Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

As I construct this professional portfolio, I think about its purpose and the impression it

will create to the reader. This portfolio will showcase my talents and actual work I have

completed during my time at Medaille College and the experiences I have gained not just from

Medaille College but also from the various schools and programs I have worked or volunteered

at. As you read further, you will see that I possess the necessary skills, experience, pedagogical

knowledge, and determination to become an effective and professional teacher.

I would like to highlight my elementary education experience. As an immigrant coming

from Vietnam, I started out in grade one once integrated into Ontario Canada. I had a very

positive grade one experience where the teacher was very understanding of me because I was

just learning English and getting accustomed to Canadian life. Unfortunately, I was not able to

finish grade one at that school and was moved to a different school within Kitchener. After being

separated from my parents, I missed grade two. While settling into my new family, I started

grade three which I found also very positive which made me think and become engaged in class.

At the end of grade three, I was presented with a unique opportunity to be home schooled. I

started that in grade four and ended up finishing elementary education at home. Whether class

was in a public school system or in my own home, I found learning to be exciting and always

looked forward to learning new things. You can probably come to the conclusion that I enjoyed

my education experience. You would be correct. Because of my positive experience, I want to be

a teacher to not only make a difference in all the students I come into contact with but also inject

creativity and fun into the classroom.

tremendously which makes me ready and prepared to teach in the field of education. As a teacher

candidate through Medaille College, they have imparted in me the competencies needed to

become a cultural and effective teacher. These competencies include but are not limited to

knowing my learners, the learning environment, varied and relevant assessment techniques,

culturally responsive teaching for all students, use of technology, zone of proximal development

teaching, and building rapport with all students and fellow staff members.

I believe that elementary education is where students learn the foundational tools needed

to not only succeed in the higher grades but also in real life. Within this portfolio, I will highlight

artifacts which will show I am able to plan lesson plans that will engage the students and get

them to learn at a high level while at the same time keeping to the standards of the New York

State and/or Ontario. This shows that I am capable to create effective lessons in all subjects and

can incorporate technology to enhance learning for all students.

This portfolio will demonstrate that I can be a strong contributing team member in any

school and I believe that by the end of this portfolio, it will show my skills and my preparedness

to become a professional teacher. This portfolio will also demonstrate my character as a teacher.

I am a good listener, a good communicator, and have a good sense of humor which will help me

build strong rapport with the students so I can not only motivate them to perform at their very

best but also enjoy education.

Portfolio Development

This Portfolio Project for the M.S. Ed has six sections and they are as follows: 1 –

Teacher Candidate Project Introduction, 2 – Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, 3 –

Teacher Candidate Reflection, and 6 – Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video. Below I

will summarize each section and what they entail.

Section One: The Teacher Candidate Portfolio Project Introduction is the introduction of

the portfolio where the reader gets a feel for the candidate and what the reader can expect within

the portfolio. The introduction also highlights the subsections; Portfolio Overview and Rationale,

Portfolio Development, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education, and Conclusion. This

section provides the reader my readiness and showcases my abilities as a professional teacher

candidate.

Section Two: The Teacher Candidate Background Experiences is where I highlight my

educational background, work related experiences, my resume, and my philosophy of education.

I will go in depth for each subsection with the intent to further explain my position as a future

professional educator. This includes but not limited to what I believe the school should be, the

learner, the learning environment, the curriculum, assessments, and classroom management. I

will highlight my education and work background via resume. Once again, the information

provided will show my readiness and preparedness for the position as a professional teacher.

Section Three: The Teacher Candidate Artifacts is where I will present major pieces of

my work that I have completed during my time at Medaille College and through my work

experiences relevant to education. This section will showcase my lesson plans, unit plans,

certificates, technology assignments, and PowerPoint presentation. My artifacts will showcase

my pedagogy method and be evident that I have the preparedness to be a professional teacher.
 Section Four: The Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional Standards is where I

present the standards each of my artifacts fall under. I will present each artifacts standards and a

graphic chart will outline the artifact and with the standards listed that apply to each artifact. The

standards are as follows: INTASC Standards, NYS Code of Ethics Standards for Educators, NYS

P-12 Common Core Learning Standards, NYS Learning Standards, DOE Claims & CAEP

Standards, ISTE Standards for Teachers and/or Students, ILA International Literacy Association

Professional Standards, CEC Standards, Ontario Curriculum Standards, and Ontario Teacher

Ethical Standards.

