1

Portfolio Project: Reflection 1 (K. Capaldi)

Fundamentals of Curriculum Theory and Development, my first graduate course in my

Master’s journey, and what an awakening it was for me. Having been out of formal education for

nearly twenty years and now I was back in the classroom. I had decided that in person was for

me, as meeting new people and having rich discussions was one of the reasons for pursuing this

next level of education.

I knew that it was going to take some grit, determination and patience; and after my first

class I realized a lot of new learning as well. Coming from an undergraduate degree in Human

Kinetics, I had never, ever written an academic paper before and felt as though I was light years

behind those in my class. I had years of experience in the education field as an Elementary

Teacher and Curriculum Consultant but didn’t know how to put that into formal writing.

The assignment was rather simple in that you were asked to write a research paper on a

topic of your choice. Simple for some, but not for me. Words like phenomenon, types of

theories, APA format went right over my head and an overwhelming feeling came over me. I

didn’t know if this was the right avenue for me. I returned to that classroom every Monday night

and little by little began to get my bearings. With the support of my peers and the professor I

worked through the unknown and began to gain more knowledge and confidence in

understanding how to be an effective researcher and writer.

I chose the topic on Moving Mindset Forward, the focus was on the wider concept but I

honed in on Mathematics learning in Ontario. At this time, I had recently attended a workshop

with Dr. Jo Boaler, at Stanford University and as a Curriculum Consultant this area was greatly

occupying my time. I do believe in the ideology behind the concept of Growth Mindset as well
 2

as being intrinsically motivated. It was therefore my interest in the topic, wanting to learn more,

along with what I was focusing on at work.

When I read back this, my very first paper, it made me grin. I remembered how much

work I had put into it and how stressed I was to hand it in. After reading I began to reflect on

how far I have come as a writer and that also made me grin. My favourite part of writing a paper

is the beginning. I believe that this is the place that allows for more creativity and expression,

having the ability to draw in your reader. It is a fun challenge to try and get them hooked. I have

been able to stay creative but need to be more direct in clarifying my point. I have done this by

using better language and more sophisticated use of sentence structure. I feel that this paper may

need a revision of the opening paragraph to provide more clarity and direction before entering

the body of my research statement.

Also I would like to note that in my early stages of writing, such as this paper, I struggled

with articulation of the research and ideas regarding the phenomenon. I would like to also attack

this aspect of my paper more thoroughly by providing additional relevant research to support my

ideas and relate them back to the theories and topic that I presented. I believe that this will create

more substance and ‘meat’ to my paper.

Portfolio Project: Reflection 2 (K. Capaldi)

It was the Winter semester of 2022, and COVID was still impacting learning. At this

time classes were all moved from in person to a fully online format. I remember it being an

extremely stressful time as an Administrator continuing to deal with all the COVID related

expectations and issues within the building. After long days at school, I rushed home every

Wednesday, to join my classmates online synchronously for three hours of additional learning.
 3

Before this class, I had never attended courses fully online or fully synchronously. This was

always a new experience for me.

This time, I decided to embark on a Special Topic class entitled, Introduction to Adult

Education. This subject area interested me because I had spent a lot of time working with adult

ESL learners at both St. Michael’s and Catholic Central schools, in a Consultant role with the

board. I was extremely interested in this area of education and hoped that this course would

provide me with additional insight on possibly moving in that direction in the future.

As the class began and the professor provided a variety of articles for discussion, I

became very interested in the connection between adult education or just education and its ties to

experiential learning. I have always been a hands-on learner and have personally seen how this

type of learning benefits students of all ages. In 2020, I developed a curriculum which I continue

to revise annually, that guides and structures STEM programming in all of our 32 elementary

schools. I saw the significance of educational benefits for all students, especially those who

struggle in typical classroom settings. According to personal observations and teacher/student

feedback, students with behaviour and special education needs strive when provided the

opportunity to experiment with no time restraints, tests, or deadlines of completion. Instead,

they collaborate, explore, examine, make mistakes, build grit and perseverance in an enriched

learning environment.

At this point in my Master’s journey, I was still not feeling super confident in my writing

skills. It was very much a continued work in progress. I was being very cautious as a writer and

often second guessed my own process. The instructor was very knowledgeable in the area of

adult education, however the readings, at times, were extremely challenging and took an
 4

incredible amount of effort and collaboration to move through the topic areas prior to using them

to help support my final research paper.

This research paper was intended to be written as a well defined topic connected to adult

education, displaying deep analysis using a variety of peer reviewed sources, course readings and

empirical research. The paper had to draw upon adult education and lifelong learning theories

using a theoretical lens to craft well structured arguments using strong supporting evidence.

As I reflect back upon this paper, I found that I did a much better job at having a clear

and concise introduction which moved smoothly into the body of my paper. I feel that I did

struggle in choosing what to highlight in relation to the main theorist, the development of the

theory and how it evolved throughout the years. I remember being overwhelmed with research

and material at the time of writing this paper. I think that I needed more time and a greater word

count to be successful in conveying a deeper understanding of this concept over time and

comparing it to how experiential learning is used today with adult learners. I would also like to

delve deeper on the impacts of experiential learning as well as the teaching approaches.

Conclusion

I do believe it is always humbling to look back at older work and use a lens of critical

reflection to see where improvements could be made. Reflecting on my experiences in both the

“Fundamentals of Curriculum Theory and Development” and “Introduction to Adult Education”

courses, I recognize the significant growth I have achieved as both a learner and a writer. My

initial return to academia was met with challenges, particularly in adapting to academic writing

and research. However, with persistence, support and a genuine passion for the topics I

explored, I have developed a stronger foundation in both of these areas. As I look back on these

specific experiences, I am proud of my progress but also still aware of areas for further
 5

development. My writing has become more structured and precise, yet there is always room for

improvement in understanding and articulating complex theories as well as synthesizing research

more effectively.