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MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Wendy Michelle Ward

07-31-2017

An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of

Medaille College

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Education

______________________________
Wendy Ward
Graduate Student

______________________________
Dr. Belete Mebratu
Project Director
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Table of Contents

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project.. 3

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences12

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts... . 42

Artifact #1: Survey . ..44

Artifact #2 Case Study..60

Artifact #3 Annotated Bibliography ..68

Artifact #4: Alignment to Curriculum Standards...80

Artifact #5: Science Unit- Plants...152

Artifact #6: Guided Reading. 164

Artifact #7: Pecha Kucha Presentation..182

Artifact #8: Certificates and Letters..194

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards 213

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection ...242

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ...255

References 268
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Section One:

Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction to the Portfolio Project

Childrens brains are like sponges. Im not quite sure to whom we can attribute this

common saying but it is my belief that its popularity has grown from truth. My experience with

this idea has been a constant throughout my educational life and lies at the very foundation of my

pedagogical system of beliefs. This idea, coupled with my strong conviction that every child

deserves the right to a fulfilling, interactive and judgement free educational journey of discovery,

speak to my passion for the teaching profession.

It is my belief that educators hold a high degree of responsibility both inside and outside

of the classroom. Effective teachers are educated, caring, respectful, insightful and inspirational.

These are just a few of the qualities that I feel I possess, which is why I believe that I am

prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners in todays classroom environment. Though my

education at Medaille College and my placements in Ontario schools, I have gained a wealth of

experience, knowledge and confidence in this regard. I have become proficient at implementing

effective classroom management strategies, teaching using the latest technology, planning,

designing and delivering interactive lessons which align with the curriculum standards and

creating effective assessment tools.

I am a dedicated professional who strives to learn and grow through continuous

professional development so that I can give the very best to my students in the classroom.

Throughout this portfolio, I will demonstrate my readiness to embark on my career as an

educator by highlighting my background, skills, knowledge and strengths. I will showcase my

preparedness to become a classroom teacher throughout the six sections of this portfolio. I have
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included artifacts which demonstrate that I have been educated to the most current and up-to-date

standards which are both practical and effective for use in todays classroom.

My skills and abilities will be highlighted throughout my portfolio in the following way:

Section One entitled Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project will

educate you, the reader on why I decided to follow my passion, choosing to pursue the teaching

profession at this point in my life. You will gain insight into how my knowledge of planning,

instruction and assessment, with focus on cultural responsiveness, learner motivation,

engagement and accommodation are valuable assets to both school and classroom environments.

Section Two, Teacher Candidate Background Experiences will give insight into how my own

background experiences in education and in life, have prepared me to become an effective leader

and educator. Section Three Teacher Candidate Artifacts, will showcase how I have been able to

design effective and culturally responsive classroom lessons, presentations and assessments

which accommodate the needs of diverse learners. Many examples will be provided so that you

may see the broad range of skills and abilities I have. In section four, I will explore Alignment to

Curriculum & Professional Standards. Understanding what motivates and engages students is a

key element in the planning and implementation of lessons which meet curriculum standards

while ensuring student understanding. I will discuss how I have designed my artifacts to include

links to current State and Provincial curriculum standards and expectations. This demonstrates

that my skills, knowledge and abilities are up-to date and align with the expectations as set out

by school boards and administration alike. Section Five, Teacher Candidate Reflection is such an

important component of my MSED Elementary Portfolio Project. I believe that in order to

continually grow as an educational professional, one must reflect upon their best practices,

teaching methods and assessment strategies. Questioning what works, what doesnt and what
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needs to be adjusted is a skill that all teachers must have in order to thrive, grow and give our

very best to students. Finally, I will demonstrate my preparedness for the classroom in Section

Six, Teacher Candidate Interview Video by discussing all that I have to offer in the form of a

video. This will give you the opportunity to hear my ideas, understand my thought processes and

gain insight into my abilities and competencies as a future educator.

