
to be a successful educator, while also ensuring that I maintain the understanding of diverse
learners. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: knowledge of subject matter, TEAC/CAEP Claim 2: effective
pedagogy and best teaching practices for diverse learners). I have been fortunate enough to have
had the opportunities to participate in many learning experiences from my time at Medaille
College.
The purpose of the artifacts that I chose was that it would enable you to acknowledge my
strengths and highlight my teaching effectiveness with my ability to be a caring educator.
Throughout this portfolio I have demonstrated my knowledge of the curriculum and professional
standards alongside my ability to create lessons that align with the content in the standards
(TEAC Claim 1: Subject Matter).
The courses provided at Medaille College have been challenging, informative and
enriching. Semester one courses were; Research in Education, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy,
Transitions: Roots to Present, Early Field Experience/Seminar, Dignity of all Students Act. The
“Research in Education” course provided me with an overview of the methods used in education
research. I studied and applied different methods of quantitative and qualitative research which
increased my understanding of research within the education field. (TEAC Claim 3: Caring
Educators) Culturally Responsive Pedagogy has helped me to focus on possible and practical
issues of diversity in the classroom. I analyzed and discussed issues that related to race, ethnicity,
class, gender, exceptionalities, sexual orientation, religion, bullying/cyber-bullying and language.
I was challenged to think critically about my own beliefs, and participated in activities that
engaged in intellectual conversation with my colleagues while connecting it to theory and
practice. As a future educator, it is important that I respect my students and also provide them
with a safe and welcoming environment (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for
Diverse Learners) Transition; Roots to Present provided me with a great insight into the changes
of education today, on how it evolved. This course provided me with a bridge from the works of
past theorists and educators to current ideas and best teaching practices of present day educators.
I was able to reflect and identify with influential thinkers within the field of education, such as
Dewey, Skinner, Rogers, Piaget, and Gardner, etc. (TEAC Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching
Practices for Diverse Learners). I especially liked the Early Field Experience/Seminar. This
course also provided me with the opportunity to observe different classroom management
strategies, and how to incorporate them effectively. Being in an elementary classroom during the
first semester enabled me to gain insight to valuable best teaching practices and to experience the
issues and rewards that occur on an on-going basis with students in the classroom. (TEAC Claim
2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners) The Dignity for all Students Act
which is legislated in New York State is a certification that ensures equal treatment within the
educational system. It seeks to provide students with a safe and supportive environment that is
free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying. Although I my goal is
to teach in Ontario, I believe that this philosophy can also be applied there. (TEAC Claim 2:
Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners)

The courses during semester two were; Developmental Literacy, The Core of Education,
Child Abuse Seminar, Technology for the Elementary Classroom, and Foundations for Special
Education. Developmental Literacy allowed me to explore the concept of a balanced reading
program from the emergent reader to a fluent reader which showed the elements of balanced
reading. These included read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading,
phonemic awareness, word recognition strategies, and comprehension strategies. I was able to
develop reading experiences for children based on the New York Language Arts and Ontario
Standards. (TEAC Claim 1: Subject Matter) The course “Core of Education” gave me a great
insight into classroom management strategies and how to incorporate them effectively. This is
where I learned how to effectively prepare a math lesson plan, and how to take that lesson plan
and extend it into a learning segment composed of three lessons (TAEC/CAEP Claim 1:
knowledge of subject matter). While planning these lessons, I was able to focus on
differentiating learning within the classroom and how to apply that knowledge. (TAEC/CAEP
Claim 2: effective pedagogy and best teaching practices for diverse learner) This has allowed me
to understand various methods of teaching, and also the diversity of learners with the opportunity
to examine various educational philosophies and when to apply them. The Child Abuse Seminar
was beneficial because it provided me with the knowledge of how to identify signs of abuse and
the proper course of action when it is needed to report specific incidents. (TAEC/CAEP Caring
educators) Another course that I found to be particularly helpful was Technology for the
Elementary Classroom. This is an area I always felt fairly confident in and was very excited
when it came to using new software that I was not familiar with. I was able to design and
implement lesson plans, and created a SMART Notebook presentation focusing on various
science strands. Throughout the assignments, I was allowed to explore my creativity and develop
activities that were appropriate for the chosen grade level, ensuring the delivery of an effective
lesson to students (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: knowledge of subject matter). The SmartNotebook
assignment that I created, allowed me to experience firsthand the impact technology has on
teaching children. Children are surrounded by technology, and it is extremely important that we,
as educators, target their interests and be well versed in this area in order to address differences
in learning (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: knowledge of subject matter, Claim 2: effective pedagogy
and best teaching practices for diverse learners). This course enabled me to understand the role
technology plays in today’s elementary classrooms and to become a productive educator
allowing myself to assist the students in learning and technology development. Foundations for
Special Education focused on historical, social, and legal foundations of special education within
the education field. I was able to study a brief overview of the characteristics and instructional
needs of individuals with disabilities for children birth through 12 including Autistic Spectrum
Disorders. Issues related to school, community and family collaborations for children with
disabilities were studied, with the focus on trends and legislation that affect how the services in
school, home, and community settings are delivered to the students. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 3:
Caring Educators)

