WELCOME TO THE KEY ELEMENTS TO THE CANDIDATE PORTFOLIO REFLECTION BLOG

WELCOME 

Welcome to the key elements to the candidate portfolio blog.  I created this blog to help guide you through writing your final e-folio reflection.  If you remember from class discussions there is a portfolio requirement embedded in this course as a part of your professional education licensure program.  

IMPORTANT: To receive a grade for this class, you will upload an artifact and reflection to your portfolio that must meet standard six. Not successfully completing the portfolio requirement will result in a grade of "satisfactory progress (SP)" for the class. 

Hopefully, this blog/guide will help you with this process.  I always welcome questions.  If you have a question in relation to this blog or the process of writing the e-folio reflection, please post it in the comment section directly below the section your question relates to.  This will allow others to read your question as well as read my (or your peers) reply.  

To start please click on the video below: 

A. RATIONAL - 1ST PARAGRAPH

A. RATIONAL - 1ST PARAGRAPH 

1.  Rational: Your first paragraph will be your rational.  When writing your rational, please include the following: 

1. What? (What is the context of the artifact? What is it? When and why was it produced?)
2. So What? (What is the role of the artifact? Why did I select it as evidence for meeting standard six? What does it say about my growing competence as a teacher?
3. Now What? (What is the importance of the artifact? How did producing the artifact help me improve my professional competence and what will I do to continue to improve relative to standard six? 

Basically your first paragraph is your thesis statement.  I have included a few videos below to help remind you how to write a good thesis statement.  

B. KNOWLEDGE: PARAGRAPH #2

Paragraph 2- Knowledge

This paragraph is often the most difficult for people to write and is often the reason you will be asked to revise and resubmit.  In order to make this a bit easier I have put together a power point/video/audio for you.  All you need to do is hit play.  It is a power point that I am talking through.  You will hear me clarify what exactly needs to be in this paragraph as well as talk through a couple of examples.

Video on Communication Theory 

Video on Language Development

Dr. Andrew Johnson - Language Development Theories

Chomsky's View of Language Development 

Language Acquisition Theories 

Scaffolding Language Development

Stages of Language Development (ELL)

http://youtu.be/Eoca1Ou_6TE

Verbal and Nonverbal Cues: 

Body Language: Reinforcing Learning

Body Language: The Close 

Silent Signs in the Math Classroom

C. DISPOSITIONS: PARAGRAPH #3

C. Dispositions:

 This paragraph (third paragraph) should describe how the artifact(s) that you have chosen provides evidence of master of the teacher dispositions below:

•  The teacher recognizes the power of language for fostering self-expression, identity development, and learning. 
•  The teacher values many ways in which people seek to communicate and encourages many modes of communication in the classroom. 
•  The teacher is a thoughtful and responsive listener. 
•   The teacher appreciates the cultural dimensions of communication, responds appropriately, and seeks to foster culturally sensitive communication by and among all students in the class.

In the video below you will see and hear how Ms. Todd recognizes the power of language for fostering self-expression, identity development and learning.  You also see how she encourages speaking in her classroom.  

In the video below you will see how one classroom uses many modes of communication (speaking, listening, viewing, reading, and writing) in the classroom.

D. PERFORMANCES - PARAGRAPH #4

Within your fourth paragraph you need to communicate a mastery of the below indicators:

1. The teachers models effective communication strategies in conveying ideas and information and in asking questions (e.g. monitoring the effects of messages, restating ideas and drawing connections, using visual, aural, and kinesthetic cues, being sensitive to nonverbal cues given and received).
2. The teacher supports and expands learner expression in speaking, writing, and other media.
3. The teacher knows how to ask questions and stimulate discussion in different ways for particular purposes, for example, probing for learner understanding, helping students articulate their ideas and thinking processes, promoting risk-taking and problem-solving, facilitating factual recall, encouraging convergent and divergent thinking, stimulating curiosity, helping students to question.
4. The teacher communicates in ways that demonstrate a sensitivity to cultural and gender differences (e.g. appropriate use of eye contact, interpretation of body language and verbal statements, acknowledgement of and responsiveness to different modes of communication and participation).
5. The teacher knows how to use a variety of media communication tools, including audio-visual aids and computers, to enrich learning opportunities. 

Below you will find a short six minute video of Ms. Noonan's teaching.  I chose this video because within this short video I believe you can find evidence of nearly all the components above.  My hope is that after watching this video it will spark a memory of a class experience in which you engaged in similar activities and give you that "seed" of what you could take up in this paragraph in relation to the artifact that you have chosen.