Professional Portfolio

1
Professional Portfolio

• Emily E. Fowler
• 228 Durbin Road.
• Hannibal NY 13074
• 564-7828
• emilyfadden_at_hotmail.com

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Resume
• An Introduction to the INTASC Standards
• Content Pedagogy
• Student Development
• Diverse Learners
• Multiple Instructional Strategies

• Motivation and Management
• Communication and Technology
• Planning
• Assessment
• Reflective Practice Professional Growth
• School and Community Involvement

3
Introduction

• A Little Bit About Me
• My Educational Philosophy
• More About Me

4
A Little Bit About Me

• I am a graduate of The State University of
  New York at Oswego. I hold a Bachelor of Science
  degree in Elementary Education and am certified
  to teach grades Pre-K through Six. Im currently
  a Kindergarten teach and am working on my Master
  of Science degree in Literacy Education Birth
  through Grade Six.
• Outside of school I love to spend time with
  my family. I especially enjoy playing outside
  with my young son Ethan, who has recently
  discovered a love of the outdoors.  Between my
  son and my students I am very busy, but I do
  still find time  to read, work out, and visit
  with friends all of which I enjoy immensely.

5
Resume

• I have been working with children in some
  capacity for over ten year.  During this time I
  have had many great experience, all of which have
  confirmed my desire to continue working in the
  field of education and my love of children. 
• I have attached a Resume, which includes my
  experiences.

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Standard 1 Content Pedagogy

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

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Standard 1 Description

• The teacher understands the central concepts,
  tools of inquiry, and structures of the
  discipline he or she teaches and can create
  learning experiences that make these aspects of
  subject matter meaningful for students.

8
Standard 1 Reflection

• A working knowledge of the subject matter to be
  taught is a very important part of creating
  meaningful learning experiences for students. It
  is impossible to teach something which you do not
  know or fully understand. Further more, when
  teachers have a strong knowledge of subject
  matter they can move beyond the content and focus
  their energies on lesson delivery. This freedom
  allows the teacher to best meet the needs
  of his/her students.

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Standard 1 Artifacts

• As evidence of my knowledge of the subject
  matter covered in an elementary school classroom
  (in this case second grade) and my ability to
  move beyond content to create meaningful real
  learning experiences for my students I have
  attached a multi-day  lessons which I created and
  used with my second grade students during the
  course of the 2005-2006 school year.  Social
  Justice Meeting in the Middle.  This lesson is
  an example of how my  familiarity with the second
  grade curriculum allowed me to focus my attention
  on the needs of my students, the result of which
  was a great real live learning experience for
  both my students and myself.

10
Standard 2 Student Development

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

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Standard 2 Description

• The teacher understands how children learn and
  develop and can provide learning opportunities
  that support a childs intellectual, social, and
  personal development.

12
Standard 2 Reflection

• Each individual student is unique however there
  are characteristics which are similar
  among children in the same age group. It is
  important that a teacher understand the
  characteristics of the age group he/she works
  with as well as the individual development of
  each student. It is only with this understanding
  that a teacher can both challenge and support
  his/her students.

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Standard 2 Artifacts

• I have a working knowledge of how children
  develop over time, which I have acquired through
  the many classes I have taken focus on child
  development and my experiences working with
  children. I am especially familiar with the
  development of children ages four through six as
  I currently teach kindergarten. In order to
  demonstrate my understanding of the development
  of this age group I have included a math lesson
  from the Beginning of the school year and
  also one from the End of the year. I believe
  these lessons show how my knowledge of my
  students development allows me to match my
  instruction to their changing intellectual,
  social, and personal development.

14
Standard 3 Diverse Learners

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

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Standard 3 Description

• The teacher understands how students differ in
  their approaches to learning and creates
  instructional opportunities that are adapted to
  diverse learners.

16
Standard 3 Reflection

• It is important for teachers to realize that
  every student is an individual with a unique set
  of experience, strengths, and weaknesses. It is
  also important to know that each individual
  learns and develops differently, and that there
  are many different learning styles. This is
  crucial because, students are best able to learn
  and flourish when their learning needs are met,
  and there are no one size fits all solution in
  education.

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Standard 3 Artifacts

• One way to meet the needs of many diverse
  learners is through centers or work stations.
  Done properly these interactive activities allow
  teachers to differentiate and provide students
  with the opportunity to explore a topic or
  concept in a variety of different ways. As
  evidence of my ability to create such activities
  I have attached a series of Photos of my
  students, a my co-worker, and myself working
  at several centers I created to go along with a
  unit on bats as mammals.

