Hello, my name is Tom Bouda and this is my weebly website that I created for my course about

my potential fifth grade classroom.

Classroom rules

I have the classroom rules posted on this website so that both the students and their

parents can know the attitudes that are expected in the classroom. This will foster a level of

transparency that will develop into a trusting and mutually beneficial relationship. This concept

displays my understanding of classroom management competency because an effective teacher

will establish proactive procedures and routines to ensure a positive and safe environment for all

learners.

There is a mini-survey on the page that asks for input into the class rules, I have included

this because as a competent teacher I am aware of various types of diverse learners and want to

be able to adapt to better suit their needs.

Getting to know you survey

The student survey is another important feature on the website that will give me insight

into the diversity of learners in the classroom. As a competent teacher, I am aware of culturally

responsive teaching and I can glean more information by having my students and their parents

fill out answers to the survey. This information will inform my own decisions about lesson

planning because I will have insight and can therefore consider needs, challenges, cultural

backgrounds and other factors that contribute to the background knowledge of my students.

Student resources
Additionally, there are a number of interactive and useful links on this website for

students listed under the student resources tab, and for their parents too – which are listed under

the parent resources tab.

Contact information

In another example of competency that I display, you can find out my contact information

in case you need to get a hold of me. I think that could be helpful for professional collaboration,

especially in the case when a colleague would like to get in contact with me for a project, field

trip, research, or authoring a book. I think that inter-connectedness is an integral part of our

society at large and is useful for maintaining good relationships between stakeholders.

Cyber safety

Cyber safety is also considered on this tab. It is a growing concern that students will

likely have to contend with cyberbullying to some degree and this page serves to promote

awareness of the topic. I think that with education comes a responsibility to prepare students for

the potential perils of the world, and this page has links to a few youtube videos about the

subject. As the students grow, they will be integrated into the digital realm and that is why I have

included a powerpoint presentation that introduces the concept of the 9 elements of digital

citizenship with topics ranging from ‘Digital Access’ to ‘Digital Commerce’ to ‘Digital Literacy’.

I believe that the world that we live in will only be more unified by these digital elements, and

that is why we need to develop the concept and awareness of digital citizenship in our students.

Let's examine the professional portfolio

I will explain my personal and professional background, and professional dispositions as

they relate to the field of education and examine why I have decided to become a teacher. I will
describe a lesson that I have created and taught where I will draw alignments to CCLS in both

NYS and Ontario, student motivation, successes, goals for the future

Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led to choose a career in

education?

I have always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a young student. I feel fortunate to

have been trusted with various types of educational experiences and roles, and I am excited to

continue my own search for knowledge as I develop into a professional educator. I think that a

very influential opportunity presented itself when I was in sixth grade. I was paired with a first

grade student and we were ‘reading buddies’, the goal was to select a book that was of interest to

the younger child, and help them read it. At the time, I didn’t think that it was an important role,

but looking back at it, I can appreciate the importance of being a mentor for reading. This is

demonstrating a competency in modelling. Helping someone bring the written words to life

through the context of speech was one of the first ways that I understood that I can make a

difference to someone else’s quality of life. I have taken and applied this approach to my own

teaching practices. For example, when I can have an older student work with a younger student I

will grasp that opportunity. There are benefits for both of the students: the older student feels

valued and inspired with the responsibility, while the younger student will learn that their peers

have valuable knowledge to deliver and that an adult is not the only source for inspiration.

I have been primed for teaching by my experiences, and my luck for having my mother

being a professional educator. She had the time and interest to work with me for creative projects

such as crafts, construction projects, word games, and cooking lessons. I was encouraged and

accompanied to the library, orchestra performances, museums, stockyards, and cultural events.

