Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

Being given the challenge to build such a comprehensive portfolio to demonstrate the

knowledge I’ve gained, the experiences I’ve had, and the artifacts I’ve created throughout my

MSED program has resulted in further insight, broadened perspective, more meaningful lessons,

and heightened enlightenment. As I’ve organized the information required throughout the

portfolio process and compiled my accomplishments, I’ve been gifted with the opportunity to

reflect through each step of my journey of learning how to become a teacher who’s able to have

a positive impact on students’ lives while helping them reach their full potential.

One of the most amazing things I have learned is that to become an effective teacher you

need to embrace a sense growth mindedness and seek to learn just as much as you teach. Which

is one the reasons why I knew I was meant to become a teacher, and I also knew I would be good

at it. Through my MSED process I have been a sponge soaking in every learning moment that’s

presented itself in and out of the classroom. At times I’ve been shown characteristics I hope to

emulate, observed excellent classroom management, and experienced instructional methods that

I’ve found to be effective. I’ve also heard many stories and participated in countless discussions

surrounding hot controversial topics that can and do often appear in classrooms - and every

single one of these instances has helped me figure out how I will handle sensitive situations and

how to do it with the utmost compassion, empathy, care and consideration for my students well-

being.

I’ve learned that the three areas that make a competent effective teacher happen to also be

the TEAC/CAEP Claims which are:

Claim 1. Subject Matter

Claim 2. Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners

Claim 3. Caring Educator

These three claims encompass the characteristics, skills, methods, techniques, philosophies, and

core principles that all professional teachers need to possess. During my reflection of this

section I’ll be discussing these claims and the relevance they have in my portfolio and the critical

importance they have in becoming an elementary school teacher.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

Arriving at the decision to begin a new chapter in my life that would require becoming a

student yet again in my life wasn’t easy and at first seemed terrifying. However, my fears

quickly turned into excitement as my journey began and the idea of becoming an educator that

would positively impact the lives of children became a reality. With each step throughout my

program at the Department of Education at Medaille I have gained a deeper and more

meaningful approach and appreciation towards being a lifelong student, and now as well a

lifelong teacher. Earlier in my portfolio I explained how I’ve been a person who has practiced

daily reflection for a long time and it’s one of my daily habits that I hold much pride in. At the

core of who I am as a person I strongly believe in self-reflection to allow myself to continually

learn, grow, and evolve into a better version of myself. Throughout my MSED program I have

found my introspective skills to be critical during the process because learning to become a

teacher provides the opportunity to learn more than I ever have.

From my first day at Medaille in my MSED program I made a conscious effort to not

only learn what was being taught, but I would actively observe how I was being taught. In doing

so, I noticed how every instructor made us students feel that we could ask questions, seek further
assistance if necessary, and displayed genuine interest and care that each of us gain the most out

of their class that was possible. The instructors each modelled how to immediately establish a

welcoming, safe and positive classroom environment (TEAC Claim 3: Caring Educator). In fact,

I can recall the first hour of my first class during my program because my professor made the

most incredibly lasting impression by creating a song using each of our names. I’ve never been a

person who’s very good at remembering names and I couldn’t believe that within one hour I

learned 22 names. Even more noteworthy is that this interactive and very catchy name song

immediately established a likeness and bond between all of us.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be able to learn from so many different

instructors while at Medaille because even though each instructor has their own strengths and

pedagogy, the instruction of the lessons was always delivered using best teaching practices

(TEAC Claim 2: Best Teacher Practices for Diverse Learners). It was incredibly beneficial to

have had my Early Field Experience class at the beginning of my program because it allowed for

me to observe and engage in real life classroom experiences. As a result of experiencing best

teacher practices from a variety of teacher personalities, strategies and methods I was able to

formulate my own philosophy of education which represents what I believe to be the best pieces

of what has resonated within me along my MSED journey.

I continue to reflect on my Early Field Experience class because I’m able to look back

with further developed knowledge which provides much greater understanding of the lessons that

I’m able to take away from those experiences. I’m committed to the continuation of this non-

stop process of reflection, trial and error, re-examination, and deepened perspective that will

continue throughout my teaching career and will dedicate a daily journal to ensure I strengthen

and practice these skills.

