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Table of Contents (With Section Direct Links)

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Table of Contents (With Section Direct Links)

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This portfolio is repository of all the elements of my journey ; both academic and non-academic on attaining the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programme and officially becoming a trained teacher at the Secondary School level .My purpose is to inspire teachers through the various levels and aspects of the “DipEd” by allowing to see the elements if teaching and learning that are crucial for their effectiveness within the classroom. For them to see the importance and benefits of becoming trained in the profession or within their various disciplines and pedagogy areas.  In addition , putting this portfolio together highlights the relationship between placing theory and practice together.

Also , this portfolio contains some areas where the students of this programme  are showcasing what they have learnt and applying it to various sections within the portfolio. In essence , it summarizes the “DipEd” journey.

[143 words]

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#9 Taylor Drive,

Carnbee,

Tobago.

17th January, 2024.

Dear Abeni,

As I reflect, I can recall that teaching has been my passion from as far back as I can remember. On several occasions, I could have been seen diligently teaching my teddy bears as though they were live students seated in a classroom.  In addition, at Bishop’s High School-Tobago, where I was a student, I was unofficially charged with the task of tutoring a few boys in my class while we were at the Fifth Form Level. Seeing them become successful in the specific subject of Spanish, drew me even more to wanting to become a teacher. This tutoring ability rapidly spread through our school society as I became a student-tutor to many more students while still maintaining my status of being a student-athlete. This balancing act definitely showed be that perhaps I had the ability of becoming a teacher , and being able to survive the profession.

Six years later, in 2014, after having completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree at the UWI St. Augustine, I entered the teaching profession and was placed at my alma mater. Being an untrained teacher and feeling as though I was “thrown to the wolves”, I still bravely and confidently entered each classroom to execute my duties. Fortunately, that did not deter me as I was encouraged by my then Principal and Head of Department to pursue the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (DipEd) Programme as soon as possible as it holds many benefits once I have intentions of remaining in this noble profession and eventually moving “up the ladder.”  I immediately understood that the programme creates mobility in the Teaching Service, will allow me to become a certified teacher, would permit me to create well-planned lessons, and learn and practice effective teaching strategies that will improve my content delivery and the learning efficacy of my students. Though I was denied entry into the programme on several occasions, that had not dampened my spirit to still try to pursue the DipEd. Today, I may confidently state that I am excited to become a trained teacher and to provide my students with the BEST version of myself in the classroom; virtually and physically!

I have so many high expectations of upon completion of this programme as I expect that it would allow me to master the art of teaching through its dynamic sub-programmes and courses. The lecturers and tutors are highly-trained and knowledgeable so I feel safe under their tutelage. I hope to be able to break barriers that exist when teaching, and I hope that I can clearly recognize and appreciate my teacher identity which is to become officially trained and certified, and to be a professional teacher.

I hope that I achieve all that I set my heart and mind to. I will keep my head above the waters and remember that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13.”

Love always,

Abeni.

[494 words]

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Statement of Initial Philosophy of Teaching 

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Statement of Initial Philosophy of Teaching 

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Initially , I perceived teaching as driving or operating a car where I see myself as the conductor. However , now , I view teaching as a very similar metaphor , but now , I see teaching as flying a plane with me being the pilot. Taking my students to “higher heights” and to further destinations though we may sometimes face emergency landings, and turbulence, the civil aviation regulations are there to guide us safely to and from each learning destination.

When I entered this noble profession in 2014, I literally began strategizing how I would be navigating my live classes as I was “baptized by fire”. I immediately thought to myself that I wanted to epitomize the teacher that I wanted when I was at school; one who is passionate, knowledgeable, patient, compassionate, resilient, determined, consistent, kind, tolerant of each student, and one who brings her classroom ALIVE. Fast forward to present, I want to be a change agent. The teacher that students always look forward to attending my classes, completing the tasks and a teacher that they can confide in when they meet their sometimes, silent battles. Additionally, my main objective is to try to always have a positive and a “solutionist” attitude each time I enter the classroom. This same motive is exemplified as I am an extracurricular activity coach at my school and I use these activities to still portray teachable moments; discipline when on the court of play, respecting teammates, and group efforts to achieve one common goal.

As I transport students through their journeys to arrive at several destinations, it is paramount that I mention that they are always placed front and center of my classroom as they are the most important entity; the passengers. It is my goal to “fly” them with care and to remember that each student of my “classroom community” is unique and that they have different learning abilities and strengths. I want to listen to them and learn from them as this is a pathway for generating new ideas and practices. Also, I believe that it is fair to my students that I be trained in such a way so that I can educate them to the best of my ability by using the most effective learning strategies, while placing in the “window seat” , classroom management and disciplinary mechanisms. Order must be maintained.

Through the journey of teaching , it is of paramount importance that I mention that my “world map” is the curriculum and syllabi aligned to each level of tutelage as I would use these as a guide to ensure that my students are equipped according to the requirements of the governing educational bodies.

In conclusion, I really try to be that teacher that my students would want to mirror. The teacher that they would remember for the rest of their lives as I did not only academically influence them, but I also taught them other core values.

