E-Portfolio Reflection

The purpose of my e-portfolio is to demonstrate how I have become a competent, caring, and qualified teacher throughout my experience in the Elementary Education program at Dixie State University (DSU). These experiences are documented in several benchmark assessments created throughout my program and show my growth in the areas described in the DSU Department of Educations DESERT model. I believe I am a competent educator as demonstrated by the comprehension lesson I created in my ELED 3900 class and my history production made in ELED 4400. I plan lessons with meaningful and appropriate learning activities that are designed to accommodate for the diverse needs of my students using various strategies such as collaborative learning and by the use of technology. My comprehension lesson shows my modifications for my students needs. In this class I had two ELL students, five students with IEPs, one student with Aspergers, and three higher level students. For one of my ELL students, I had her verbally tell me and her partner one question she had from her reading, one detail she found to help her answer that question, and one connection she had to the story. Then she worked with her partner to write these in her graphic organizer. Having her speak and write allowed her to practice these language skills to help her in her second language acquisition. I implement SIOP features into each of my lessons that meet the needs of my students including the use of interactive technology. I created a classroom website called History Explorers where my class will publish our research about various Social Studies core objectives such as learning about national holidays. With this site we can explore the history of a holiday using primary and secondary sources. Also, in this site I created interactive links with questions

that promote inquiry and higher level thinking which makes the content more meaningful to my students. I believe I am a caring educator as demonstrated by my classroom management plan created in ELED 3250. My classroom management plan shows that I care about the safety and learning of each of my students through the procedures I expect my students to follow. These procedures are modeled and practiced which reduces time spent in transitionssaving more time for instruction and learning. I also created a variety of awards that I could give to students to acknowledge their good behavior, kindness, great thinking, and following classroom procedures. Also included in my classroom management plan are introduction letters to my students and their parents. These letters not only introduce me and future learning activities, but also expresses my recognition of the responsibility I have to nurture the potential and a love of learning in every student. The SIOP evaluation form from a supervised lesson in third semester shows that I am a qualified educator in effectively using SIOP strategies, accommodating for my students diverse needs, and creating authentic instruction and assessment. Because of my training with and the application of the SIOP model and other theories, I have been able to reflect on how my philosophy of education has changed over the course of my program. With this reflection I have written a new philosophy that is based on the theories and models I have applied throughout my teaching experience. Reflection is an essential aspect in effective teaching as it provides the avenues to adapt planning and practice to better fit the needs of my students. My philosophy has evolved into a mission plan rather than just beliefs and hopes about teaching. I understand how having clear expectations for myself as a teacher and my students as learners makes me a more qualified teacher in fulfilling my responsibilities.

My e-portfolio demonstrates that I am a competent, caring, and qualified teacher through the inclusion of authentic artifacts completed throughout my education program. These artifacts illustrate my attention to the diversity of my students, their need for meaningful and engaging activities focused on strong subject knowledge, and the maintenance of a safe and caring classroom where expectations are realized. These artifacts also demonstrate my positive and professional teaching disposition based off of reflection and my relationship with my students, their parents, and colleagues. As I become a more experienced teacher I know that the experiences I had and the artifacts that I have created throughout my education will aid me in continuing to grow as a competent, caring, and qualified educator.