Section One:

Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction, Overview and Rationale

A student walked into her second-grade classroom on the first day of school, butterflies a

flutter in the pit of her stomach as she struggled to control the feelings of anxiety that were

threatening to take over her emotions. She was greeted with a warm and welcoming smile from

the teacher, who was soon to become the inspiration for the life-long aspirations of that young

girl; with that welcome, the student’s anxieties began to subside as she began to wonder with

excitement about the new adventures that awaited her in her second grade. That year, the teacher

exuded compassion, energy, excitement, organization, but, most importantly, never failed to

demonstrate her genuine interest in the lives of her students. She was exceedingly patient and

kind, a wonderful listener, and really took the time to develop a relationship with each of her

students. Little did that teacher know that, years later, that same student, who was so nervous and

scared on her first day of school, would one day reflect upon those wonderful and memorable

experiences of her second grade and aspire to become a teacher herself.

I am sure that you, the reader, have come to realize that that anxious, scared little girl was

me, and that one of my inspirations for becoming an educator myself, was my second-grade

teacher, Mrs. W. I once heard it said that a great teacher can have a profound and lasting impact

on a student and in the case of this teacher, that statement could not be truer; to this day, I often

think of the relationship I had with Mrs. W and how it shaped my career choices. When I reflect

upon the qualities of an effective teacher, several come to mind: empathy, patience, organization,

ingenuity, curiosity, and knowledge. The ability to form genuine, trusting relationships with
students, however, has always been at the top of my list of qualities that describe the best

educators. Studies have shown that quality teachers positively impact the academic success and

achievement of students (Dennison, 2019), which then begs the question, “what makes a quality

teacher?” In a study conducted by Pearson, the ability to develop relationships with their

students was rated the number one quality of a great teacher by students across the United States,

aged fifteen to nineteen (Peterson-DeLuca, 2016). In my experience, both personal and

professional, I must agree that the development of caring, nurturing and responsive relationships

with children can have the greatest impact on a student’s academic success.

I read a quote by John C. Maxwell, an American author and leadership expert, that has

often resonated with me over the years and exemplifies this thought perfectly; “students don’t

care how much you know until they know how much you care.” As I reflect upon my past

experiences working with children and my professional career as an Early Childhood Educator,

combined with my studies at Medaille College in the Masters of Elementary Education Program,

I am proud to say that I recognize many of the qualities of an effective teacher in myself. While

I am compassionate, knowledgeable, patient, kind, organized, and a curious learner myself, I

have always valued the importance of relationship building and view it as the key to student

success.

The purpose of this MSED Elementary Portfolio Project is to introduce you, the reader, to

myself and showcase my strengths and achievements thus far in my career as an educator of

young students, while highlighting my capabilities as a new teacher. There are several key

competencies that a quality teacher possesses, beginning with the ability to plan engaging

experiences for students that, not only meet curriculum and educational standards for learning,

but are also based on student strengths and needs and knowing the learner. Effective teachers
must then successfully implement these planned experiences using instructional strategies that

engage students and maintain their focus and interest.

Finally, quality teachers utilize effective strategies and methods in order to assess student

learning and engagement. My Elementary Teacher Portfolio aims to not only highlight my

effectiveness in planning, instruction and assessment, but will also showcase my pedagogy and

philosophy of education while demonstrating my best teaching practices and ability to apply

differentiated instruction to meet the individual needs of my students within the group setting of

a classroom.

Portfolio Development

This Elementary Portfolio is comprised of six sections and was developed to demonstrate

my preparedness as a new teacher candidate. In this first section, I am introducing you, the

reader, to my portfolio while sharing some of the personal and academic experiences that have

influenced my career choices and the many theorists and experts who have helped shape my

pedagogy and philosophy of education.

Section Two of my portfolio will highlight my educational and work-related experiences,

making connections to both my academic history and philosophy of education. In this section, I

aim to demonstrate my preparedness for teaching through the sharing of my personal background

and the extensive experience I have working in the field of education. Over the past thirty years,

I have dedicated my academic and professional life to understanding human development and

working with children and through these experiences have garnered valuable knowledge that has

shaped my philosophy of education and my pedagogical practices.

the presentation of artifacts that will demonstrate my ability to plan, implement, and assess

meaningful, engaging, and authentic learning experiences for children. Further, they will show

that I am able to incorporate curriculum standards and expectations as well as best teaching

practices, including differentiation, the use of technology, and culturally responsive teaching into

my planning and instruction.

