Professional Portfolio Artifact(s) Reflections Cover Sheet PLO: Develop and implement strategies that promote partnerships between

programs, teachers, families, and their communities.

The Artifacts I have included to demonstrate my competence in PLO 4 include: Research Project on Community Issues and Resources (CHDV 106, revised or enhanced in other courses) Samples of family communication: Parent Letter (CHDV 150, revised or rewritten in CHDV 210) Child Progress Report:

I. Explanation: How is the content of these artifacts used to demonstrate my competence in this PLO and what specific knowledge, skills, or belief systems are demonstrated? Research Project on Community Issues and Resources Knowledge- The knowledge I gained from doing a research paper on the community issues and resources is that I am now aware of the importance single parenting plays on a childs development. I gained knowledge in all the different agencies available to help single parents. I also gained knowledge in how the community affects each child individually. Skills- The research project gave me many skills. A very important skill I acquired through this assignment is how to do research. I have learned that the school data

bases give different information than internet searches. An important skill I acquired throughthis assignment is that I was able to do searches on professional journals through the school website. I was able to use the internet to find agencies that parents could use to help themselves get throughhard times. Beliefs- I believe it is important to stay caught up with issues such as single parenting because many children come from a single parent background. I believe the teacher needs to have many resources available in case a parent needs the resources. Samples of family communication Parent Letter Knowledge- The parent letter gave me the knowledge to write a letter about the activities we were going to do for the following week of school. I learned how to write a letter, with details on the activities we were going to do the next week, to add a field trip, and to ask parents for donations. Skills- I gained the skill to proofread my parent letter and make sure it is grammatically correct and write it in correct format. I have the skills to put accurate information that parents would like to know. Beliefs- I believe it is important to keep open communication with parents and write parent letters to keep the parents informed of what their children are doing for the week and what they will be learning about and give them options of how to help their childs development Child Progress Report: Knowledge- I have gained the knowledge to identify a childs strengths, weaknesses, ways in which the center helps him/her, and ways the family could help at home. I

also gained the knowledge to write a progress report and how to properly complete it. It is important for me to know this knowledge because one day I will be a teacher and I will need to have parent teacher conferences where I will need to have a progress report for each child. Skills- I have gained the skill to correctly fill out a child progress report. I have also gained the skill to fill it out with accurate information that is meaningful to the parent and the teacher. I have also gained the skill to objectively observe a child and point out the strengths and weaknesses and write it in the child progress report form. Beliefs- I believe it is important to have child progress reports because they can be used as a way to compare the growth of the child from the beginning until the end. I also believe it is important to have child progress forms because the teacher can look at it as a goal to scaffold the child.

II. Growth: How do these artifacts demonstrate my growth in knowledge and skill?
Research Project on Community Issues and Resources Knowledge- Since creating this assignment I have gained more knowledge in how important it is for teachers to be anti-biased and be accepting of different children and the different backgrounds the children come from. I have also gained knowledge in my way of researching. I now know that the theorist Maslows theories are also important in the childs development. I have also learned that there are more agencies that help single parents or parents in need.

 Skills- My skills have improved because now I am confident to call different agencies. I did my research online the first time. This time I called many different places that were able to guide me in different directions. For example, I found a new agency that help parents in need since this assignment. I also improved my skills because I now know what information is relevant to single parenting and what information does not need to be added in the essay. Beliefs- I still believe that a teacher needs to take an open approach to each child and their situations. I believe that parents and educators need to work together to provide an optimal learning environment for each child. Samples of family communication Parent Letter Knowledge- Since writing my parent letter my knowledge has improved because I now know that the letter should also have appeal to it. When I first did my letter it was plain. Since then I learned that there should be some type of decoration on the letter so it can be appealing to the parents to read. I also learned that it is important to tell parents things they can relate to and that is easy to read. I also learned that I need to add relevant information. For example, if I am not going on a fieldtrip during my week of teaching I should not add the fieldtrip in the parent letter. Skills- The skills I have gained from a parent letter is I was able to create a second parent letter with accurate information, correct grammar, and make it appealing to the reader. I also gained the skill to ask parents for a minimum of volunteer as to not overwhelm them with what needs to be done.

 Belief- I still believe that parent letters are an important tool to keep the parent involved in the childs development. I believe that there should be a parent letter every week so the parents will know what to expect for certain weeks and volunteer if it is possible to do so. I believe it is important for the parents and teacher to work together. Child Progress Report Knowledge- My knowledge has improved because I observed my mentor teacher do a parent teacher conference and saw the importance of having a child progress report because she kept reflecting on the past report and comparing it to the present. I have also gained knowledge to use proper language to write and go over a child progress report with a parent. Skills- I have the skill to write notes on a child, acknowledge the strengths and the weaknesses and, expand on them in the child progress report. I now have the skills to distinguish between information that needs to be in the progress report and information that does not. I have skill to offer suggestions to caregivers on how they can help the child advance. I now have the skill to be confident and talk to the caregivers about the development of the child. Beliefs- I still believe that a progress report is important to have because it is a way to give the teacher and the parent information on the developmental level of the child. I also believe it is important because it gives both the parent and teacher the information necessary for the parent to help the child at home.

II.

Application: How am I going to build on the knowledge and skill that is demonstrated (In other words, what are your next steps?) and how will this knowledge, skill, or belief system be integrated into my future teaching practices.

Research Project on Community Issues and Resources In the future I will keep researching tool that can help parents and families overcome problems they face from being single parents. I will continue to find resources that will help parents in need of any type of help. I will keep the material posted for the parents to look at and take liberally. Parent letter- In the future I will continue to write parent letters so that the parents are aware of what will be going on during the next week of activities. I will continue to study grammar so I can write a proficient letter and I will continue to write a letter every time we have a new topic. Child Progress Report- In the future I will ask my mentor if I could watch another set of parent meetings. I will continue to take notes on children and write my own set of progress reports for each child. In the future I will have parent teacher conferences and use this form as my report. In the future, when I have parent teacher conferences I will have materials available for the suggestions I am making to help the child improve at home.