Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

When I started my collegiate career in 2008 I had every intention of becoming an

educator. My mother is a teacher, my brother is a teacher, and most of my aunts and uncles are

educators as well. Growing up with so many teachers it is no surprise I came to love and respect

the position as well. Unfortunately for me by my Sophomore year I had dropped out of the

Education program and was just pursuing as degree in English. I convinced myself that my

passion for it just wasn’t there, and the only reason I had considered it to begin with was because

I was being forced to immerse myself due to my family’s profession. Years went by and I

graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2013 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English, and Philosophy

but with no plans to pursue teaching.

Soon after graduating I had to join the full-time work force and have worked all manner

of jobs. I have been a baker, a cook, a cleaner, a pretzel-maker, a salesman, a driver; you name it

and there is a decent chance I have dabbled in it at some point between 2013 and 2019. My dad

always used to say “There are two types of people in this workforce. Those who work to live,

and those who live to work”. I always thought I would be some who would work to live; I would

work to support my life and hobbies outside of my job and that would be that.

Looking back, I am not able to see one consistency throughout all my previous job titles.

Time after time I always ended back up working with children. In 2014 I accepted my first

teaching position as a long-term P.E. substitute for 6 months. After that I was a Lead Teacher at

Engineering for Kids teaching science to children afterschool. From there I went to being a Lead

Teacher at Edukids running both a Preschool program in the morning, as well as an afterschool

program in the afternoon. Something kept pulling me back to working with children, even if I

couldn’t see it at the time.

see that I did not drop out of the Education program because I wasn’t passionate, but rather I was

afraid. Growing up I had a very prominent stutter, which made public speaking incredibly scary

to me so I was afraid of speaking in front of a classroom. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be

smart enough, or hardworking enough; and if I wasn’t enough that everyone would see through

me and I would let all my children down. After 5 years I can only feel incredibly grateful that

those fears I let make decisions for me when I was 18 did not permanently away from teaching.

Now, having worked with children for the better part of 5 years I can see that I can honestly say

that I am someone who will live to work.

Portfolio Development

Within this portfolio you will find all sorts of information that will eventually lead you to

the conclusion that I am truly ready to become an outstanding education. My portfolio is broken

down into six sections; Section one: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio

Project, Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experience. Section Three: Teacher

Candidate Artifacts, Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum and Standards, Section Five:

Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines and lastly Section Six: Teacher Candidate Teacher

Interview Video.

Every section is designed to show how all of my life experiences have been leading me to

become not only the best educator I can be, but also someone my students and peers can look up

to.

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

section we are currently reading right now. Within this section you will find the objective of this
piece as a whole as well as specific educational theories/theorists and how they have influenced

the way I plan to teach.

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences contains any relevant past

experiences that have contributed to the teacher I am today, as well as the teacher I plan to be.

These experiences will include work history, volunteer hours, observational experiences, and

philosophy.

Section 3: Teacher Candidate Artifacts will showcase my knowledge and capabilities in

several different disciplines of teaching. I have picked these artifacts to best exemplify how I use

my academic knowledge and life experiences to positively influence my work. These artifacts

will include: (1) Grade 4 Catapult Lesson, (2) Pecha Kucha Presentation on Tourette Syndrome,

(3) Grade 1 blends and digraphs lesson, (4) SAVE and Child Abuse Workshop certificates, (5)

Weebly website, (6) Published research pamphlet on David Kolb (7) Professional Development

Certificates.

Section 4: Alignment to Curriculum and Professional Standards will demonstrate the

ways in which the artifacts chosen and outlined in section three will align with professional

standards and curriculum. I will demonstrate these connections using a graphic organizer that

will concisely show how each of these artifacts connect with P-12 NYS Common Core Learning

Standards, NYS Code of Ethics for Educators, NYS Learning Standards, the Medaille College

Department of Education, and the International Society for Technology Education.

Section 5: Teacher Candidate Reflection will contain educational experiences and

observations I have gathered throughout my time educating children. Also within this section

will be various accomplishments within my educational experiences as well as how I see myself

moving forward into teaching.

adapt and accurately answer possible interview questions. This video will be used as an

opportunity to display my best teaching practices, teaching philosophies, classroom management

skills, teaching pedagogy, and interview skills. This section will also be used as an overall

reflection of myself as a teacher as well as the information included within this portfolio.

Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

My road to education has been long, but full of learning experiences. Reflecting on these

experiences, both the good and the bad, I can see many times in which educational theories and

theorists can be seen. These theories by themselves are only a tool, and these tools should be

used responsibly with only the intent to improve a student’s education, behavior, classroom, or

learning environment. Much like a tool, if used in the wrong circumstance it could end up doing

more harm than good. Within this section I will outline the work of certain educational theorists

that I have felt a strong connection with, or whom I felt made a significant impact on my life.

David Kolb did significant research on the theory of different learning styles, and more

specifically Experiential Learning. Perhaps this quote, “Learning is the process whereby

knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, D.), sums up best what

Kolb believed and practiced. He published his most known work “Learning Styles” in 1984 and

his model published within is still used today. Within his theory of Experiential Learning, Kolb

came up with what is called the Learning Style Inventory. Using Kolb’s research, we can more

accurately predict how the student prefers to learn and therefore create more successful learning

environment. We can easily see the implications of this if we apply it to each student in our

classroom, we would be able to optimize each individual child’s education. The work David
Kolb did has helped bring to light that not all learners learn the same way, and allows for more

accurate differentiation (Hider, 2019).

David Ausubel’s theory on Meaningful learning has also had a very positive impact on

the way in which I plan to teach. Within his theory Ausubel gives teachers clear goals about how

they should approach higher order thinking in order to make all learners in your class successful

(Hider, 2019). Using Ausubel’s theory, we can choose the way in which we dictate information

in order to best serve our students. According to his research we can optimize how we retain

information according to how the information is given to us.

Lastly, Lev Vygotsky has made huge contributions to the academic educational world.

With his work both in the Zone of Proximal Development as well as his Scaffolding theory he

has changed the face of teaching. The idea of changing the level of support based on the needs of

the student had revolutionized the way in which I perceived teaching.

Conclusion

The purpose of this section is to serve as a map for the reader to lay out their journey

through my portfolio. In doing so Section One will set the tone for the entire piece as well as

prepare the reader for what is inside its pages. All the information within is a culmination of all

the teaching, and classroom experience I’ve had. I have no doubt that with new experiences will

come new philosophies and beliefs, but for now these are what I have to offer.