In section four, I will demonstrate how each of these featured artifacts align with

professional and curriculum standards for both New York State and Ontario, and provide

evidence of my pedagogy, subject matter knowledge and ability to be a caring and responsive

educator. It is an obvious expectation that educators are not only knowledgeable with respect to

professional and standards, but also that they can put into practice this knowledge and align their

daily work with students to these curriculum and professional standards. Section four of my

portfolio will evidence how my artifacts align with professional and curriculum standards.

Section Five presents my reflection of the process of creating this portfolio and the

overall experiences I have gained through the collection, review, and organization of the content

contained in this project, as a means of demonstrating my growth mindset. Reflective practice is

essential to one’s role as an effective educator as it provides the opportunity to critically examine

your role in the classroom, your pedagogy and the learning of your students, so as to recognize

areas where improvement may be made. As an educator, I have always considered it a best

practice to be forever mindful of our work with students and to take a reflective approach to our

role within the classroom. In section five, I aim to demonstrate my professionalism and ability to

be reflective in my practices as a new teacher candidate.

that is intended to showcase my work and teaching skills, while giving me the opportunity to

make connections to my portfolio artifacts, my knowledge of curriculum and professional

standards, and my passion for teaching.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Throughout my academic career and over my twenty plus years of experience working

with children, there have been a number of theories, theorists and experts that have influenced

and shaped my pedagogy and philosophy of education. It was during my years at York

University, where I focused my studies on psychology, and first learned about Abraham

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs during my Developmental Psychology course. Maslow (1971)

postulated that all humans have an innate desire to be all that they are capable of being and are

therefore motivated to fulfill a series of needs ranging from the basic intrinsic needs, such as the

physiological needs of food, water, shelter and sleep, to the highest level of self-fulfillment

needs, which he named ‘Self-actualization’ (Cherry, 2019).

According to Maslow (1971), in order to self-actualize however, one must first be sure to

meet the more basic human needs for food, safety and security, before moving on to the need for

love, belonging and self-esteem and finally through to the self-fulfillment needs (Cherry, 2019).

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is most often represented in the form of a pyramid, with the most

basic of physiological and safety needs at the bottom and self-fulfillment needs at the top, with

social/psychological needs in the middle. Maslow determined that humans are generally

motivated to move through this series of need fulfillment from the bottom to the top, much like

climbing a mountain.
 Maslow’s (1971) theory of human motivation has many implications for the field of

education and has influenced the way that many teachers view their role in the classroom. For

example, if a student’s basic physiological needs are not being met for any number of reasons,

how can we, as educators expect them to flourish within the classroom? If a child does not feel

safe and secure or feel a sense of love or belonging, how can s/he be expected to focus on

academics and learning?

Maslow’s (1971) hierarchy of needs has had a profound impact on my beliefs about

teaching and the educator role within the classroom; it fully complements my belief in the

importance of a personal well-being and in the vital role of teachers to provide their students

with a warm, safe, and secure environment within which they develop a sense of community and

belonging. When we, as educators, create for our students a classroom environment that is

welcoming and inviting, that embraces diversity and celebrates difference, we set the stage for

students to be motivated to learn and discover.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has far reaching implications for teachers as they strive to

meet, not only the academic needs of their students, but also their other needs ranging from the

most basic of physiological needs to their social and esteem needs. As an educator, I always

strive to create a sense of calm within my classroom, dimming the lights or playing soft music in

the background when energy is climbing. I try to always be mindful of how my students are

feeling, noticing when they may be feeling hungry or overwhelmed, tired or in need of a break. I

try to be cognizant of the diverse needs within my classroom so that I may differentiate to meet

these student needs. As previously mentioned, I truly believe that the academic success of our

students is most impacted by the relationship they have with the teacher and the feeling of

belonging within the class and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs supports this belief; without
relationship and a sense of belonging we are not supporting our student’s need for psychological

and social development. I will demonstrate throughout this portfolio that I have the qualities and

competencies of an effective teacher who strives daily to meet the needs of her students.

While I have always recognized the importance of differentiation in education, it was not

until my first semester of study at Medaille College that I revisited Howard Gardner’s (1983)

theory of multiple intelligences. It has been quite some time since I first learned about Gardner

in my Educational Psychology course in university, and I found it valuable and reaffirming to

review his Multiple Intelligences theory. Gardner, an American developmental psychologist,

theorizes that human beings have eight different kinds of intelligences that can be quite

independent of one another and result in different ways of thinking and learning (Cherry, 2020).

Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences has had a profound impact on the field

of education and lends evidence to the fact that teachers have known for years that students have

always varied in the way they learn best. With this in mind, it is crucial for educators to know

their students and their preferential mode and style of learning so as to optimize their academic

success. As an educator, I firmly believe in the importance of meeting our students where they

are and making the learning experiences enriching, authentic and meaningful for the learner.

What better way to do this than to differentiate the instruction to meet the diverse learning needs

of our various students? When planning and implementing learning experiences with students, I

try to be forever cognizant of the different learning styles of my students, both with and without

exceptionalities, and build variety into my instruction to meet these diverse learning needs;

presenting material to students in a variety of ways is a best teaching practice that I strive to

incorporate into my daily work with students. Section three of my portfolio will highlight this
and provide evidence of my ability to differentiate my planning and instruction in ways that

motivate learners and keep them engaged in the learning.

Over the past ten years, I have also been very influenced by the work of Dr. Stuart

Shanker (2013), a distinguished research professor of psychology and philosophy who is often

referred to as an expert on child development and self-regulation. I was first introduced to the

theory and importance of self-regulation and well-being during my studies at George Brown

College, as I pursued my certification in Early Childhood Education.

While I had not yet heard of Dr. Shanker at this point in my academic career, I was of

course aware of the importance of a child’s development of the ability to regulate his/her

emotions to encourage a healthier well-being. It was not until I began working within the

Wellington Catholic District School Board however, that I learned about Dr. Stuart Shanker’s

(2013) important and powerful work on self-regulation and the implications it has on our job as

educators. Understanding human behaviour has always been a passion of mine, hence my focus

on psychology in university.

With that said, understanding the behaviour of children has, without a doubt, been one of

my favourite areas of study since becoming an Early Childhood Educator. I have always

believed that all behaviour happens for a reason and it is our job as educators to dig deep to

discover those reasons; often, those reasons are due to an inability to effectively regulate one’s

emotions in socially acceptable ways. As educators, when we view disruptive or inappropriate

behaviour of students through the lens of self-regulation, the results can be remarkable as we are

then in a position to help foster the development of self-regulatory skills in our students. “Self-

Reg starts by reframing a child’s behaviour and, for that matter, our own. It means seeing the

meaning of the child’s behaviour, maybe for the first time” (Shanker, 2017, p4). Self-
regulation, in the truest sense of the term, refers to the ability to manage stress and can be a life-

long process. Dr. Shanker’s work on self-regulation has had a huge impact on the way I view

teaching and working with students. When a student, or anyone for that matter, is on ‘high alert’

or unable to manage the stress in their lives, how can they possibly be expected to learn? Only

when calm and alert are we able to learn effectively. Reading the works of Dr. Shanker has

taught me valuable lessons about how to view a child’s behaviour, as well as support student’s

development of self-regulation. “The better we understand self-regulation, the better we can

implement educational practices that enhance student’s capacity to learn and develop the

necessary skills to deal with life’s challenges” (Shanker, 2013). I truly believe that it is

incumbent upon us, as educators, to teach students, not only the academic skills they need to be

successful in life, but also the social and emotional skills to ensure their overall health and well-

being.

While there are a number of significant theorists and experts that have influenced my

teaching practices and philosophy of education, none have had the impact that Maslow’s

hierarchy of needs, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, and Dr. Stuart Shanker’s work on

self-regulation have had. I have always considered myself a life-long learner and know that my

pedagogy will continue to evolve and change as I learn more about the field of education through

my personal and professional development over time.

Conclusion

My Elementary Portfolio Project is a culmination of both my past experiences working

with children and my academic career and graduate work at Medaille College. Section One has

provided an explanation of the portfolio itself and made connections between my theory and

practice as an educator and teacher candidate. Through this reflective process, I intend to lend
evidence of my capabilities and talents as an effective teacher, through the presentation of both

my background experience in Section Two and my artifacts in Section Three, which will

demonstrate both my passion for education and my best teaching practices. Through the

completion of this portfolio, my teacher competencies in planning, instruction, and assessment

will be evident, as will my dedication to learner accommodation, differentiated instruction, and

culturally responsive teaching practices. As you proceed through this document, it is my hope

that you come to know my passion and enthusiasm for teaching and that it instills confidence in

my competencies as a new teacher candidate.