 During the classroom observations I learned excellent assessment and feedback skills that

I was encouraged to begin practicing now during my MSED program to ensure these skills will

become habits upon teaching in a classroom of my own. I learned that assessment is now done

on an ongoing basis through informal observation and teacher/student conversations that allow

for the teacher to better understand the students thought process. This is to encourage teachers to

move away from only assessing whether the student provided the correct answer, and allows

room for students’ different learning styles, needs and processes to be taken into consideration.

The teacher needs to understand how the student got to the answer and the thought process

behind it. This information enables the teacher to determine the appropriate threshold to

challenge the student to avoid frustration, and still challenge and support the student in achieving

their maximum potential. (Claim 2: Best Teaching Practices)

In addition to gaining these critical assessment skills, I learned the importance behind

providing specific, relevant and immediate feedback to further students’ progress and allow for

more meaningful learning experiences. It’s no longer acceptable for a teacher to provide

feedback that simply says “good work” because it leaves ambiguity in regard to what was so

“good” about the students’ work. Students need specific comments that provide insight into

what the students should continue to do and what they can do to continue to improve. The goal

is for the teacher to give students the clarity and direction to progress and succeed while

nurturing student’s creativity and intellectual risk-taking.

Furthering my reflection during my educational journey throughout obtaining my

master’s in education, I’m most pleased and excited with my newly developed passion for and

keen skills in technology integration. If anyone asked what I was most nervous about regarding

teaching prior to beginning my MSED program I would have said two things: speaking in front
of people and my lack of technology skills. At Medaille, we’re incredibly fortunate to have an

entire class dedicated to technology integration in the elementary classroom. It was the class I

dreaded the most and ended up being my most favorite. Due to the instructor being so incredibly

knowledgeable in the technologies being taught it allowed for the instruction to be delivered

through a variety of methods that all resulted in the most engaging, interactive and inspiring

learning experiences (TEAC Claim 1: Subject Matter). I quickly connected the fact that being an

expert in a subject area allows for a teacher to become creative in their lesson planning because

they can understand how to break concepts into smaller pieces and use a variety of strategies to

ensure that all learning styles and needs are being taken into consideration.

Through a phenomenal number of hours, effort, and perseverance I can confidently say

that I have developed a strong passion and unwavering commitment towards wanting to

empower students with the technology skills necessary for them to become successful in our

society that relies more and more on technology each day. During my technology class not only

did I acquire the knowledge and skills to create equipped digital citizens and tech savvy students,

but I also learned how to integrate technology across the curriculum to enhance student

engagement, increase knowledge retention, promote student interaction, heighten cultural

responsiveness, and accommodate challenging learning needs. Integrating technology into the

classroom makes learning fun, interesting and exciting which creates an environment that

encourages students to take responsibility and accountability of their own academic experience.

The result being that students become more independent and innovative thinkers that will learn

to look inside themselves to solve problems and create solutions, which will lead the students to

becoming contributing members of society that will help make this world a better place.
Readiness to Become a Teacher

Earlier I mentioned that there were two things I was nervous about prior to beginning my

MSED program at Medaille, one of them being my fear of speaking in front of people. I reached

a point in my life where I no longer wanted to allow my fears to hold me back from fulfilling my

purpose of becoming an elementary school classroom teacher. Throughout my classes there

were countless presentations that required me to speak for lengthy periods of time, as well as

opportunities to deliver instruction from lesson plans I had created. In a mock classroom setup, I

taught my class of 20 students Bernoulli’s Principle by introducing the topic through an

anticipatory set and following with leading the class through two science experiments. I know

choosing grade 6 science, Bernoulli’s Principle, was going to be challenging but I also knew it

was the best way to help myself learn how to be an effective teacher. One of my instructors

suggested I videotape myself practicing the lesson I planned to deliver to the class at home on

my own. I could then watch myself back to reflect on ways I could enhance my delivery and

increase the effectiveness of my instruction. To prove my newfound confidence and

comfortability delivering well thought out instruction, I invite you to watch my screen-o-cast

video posted on my Weebly teacher website that is a flipped lesson of me teaching Bernoulli’s

Principle.