[492 words]

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I chose to focus on the topic , “In the classroom.”  I believe that students can relate to the topic quite easily as they “live” it each day. Also , it is a unit that students really enjoy since it is relatable as they may have prior knowledge on the topic , which in my observation boosts their confidence and allows better student engagement . A sample unit of instruction is presented with five lessons of varying cognitive and affective lessons utilizing varying teaching strategies to appeal to the multiple intelligences. For a chosen lesson samples of measurable instructional objectives are highlighted. These objectives align with the lesson purpose and unit goals and objectives. Two lessons plans showcasing the use of different instructional strategies were also presented. The choice of strategies were determined based on the lesson focus and my students’ learning type. Also , based on the readings assigned by our lecturers, instructional scaffolding was then explained identifying its components based on the concept of paragraph writing in Spanish. A flow chart was then prepared showing the logical sequence of the scaffolds for writing a paragraph in Spanish. Lastly , the analysis of a task was illustrated using an appropriate table. This section is of significance for students’ learning as it outlines in great detail a student-centred approach to learning.

[200 words]

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Unit Plan - Spanish - 'In the Classroom' 

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Unit Plan - Spanish - 'In the Classroom' 

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Complete Lesson Attached : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WaM71hpPtwx_RQiGzodsUw-K0IXGmIvk?usp=share_link

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Complete Lesson Attached : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jjGjth4JG60ggGg_tc3mBSn7gJO82BY0?usp=share_link

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Google Forms Quizzes  and iMovie Applications were both used in this section. Google Form Quizzes were used with my Form Two Class as a means of completing for home-work ,a multiple choice quiz with ease and one which gives them immediate feedback by giving them their grades. Also , iMovie was used to create an attractive video for the set induction which was a audio-visual masterpiece used to capture my students’ attention during the set induction, and thus increased student engagement throughout the class. These tools were quite effective and appropriate for the function in which they had to perform for the specific class levels.

[103 words]

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Summative Assessment and Table of Specifications for Unit 

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Summative Assessment and Table of Specifications for Unit 

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Summative Assessment and Table of Specifications_Portfolio

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Question 1 - Selected Lesson with Appended Resources and Lesson Plans 

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Question 1 - Selected Lesson with Appended Resources and Lesson Plans 

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Question 2 - Video Media  Presentation - Reflection on Aspects of Technology Integration 

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Question 2 - Video Media  Presentation - Reflection on Aspects of Technology Integration 

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a.Degree of ease or challenge faced

b.Proposal to continue using technology in classes

c.Reflection on experience using Technology Integration as an Influencer of Knowledge of teaching and learning

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Standards of Classroom Assessment were explored in this section. An assessment I created was examined and suggestions made on how to improve in the future , keeping in mind the standards explored. In this section , a lesson from SECTION B  of this portfolio was focused on by creating a performance assessment ; stating the exact location of persons in the classroom. A rubric was also designed to guide students and teacher with regard to assessing the project. These tasks are significant to my practice as it allows me to cater to multiple intelligences while providing me with the opportunity to reflect on assignments previously created and how to improve by aligning with the standards of classroom assessment.

[115 words]

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Question 1 - Two Standards of Classroom Assessment

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Question 1 - Two Standards of Classroom Assessment

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a.Student Engagement in Assessment

b.Effective Feedback

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i. Conforming to Standards discussed

ii. Suggestions for Improvement to Align with Standards

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Question 2 - Growth in Assessment Competence

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Question 2 - Growth in Assessment Competence

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a.Concept Explanation

a.ii Description of 3 Criteria (Performance Assessment Vs. Traditional Assessment)

b.i Creation of Performance Assessment

b.iiRubric for Performance Assessment Created

c.Purpose of Topic

d.Two benefits and two challenges of administering Rubric and Performance Assessment

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Engaging in curriculum integration was definitely exciting for me and I was over-elated to participate in such. As an agent of change I felt empowered to attempt something new. Transdisciplinary Integration provided me with the opportunity to allow students to dictate the lesson to be taught based on their spirit of inquiry. I definitely want to continue doing this upon my teaching journey as students were over-intrigued to participate in the lesson. In addition, collaborating with my colleague to execute the lesson was also communal for me.

[87 words]

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Question 1 - Curriculum Integration Report

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Question 1 - Curriculum Integration Report

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The Reflective Summary sorts to highlight insight into my thought processes throughout this Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programme Journey . As a reflective practitioner,  this chapter showcased the processes undertaken in developing this portfolio over the past nine months. Learnings from the process were highlighted as I reflected upon how my Philosophy of Education has evolved from Day one to now. This section also outlined my future projections as a teacher as I work towards furthering my pedagogical practices , while achieving the ultimate goal which is to improve the learning of my  students’ .

[95 words]

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The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

School of Education

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Postgraduate Diploma in Education 2023-2024

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Code & Name of Course: EDFL 5400: Teaching of Modern Foreign Languages

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Title of Assignment: Pedagogy As Process Assessment Portfolio

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Student Name: Abeni Taylor

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Student UWI ID Number: 810002555

Tutor’s Name: Mrs. Murella Sambucharan-Mohammed

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Graduate Coursework Accountability Statement 

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Graduate Coursework Accountability Statement 