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Standard 4 Multiple Instructional Strategies

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

19
Standard 4 Description

• The teacher understands and uses a variety of
  instructional strategies to encourage student
  development of critical thinking, problem
  solving, and performance skills.

20
Standard 4 Reflection

• Teachers must posses an understanding of and
  ability to utilize multiple instructional
  strategies, as not all students learn the same
  way or at the same pace. This is also important,
  because research has shown that students have the
  best chance of retaining material if it is
  presented in a number of formats on multiple
  occasions.

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Standard 4 Artifact

• As evidence of my ability to utilize a number
  of instructional strategies to best meet my
  students needs, I have attached a list of several
  activities I use to teach the Letter Z and the
  /Z/ Sound to my kindergarten students.

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Standard 5 Motivation and Management

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifact

23
Standard 5 Description

• The teacher uses an understanding of individual
  and group motivation and behavior to create a
  learning environment that encourages positive
  social interaction, active engagement in
  learning, and self-motivation.

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Standard 5 Reflection

• Like adults children like to feel safe, secure,
  and part of a community. A classroom with this
  type of environment allows students to learn from
  one another, and to feel comfortable taking
  risks, asking questions, and being vulnerable.
  This type of environment does not just happen,
  but requires a lot of work, teaching, modeling,
  and an understanding of ones students. However it
  is crucial to establish a positive learning
  environment because without it much time is
  wasted on dealing with negative behaviors.

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Standard 5 Artifacts

• Establishing a positive learning environment is
  important in every learning setting, but none
  more than in the Kindergarten classroom.
   Kindergarten is the first time many students
  experience a school setting and it sets the tone
  for the years to come. I know this because I have
  taught both kindergarten and upper grades.  As
  evidence of my ability to establish a positive
  learning environment where children can work
  together, learn from one another, and feel safe
  to take risks I have included a copy of my letter
  home to my students families about Cruising Into
  Good Behavior my current behavior management
  system, as well as photos of some of my Students
  at Work.

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Standard 6 Communication and Technology

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

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Standard 6 Description

• The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal,
  nonverbal, and media communication techniques to
  foster active inquiry, collaboration, and
  supportive interaction in the classroom.

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Standard 6 Reflection

• Communication is essential to the learning
  environment. There are numerous forms of
  communication which go into creating a positive
  learning environment and relate to, interactive
  with, and instructed students. The most obvious
  form of communication in the classroom is the
  verbal interactions which happen between the
  members of the learning environment. The teacher
  states directions, the students ask questions,
  new content is taught, and discussions take
  place. An often more subtle but equally important
  form of communication in the classroom is
  non-verbal communication. The teacher use body
  language, visuals, and even the physical layout
  of the classroom to give directions, communicate
  expectations, model appropriate behavior, and
  create a visual environment which is both
  inviting and conducive to learning.

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Standard 6 Artifacts

• In my own classroom I utilize both verbal and
  non-verbal communication to establish and
  maintain a positive learning environment which
  facilitates active inquiry, collaboration, and
  supportive interaction in the classroom. To
  illustrate this I have attached a Lesson
  Plan which shows just a sampling of the ongoing
  dialogue which takes place in my classroom. I
  have also attached several Photos which provide a
  snapshot of a few of the non-verbal cues I use to
  direct  and lead my students. These artifacts
  represent a sampling rather than the whole of my
  utilization of communication techniques, as
  communication skills are particularly hard to
  demonstrate on paper. I have also attached a
  documented I created and shared with my
  colleagues containing Kindergarten Web Sites. To
  me this artifact represents my most recent goal
  of more effectively utilizing new technologies
  to communicate content to my students.

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Standard 7 Planning

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

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Standard 7 Description

• The teacher plans instruction based on
  knowledge of subject matter, students, the
  community, and curriculum goals.

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Standard 7 Reflection

• When planning instruction it is important to be
  knowledgeable about the content to be taught, as
  well as curriculum goals and state and local
  standards. With out this knowledge a teacher can
  lack the focus necessary for effective
  instruction. It is also important for a teacher
  to be familiar with their students and the
  community they teach in.  No two students are the
  same. They vary from school to school, classroom
  to classroom, and year to year and each
  community has its own circumstances and dynamics.

