Section 5: Teacher Candidate Reflection

Introduction
Section five of my portfolio will focus on teacher reflection which is a very important

aspect of teaching. As I stated in section one, I strongly believe that in order to succeed as a

teacher, especially a new teacher it is important to be reflective and always look back on what

you have done to try and make improvements. Reflecting on past experiences and lessons allows

a teacher to change and adapt to the new ways of teaching and to strengthen their abilities to help

their students. Since the first day that I step foot in a classroom at Medaille there has been a

stress on the idea of reflection and reflecting on different practices and experiences. I am now

seeing why our professors put such an emphasis on reflecting because it is a crucial aspect in

being a good teacher and it also means that you make yourself into a forever learner that is

always growing and improving.

In the first part of section five I will demonstrate what I have learned throughout my time

in the Masters of Education program at Medaille and examine how what I have learned reflects

and aligns with the TEAC/ CAEP Claims. I will also look back on the experiences, observations

and lessons that I have acquired during this portfolio writing and the other courses I have taken.

When looking back on my time at Medaille I will reflect on the most important lessons I have

learned and how I am going to take those lessons and use them in my future teaching practices.

In addition, I will examine the process of being a reflective teacher and how it provides growth

and opportunity.

The second part of section five will look at my readiness to become a teacher. Within this

section I will demonstrate my knowledge and abilities that I have that make me ready to become

a teacher. These skills will reflect what I have learned at Medaille as well as the experiences I
have had in the classroom. In this part of the section I will discuss my understanding of the best

practices and also the other curriculum and standards that are present in New York and Ontario.

After reading the following section my hope is that the reader will be able to see that I

understand every teacher can improve and grow as a learner but it takes effort to be reflective

and want to improve. The best teachers are those that are constantly learning and getting better

day in and day out. My hope is that after reading my entire portfolio and this upcoming section

that you will see my abilities and strengths and how they will transcend into my teaching

practices.

Portfolio Project/ Teacher Education Learning Experiences

From the day that I arrived at Medaille I began learning and have not slowed down. There

is so much important content to learn when it comes to teaching, but there are also so many little

things that are important to know that many people do not think about. For example, it is

important to understand the content subjects, but it is also important to understand how to read a

child and how to support them through rough patches or down times. The experiences that I have

gained throughout this experience have benefitted me in huge ways and helped me to gain my

confidence and display my abilities. Every class that I have been in during the Masters program I

have learned something. In some of the classes I learned so much that it was hard to understand

some of it until I saw it in action.

In every class that we have taken during our Masters degree our professors have stressed

the concept of culturally responsive teaching and engaging the students in what they are learning.

For me I had a lot of time understanding culturally responsive teaching until I saw it in action.

When I was volunteering in a grade 3 class one day the teacher did a fun Class pumpkin carving
activity and that is when the light bulb went off in my head. I realized that that simple activity

was a display of culturally responsive teaching because the teacher was relating what the

students were learning to what they already knew and what they were interested in. Even though

many of the students had never carved a pumpkin before they understood it because it is a

holiday that all of the children in the classroom had in common and celebrated together. For me

seeing these concepts we had learned in class actually being executed helped me to make the

connections and further understand what is expected of me as a classroom teacher.

Another connection I made between what we were learning in class and my volunteer

experience was classroom management. In our EDU504 field experience class we had two

teachers that provided us with excellent information about managing a classroom and I was able

to see it come to life when I was in a classroom and noticed the different methods that teacher

used. Many of our professors have shared their experiences with us as well and I have tried to

keep a notebook with all the different techniques that they have shown us so that I can hopefully

use them in my own classroom someday. This is also a way to collaborate and work with other

teachers to come up with ideas that will keep the students engaged in learning. In saying that

teacher collaboration is another example of a best practice of teaching that I have experienced

and utilized.

Furthermore, the methods courses that we have taken in this most recent semester have

shown me the importance of planning for instruction. It is much easier to teach students when

you are prepared because you have already thought about possible misconceptions and are able

to manage your time better and ensure all the necessary content is met. Along with planning

there is instruction and assessment and one of the major ideas I will keep with me from what I

have learned is that an assessment needs to serve a purpose and needs to directly reflect the
objective of the lesson. This all relates back to planning because in order to ensure that your

objectives, instruction and assessments all align you need to have prepared ahead of time.

Finally, the work that I have done at Medaille and the experiences I have gained align

with the TEAC/ CAEP claims because: (1) I am able to demonstrate an understanding of the

subject matter in my certification of grades one to six, (2) I have demonstrated my use of best

practices and my knowledge of effective pedagogy, and (3) I am a caring individual whom at the

end of the day just wants the best for all students. The TEAC/ CAEP claims hold the students of

Medaille to a high standard in which I believe I have met and surpassed throughout my time

here.

Overall, my in class experience and volunteer experiences have shown me that teaching

is meant for me and is where I belong because I have the passion to continue to improve and to

never stop learning how to better myself as an educator. I value students and see them all as

individual people who are different and require different things. Once again I think that taking

the time to reflect on this experience of writing a portfolio in itself is crucial because it has given

me the chance to how far I have come and how much I have learned in a short period of time, I

cannot imagine how much more I will learn in the field. I am excited to get out there and begin

my practice teaching to gain further experience that I can reflect on later down the road.

Readiness to Become a Teacher

If you had asked me one year ago if I was ready to be a teacher I would have said yes, but

what I have learned now is that I had so much to learn and in a short time I have done just that. I

have used the last year to build my knowledge of education and my abilities and techniques of

teaching to ready myself for being a teacher. Medaille has well prepared me to enter the world of
teaching and provided me with the opportunity to learn so many importance concepts and useful

strategies.

I have now learned how to properly write a lesson plan, how to create an assessment, how

to model in different ways and even how to manage a classroom in a variety of ways and using a

variety of techniques. All of these things are what has made me ready to jump into the classroom

and begin teaching. One of my strongest qualities and something that I believe makes me ready

to teach is my willingness to learn. This is important because no matter what we learn in school

and no matter how prepared we think we are the first day of being in a classroom and being a

teacher on my own I know I am going to have so much to learn. Therefore, my willingness to

always learn more and expand my horizons will make me adaptable and hopefully successful.

One of our professors talked to use about the importance of passion in teaching and I

believe that I have that passion, drive and love for teaching that will allow me to succeed even

more so now that I also have the educational background to help me. So therefore, am I ready to

teach? Yes, I am ready to become a teacher and use all the information I have learned to help

students further themselves as individuals and find their own success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I have used this assignment as a whole to reflect on what I have learned

throughout my time at Medaille and to see what improvements I need to make but to also see the

positives in what I have accomplished. It is always important to not settle on the improvements

but to look at what you accomplished and feel pride in your abilities and strengths. I have learned

so much over the last year that sometimes it is hard to believe it has only been a year, but then I

stop and realize it has not only been a year it has been my entire life that has built me up to this
point and prepared me to become a teacher. My own childhood experiences and my education

from elementary to University allowed me to grow and become the passionate teaching

candidate that I am. I believe that where ever I end up teaching I will succeed because at the end

of the day I care about the students and sometimes it is important that in education we stop and

take a step back to realize we are there as teachers to support and mentor the students in their

journey of learning.
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