Portfolio Overview and Rationale

This MSED Portfolio project is a written culmination of my work and experiences during

the pursuit of my Master of Science in Education Degree at Medaille College. As I embarked on

this mid-life journey, I was not quite sure what to expect. What I can say is that the Professors

and staff at Medaille College extended their hand and invited me on what I can only describe as

the most exhilarating and fulfilling educational experience I have ever had. There is definite truth

in the saying If you do what you love, it doesnt feel like work. This rings true for me. As you

read through my portfolio, it will become evident that I have the skills, desire, knowledge and

passion to be an effective educator.

My education at Medaille College has prepared me for the role of effective educator in

many ways. Evidence of my abilities to plan culturally responsive lessons which are delivered

using the latest technology will be showcased throughout this portfolio. You will be presented

with evidence in the form of artifacts which clearly demonstrate that my instructional plans are

aligned with current curriculum standards, to meet the needs of todays students. With that in

mind, you will see evidence that I am able to accommodate students different learning styles by

structuring my lessons in a variety of ways to meet the needs of a diverse student population. My

passion for the teaching profession, coupled with my background experiences in education,

business, volunteer and co-curricular opportunities within my home community have prepared
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me for my role as a leader in the education. I am proud of my history of and ability to work

collaboratively with all members of our educational community. Strong, mutually respectful

connections with administrative support staff, maintenance staff, principals, parents and

community partners are of paramount importance in building a network of helpers for the benefit

of our students.

Portfolio Development

My MSED Portfolio has been carefully designed into six different, yet equally important

sections. These sections build upon one another as a means of unveiling my preparedness for the

teaching profession.

The MSED Elementary Portfolio Project Section One, Teacher Candidate Introduction to

the Elementary Portfolio Project introduces you to each of the six sections and showcases how

my skills and competencies within each section reflect my readiness for the teaching profession.

My competencies in planning, instruction, assessment, culturally responsive teaching,

accommodation, student engagement and motivation techniques are demonstrated in a variety of

ways throughout each portfolio section. Section One also includes research and philosophies of

well-known educational theorists in the field of education and how their research and theories tie

into my own philosophy of education.

Section Two, Teacher Candidate Background Experiences discusses how my own, life

experiences in education, business, volunteer, co-curricular and community helper capacities

have prepared me to be a competent and reliable asset to the teaching profession.

Section Three, Teacher Candidate Artifacts is a demonstration of my abilities to create, design,

implement and assess engaging lessons, using a variety of techniques and technologies to ensure

student engagement and understanding.

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Section Four, Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards showcases how I have

created these artifacts to directly align with current curriculum standards. Each artifact has been

carefully planned and aligned with standards as set out by NewYork State P-12 Common Core

Standards and Ontario Curriculum Standards for English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math

and Sciences. In doing so, it is clear that my education has prepared me well to meet the needs of

todays learners as measured by both State and Provincial standards and regulations

As previously mentioned, Section Five, Teacher Candidate Reflection is a vitally

important component of this portfolio. This section demonstrates my understanding of how an

effective teacher continually engages in the practice of self-reflection in an effort to learn and

grow as a teaching professional. This process of reflection allows one to think about how to

modify, enhance and re-design lessons to ensure the best understanding for the class as a whole.

Collaborating with other educational professionals as part of the reflection process can be one of

the most fulfilling learning experiences because it leads to professional growth which in turn,

greatly benefits the students.

Finally, Section Six, Teacher Candidate Interview Video is a showcase of my work in the

format of a simulated interview. In this section, I will make connections to the artifacts included

in Section Three and discuss how these artifacts showcase my knowledge of curriculum

standards, best practices and professional teaching skills, strategies and dispositions.

In conclusion, the six sections of this MSED Elementary Portfolio Project are presented

in a format that will walk you through how I am prepared for my career in education. This

portfolio profiles my education, skills, competencies and professionalism as they relate to my

philosophy of education, theory, best practices and professional standards.

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Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

In my opinion, the idea of educating a child has changed immensely over the past

century. It used to be that students went to school to learn how to read, write and do arithmetic.