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Standard 7 Artifact

• While I was preparing to student teach I
  gathered detailed information about the
  communities, schools, and students I was going to
  be working with. I compiled this information into
  two separate context studies, Lanigan Elementary
  and Ray Middle School. These studies along with
  the individual subject matter curriculum goals
  and state and local standards where valuable
  resource and guided me as I planned my
  instruction. 

34
Standard 8 Assessment

• Description of Standard
• Refection
• Artifacts

35
Standard 8 Description

• The teacher understands formal and informal
  assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the
  continuous intellectual, social, and physical
  development of the learner.

36
Standard 8 Reflection

• Formal and informal assessments both have an
  important place in the classroom. Formal
  assessments provide teachers with quantifiable
  data which can be used to measure student growth,
  but do not always indicate what a student really
  knows, because some students are great testers
  while others are not. In-formal assessments are
  more authentic and provide students with an
  opportunity to convey what they know through
  doing, but are often hard to quantify.  This is
  why offering a variety of assessments is the best
  way to determine student learning.

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Standard 8 Artifacts

• As evidence supporting my understanding of
  formal and informal assessments and my ability
  to utilize these  forms of assessment to assess
  my students and direct my instruction I have
  attached a Unit Assessment Plan I created and
  used with my second graders during the 2005-2006
  school year. I have also attached a Sample Lesson
  Plan from his unit which contains an analysis of
  student learning. This  illustrates how I
  interpreted and used the information gathered
  from assessments to direct my future
  instruction.  

38
Standard 9 Reflective Practice Professional
Growth

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

39
Standard 9 Description

• The teacher is a reflective practitioner who
  continually evaluates the effects of his or her
  choices and actions on others (students, parents,
  and other professionals in the learning
  community) and who actively seeks opportunities
  to grow professionally.

40
Standard 9 Reflection

• Reflection is an important part of the
  education profession. The day a teacher stops
  reflecting and learning is the day they ceased to
  be an effective teacher. A lack of reflection can
  lead teachers to become stagnant, and may keep
  them from valuable insight and opportunities
  which would benefit their students and
  themselves.  Teachers must take time to reflect
  yearly, monthly, weekly and even daily on lessons
  that are taught, strategies that are used,
  educational theories, and outcomes both in and
  outside the classroom.

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Standard 9 Artifacts

• I have included several artifacts which
  demonstrate both my ability to reflect and my
  desire to grow professionally. The first artifact
  is a Lesson Plan which includes a post lesson
  reflection done after a yearly observation. The
  next two artifacts are a Mid-Year Reflection and
  an Year-End Reflection both of which were done
  during the 2007-2008 school year. The last
  artifact is a Professional Development
  Reflection I did in culmination of 21 hours
  of  professional development work in the area of
  reading instruction.

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Standard 10 School and Community Involvement

• Description of Standard
• Reflection
• Artifacts

43
Standard 10 Description

• The teacher fosters relationships with school
  colleagues, parents, and agencies in larger
  community to support students learning and well
  being.

44
Standard 10 Reflection

• No one person can do it all, but many working
  together can find great success. This is why
  teachers must utilize every resource available to
  them. One of the greatest resources a teacher has
  is their colleagues, other classroom teachers,
  administrators, school psychologists, and
  specialists. These individuals can provide
  support, suggestions and ideas which are
  invaluable. It is also important that teachers
  bring families aboard. After all who knows a
  child better or wants more for them than their
  own family. Some of the best support and help a
  teacher will receive comes from their students
  families. Yet another great resource a teacher
  has is the community. With in communities there
  are agencies, programs, and individuals which can
  help a teacher best provide and care for their
  students.

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Standard 10 Artifacts

• I feel as if my understanding of the importance
  of utilizing the resources around me and my
  ability to do so is one of my greatest strengths.
  As evidence of this I have attached several
  artifacts. The first is a newspaper clipping
  highlighting my work with the Success By 6 summer
  program. This experience provided me with the
  opportunity to work collaboratively with the
  United Way agency, and my school district to
  create a Kindergarten readiness curriculum. The
  second artifact is a copy of one of my Weekly
  News Letters, which helps my students families
  and I to stay connected. The third artifact I
  have attached is a Student Behavior Plan I
  created collaboratively with my schools Catholic
  Charities Counselor. Working together we were
  able to help the student to become successful in
  the classroom.