Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

Creating this portfolio granted me a unique opportunity to present and radiate my skills
and knowledge as a new teacher. By presenting my competencies in the field of education, I am
confident that it is going to leave a positive first impression on my potential employers.
Through this Elementary portfolio I will be able to highlight my experiences, knowledge
professionalism, and enthusiasm as an educator. One of my first and most important experiences
was being a student myself. I look back at my years as an elementary school student and I see the
wonderful teachers who inspired me and left a powerful impression on me as a student. It is well
known that a good teacher is able to inspire and ignite the love of learning. My teachers inspired
me to pursue my dream and become an educator. I was blessed with teachers who were always
there for me. They encouraged me to do my best, believed in me, and provided me with all that I
needed to reach my potential. I believe that young students need inspiring and nurturing teachers
not only to teach and transmit knowledge, but teachers who will encourage, support, and most of
all believe in them. I cannot say that all my teachers were the same, not all teachers are capable
of being more than knowledge transmitters. I did have teachers who only passed their own
textbook based knowledge to me as a student, sadly it was a teacher centered classroom not a
student centered as it should be. Teachers’ task is not only to disseminate knowledge that is pre-
prepared. Contrary, their task is to facilitate the natural talents of students, to set them free to
explore and build knowledge through hands on experiences. Through this elementary portfolio I
will be able to showcase with evidence my aptitude, knowledge, and the qualities that I
developed as a teacher candidate which prepared me to be an effectual educator.
The elementary portfolio is made up of six sections, it includes teacher candidate
portfolio project introduction, background experiences, teacher candidate artifact selections,
alignment to the curriculum and professional standards, reflection, and a teacher candidate
interview video. This portfolio project will provide me with the opportunity to showcase my
work and the kills that I developed during my time at Medaille College. As a student in the
Master of Science in Education program I was provided with ample opportunists to gain the
critical knowledge and skills needed to teach elementary students. I was provided with high
quality education and have a solid foundation. I attended classes which were focused on getting
teacher candidates to master key skills and to observe and learn from great classroom teachers. I
am confident and well prepared to work in respectful and productive ways with students and
their families.
Through this portfolio project I will present my understanding of the most important
components that every teacher candidate should have proficiency in. There are important
components that should be provided by the educator for students in order for them to reach their
potential and succeed. Some of the important areas which I am going to address are planning,
instruction, technology, assessment, best teaching practices, accommodations for students,
culturally responsive teaching, diversity, classroom management, curriculum standards,
professional collaboration, and professional dispositions. Those components also include
understanding the learners, their background knowledge and past experiences, understanding
their learning style, the diversity in the classroom and how teachers should be well prepared to
meet the needs of all students and provide them with a safe and positive learning environment
where they are free to explore, develop and learn.
 Through the different sections of this elementary portfolio project I will be able to
showcase my skills and abilities as an effective educator. I will be able to present lesson plans
that I carefully developed and created including formal and informal assessments that meets the
needs of all the diverse learners. My lessons were designed to be highly engaging for all students
and their different learning styles. I was able to design lesson plans that showcase my ability to
deploy both Ontario curriculum and the New York standards. In addition, I was capable to
integrate technology in the different lesson plans and utilize the technology standards set forth by
the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). My skills and competencies will
be highlighted and showcased as an evidence of my teaching capabilities and effectiveness.

Portfolio Development
The Elementary Portfolio Project of the Master of Science in Education program
consist of six sections which include: Teacher Candidate Portfolio Project Introduction (Section
One), Teacher Candidate Background Experiences (Section Two), Teacher Candidate Artifacts
(Section Three), Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards (Section Four),
Teacher Candidate Reflection (Section Five), and Teacher Candidate Interview Video (Section
Six). Details as follow.
Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project is the
introduction that was developed to provide the readers details and rationales behind the
development of the portfolio project. It includes the subsections Overview and Rational,
Portfolio Development, Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education. This section
also highlights my teaching competencies, skills, and preparation to pursue my teaching career.
Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences is developed to highlight my
education and work-related experiences as well as my philosophy of education. In this section I
will include my degree with honor in early childhood education. My classroom experiences as
undergrad student, as well as my years of experience as an early childhood educator in the
kindergarten classroom, which also includes my experience working with students with special
needs. I will also provide my philosophy of education, that I have written in details to display
how I my personal belief regarding education was influenced by theorists such as John Piaget,
John Dewey, Johann Friedrich Herbart, and Benjamin Bloom.
Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts provides the readers with a pedagogical
evidence that is related to my practical work as a student at Medaille College. The artifacts
included showcase my proficiency in creating meaningful learning experiences that is designed
to accommodate all students and their various learning styles. I will be explaining in detail how
the artifacts are interconnected to the professional standards and to the curriculum. Connections
will be made to theorists and best teaching practices. I am including my math and literacy lesson
plans, Smart Note Book presentation, Dignity for All Students (DASA) certificates, Annotated
bibliography, PechaKucha presentation, Survey, School Violence Prevention and Intervention /
Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment Certificates. The artifacts
provided will highlight my competencies as teacher candidate and how I am well prepared work
as an educator.
Section four: Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards highlights my
ability and knowledge in making the connections between curriculum standards and professional
standards with the different artifacts I have outlined in Section Three. I am including a graphic
organizer to provide a visual illustration of all the varied connections I have made. The graphic
organizer contains the headings of: INTASC Standards, NYS Code of Ethics for Educators,
Ontario Teachers Ethical Standards, P-12 NYS Common Core Learning Standards for ELA,
Mathematics, and Social Studies, NYS Learning Standards, Ontario Ministry of Education
Expectations, TEAC/CAEP Claims, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
for Teachers and Students, and Council for Exceptional Children (ECE). This section should
provide the reader with evidence of my understanding of best teaching practices, as well as my
ability to be an inclusive and supportive educator.
Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection provides me with the opportunity to make
connections to the Medaille College Division of Education TEAC/CAEP Claims. Analyzing and
reflecting on previous experiences is crucial because it demonstrate ones willingness to adopt
changes should they encompass best teaching practices. Reflecting on my own practices and
experiences is important for me as a future educator because it provides me with the opportunity
to reassess any potential areas that could be improved upon. I will also be provided with the
chance to review not only the Elementary Portfolio Project, but also my time at Medaille
College.
Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview. This section will showcase my work making
connections to questions similar to those that can be expected at a job interview. The screencast
video allows me to use my Weebly website to highlight my work and reinforce the major teacher
competencies that have been discussed throughout the portfolio. This video provides the viewer
with an opportunity to witness my readiness for a position as a professional educator.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

