MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 1

MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Leanne M. Suffel

December 8, 2019

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

Leanne Suffel
_____________________________
Leanne Suffel
Medaille College Graduate Student

Dr. Renee Sturm

______________________________
Dr. Renee Sturm
Project Director
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 2

Table of Contents

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

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences………………………………12

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts……………………... ………………………40

Artifact #1: Dignity for all Students Act (DASA) Training………………………41

Artifact #2: ELA Lesson Plan …………………………………………………….45

Artifact #3: Annotated Bibliography ...……………………………………………64

Artifact #4: Survey Assignment …………………………………………………..74

Artifact #5: Pecha Kucha ….……………………………………………………...89

Artifact #6: Cyber Safety Digital Citizenship Presentation ……………………….100

Artifact #7: SMART Board Presentation ……………………………………….…111

Artifact #8: Weebly Website ………………………….…………………………..123

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards ………………………133

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection …………………………………………..….147

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ………………………………………...159

References …………………………………………………………………………………168
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Section 6:

Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Teacher Candidate Interview Video

In this section of the portfolio, I put together a teacher candidate interview video using

screencast. This video was prepared to provide some visual background information on myself

and to provide you with my reasons for wanting to become a teacher. You can view this

interview on my Weebly website at https://mrssuffelsclass.weebly.com/my-portfolio.html. This

interview gave me an opportunity to look back on all my accomplishments and education, and to

pull together all of the ideas and experiences that I think best highlight my ability to be an

effective teacher. I have provided insight as to why I would be an excellent teacher at any school.

I am a proactive individual who loves children, learning and watching students grow as kind,

intellectual human beings. In the video I talk about my experiences, lessons and

accomplishments I am most proud of. I provide information on my background experiences

working in childcare and my experiences working as a supply teacher in Ontario with amazing

educators, support staff, and students. I also go over some of the teaching trends that I have

found to be interesting and coincide with my own personal beliefs about children’s development.

I have shared this interview video on my website so that you and future parents are able to get to

know me a little bit better.

Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses

This section provides answers to some commonly asked interview questions. The

screencast, mentioned above, provides a shortened version of the answers below. This interview

will showcase my interview skills and how I present my ideas to others, and it will highlight

experiences I feel best showcase my abilities as an educator. It is here that you will see that I will

become an excellent educator as I am knowledgeable in subject matter, promote best teaching

MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 4

practices, and I am a caring educator who intends to have an inclusive classroom that celebrates

diversity.

1. Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose a

career in education.

The most recent experience is my current position with the London District Catholic

School Board (LDCSB) working as a supply teacher. This position has given me an opportunity

to work in a variety of classrooms from kindergarten to grade 12. I have been able to teach in a

standard classroom, inclusive classrooms, French immersion classrooms, music, art, and special

education classrooms. This job has only amplified my desire to teach.

During this position, I’ve gained extensive knowledge and understanding of how

important the role of a teacher impacts and influences the lives of students. These students look

up to their teacher for answers to their questions. To students, a teacher knows all. This is why

it’s so important for educators to be knowledgeable on all subjects. I am not a French teacher,

but to prepare for my days in French classrooms, I research engaging French lessons and

activities for the students. I have also taken a French course to help with my French so that I am

able to speak a bit of French to the students. This shows how I am willing to learn myself to help

support my students.

I have also had the opportunity to work with support staff such as Early Childhood

Educators and Education Assistants. These educational support staff are critical to the

educational team. I’ve learned so much from the support staff, especially with regards to special

education students. I’ve learned how the inclusive classroom works in a variety of schools and

am prepared to incorporate many strategies and techniques in my future classrooms.

Collaborating with these professionals and working alongside them with the similar goal of

supporting our students and to enrich the educational experiences of students in so invaluable to
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me. It is beneficial to the student to have all the support they need and for the professionals to

have successful working relationships to ensure that the student is receiving the best education

possible.

