Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines

Introduction

In this section I will reflect on my learning experiences at Medaille College and my

readiness to become a teacher. I will talk about how my learning experiences connect with the

Medaille College Department of Education Claims and the Council for Accreditation of

Education Preparation Standards. I have completed many courses in my time at Medaille

College that have qualified me to become a teacher such as courses that were based on specific

subject areas like literacy, math and science. I also had courses that taught me about field

experience, technology in the classroom and culturally responsive teaching. The practical

experience that I had as a student, has allowed be to feel ready and confident as a teacher in the

classroom.

Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences

In completing this portfolio project, I was able to reflect a lot on my learning experiences

at Medaille College and how prepared I am to become a teacher when I graduate. I especially

enjoyed going over my background experiences and reflecting on what made me want to become

a teacher, because it helped me realize all of my qualifications and how I am a good fit for this

job. Another part of the portfolio that I felt was important was completing the philosophy of

education section. This part is important because not only is it a question that will be asked of

me in an interview, but it also required me to think about what kind of school environment I

want to work in, and what kind of teacher I will be in the classroom.

I had a lot of learning experiences during my time at Medaille that were very valuable

and have helped me become ready to be a teacher. Medaille has provided its students with
courses that are realistic and useful for when their students graduate and become teachers. The

courses in particular that prepared student’s for teaching were the Developmental Literacy

course, Assessment and Evaluation of Literacy, Math Science and Technology and Technology

in the classroom (Medaille DOE Claim 1, CAEP Standard 1 & 4).

Medaille College has ensured that we know the subject matter that we will be teaching

(Medaille DOE Claim 1). In the Literacy courses that we took, I learned the importance of

literacy assessment and evaluation. I learned different instructional techniques for literacy such

as creating a vocabulary game, ensuring that there is an anticipatory set at the start of the lesson

as well and formal and informal assessments throughout the lesson and unit to check for

understanding (CAEP Standard 1 & 4). I also found it helpful that during the Assessment and

Evaluation of Literacy course, that we were required to work with a student and assess their

literacy skills with a variety of assessment tools (CAEP Standard 1). This experience was

helpful because we were able to complete running records with the student, practice interest

inventories, spelling assessments, and fluency and comprehension assessments. Our Math,

Science and Technology course that was completed in the Fall 2018 helped us explore the

curriculum as these are the toughest subject to teach and I feel that many people are nervous to

teach these subjects (Medaille College DOE Claim 1, CAEP Standard 1 & 4). In this course, we

explored the curriculum and how to assess and teach the topics. After completing this course, I

had a much better understanding of the subject matter (Medaille College DOE Claim

1). Another course that was valuable was the Technology in the Classroom course. We learned

how to create a classroom website which is important for home school connections and parent

and student communication (Medaille College DOE Claim 2, CAEP Standard 1). We also
learned how to create a SMART Presentation and many technology tools to use in our classroom

which will help with engaging lessons for our students.

Throughout my time at Medaille College, I was given many opportunities for practical

experience (Medaille College DOE Claim 2, CAEP Standards 1 & 2). Before starting the

program, we could come in with 80 hours of field experience and then complete 10 hours of

experience through our Early Field Experience course (EDU 504) (Medaille College DOE Claim

2, CAEP Standard 2). We also had the opportunity to visit a Buffalo Prep Saturday school class.

In this experience, we observed four different classes and reflected on these learning experiences

(Medaille College DOE Claim 2, CAEP Standard 2). Another opportunity for practical

experience was during my student teaching placements. This gave us the opportunity to

experience what it will be like to be a full-time teacher and teach all areas of the curriculum

(Medaille College DOE Claim 2, CAEP Standard 2).

Not only did we have courses to teach us about curriculum and how to teach those

expectations in the classroom, and experience in doing so, but we also had courses and training

to help us become caring teachers and how to ensure that our students are treated fairly in the

classroom (Medaille College DOE Claim 2 & 3). The Child Abuse and DASA seminars helped

us understand the important role educators have in ensuring that children are safe at school and

the school environment is inclusive (Medaille College DOE Claim 2 & 3). We also had a course

about Culturally Responsive Teaching which allowed us to think about ways that we can

incorporate diversity and inclusion in our classrooms (Medaille College DOE Claim 2 & 3). We

considered learners of gender identity issues, disabilities, and various cultures. As you can see,

there were many valuable learning experiences at Medaille College.

Readiness to Become a Teacher

be at teacher. As I have completed my student teaching placements and my courses, I feel that

they have been very valuable in preparing me to teach. I have been successful in my teaching

placements and I have experienced two different classrooms. I have learned about assistive

technology and differentiating instruction for different learners. I have explored the curriculum

in my courses and the different modifications and accommodations that can be provided for our

students. We have learned how to be inclusive teachers.

Some of my strengths as a teacher are being able to create engaging lessons for my

students. I have learned from my classmates and instructors on how to do this and in turn, by

creating engaging lessons, I feel that this will help with classroom management. I feel that I am

confident in my classroom management skills. I have learned the importance of making

connections with my students and knowing your learners. By doing this, the students will feel

comfortable and welcome in my classroom and will respond better to me as their teacher. I am

also able to promote diversity and inclusion in my classroom. This goes along with making

connections with the students, but it also involves creating a positive classroom climate with the

students. It is important that students are learning about all cultures in the classroom and that the

students feel included in what they are learning.

Another feature that shows that I am ready to be a teacher is my ability to incorporate

technology in the classroom. I have learned that technology needs to be purposeful but can also

enhance learning in the classroom. I am able to create a SMART Board presentation, use

technology tools such as kahoot, symbaloo, webbly websites, google classroom, and google read

and write to name a few. I have learned how to use technology through all curriculum subjects

and create cross curricular lessons.

Kindergarten class for five years, my teaching placements and my education at Medaille College

have prepared me to become a successful teacher. I am excited to graduate from Medaille

College and start my teaching career.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my learning experiences at Medaille College were valuable and

practical. I have learned different ways of assessing students, how to engage them in lessons, the

importance of technology and modifications for students. As educators, we need to consider all

learners in our classroom and be inclusive of their needs and learning styles. I feel that I am

ready to become a teacher through all of these experiences.