These were all very important skills for becoming productive, adult members of society however

humans are social and emotional beings. We need positive social and emotional interaction

within a collaborative and dynamic setting in order to thrive. It is for this reason that I fully

support educating the whole child through a balanced approach to academic, social, emotional

and physical education. When we support each other in this way and share our knowledge and

understanding with one another, we become collectively better.

Through research, we have learned that there are many different types of learners.

Educational theorist Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences speaks to this very idea.

According to Howard Gardner (1991), "We are all able to know the world through language,

logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to

solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of

ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile

of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry

out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains." Based on this

research and theory, it is important to differentiate instruction and continually, assess student

understanding. Whether it is done informally such as through observation during group

discussions or formally by scoring written submissions using a rubric, which ties into curriculum

expectations. These assessments will identify gaps in understanding and inform our instruction

so that it can meet the needs of all learners. Many students learn by doing because they need to

experience trial and error in order to deepen their understanding of a concept. It is only then, that
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knowledge can be gained and transferred to long term memory. Interestingly, the term

scaffolding, first used by Psychologist and instructional designer, Jerome Bruner in the 1960s

compliments this way of thinking. His theory states: When students are given the support they

need while learning something new, they stand a better chance of using that knowledge

independently. Bruner recommends positive interaction and three modes of representation

during teaching: actions, images, and language. By differentiating my instruction, I will have a

better opportunity to reach most students in the class. This will benefit everyone because the act

of creating more interactive lessons will reach more students in a meaningful way, which will

result in a better understanding of the concepts being taught. Given this better understanding,

students will be more likely to independently and successfully develop their learning strategies to

support their developing skills.

This leads us to the philosophies of Swiss born educational theorist Johann Heinrich -

Pestalozzi (1746-1827). He is known as the Father of Modern Education and the Father of

Pedagogy. His ideas were centered, around the theory that education should help individuals

use their heads, hearts and hands (learn, know, feel and experience) to better society and create

happiness. He believed that this method of child-centered education allowed students to make

sense of the world around them through their interaction with it. If they had experiences which

caused them to feel, learn and understand, then they were more likely to retain the knowledge

than if someone had just verbally communicated the information to them. He also believed in

equal education for all, a balanced of inquiry and discipline, cooperation between school and

home, teacher training and authority based on love, not fear. These ideas are of particular interest

and importance as these components are found in our publicly funded education system today.
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Further to this, researcher Lev Vygotsky has made significant contributions to the

teaching profession through his research and theories pertaining to how students learn. He

coined the term zone of proximal development. This refers to how a childs performance on a

task differs between trying to solve a problem alone versus solving the same problem with the

assistance of a more capable child or adult. He purports that working together allows students to

move into a more advanced stage of development referred to as scaffolding. It can be explained

as a process which helps bridge the difference between a childs current level of problem solving

and his potential for more complex problem solving. In designing lessons to be more student-

centered and socially interactive throughout, students can achieve higher order thinking and

problem solving by working together. In doing so, students achieve a deeper level of

understanding where learning transfers to long-term memory vs. the short-term information

storage achieved through rote learning.

Therefore, combining the research and theory from our forefathers of education, I, as a

modern-day teacher have a solid grasp on the importance of understanding how all students learn

differently and see the world from their own unique perspective. This is important because I

understand the value of differentiating instruction in order to ensure the best possible outcomes

where student learning is concerned.

Conclusion

My MSED Elementary Portfolio highlights my strengths as an educator who is ready to

work in todays classroom. I have solid knowledge and experience with best practices and a firm

understanding of effective planning, implementation and assessment techniques, incorporating

the latest, up-to-date technology. My strong ability to use culturally responsive strategies,

effective classroom management, accommodation and engagement techniques speaks to my

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readiness to take on a leadership role within the educational system. My enthusiasm and passion

for educating others through a collaborative, interactive and engaging classroom will show

through every component of this portfolio.

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