An additional strength I have developed during my academic venture at Medaille is my

ability to create innovative and unique lesson plans that seek to challenge students through a

variety of methods being supported using different teaching strategies. Early on in one of my

classes an instructor had said that great lesson planning should automatically include multiple

ways for students to learn the same concept. I have kept this idea in mind while accompanying it

with my creative abilities to structure my lesson planning largely around inquiry-based learning
that will provide the opportunity for students to learn through doing. I believe problem solving

is one of the greatest skills students can learn because of its universal application that is

necessary in our everyday lives personally and professionally that equip us with the abilities to

effectively communicate, resolve conflict, persevere through adversity, create solutions and

become innovative forward thinkers. Therefore, putting conscious effort into lesson planning,

instruction and classroom management tactics that consistently build upon students problem-

solving skills and improving complex critical thinking skills through activities, tasks, group

work, and discussions is paramount in the students learning.

During my classroom observations I was introduced to the Q-Chart that helps in creating

critical thinking questions. Learning how to ask thought-provoking questions that encourage

and support students to dive below the surface and discover deeper more complex cognitive

pathways is an essential role in helping students reach their full potential. Critical thinking

questions and teacher/ student dialogue should remain consistent with the lesson’s objectives

derived from Bloom’s Taxonomy. In having a clear objective communicated from the beginning

of a lesson, the students will immediately have a sense of focus, purpose and a learning goal that

is to be achieved. Setting expectations, having high standards, and clear boundaries

communicated for students creates a classroom environment conducive for productivity,

effective time management, cohesiveness and consistent progress. This type of classroom

climate that has little chaos allows for heightened harmony and balance making it a safe,

welcoming and positive place that students can feel a sense of belonging to.

The more engaged and interested students are in what they are learning, the more

motivated they become in wanting to do well and succeed. Students who are engaged and

enjoying themselves are less likely to act out and become distracted from the learning goal set
out to be achieved. Lessons that are interactive increase knowledge retention and force students

to utilize more of their senses which increases focus and attention. By feeling confident that I’m

able to become a subject expert in whatever is required of me to teach because of my acquired

research skills gained through my MSED program, aligned with my technology integration

knowledge and abilities, and my innovative and creative approach to lesson planning and

instructing I believe I will be able to make learning fun, exciting and inspiring for all students

with any learning needs. I have proven this through my grade 6 science unit on flight that

demonstrated my attention and consideration towards student diversity, by being a caring

educator who is committed to challenging students and providing them with the greatest learning

experience possible, and the energy I put towards making the information relevant and

meaningful to the students. I also displayed all these skills through my SMART board

presentation which also highlights my keen technology skills and ability to create engaging and

interactive approaches to learning incorporating many different methods of instruction.

In my lesson planning artifacts I also display great abilities in classroom management as I

have many techniques built into the lesson itself through using techniques such as the Random

Name Selector app to be used for cold calls and quickly forming groups of students; I assign

each students roles in group work so each student has an important job to contribute; I write the

agenda and objectives on the board prior to each lesson and clearly communicate the learning

goal, expectations and time schedule. Effective classroom teachers utilize a variety of classroom

management techniques and tools to achieve a productive, peaceful and positive classroom

environment, and I already have many excellent tools that I look forward to implementing once I

have my own classroom to manage.

Conclusion

As I stated in my philosophy of education, I believe the teacher’s role and responsibility

are to guide and mentor the students on their academic journey, helping the student bring their

full potential to the surface. Through dialogue, critical thinking questions, and probing, the

students will acquire their own voice, ideas, and opinions. Through the teachers continual

modelling of behavior, scaffolding of skills, release responsibility, positive reinforcement, and

encouragement of independence the students will learn the tools to entirely optimize their

strengths and uniqueness.

I hope after reading my reflection that encompasses my journey towards becoming a

teacher at Medaille College that you’re left with confidence that I’m prepared for an elementary

classroom of my own - I’m ready to share my passion for learning; I’m beaming with excitement

to nurture and support students to fulfilling their highest potential; And I’m exuding pure

gratefulness for such an enlightening and insightful educational experience at Medaille College.

Please continue to section six of my portfolio as it is the last section that I feel may

perhaps be the most profound and leave the greatest impact. It will be a teacher candidate

teacher interview that I will record as a mock interview for a potential teaching position. This

will allow me to showcase my readiness to become a competent educator in a real-life scenario

while having the opportunity to properly explain why I will make such an effective teacher. The

teacher candidate teacher interview will be uploaded on my Weebly teacher website. This will

also allow an opportunity for you to view the many resources and tools I have created for

students and parents to enrich academic progress and ensure that learning is a positive

experience.

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