E-Portfolio Reflection

The purpose of my e-portfolio is to demonstrate how I have become a competent, caring,

and qualified teacher throughout my experience in the Elementary Education program at Dixie

State University (DSU). These experiences are documented in several benchmark assessments

created throughout my program and show my growth in the areas described in the DSU

Department of Education’s DESERT model.

I believe I am a competent educator as demonstrated by the comprehension lesson I

created in my ELED 3900 class and my history production made in ELED 4400. I plan lessons

with meaningful and appropriate learning activities that are designed to accommodate for the

diverse needs of my students using various strategies such as collaborative learning and by the

use of technology. My comprehension lesson shows my modifications for my students’ needs. In

this class I had two ELL students, five students with IEPs, one student with Asperger’s, and three

higher level students. For one of my ELL students, I had her verbally tell me and her partner one

question she had from her reading, one detail she found to help her answer that question, and one

connection she had to the story. Then she worked with her partner to write these in her graphic

organizer. Having her speak and write allowed her to practice these language skills to help her in

her second language acquisition.

I implement SIOP features into each of my lessons that meet the needs of my students

including the use of interactive technology. I created a classroom website called History

Explorers where my class will publish our research about various Social Studies core objectives

such as learning about national holidays. With this site we can explore the history of a holiday

using primary and secondary sources. Also, in this site I created interactive links with questions
that promote inquiry and higher level thinking which makes the content more meaningful to my

students.

I believe I am a caring educator as demonstrated by my classroom management plan

created in ELED 3250. My classroom management plan shows that I care about the safety and

learning of each of my students through the procedures I expect my students to follow. These

procedures are modeled and practiced which reduces time spent in transitions—saving more time

for instruction and learning. I also created a variety of awards that I could give to students to

acknowledge their good behavior, kindness, great thinking, and following classroom procedures.

Also included in my classroom management plan are introduction letters to my students and their

parents. These letters not only introduce me and future learning activities, but also expresses my

recognition of the responsibility I have to nurture the potential and a love of learning in every

student.

The SIOP evaluation form from a supervised lesson in third semester shows that I am a

qualified educator in effectively using SIOP strategies, accommodating for my students’ diverse

needs, and creating authentic instruction and assessment. Because of my training with and the

application of the SIOP model and other theories, I have been able to reflect on how my

philosophy of education has changed over the course of my program. With this reflection I have

written a new philosophy that is based on the theories and models I have applied throughout my

teaching experience. Reflection is an essential aspect in effective teaching as it provides the

avenues to adapt planning and practice to better fit the needs of my students. My philosophy has

evolved into a mission plan rather than just beliefs and hopes about teaching. I understand how

having clear expectations for myself as a teacher and my students as learners makes me a more

qualified teacher in fulfilling my responsibilities.

 My e-portfolio demonstrates that I am a competent, caring, and qualified teacher through

the inclusion of authentic artifacts completed throughout my education program. These artifacts

illustrate my attention to the diversity of my students, their need for meaningful and engaging

activities focused on strong subject knowledge, and the maintenance of a safe and caring

classroom where expectations are realized. These artifacts also demonstrate my positive and

professional teaching disposition based off of reflection and my relationship with my students,

their parents, and colleagues. As I become a more experienced teacher I know that the

experiences I had and the artifacts that I have created throughout my education will aid me in

continuing to grow as a competent, caring, and qualified educator.