Section Five: The Teacher Candidate Reflection is where I get the opportunity to reflect

on myself as a professional teacher candidate. I will reflect and assess myself on my journey thus

far. The changes I have made to bring myself to this point shows the determination and

willingness to adjust to what the best teaching practice is. In this section, I will also reflect on my

experiences Medaille College gave to me in terms of class observations and exposure to

planning, instruction, assessing, accommodating student’s needs, culturally responsive teaching,

and classroom management.

Section Six: The Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video is where I am videotaped

answering potential questions an employer might ask pertaining to a professional teaching job.

The video will give me the opportunity to talk about my artifacts and verbally reinforce my

teacher competencies. In the video, I will showcase my strengths by informing the viewer that I

possess the abilities to manage a classroom, best teaching practices, and what my pedagogical

practices are as a professional teacher candidate. I will, like the previous sections, reflect on my

readiness and preparedness for the position of a professional teacher.

Throughout my time at Medaille College, professors consistently talked about theorists,

experts in the field of education, and philosophical practices that shaped education since the

beginning of education until now. Of the many theorists and experts talked about, I have come to

appreciate B. F. Skinner, Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, and Jerome Bruner. These scholars saw

where improvements needed to be made and had extensive knowledge on how to get students

engaged. These scholars also saw the importance of education which I found to be very

insightful to which I model my practices after.

B. F. Skinner’s operant conditioning with the positive reinforcement in my opinion works

really well with students. McLeod says that (2015), “Positive reinforcement strengthens a

behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding (para. 13).” If carried out

correctly or properly, it can work wonders and could become your next best practice to get

students to do their work. It could be as simple as giving out stickers to students that are able to

tell you what part of the morning announcements they found important. This practice could set

the tone for the rest of the day for the better.

Lev Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is more so for the teacher. In order for

learning to occur, the job of the teacher is not just to teach the material but to present the material

that is just beyond the grasp of the students so it is then up to the teacher to explain and instruct.

McLeod says that (2012), “Those elements of the task that are initially beyond the learner’s

capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are

within his range of competence (para. 1).” In another word, scaffolding. An example of this

could be a math problem where the students have not been exposed to division where you

present a problem and then take the students through step by step.
 Students go through stages of learning according to Jean Piaget. Shroff writes (2017),

“Sensorimotor. Birth through ages 18-24 months. Preoperational. Toddlerhood (18-24 months)

through early childhood (age 7). Concrete operational. Ages 7 to 12. Formal operational.

Adolescence through adulthood (para. 2).” A typical student that enters the school system is or

about to enter the concrete operational stage. These students are able to demonstrate logical

reasoning. This stage is critical for further learning which helps them understand more complex

problems.

Jerome Bruner’s spiral curriculum is student based where the student benefits because

they are able to learn and grasp concepts. These concepts start out as new content which is easy

and slowly becomes harder. At the end, the student would be able to master the content which is

the end goal. Johnston says (2012), “The Spiral Curriculum is predicated on cognitive theory

advanced by Jerome Bruner (1960), who wrote, "We begin with the hypothesis that any subject

can be taught in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development." In

other words, even the most complex material, if properly structured and presented, can be

understood by very young children (para. 1).”.

These experts and theorists provided insightful ways to work with students and get them

engaged at a high level. These scholars also brought in a new way of thinking so we, as

professional teachers are better equipped to teach our ever evolving students. Theorists such as

the ones I have mentioned are vital to education because not one student is the same and by

continuing to educate ourselves, we can better serve our students. Continual education is a best

practice important to all professional teachers if they want to be an effective teacher year after

year.
Conclusion

As section one concludes, I want to note that this Portfolio Project is designed for the

reader to understand about each section and how I am, as the teacher candidate, prepared to teach

at a high level. As you read the sections that follow, you will understand that I possess the major

competencies a professional teacher should have. These competencies include planning,

instructional pedagogy, assessments, best teaching practices, learner accommodations, culturally

responsive teaching, classroom management, professional collaboration, and curriculum

standards. This portfolio will ultimately describe my disposition and show my readiness to be a

professional teacher.

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