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MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

What exactly does being an educator mean? To me, an educator is someone who is

passionate about children while effectively able to teach students while preparing them for their

future. A teacher can have a very large impact on their student’s lives and therefore it is

important to serve as a good role model. In doing so, an educator should demonstrate

professionalism, exceptional organizational and creativity skills and the ability to work with well

with others. From a very young age, I believed that teaching was my calling. I have always had a

passion for children and through my experience with children learned how rewarding working

with children is. I have had several teachers who have shaped me into the student and teacher I

have worked so hard to become. When I reflect on the common characteristics these teachers

had, they include dedicated, passionate and all cared about their students. I have worked to

follow in their footsteps and display these qualities to my own students and colleagues. I hope

through reading my portfolio, the reader will recognize my dedication to the profession and my

desire to grow and continue learning in the professional setting.

This portfolio I have developed will give the reader an insight to my accomplishments

and experiences related to the teaching profession. This portfolio will give you the opportunity to

learn about myself and what I can offer as a new and upcoming teacher. The artifacts I have

chosen to include will showcase my abilities, including prepared lesson plans, the ability to use

technology in the classroom and teaching through different learning styles while relating content

to the curriculum. This portfolio has allowed me to reflect on my career, experiences and

accomplishments thus far . This portfolio will showcase different artifacts that will be helpful to
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my future career as an elementary educator. It will also allow me to reflect on how I can improve

to be the best educator for my students.

Portfolio Development

There are six sections that are compiled together to create the MSED Elementary

Portfolio Project. Included in these six sections are Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction

to the Elementary Portfolio Project, Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences,

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts, Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum &

Professional Standards, Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection and Section Six: Teacher

Candidate Interview Video. Below you will find a brief overview of each section and what it

entails.

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project allows

the candidate to explain the purpose of the MSED Elementary Portfolio. It highlights different

skills and assets the candidate has to become a successful educator. This section discusses

different theorists and theories that are reflective to their teaching beliefs and practices. It gives

the reader a brief introduction of the candidate and what has led them to the profession.

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences describes the candidate’s

school experiences that have influenced their decision to becoming a teacher. This section also

includes the candidate’s work and volunteer experiences and explains how these experiences will

assist in their future role as an educator. It will include observations through field work

experiences along with additional philosophies of education. A professional resume will be

include in this section that provides evidence the candidate is prepared for the role of an

educator.
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Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts is the largest section of the MSED

Elementary Portfolio. This section includes different artifacts that illustrate the skills and

knowledge I have obtained over the course of this program. These artifacts will demonstrate my

readiness for the classroom setting with relevance to curriculum and standards.. These artifacts

will include unit plans, lesson plans and an ELED assessment plan. Through these artifacts, the

reader will see I am able to plan accordingly, instruct and assess students, accommodate students

and be a culturally responsive educator.

Section Four: Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards provides the

standards for each previously mentioned artifact. These standards will be presented in the form

of a chart. The standards that will be included in this section are Interstate New Teacher

Assessment Support Consortium Standards (INSTAC) standards, NYS Code of Ethics for

educators, Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards, P-12 New York State Common Core Learning

Standards, NYS Learning Standards, Ontario Curriculum Expectation (Canadian students only),

Medaille College Division of Education TEAC/CAEP Claims, International Society for

Technology Education (ISTE) and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection will allow the candidate to reflect on their

experiences through writing this portfolio. This reflection will include experiences while writing

the portfolio project as well the experiences of teacher education thus far. This section will

identify important lessons that have been learned through the process and include standards that

are affiliated and related to Medaille College. To finalize this section, the candidate will reflect

on their knowledge that has prepared them to become a teacher.

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video will include a mock interview through

Screencast-o-Matic. This section will allow the candidate to show their technological and
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professional skills and abilities. In the video, the candidate will answer questions that could

potentially be asked during a professional interview. These questions will allow the candidate to

discuss their experiences and why they would be a good candidate for the position of a

professional educator.

Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Throughout the MSED program and my journey of becoming a teacher, I have learned

about many educational theorists. These theorists and their research have been reflected in my

disposition, management skills and teaching practices. Lev Vygotsky has significantly influenced

my teaching style with his zone of proximal development, along with B.F. Skinner’s positive

reinforcement, Benjamin Bloom’s learning objectives and Pearson and Gallagher’s gradual

release of responsibility.

Lev Vygotsky was a psychologist most well-known for his concept zone of proximal

development. The zone of proximal development is known as the distance between a student’s

actual developmental level and the level of potential development. While actual development can

be determined by a student’s independent problem solving skills, their potential level of

development is determined through problem solving with the guidance of an adult or more

capable peers (McLeod, 2019). As a teacher candidate, I believe it is acceptable to challenge

your students while providing them with the resources and skills to be successful. If students are

not challenged, they are unable to learn new concepts to progress forward. Giving students a

reasonable challenge allows them to problem solve and further their knowledge.

B.F. Skinner was known as the psychologist who focused his research on reinforcement.

Skinner studied the operant conditioning process which is known as any behaviour that acts on
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an environment and could lead to consequences. He studied both positive and negative

reinforcements, the first having outcomes such as a reward, the later removing unfavorable

outcomes (Cherry, 2020). Although this theory was tested on mice, this study can be very

relative to the classroom setting. Through my experiences thus far, I have seen students are more

successful when they are praised and encouraged, rather than spoken to in a more negative tone.

As teachers, we must be aware of how we speak to our students and the effect it can have on

their learning. We must promote positivity within our classrooms, as the outcomes are likely to

be favourable when doing so.

Benjamin Bloom is a quite popular psychologist in the field of education. Bloom created

a taxonomy of educational objectives, used to create learning goals for students. Bloom’s

taxonomy was created to be aligned with educational goals, curriculum and assessments and are

used today by many educators. Bloom’s Taxonomy was originally separated into six categories:

knowledge level, comprehension level, application level, analysis level, synthesis level and

evaluation level. In 2001, these categories were changed to remembering, understanding,

applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating (Lasley, n.d.). These educational objectives are

helpful for educators as it allows them to clearly note what skill a student should be able to

master by the end of the lesson segment. It allows the educator to plan accordingly and clearly

identify whether the student has mastered the skill.

Pearson & Gallagher are known for their learning process known as the gradual release of

responsibility framework. This model begins with the teacher holding the most responsibility for

the student’s learning, then passing this responsibility onto the student as a joint responsibility to

eventually giving the student total responsibility through independent practice (ASCD, n.d.).

This process is often referred to as the “I do, we do, you do” model. By gradually passing on
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responsibility to the student, the student is able to become responsible for their learning. This

model allows for the educator to be interactive with their students through guided practice and

sets students up for success. This model is one that I believe is very useful to my teaching

instruction.

Conclusion

It is my hope that after reading my portfolio it will prove to you that I am an organized,

passionate and prepared educator. I have had much experience working with children in several

different settings. These different experiences have shaped the educator I have become and

aligned with my philosophies and ideologies of what a successful educator entails. Throughout

this portfolio, you will see the different artifacts I have chosen that highlight my abilities in

prepared lesson plans, my ability to use technology in the classroom and teaching through

different learning styles while relating content to the curriculum. It is my hope that through these

artifacts you will appreciate how passionate I am about my future career as an educator and all

that I have to offer to my future students.

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Resources

ASCD. (n.d.). Learning or Not Learning in Schools.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/113006/chapters/Learning,-or-Not-Learning,-in-
School.aspx

Cherry, K. (2020, April 27). B.F. Skinner Biography. Very Well Minded.
https://www.verywellmind.com/b-f-skinner-biography-1904-1990-2795543

Lasley, T. (n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Blooms-

taxonomy

McLeod, S. (2019). The Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-
Development.html#:~:text=The%20concept%2C%20zone%20of%20proximal,Vygotsky
%20(1896%20%E2%80%93%201934).&text=Scaffolding%2C%20or%20supportive%2
0activities%20provided,is%20led%20through%20the%20ZPD.