MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Amanda Lapointe-Cabral
06 -22- 2016

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

______________________________
Amanda Lapointe-Cabral
Graduate Student

______________________________
Dr. Belete Mebratu
Project Director

Table of Contents
Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project..3
Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences.8
Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts..25
Artifact #1: CRT Field Trip...26
Artifact #2: Literacy (Sequencing) Lesson Plan...35
Artifact #3: IPad ResearchAssignment..45
Artifact #4: DASA Training Certificate.In School Violence Prevention and
Intervention Certificate. Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and
Maltreatment Certificate51
Artifact #5: PBIS Presentation...56
Artifact #6: Annotated Bibliography.62
Artifact #7: Survey Assignment.69
Artifact #8: Early Childhood Education Diploma78
Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards .82
Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection 91
Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ..
References .

Section One:
Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project
Introduction to the Portfolio Project
Welcome to my capstone portfolio project! Over the course of my studies, I have been
exposed to a variety of instructors and learning environments that have all had an
influence on the person that I am today. I have had various experiences as a student as
well as an instructor, and have learnt the importance of enriching students minds and
providing students with a safe learning environment. Due to my numerous experiences
and encounters my decision to continue to pursue my education and become a teacher
have been reinforced. Being a teacher will allow me to follow my dreams and it will give
me the opportunity to create my own positive influences on my future students. While
completing my Masters of Science in Education at Medaille College, I have been given
the opportunity to complete a portfolio project. The portfolio is intended to showcase my
abilities and achievements as I seek fulltime employment in the field of Education. As a
future educator, this portfolio will allow me to differentiate myself from other candidates
and showcase my philosophy of education, professional goals and my resume. I want to
demonstrate my readiness to become a teacher and highlight my skills, knowledge and
attributes. The portfolio is made up of six sections, each in which will be thoroughly
described.
Portfolio Section Development:
This portfolio project gives me the opportunity to showcase my experiences as they
relate to the field of education and provide a better understanding of my educational
background and how it relates to planning, instruction, assessment and engagement. As

you have been reading this first section, you were introduced to my portfolio as I
highlighted its importance.
The next section will highlight my previous experience as a student as well as an
educator. My resume will be displayed and will highlight my involvements, job
experiences, studies and trainings as it related to the field of education. I will emphasize
my experiences as an Early Childhood Educator and how that played a key role in my
decision to continue my education and become a teacher. I will also discuss my
experiences of being a supply teacher while completing my Masters Degree and how I
was able to take the best practices I was learning in class regarding classroom
management and implement them. My philosophy of education will be provided as it is
extremely important for all educators to have a philosophy by which they can state their
inspirations, beliefs and values of education
In the third section, I will present artifacts. These are artifacts are evidence of my
abilities to create meaningful tools that can be implemented into the classroom in order to
better support my students and prove myself to be a professional teacher. Whether the
artifact is a lesson plan, a unit plan or a SMART BOARD presentation, it is a tool that I
developed which have allowed me to enrich my skills and knowledge.
Section four will be aligned to the curriculum and professional Standards, in todays
society curriculum and standards are something that is viewed with a lot of importance
and significance. It is heavily weighed and often reflected upon. I will provide evidence
on my knowledge and abilities to align the curriculum and professional standards to my
daily tasks and responsibilities as a teacher. I will present best practices that I implement

in the classroom as well as evidence that supports my ability to be an empathetic,

supportive and knowledgeable teacher.
In section five, I will provide a reflection on my experience of creating the portfolio.
This section will highlight my ability to collect my materials and artifacts as well as the
research required in order to put the portfolio together. I will also discuss the connections
that needed to be made in order to ensure my artifacts met all standards.
The sixth and final section will demonstrate my abilities to integrate technology into
the classrooms. I will include a screencast of sample interview questions and provide
answers. These answers will include influences drawn from my artifacts, skills, strategies
and best practices.
Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education:
There are countless theorists and theories that have played an influential role in the
field of education. However, there are a few that have inspired and influenced my style of
teaching to ensure that I am always providing my students with the best learning
environment and instruction possible. For me, my influences are Lev Vygotsky, Howard
Gardner, and Robert Marzano. I have included these three theorists because I have been
able to connect my beliefs, values and teaching styles with their research and theories.
First; Lev Vygotsky is known for his cognitive development and constructivist theory
and he is a pioneer in the field of education. Essentially Vygotsky believed that "learning
is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized,
specifically human psychological function." (1978, p. 90) We often reference Vygotsky

when practicing the I do, we do, you do this is a best practice that I have implemented
into all of my classrooms and it truly works best with the students in order to provide
instruction and ensure understanding. According to Vygotsky, the most important
learning by the child occurs through social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may
model behaviors and/or provide verbal instructions for the child.(I do) Vygotsky refers to
this as cooperative or collaborative dialogue. The child seeks to understand the actions or
instructions provided by the tutor (often the parent or teacher)(we do) then internalizes
the information, using it to guide or regulate their own performance.(you do) (McLeod,
2014, Np.)
Next, Howard Gardener is a key theorist as I have been able to relate with him as a
student and an educator. Gardner is known for his theory on multiple intelligences.
Howard says
I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is
fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that
they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as
morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in
productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we
are and what we can do Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for
ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we
carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or
for ill. (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)

Gardner developed a theory on multiple intelligences stating that there are eight
intelligences. (See Figure 1.1,http://www.connectionsacademy.com)

Thisimagerepresentsthevariouslearnersthatyouwillhaveinyourclassroomand
theimportanceitistounderstandhoweachstudentdoeslearnandunderstandinvarious
ways.Thisshouldencourageyouasateachertoincorporateavarietyofteaching
techniquesandmaterialstoensurethatyouareabletoteachallyourstudentsnomatter
howtheylearn.
Finally, Robert Marzano is who I look to for best practices regarding classroom
management. Marzano is a seasoned educator with countless studies on managing the
classroom. His text Classroom Management that Works is what I turn to each time I want
to enhance or develop new management skills. He discusses key points such as how to
effectively establish rules and procedures within the classroom. How you can use
discipline and interventions in a positive manner in order to build strong relationships

with your students. I truly believe a strong classroom management ethic can make you
have a successful school year and Robert Marzano is the key to achieving that goal!
Conclusion
This portfolio will grant me the opportunity to prove how dedicated I am to the field
of education. It will demonstrate not only my academic history and experience, but will
showcase the tools and artifacts that I have developed to be a great educator. It takes
much more than strong academia skills in order to be a successful teacher, therefore, my
educational background, work experiences, philosophy of education, resume,
observations and best practices together will allow me to grow in the role.