Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

Welcome to my MSED Elementary Portfolio Project. This culminating portfolio project

has been prepared for readers to learn and understand my journey to becoming an effective

professional educator. This portfolio represents my experiences as a teacher candidate and my

pedagogical understanding of education in a written form. The following sections showcase how

I have developed the required knowledge and skills needed for planning and providing

instruction for units and lessons which are cognizant of the needs of all learners. I have included

artifacts which shows my abilities as a whole rounded educator. The artifacts highlight my

experiences providing progress feedback and employing strategies of assessment to students,

utilizing technology in fun and engaging ways, adapting and accommodating for needs of diverse

learners, effectiveness in culturally responsive teaching, implementing effective classroom

management, professional collaboration, and knowledge and application of curriculum standards.

Portfolio Development

There are six sections to the MSED Elementary Portfolio Project. The first section,

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project, is written to

introduce and highlight the purpose and importance of the MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

to the reader. The purpose of Section One is to provide an overview of the background of the

project. The candidate’s preparedness and abilities to teach in the field of education are

addressed in this section. Descriptions of each section and subsection of the portfolio are

included along with connections to content which highlight the importance of teacher skills,

pedagogy and best teaching practices. Also, connections to theorists and experts in the field of
education and the importance of their work are introduced and explained to support reasoning

and inclusion of further portfolio content.

The second section, Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences, is written

to introduce the candidate and provide information about the candidate’s personal background

which led to this point in the MSED Elementary Education program. The candidate’s

educational and work-related experiences are outlined and described so that the reader

understands the candidate’s motivation for becoming an educator and experiences that have

shaped the candidate’s goals in the field of education. The candidate’s school observations,

including pre-teaching field experience and field experience, are highlighted in this section. The

candidate’s philosophy of education, which is based on personal beliefs and perspective, and

resume are explained and displayed as well.

The third section, Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts, includes various artifacts

from accomplishments and experiences during the candidate’s journey to becoming an effective

professional educator. Examples of artifacts included in this section are lesson plans, unit plans,

assessment tools, educational surveys, professional development certifications, presentations,

and associate teacher final assessments. These artifacts are carefully selected and included as

evidence to support the candidate’s capability and preparedness to teach in the elementary

classroom. Descriptions of the artifacts are accompanied with the artifacts so that the reader

understands what the artifact is conveying as well as to support the rationale for importance and

inclusion of each item. Connections between the artifacts to theorists and experts in the field of

education are illustrated as well as to curriculum and professional standards.

 The fourth section, Section Four: Alignment to the Curriculum and Professional

Standards, includes identification of various standards that support and guide the artifacts which

are outlined in Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts. This section explains how the

candidate’s artifacts align with New York State Curriculum and Professional Standards. These

curriculum and professional standards include New York State P-12 Common Core, New York

State Learning Standards, New York State Code of Ethics for Educators, DOE Claims and CAEP

Standards, ISTE, ILA, CEC and InTASC Standards, which stands for Interstate New Teacher

Assessment Support Consortium Standards. There are ten standards within the InTASC

Standards, which are learner development, learning differences, learning environments, content

knowledge, application of content, assessment, planning for instruction, instructional strategies,

professional learning and ethical practice, and leadership and collaboration. All of these are

aligned specifically with the evidence included in the portfolio in the form of a graphic

organizer.

The fifth section, Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection, includes the candidate’s

reflection of experiences during the development of the portfolio. It’s important for educators to

constantly reflect upon their experiences in order to grow and improve in areas where they

struggle and also areas of strength. These experiences include the process, collection of

materials, such as research materials and artifacts, and organization of the content of the

portfolio. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate the candidate’s skills and ability to

reflect upon and critically examine educational experiences, which are essential professional

practices of an effective professional educator. This section displays the candidate’s readiness

to become an educator and identify the candidate’s areas of strength, which include
understanding of planning, classroom management, research abilities, technology integration,

Culturally Responsive Teaching, and knowledge of Dignity for All Students Act.

The sixth section, Section Six: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video, includes a

screencast video of an interview simulation where the candidate answers specific questions that

may potentially be asked during a job interview. This interview simulation is uploaded to a

Weebly website created by the candidate. The Weebly website URL is provided so that the

reader is able to view information such as the full interview simulation and more personal and

background details about the candidate. Creating the screencast video and Weebly website

displays the candidate’s technological abilities in the classroom.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Before reading the following five sections of the portfolio, it’s important for the reader to

learn about the theorists and experts in the field of education who have helped shape my

pedagogical knowledge in the field of education. Throughout the MSED Elementary Education

Program, we have researched and studied many theorists and experts in the field of education.

There are three theorists that I would like to highlight within this section who are significant in

influencing my best teaching practices and techniques, and throughout artifacts included in

Section Three. The three theorists are John Dewey, Jerome Bruner, and Howard Gardner.

John Dewey was one of the most influential theorists in the history of education. I would

like to highlight his theory that children can learn best when they are able to interact with their

environments and are actively involved in the school curriculum (Wheeler, 2016). This specific

theory has been influential in my own pedagogy. Dewey argues that in order for education to be

most effective, educators should provide students with opportunities which allow them to link

new and present curriculum content with their own previous experiences and knowledge
(Wheeler, 2016). This is important throughout my experiences and artifacts as there is a strong

emphasis on activating prior knowledge. It’s important for educators to know their students well

in order to be successful. I strongly agree with the importance of this theory and that the role of

the educator is to guide learners while giving them opportunities to discover for themselves and

take on an active and independent role in their own education.

Jerome Bruner is another theorist who has influenced my best teaching practices and

techniques. According to Bruner, it’s important for learners to not only understand concepts,

categories and problem-solving techniques, but to also have the ability to invent this knowledge

for themselves (McLeod, 2008). Bruner’s constructivist theory emphasizes the importance of

scaffolding techniques to store and encode information and knowledge using three modes of

representation. These three modes of representation are enactive, iconic, and symbolic. Enactive

representation occurs when there are actions involved in the learning process. Iconic

representation occurs when there are images such as figures or illustrations which visually

represent the new information. Symbolic representation occurs when there are codes or symbols

such as letters, words or mathematical symbols included in the learning process. When

introduced to new material, educators are effective when following the progression of enactive to

iconic to symbolic representations (McLeod, 2008).

Howard Gardner is the third theorist that I will highlight in my portfolio. Gardner was

influential in revolutionizing the theory of intelligence. According to Gardner’s Theory of

Multiple Intelligences, human beings have many different intellectual capabilities rather than

intelligence being its own single entity (Willingham, 2004). There are eight different types of

intelligence that a person can possess and some types may be stronger than others. The eight

different types of intelligences include linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-

kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Implementing this theory in a classroom

setting so that lessons are differentiated to allow different intelligences to demonstrate their

learning is critical. Every student is different and learns differently, so this theory would help

students to drive their education and take on a more active participation role.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many aspects which have shaped my journey to becoming an

effective and successful professional educator. This portfolio and the following sections are all

included to showcase my accomplishments and experiences that I have accumulated before and

during my time in the MSED Elementary Education program. Throughout the remainder of my

portfolio, I will continue to reference the theorists highlighted in this section and their

connections and importance to the content of my portfolio; John Dewey, Jerome Brunner, and

Howard Gardner. It is my hope that after reviewing my portfolio, you will see my preparedness

and readiness to teach in the field of education as an effective and successful professional

educator.

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