Angelina Mount

10/30/2014
EDI 331-01
Weiser
Collecting Myself:
A reflection of the folio process

When the folio project was first introduced during our large group seminar, I was among
those students who groaned aloud and thought, Another big project? Just what we need! In
addition to workload gripes, I was plagued by fears about the inadequacy as a growing teacher.
Would I have enough material to create a well-rounded folio? Did I really know enough to meet
every standard? As I began to pour over and assemble the evidence, my confidence grew and my
fears melted away. While I initially feared not having enough work to showcase, choosing only
two examples for each page of my folio proved to be the most difficult part of the process. As I
worked through rationalizing my choices I began to recognize how well all of my education
courses have come together to create my framework of knowledge. This structure formed the
launching pad that has helped me succeed in my Teacher Assisting semester.
Compiling a folio of the work I have done as an educator-in-training has helped me
recognize how the individual parts of my education work together to create solid foundation for
teaching. As a student in education courses, it was difficult for me to see the greater purpose of
isolated components such as theory, assessment strategies, and content area courses. Writing a
rationale for each piece of evidence in my folio helped me see how all the separate elements of
my classes come together in each lesson plan. When addressing the standards, I realized that
nearly even lesson plan I had created could be used for multiple standards, even meeting the

qualifications for several pages of the folio. Assignments that had seemed pointless at the time
provided me with strategies and tools I didnt recognize until I could review my final collection
of work.
In addition to helping me see the culminating effects of my college education, the process
of creating my portfolio guided me in clearly defining my educational philosophy. Picking
through my compilation of work resulted in a natural pattern of choosing the pieces I found to be
most important. The final selection of materials is a purposeful mosaic of the principals which I
feel reflect my educational values. I discovered that, at the core of my beliefs, I am a student-
centered educator. The driving force of all my instructional decisions is my students needs. I
incorporate relatable materials, I aim for activities tailored to suit multiple intelligences, and I
select specific assessment types in all of my units. I do this because I recognize the wide variety
of students I have in each of my classes and value of all students. Through these choices, I aim to
reach every student, no matter what their cultural background, achievement level, or limitations.
I believe that every student can succeed; it is my job to find the tools to help them.
Completing my folio also helped me recognize my strong suits as an educator and the
points that need improvement. I am excellent at adaptability and tailoring my lessons to suit
individual students. I am also skilled at combining quick, engaging activities in a single lesson to
build up to an overarching goal. This strategy keeps students engaged and participating
throughout the whole class period. Another one of my stronger skills is my choice of classroom
texts. I consider the context of my classroom and my students in order to guide my text selection.
This results in students participating in genuine productive discourse over important, relevant
materials. However, one of the major areas I need to improve on is assessment. While I am

proficient at incorporating different pre-assessments and formative assessments, thus far in my
teacher assisting semester I have not created a summative assessment.
Completing my folio has given me a thorough, inclusive overview of my capabilities as a
future educator. I understand the collaborative function of each piece of my college education
and am eager to continue applying these concepts in my future classroom. I have also identified
my strengths and weaknesses and feel confident that acknowledging and improving from these
will help me further improve my instructional practices. Finally, looking at my work through the
process of this portfolio has helped me find the heart for my choice to become a teacher.
Spending time analyzing my experiences as a student and as a teacher assistant has helped me
grow in my understanding of myself, my goals, and the results of my education. I hope to
continue the practice of reviewing my work and evaluating myself throughout my career as I
continue to evolve, change, and improve.