To expand on the learning experience and value I was taught to explore my own interests and
hobbies to the depth that I wanted to, never being forced but constantly encouraged to be myself

and find personal value in my own experiments. I have experienced volunteering in her class

ever since I was in grade school, and I believe that this was a very informative and important

aspect of my own personal development. I was able to see and observe classroom management

techniques such as organization of class field trips, assigning homework, giving tests and

grading, and implementation of IEP (Individualized Education Programs) for various students.

My own search for knowledge is another reason that I want to be a teacher. Another type

of experience that I found to be influential is my opportunity to engage in extra-curricular

education. For example, when I was in grade 4 I had the chance to go to an enrichment program.

I met other like-minded students there, those who were interested in learning as much as they

could by expanding on their own concepts of the world at large.

I was introduced to the idea of life being an educational experience, and to learn from

living my life. I was encouraged to seek out opportunities to educate myself, which built upon

my desire and drive to be an avid reader, and to be aware of political motivations for the way our

society treats human beings and our environment. I have been constantly searching for more

education: after my undergraduate degree, I have since trained for, and received a trade

certification, and I am in the process of completing a Masters degree in the field of elementary

education.

My work experience is something that I rather accidently fell in to; while I was

completing my BMus (Bachelor of Music: Composition Improvisation), I had the opportunity to

become a private guitar and music teacher. I took it on as a part-time job, but it evolved into a

transferrable skill and career that I have engaged with for over a decade. Teaching music one-

onone has given me insight into individual’s desires about learning and has made me realize that
there is no one guaranteed method for student success. Essentially, this has led me to the

realization that different methods are required to teach a broad spectrum of students. I am

humbled by this opinion, and I strive to continue to learn more about the individual students in

my classes so that I may serve them better. I have also learned time management skills that are

transferrable to the classroom. I have planned multi-lesson spanning subjects and investigations

into various topics. This will be necessary when planning for lessons as a professional teacher. I

also learned how to balance fun, learning, and serious study so that students are continuously

motivated, engaged, and present in the lessons. I always attempt to think about my students

before teaching a lesson because I want the lesson to have a lasting, personal, and profound

impact on their lives and on their future. A way to be aware of this would be to consider the

classroom culture, the combined experiences of each student, and the previous areas of study by

the students. Knowing and being able to tap into their previous learning experiences is a way to

build upon their knowledge, while ensuring that lessons are received and remembered.

Another important work experience for me was during my time as an instructor/trainer

for the Learning Development Team at a call center. During my tenure there, I had to keep

meticulous training records in terms of class attendance, documentation of scores on tests, and

administer performance reviews. These are skills that are necessary for a competent teacher.I also

had to present my findings to my superiors during weekly meetings, so that the student progress

was monitored, as was my own progress and classroom abilities. Here I developed skills such as

integration of computers and projectors into my lessons, this will be useful as technology is

becoming more integrated into the classroom. I also had to prepare reports on each student,

which is similar to writing report cards for public school students.

Important volunteer experience that I’ve had has been to work in various music classes.

In the first, I volunteered to conduct a string orchestra. There, I learned to engage and control a

large ensemble of students so that they could form a strong and cohesive unit. Under the

direction of the music teacher, I also observed interactions with the ensemble. This has informed

my opinion on how to address a large number of students at the same time. I also volunteered in

a music classroom where I gave one-on-one music lessons. This was important because I got to

work in collaboration with the classroom teacher and therefore had direct instructions about the

course of study that each individual was studying. I think that both of these experiences are

useful for my desire to become a classroom teacher, and I plan to integrate the knowledge and

experiences that I have learned towards that goal.

What have you learned in your teacher training program that will make you an excellent

classroom teacher and colleague?