Other experiences I’ve had are volunteering as a Sunday school teacher and for youth

sports teams. These two experiences have proven quite beneficial for me as each has also

allowed me to gain experience working with caregivers. It is important for educators to know

how to work with the caregivers of their students. I’ve gained knowledge on how to

communicate with caregivers and what they like to know when it comes to the learning of their

children.

These experiences have also reinforced my love for children and my love for supporting

their learning. I enjoyed coming up with curriculum, activities, and drills for the children to do

to help them learn the material or skills. I was fortunate enough to work with many diverse

groups of children during each experience. As a Sunday school teacher, I found that I truly

enjoy lesson planning for students and, because of the varying age groups, needed to differentiate

the lesson planning for them. This process was challenging at first, but so rewarding when the

children were able to complete a task that best suited their abilities. This is important for

educators to be aware of when lesson planning for their students. As Carol Tomlinson states,

“The ultimate goals of differentiate teaching is to promote growth in learning of all students from

their starting point, ultimately promoting independence of learning within their particular stage

of intellectual thinking development” (Hutton-Prager, 2018). This theory also relates closely to

Lev Vygotsky’s theory of ZPD where teachers should strive to reach the ZPD for students to be

the most challenged to enhance learning. Differentiation of lessons is critical to achieve the ZPD

for all students, as students learn on different levels.

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2. What have you learned in your teaching training program that will make you an

excellent classroom teacher and colleague?

I have learned so much during my time at Medaille College. The knowledge and

understanding I’ve gained in my training program is invaluable. I’ve learned how to create

engaging and effective lesson plans that will benefit all learners. I’ve learned so much with

regards to technology. I never would have created such an elaborate website without this

program. I’ve learned the importance of creating accommodations and modifications for

students when needed, and to also differentiate instruction to best support students with needs.

I’ve learned the importance of professional collaboration and professional development.

Being an effective teacher means that you will be an active learner yourself. To become a better

teacher, you must be willing to collaborate with colleagues and participate in professional

development. The way educators teach is ever changing and it’s important to be on top of these

changes to best help our students.

I’ve also learned the importance of structuring lessons to meet state/provincial standards

and how to integrate lessons with multiple curriculum. Ensuring your lessons meet the proper

standards is very important to ensuring students are getting the best education possible. Being

able to differentiate the lessons based on the standards is the best way to support students in their

learning.

3. Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other

curriculum areas, address the CCLS, technology, student engagement and motivation?

What were the results of the lesson?

The Social Studies lesson plan on Ancient Egypt for Grade 4 students integrated social

studies, ELA common core standards and visual arts standards. The central focus of the lesson

was that “Students will develop a creative writing piece”. For this lesson, students learned about
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 7

Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses. Students will then play a dice

prompt game to create their own Egyptian god or goddess and write a creative writing piece

based on the prompts they rolled. Students are then to draw their god or goddess as part of visual

arts.

This lesson uses a variety of delivery methods to accommodate different learning styles.

This lesson included oral instructions, teacher modeling, hands-on activities, discussions, and

visual aids such as images of Egyptian gods and goddesses, and an anchor chart of gods and

goddesses and their roles in Ancient Egyptian society. ELA and IEP students will benefit from

these visual aids, as well as from the anchor chart provided on Ancient Egyptian terms and

definitions. The results of this lesson was that students were able to learn a great deal about

Ancient Egypt in a variety of ways through various learning strategies including technology and

through creative writing and visual arts.

4. How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator

in our district/board/school?

When I am applying to a specific board or district, I will research information about the

code of conduct, what instructional strategies they use and their demographics. If there’s one

thing that I’ve learned at my time at Medaille College is that all students learn differently.

Howard Garner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that humans learn, remember, perform

and understand in different ways (Lane, n.d.).