During my time in the Masters of Science in Education program at Medaille College,
much of my understanding and knowledge of the field of education has been influenced by a
variety of theorists and experts in the field. Each of the theorists has been discussed in detail by
many of my professors. Theorists and experts that I have come to appreciate in the field of
education are John Piaget, Maria Montessori, John Dewey, Friedrich Froebel, Benjamin Bloom,
and Robert Marzano. I did not adopt the thinking of one specific school of educational
philosophy, but rather learned to appreciate the teaching of the different multiple schools. As a
future professional I hope to take teachings from each theorist in educating children and enable
them to be engaged in their own learning.
Jean Piaget a theorist who influenced my own educational philosophy. Piaget believed
that students should learn about their rights, responsibilities, duties, about laws, justice and
democracy. They should learn to reflect on the choices and actions they take and learn about its
consequences (Gutek et al, 2017, p. 111-112). Piaget believed that children construct their
knowledge about reality by actively exploring their environment. He also believed that
intelligence develops through stages of development. Based on his learning theory he believed
that children develop new mental abilities to acquire knowledge by going through four
qualitatively distinct but interrelated periods of cognitive development. (1) sensorimotor stage,
(2) preoperational stage, (3) concrete-operational period, and (4) formal-operational period. To
Piaget learning happens through exploration and experiment, individualized instruction, and
designing the classroom as a learning center stocked with different materials that students can
manipulate. Jean Piaget believed that teachers should take an active mentoring role toward their
students. He wanted teachers to share the learning experience with the students encouraging
them to be active and engaged. He also encouraged teachers to focus on the process and the
many different steps it takes to reach a finished product not only the results. (Gutek et al, 2017,
p. 112-113).
John Dewey another important philosopher who believed that students learn better in
cooperative groups, which he believed enhances social intelligence. He believed that learning
happens through constructive, experimental, and creative curriculum (Gutek et al, 2017, p. 104).
He argues that children are socially active human beings and are eager to explore their
environment. He believed that children encounter personal and social problems as they interact
with their environment, and these problems stimulate them to use their intelligence to solve
problems and expand their experience in active manner (Gutek et al, 2017, p. 105). Dewey’s
curriculum consists of three important levels, (1) making and doing and that allows students to
explore the environment and act on their ideas, which will help them to develop their sensory
and motor skills, and will encourage socialization, (2) history and geography and both will
expand children’s knowledge about space time through working on projects, (3) science and that
include the different branches such as chemistry, biology and social studies which can support
them in problem solving. Dewey believes that learning starts from simple to complicated, and it
involves the observation of the environment, to planning, and finally reflecting (Gutek et al,
2017, p. 106).
Johann Friedrich Herbart believes that instruction takes precise sequence of five steps (1)
preparation which is encouraging student’s readiness, (2) presentation and it is how teachers
presents new concepts, (3) association which is comparing new concepts with ideas students
already knows, (4) generalization and it is combining new and previous learning, (5) Application
and it is appropriate examinations and exercises that assess whether or not the student mastered
the new concept (Gutek et al, 2017, p. 98). he has the theory of no child left behind, his
guidelines were that enough time should be spent on efficient teaching and that assessment be
conducted to assess how much knowledge students have gained, and to make sure they have
mastered the skills and subjects they need to create networks and build moral character (Gutek et
al, 2017, p. 98).
Benjamin Bloom was an influential educational physiologist. His main contributions to
the area of education involved Mastery Learning, his model of Talent Development, and his
Taxonomy Educational Objectives in the cognitive domain. In his mastery of learning he
believed that all children can become achievers if taught at a level of their own proficiency and
are encouraged to progress at a rate of their ability to master clearly defined units of learning.
Mastery of learning proposes that all children can learn when provided with the appropriate
learning conditions in the classroom. Mastery of learning is an instructional philosophy based on
the idea of giving students more than one chance to demonstrate mastery of content and skills. In
mastery leaning after assessment the teacher determines who has mastered the content and who
needs more help. Students who have mastered the material are given enrichment opportunities
while students who have not mastered it are given additional instruction on the topic, the new
instruction are presented in various ways using manipulative and hands on approaches.
Conclusion
Section One of the Elementary Portfolio Project serves as an introduction, clearly
highlights what the remaining pages of the portfolio will bring out. This section refers to my
preparedness to enter the professional world as a teacher while also showcasing all the skills that
I have I developed as a teacher candidate. Reference to the major teaching competencies of
planning, assessment, culturally responsive teaching, instructional strategies, best teaching
practices, accommodation practices, technological aptitudes along with curriculum, professional
and technology standards, and professional collaboration and dispositions throughout the entire
portfolio. The portfolio project ultimately reflects upon my journey of my actual and factual
disposition. It reflects upon all the learning an development I went through to strengthen and
solidify my place in the world of educators.