During my observations and classroom experiences completed this semester, I made

specific notes on the following: classroom procedure, teacher tone of voice, lessons taught, the

order of the lessons, the specific lines of questioning to make the students think (relating to

Bloom’s taxonomy), assessment practices (both informal and informal as well as formative and

summative) and differentiation of assessment practices and expectations. Specifically, Koksal

(2018) states that Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives plays a crucial role in developing

assessments that measure higher and lower level cognitive skills, therefore there is great

emphasis on discovering how well the students master knowledge within the levels of blooms

taxonomy. This was certainly an area that the teachers that I observed were aware of were

constantly monitoring. For example, I had access to lesson plans that outlined with specific detail

the level of higher-order thinking that they were attempting to engage their students in. This type
of information sharing is important between colleagues, because we are there to support one

another in all ways. I am empathetic, understanding and flexible. My communication skills are

excellent, and I am willing to help everyone out. I believe that facilitating an inclusive

atmosphere is one of our most important skills, and we have learned how to do that because of

the modelling that we observed from our professors at Medaille.

Provide an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other curriculum areas,

address the CCLS, technology, student engagement, and motivation? What were the results of the

lesson?

Technology is integral in the real world, and it is important to communicate with students via a

medium that they are familiar with. The Common Core Learning Standards that are addressed

cover both the New York State Standards and the Ontario standards.

It is important for a competent teacher to give lessons and information via modern day

teaching aids that involve technology in the classroom such as creating and upkeeping a class

website, to creating interactive lessons that involve using SMARTboard technology. Looking at

the example here on my portfolio page, we can see that this is a science lesson called ‘sound

sandwiches’. I have attached a video of me playing one, so you can see and hear it for your

reference. If we scroll to the bottom of this lesson, you will see what was actually displayed on

the SMARTboard, two videos that helped to give background knowledge of the topic, and visual

instructions that were left on the board for students who may need additional help remembering

the steps or terminology used (such as the descriptions of Mersenne’s laws).

This lesson was integrated with a music lesson, part of the assessment is testing the

pitches that each student could produce, matching the frequency to real pitches on a tuner and

then playing melodies with their sandwich.

I believe that students were engaged by the interative nature of the lesson and the

resulting musical instrument that they made. I had very excellent feedback from the students in

the class who took their sandwiches home and played many happy melodies. I would like the

chance to teach this lesson to a class again, as I have made notes about how to improve my

teaching of the lesson. Self-reflection and analysis is another key competency of an effective

teacher.

How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in our

district/board/school?

-use of technology

-Inclusivity and cultural responsiveness are main points that are factored into the lessons

-Graphic novels are popular with today’s student, so there is the opportunity to connect with

them on that level.

Why should we hire you instead of other applicants we have interviewed?

First, I want to say that all of my colleagues are equally talented and qualified for any teaching

job there is out there. I know that they are confident, professional and empathetic teacher

candidates and I would be pleased for any of them succeeding in finding a job. I wish them well.

As for myself, I know that my experiences outside of school while working in the corporate

world have given me insight into the importance of collaboration with colleagues, and have
given me the ability to work as an integral part of a multi-disciplinery team. I am flexible,

willing to accept new challenges, and I am always willing to learn new strategies and self-reflect

on my own performance. I think this attitude is important as an educator because we have to be

able to think on our feet, make decisions that will benefit our stakeholders, from students, to

parents, to administration, and even the government. I feel like my background experience in

improvisation is an excellent trait to possess, and I will be able to easily adapt to any new

teaching situation that I become part of.

I feel that my demeanor and attitude towards possibilities and optimism for good in the

world will be inspirational to my students. I think that having an open-minded view of our

society is important because it will demonstrate to students that the world is full of opportunity,

ideas, and collaboration. There is always a reason for every lesson in a classroom, and I plan to

relate these experiences to students in our daily interactions. School is an important place to learn

how to interact with peers, elders and the world. I think that my educational experiences were

positive, and I want to share that positivity with students. It is important to be friendly,

informative, and polite as a mentor for students. From my observations as a student, I think that

teachers are an important role-model for young children. I want to inspire my students in critical

thinking, to have an inquisitive mindset, and to display creativity because our evolving society

requires students to develop and possess these skills to be successful.

Thanks for listening to my presentation, this is Tom saying ‘good day!’