The courses during semester three consisted of Assessment and Evaluation of Literacy,
Education Methods of Teaching Math and Science, Education Methods of Teaching the Arts,
English, Language Arts and Social Studies and Elementary Education Portfolio. Assessment and
Evaluation of Literacy helped me to investigate the current practices and procedures in the
evaluation of New York State English Language Arts Standards (reading, writing, listening, and
speaking). I gained confidence and experience with the instruction, administration and analysis
of running records, assessment of listening and speaking, concepts of print, word recognition,
spelling development, phonemic awareness, comprehension, writing development, and modes of
responding to literature. (TEAC/CAEP Claim 3: Caring Educators) Education Methods of
Teaching Math and Science, Education Methods of Teaching the Arts, English, Language Arts
and Social Studies provided me with the opportunity to learn about the various curriculum
standards and to apply my knowledge of these standards through various lesson plans, unit plans,
and presentations (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: knowledge of subject matter). Lastly, the Educational
Portfolio allowed me to choose a group of artifacts that I felt displayed my readiness and my
skills and knowledge to becoming a future educator.

Readiness to Become a Teacher

The Master of Science in Education program at Medaille College has molded me into a
well-rounded educator. It has allowed me to develop the necessary skills to be an effective
teacher. Moving forward, I am very eager to work within a classroom setting and begin teaching
students. Since I am currently teaching kindergarten in Ontario, this will not necessarily be a
new experience, but instead a new fork in the road. I am eager to embark on a new journey
where I will be able to teach older grades.

As I am coming closer to the completion of the MSED program at Medaille College, I am

confident that I possess the skills and qualifications that constitutes a highly qualified educator. I
am a nurturing and dedicated teacher, confident with my content knowledge in all subject areas
and the understanding of pedagogy with current best teaching practices. The areas of strength
have been highlighted in section three of the Elementary Portfolio Project where the artifacts that
I intentionally chose, highlight my ability to be an effective educator. Artifacts such as my
Dignity for All Students Act Seminar in my Cultural Responsive Pedagogy: displays my
understanding and readiness as a teacher candidate who is better equipped to prevent and provide
intervention for harassment, bullying, and discrimination. The lesson plans that I chose as an
artifact showcases my content knowledge, knowledge of curriculum standards, and my ability to
accommodate for diverse learning. It also highlights my readiness to teach mathematics with
new innovative ideas, where in this subject student are struggling board wide. It is my goal to
develop lesson plans that keep students engaged in the learning process, while also providing
them with enough relevant content knowledge to set them up for success. My strengths in the
field of education are also highlighted in my literacy unit plan with three accompanying lesson
plans. By creating this lesson plan, I was able to expand on a central focus across three
individual lessons, showing my ability to plan and assess student progress effectively.
Professional development can be seen in the artifacts of the School Violence Prevention and
Intervention / Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment Certificates. These
are examples of my dedication towards continued professional development as well as my
commitment to grow and build stronger classroom management skills.

I feel that this portfolio conveys successfully, all my strengths as an educator as well as
displaying the important teacher competencies that I possess. Together with my educational and
work experiences, I feel that I emanate a well-rounded teacher candidate. But most importantly,
it is my goal to provide students with a safe, fun and meaningful content filled educational
experience.

Conclusion

Section five, has shown my portfolio work and provided evidence of my knowledge,
skills, best teaching practices, content knowledge, and ability to work with a diverse population
of students, apply classroom management skills and strategies as well as be a caring educator
who helps all children achieve to their learning potentials. In the next section, you will be able to
watch my teacher candidate interview video where I demonstrate my pedagogy and best teaching
practices by answering typical questions that would be addressed in an interview (TEAC Claims
1: Subject Matter; Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners; TEAC
Claim 3: Caring Educator).