With current trends in education evolving, its crucial for educators to be aware of the

different types of learners and how we can provide them with various ways of learning within

our lessons. Gardner developed eight intelligences: verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical,

musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. This

means that students would be better educated if teachers would present the content in a variety of
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 8

ways. To meet the needs of all students, one best teaching practice according to Garner’s theory

would be to vary instruction methods to teach material in a number of different styles. My

SMART board shapes lesson plan is an example of this. This lesson allows students to see, play,

work independently or as a group to complete the lesson tasks. Integrating multi-media and

other forms of technology into the classroom will provide students with the variation of

instruction which will connect to the multiple intelligences in the classroom.

Harry Wong’s theory on classroom management mentions that effective te4achers

manage their classroom and ineffective teachers discipline their classroom (Wong & Wong,

1998). Wong states that the number one problem in the classroom is not discipline, but the lack

of procedures and routine. A current trend in education is allowing students to be active

participants in classroom management strategies. It is imperative that on the first day of school

to set up procedures and routines that will contribute to how successful the school year will be.

Allowing students to have input into some of the rules and procedures will give them a sense of

ownership and responsibility for their actions and success. To minimize disruptive behaviors

and loss of classroom learning time, teachers should always be prepared, have the work ready

and the room set up for learning.

5. Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?

You should hire me because I am passionate about teaching. I care about my students

and their progression in education. I have the skills and compassion to create a safe and secure

learning environment for all my students. I embrace diversity and will encourage my students to

also embrace the differences among their peers. I also have the ability to adapt and change as

needed. In my current position with the school board, there is constant change in my schedule. I

have to be able to adapt my plans and day to best help and support colleagues and students. In
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 9

addition, nothing is guaranteed, especially when you are working with children. I am able to be

flexible for my students while still maintaining teaching timelines and educational standards.

I am able to plan, instruct, assess, reteach and provide learner accommodations and

modifications when needed. I have developed informal assessment strategies to help understand

the learning levels of my students which will allow me to alter my instructional strategies if there

is a need to do so. I have the knowledge and skills to integrate technology into the classroom.

As technology culture is ever evolving, it’s important for educators to be abreast of these

changes to stay in touch with our students and to develop new and engaging ways to educate

them.

In addition to my formal teacher educational training, I also have DASA training and

knowledge of educating all students. I received my DASA training while at Medaille College

and studied extensively about educating all students. It’s crucial for teachers to be aware and

develop best practices when working with diverse students. My education and training in these

areas has helped me to become aware of what a child might experience in his or her life in

school, but also outside of school. Being sensitive to this and developing ways to best support

children is critical for teachers and I’ve become very knowledgeable in this area through various

classroom management strategies and how to keep communication between home and school

open with caregivers.

Professional collaboration and professional development are very important for

educators. We might be the teachers, but we’re constantly learning ourselves. Being able

collaborate with other educators to help advance our knowledge base is important. In my current

position as a supply teacher, I am constantly communicating with other educators to get their

input and ideas on how to make myself a more effective teacher. While attending Medaille

college, I attended a technology workshop as part of a professional development session for

MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 10

educators. This workshop gave a lot of information on how to integrate technology in the

classroom and what teachers can do to effectively use technology to best engage students in

learning. I also have experience researching on various educational topics including Culturally

Responsive Teaching (CRT), Dyslexia, and Assessment for Learning and how this research can

help benefit my students. Using the research, I’ve done, will help me to develop skills to help

support my students and to help them reach their full potential. I truly see and value the benefit

of professional development.

Conclusion

This screencast was prepared to provide some visual representation of my attributes. It is

important for the reader to be able to understand who I am and what I can accomplish and

achieving with my students. This entire process has been an enlightening and educational

experience. I am honored to get the chance to share with you my accomplishments and the

journey that I have taken in becoming an elementary teacher. I am grateful for all my

experiences because without them I would not be where I am today. My experiences have led me

to become the caring, dedicated, hardworking, and passionate person I am today. With

perseverance and determination, everyone can succeed to the best of their abilities. I want to

thank you for taking the time to get to know me by reading this portfolio.

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MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 11

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